Veneto - A Wyndham Grand Hotel

I don't recommend this place

We chose this hotel because we were only planning to be in Panama City for 2 nights and since it's centrally located we thought it would be a prefect spot. The reviews on this hotel are mixed. So we were willing to check this place out.

Room: We got a standard non-smoking king room on the 8th floor. The bed is okay. The sheets, even though they were fresh smelled like smoke - it must have been the bed. The room was small. The bathroom smelled like urine even it was just cleaned by the housekeeper. Some would say, you get what you paid for but that's not true if you compare it to other hotels in the area.
Room service was great though.

Concierge: Not knowlegeable of the tourist destinations in Panama. They had to call another company to get the information you want. Time consuming. They've been doing this for a long time - can't they write the info down so they have it handy for the guests? We asked for a map of the city, they gave us the Panama City Restaurant Guide Magazine which has a little map of where all the restaurants are located in the back. We got a City Map from the Albrook Mall - free.

Hotel itself: Their website call this hotel "one of the most luxurious hotels in Panama". It is so far from luxurious at all. As soon as you step out of the hotel at night, you'll see a lot of prostitutes hanging around. The lobby is not that inviting. The taxi at the hotel is a rip off. They would tell you it's much safer to take their taxi than the public taxi. They quoted us $12 from the hotel to Albrook Mall. For the heck of it, we flagged a public tax (there were many of them passing in front of the hotel) and asked how much to the mall and the driver told us $3 so we took the public taxi. We took the public taxi everywhere since then.

Was not happy with the reception staff - they were not helpful but when we checked out they were short of staff and the Hotel Director, Irene helped us. She was very nice and very helpful. When I complained to her about the service I've received from the front desk, she said that it has been a problem.

If you do decide to stay here despite what I've mentioned above. I know it all depends on your budget. But before you book Veneto, call the hotel and ask for their specials. Irene, the hotel director told us of all their specials that were not listed on Expedia nor on the hotel website.

Unique Quality: Close proximity to good shopping, restaurants and bars. A lot of people like the Casino here. We're not a gambler so I don't have anything to say to that. They are cheaper compared to other big chain hotels. Close to both Metropolitan Nature Park and Heron's Palace.