Courtyard Hotels in Panama City

The room was everything I expected to see at a Marriott. Great bed, pillows, sheets, clean etc etc. Breakfast, well it was my first day in Panama so I didn't realize how expensive it was for food here. So I felt like it was over priced for a basic buffet. I've had better buffets in much cheaper hotels in very expensive places such as iceland so... Also the price online we different from what I was charged which was irritating. Also when I asked the server how to pay earlier, by charge to the room or here (he had just asked me for my room number) he stated he would get back to me. He never did, despite my asking for water. And a spoon. And cream. Because none of this was supplied to me and not available at the buffet. So when I saw other people just up and leaving without paying a bill I assumed it would be charged to the room. And since the server still wasn't around when I was leaving, I just left. When I went to pay the bill that night it was a disaster and took nearly an hour to sort out. And I got called back down to the front desk twice for this. Then I got three calls at random times through the night from some automated Spanish speaking thing and my 2 am Spanish was not up to translation. I tried calling the front desk to ask what was going on. I assumed maybe incorrectly entered wake up calls. But there was no answer. It just rang. This happened twice and the third time I just disconnected the phone. Not thrilled with this stay.

It had already been a long day of travel, but I was excited to get to my room to drop off my bags and go explore Panama a little. We were only there for less than 24 hours so time was super valuable. Upon entering the hotel, it seemed a little dated, dirty, and worn. The location was extremely convenient since it was so close to the airport ($8-9 Uber black ride, $4-5 Uber X) and we would be there just to rest our head before our 9am flight. After waiting for 25 minutes for the two people in front of me to be checked in (only one desk person), I handed my passport and credit card over and I was promptly informed that I did not have a reservation. Instantly I looked on my Bonvoy app to confirm I did in fact have a reservation, but that was not enough for him. Even though I gave him the confirmation number and showed him the reservation for a two bed room. I had to go through my emails to find the confirmation email with room rate. I even checked in via the app to try to expedite the process and showed him I was now checked-in. Finally after about 30 minutes he gave me a room, while a nice line of 5 or 6 pilots and flight attendants waiting to check-in mounded behind me. I apologized to them while departing to my room, the desk guy did appear to care they were waiting. I was traveling with my elderly mother, so I just wanted to get her to the room so she could relax for a minute. After opening the door, guess what I was in a single king bed room, definitely not what I booked. I left my mom at the door so we did not have to lug our bags downstairs again. The line was not down to 4 people. Luckily they saw me and the pilots felt bad and let me jump in line. Not once did the deskman apologize for anything. He even had an attitude about it. The beds were acceptable, but not as comfortable as other Courtyards I have stayed. The room looked well worn. The hallway did not even look like it was vacuumed, food particles were on the ground! The next morning breakfast was great for a Courtyard, the only bright star for this dump. The server was extremely attentive and pleasant. The food was pretty good. Maybe the bar was set so low with the other experiences here. I should have went with my instincts and kept my original reservations that were deeper in the city. When I come back to Panama, this will definitely not be my hotel.