Located on Santa Maria Boulevard, this luxurious hotel combines the amenities of a resort with the location of an urban hotel, a formula that seeks to attract both leisure travelers and business travelers.
Belonging to The Luxury Collection by Marriott, its main attraction is the possibility of enjoying recreational facilities without leaving the capital. The hotel has a golf course that hosts international tournaments. Added to this is a swimming pool with waterfalls and views of the golf course, as well as a gym equipped with modern machines with 24-hour access. An ideal combination for those who want to rest, but also not stop exercising during their stay.
With 182 rooms and suites, its design incorporates artisanal elements and references to the country’s indigenous communities, such as baskets made by hand by artisans from the Embera community.
As for accommodation options, you can choose between several types of rooms: deluxe, doubles, or master suite and grand suite, with more space, some offer a dining room and living room or private terrace.
An experience that begins at the table
Gastronomy is another component of the experience. The hotel has several spaces for eating and sharing, including a restaurant specializing in grilled meats and fish, a pizzeria bar next to the pool and a coffee shop with a deli. The culinary proposal includes both locally inspired cuisine and international influences, as well as alternatives for private meetings and celebrations.
The offer is complemented by facilities for events and meetings. The hotel has more than 18,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor spaces, distributed in 16 rooms located on the ground floor and with access to green areas.
If you want to get married in Panama City, this hotel could be the right one to celebrate your wedding.
With capacity for 500 people, the Gatún room can be divided into five spaces, while the Chagres can receive up to 400 guests.
For Héctor Rodríguez, who has been in charge of management for five years, the hotel’s main distinctive feature is not limited to its facilities. The executive considers that the human team is the factor that transforms a stay into a memorable experience.
“All the hotels have nice rooms. There are few hotels that can say that they have a team that is completely committed and dedicated to what we are trying to achieve,” Rodríguez said in an interview with DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS.
Rodríguez explained that part of his management consists of listening to those who are in direct contact with guests. According to the manager, the best ideas to improve service usually come from employees who know first-hand the needs and expectations of visitors.
“We do not consider ourselves a process-based organization. We are a culture-based organization,” he summarized.
Panama, much more than a stopover
Regarding the tourism boom that Panama is going through, the general manager originally from Spain believes that the country has begun to arouse greater interest among international travelers looking for different destinations within Central America.
From their perspective, Panama has an advantage: it does not depend on a single attraction, but rather brings together history, gastronomy, cultural diversity, modern cities and natural landscapes.
Likewise, he highlighted the influence of the different communities that have contributed to forming the national identity, from the Spanish and French heritage to the American, Chinese and Antillean presence. That mix, he affirms, is reflected in cuisine, music and artistic expressions. He also mentioned the growing local gastronomic movement and the work of Panamanian chefs who reinterpret traditional recipes with contemporary techniques.
For those who want to extend the trip beyond the capital, the country offers very different scenarios, such as the landscapes of the Guna Yala islands, the Caribbean and Pacific coasts and the Boquete region, where you can do outdoor activities and coffee tastings. Exploring Casco Antiguo and Panama Viejo is essential to understanding Panamanian history.
“Panama, being an ism, has a unique natural diversity in the region. It has the Caribbean, the Atlantic and the Pacific, where in an hour you can bathe in one, dry quickly, jump in the car and go bathe in the other. With islands like Guna Yala, 380 islands, which reminds me of what my uncle told me, which is the Maldives of the 70s,” said Rodríguez.
“And there is a whole battalion of new chefs who are trying to put Panama on the map with very interesting things,” he added.
Watching humpback whales at certain times of the year is also an attraction of the destination. It is precisely this diversity that it aims to bring to its guests.
“The hotel has positioned itself today as the gateway to the destination,” said Rodríguez, who believes that many travelers arrive attracted by the facilities, but discover that Panama offers much more than they expected.
The manager’s international career has also influenced that perspective. Before arriving in the country, Rodríguez worked in destinations such as New York, Paris, Lausanne, Greece, Dubai and Costa Rica.
The Santa Maria Hotel & Golf Resort offers an experience that combines rest, sports, gastronomy and contact with local culture. Its proposal may be attractive to couples, families, business travelers and golf fans, who are looking for a comfortable stay without giving up exploring the capital and its surroundings.
How to get there
With more than 85 destinations in 32 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean, Copa Airlines offers up to seven daily flights from Miami.
Recognized in 2025 as the most punctual in Latin America, the airline also offers a Stopover program, which allows you to extend your stay in Panama by up to 15 days at no additional cost to the flight fare, for those who wish to explore the destination.
Once you land at the Tocumen International Airport, you can take the metro that connects the air terminal with the city center or travel to your place of lodging by Uber or private transportation if you wish.
