I went to Panama city and stayed two nights at the Crowne Plaza. The hotel is wonderful and offers a very good four-stars service. Checking in was easy and the bell boys were extremely kind. Front desk staff was also kind and helpful. I was given room 417. The room was spacious, modern-styled, air-conditioned and in an immaculate condition. The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was very big as well. Breakfast was nice too, not a wide selection but everything tasty.
The hotel is perfectly located close to Via España, the commercial area of Panama City. There are lots of department stores along that street, which sell good products with unbeatable prices.

Panama City is a nice, modern capital city. It has many skycrapers and also a beautiful old town, which is being recycled. We had booked a city tour and a trip to the Panama Canal with a tour operator called 'Gamboa tours', which in fact has a desk at the Crowne Plaza. I felt very dissapointed with their service, however. We couldn't see Miraflores locks because the canal was closed due to a presidential visit. The tour operator said there would be a refund unless we decided to go back to see the canal the following day. I couldn't do so because that was my last day in Panama. Although it was not Gamboa's fault, they could have warned us the canal would be closed that day, as we could have gone by our own the day before. I must be the only tourist who has been to Panama and hasn't seen the Panama Canal!
Apart from that, the city tour was very poor. The tour guide took us one hour to a tax-free shop and then said there was no time left to visit 'Panama Viejo', the ruins of the first city built by the Spaniards and destroyed by pirate Henry Morgan. We did go to 'Casco Viejo' or old town (built after the other city was destroyed), but could not see the Cathedral or spend some time walking the little streets because the guide said parking was not allowed there. What I had to do later was taking a taxi and tour the city myself stopping wherever I wanted to, just to find out that taxi drivers knew much more about Panama City than Gamboa's tour guides.

All in all, stay at the Crowne Plaza because it is a very good hotel, but do not book anything at Gamboa tours because you will be as dissapointed as I was.

DO NOT STAY IN THIS HORRIBLE HOTEL. The hotel itself is fine, normal, nothing out of the ordinary. But a personnel member, be it most likely the cleaning lady or anyone else who has access to the master codes in the room Safes STOLE $2200 US dollars out of the ROOM safe which was locked up with my own 4 digit code. My passport and plane ticket was intact but half the money in the envelope had been swiped.

I have called overseas to complain but unfortunately, I did not notice this until I got on the plane back home to Peru but the only place that I had left my envelope with money was in the room safe and I used my own 4 digit code of course throughtout my 4 night stay. The staff is not taking what I say as true so you can imagine how upset and furious I am. This has never happened to me ever IN ANY OTHER HOTEL.

BOTTOM LINE, STAFF is STEALING FROM THE GUESTS from the safe in the rooms!!! I will never use a safe again to store any money in any hotel and NEVER again staying at any Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza Hotel. I advise you do the same.

The only downside to this property is the smoking (I'm spoiled, living in Florida with our non-smoking laws). The rooms are good sized and clean. I was surprised at the number of channels available on the television. I had 3 phones in my room. The bathroom was large and the amenities were good. The dining room had a very nice buffet at breakfast and the prices were very reasonable. The Business Office internet was fast and, at $3.15 USD per half-hour, not too badly priced. The service quality overall was very close to excellent.

Great hotel. Deserves more stars than 2*. We called this hotel after we arrived and realized what a disaster our current hotel was. We got the same rate and the room was Fab-u!. Great staff, multi-lingual and very helpful. They helped us book a tour and assisted with restaurant reservations. Much more like staying at a 4*. This is where I will stay on every return trip. Also, it is in a prime location, 1 block away from festivities during Carnival (Feb) but close the balcony door and you hear no noise, you will sleep like a baby!!