Hotel Review: La Compañia, Panama City, Panama

I visited Panama City, Panama in November and stayed four nights at the Hotel La Compañia, part of the Unbound Collection of hotels by Hyatt. The hotel is located in the city’s old quarter (Casco Antiguo or Casco Viejo). This is not just a hotel review, or a review of admiration. It is an homage of full swept love.

Related posts:

Video Walkthrough of the One Bedroom Suite – Hotel La Compañia, Casco Antiguo, Panama City, Panama (Hyatt Unbound Collection)

Hotel Review: Waldorf Astoria Panama City, Panama

A Tale of Two Airport Lounges at Panama Tocumen Int’l Airport (PTY)

To say that I loved the hotel would be an understatement. Staying at Hotel La Compañia is an intertwined experience of love, luxury and history. Casco Viejo is a very vibrant and historical place. I was worried about safety of the area, especially since there were many demonstrations at the time of my visit concerning governmental contracts of the country’s copper mines, but I never felt unsafe there. (note: the issues surrounding the protests have since been resolved).

We were welcomed by everyone at the hotel with open arms and taken by the hand and proudly shown all the hotel offered and stood for.

There is a documentary that explains the development of the hotel. It is fascinating. The founder and CEO of the hotel, Chris Lenz, is a visionary who deserves praise for his dedication and for creating this incredible living museum!

There wasn’t anything about the hotel and the people there that I didn’t love (except perhaps the fitness center). Every inch of the hotel is a work of art, carefully curated and historically significant. Every employee at every level of management, including the owner, Chris Lenz, was onsite and excited to show us around the hotel.

The hotel lobby is exquisite.

There are three wings to the hotel, each significant and representing a different stage of Panama’s history: The French (Jesuit) wing, the Spanish wing and the American wing. The three wings together surround a courtyard. My suite was in the Spanish wing (note the original brickwork in the hallway and throughout the hotel).

Here are some photos of the suite:

Each wing of the hotel has at least one restaurant with ambiance and decor to match the place and time represented.

Breakfast was served in El Santuario, which retains its original stone walls, high ceilings, stained glass windows and elegant arches of a monastery of times past.

During weekdays, we ordered from a menu. On the weekend, there was a buffet.

The hotel’s premium restaurant, 1739, was originally inside a chapel inside San Xavier University. It is located next to the ruins of the Jesuit Church of the same year. The restaurant also has a vast wine cellar.

1739 Restaurant (photo: Hyatt.com)

The American restaurant at the hotel was designed to replicate the American Bazaar, a local department store built in 1904 during the time the Panama Canal was being built.

The hotel also boasts an Italian Restaurant, Luigi’s.

And check out Hari’s Bar!

The Exilio Bar, on the Jesuit wing, is a beautiful bar. We had drinks and dinner here more than once. The drinks were carefully crafted, and we were allowed to order dinner off of any of the hotel’s restaurants’ menus.

If I had one gripe about the hotel, it would be the fitness center. It was in an awkward space, and in a carefully planned hotel, this seemed like an afterthought.

The hotel has a rooftop pool, which was a pleasure to visit. The views of the property were lovely from up here.  

I leave you with this: A selfie in a mirrored elevator with the hotel’s sommelier, Angelo Keith.