I stayed at the Sortis Panama City Hotel and Casino for two nights in July. As a Marriott Gold member I was offered a room upgrade but declined for a room on a higher floor with a better city view. As a gold member I was also offered a complementary continental breakfast. Both days we left the premises extremely early and missed what I’ve read is a nice continental, but we were offered the food to go which was very nice and had it delivered to the front desk so we could grab and go. Oddly it was served on a tray. They need to get some kind of bag or box for “to go” like this so the front desk people don’t need to scramble about for some way for guests to actually carry their take away food.
I can’t say enough about the staff here. All were terrific and while I can’t remember all of their names, Concierge Luis went above and beyond to arrange an excursion, after he was off duty on Very Short notice. The two Alexander’s, Gian Carlo, Adriangela and Alvaro in the Manabi Restaurant are to be praised for their excellence in customer service as are all the rest.
The hotel decor is very modern and not really to my liking. As part of its modern design scheme it seems to be integrated into but still separate from a surrounding mall and it was sometimes confusing to figure out if you were in a hotel facility or a non affiliated business. On Friday night it is was VERY QUIET. We wondered what the hotel occupancy was. Maybe the fact that it was low season and not very busy the staff could be extra attentive.
The room was spacious, well appointed and the decor was “interesting”. The bath amenities were nice and the shower was HUGE but the doorless shower design is somewhat impractical and I’m sure a nightmare for housecleaning as there is only a rain shower head and no hand held adjunct. Love bathrobes and slippers in my room and Sortis has these as well. There was a public sitting area on our floor (by the ice machine) with a wonderful city view. It is unusual to see such spaces in usually “dense pack” hotel floors but it was nice.
While we did not swim, the pool area was amazing. The design and layout is very innovative with some private cabanas actually surrounded by water. The pool patio was a very spacious rooftop design with a great view of the city. We did not indulge but there was a small private business on the pool level offering pole dancing lessons. I didn’t indulge but it looked fun and the ladies were nice.
The Manabi restaurant on the pool level was very good though in general I found the air conditioning uncomfortably cold to the point we ate outside on the balcony just for the warmth. It also allowed us to feel more “connected” to the city than inside behind windows. The local chicken soup sochocho was more like a stew, very large and delicious though almost a meal in itself. I loved the salad with oranges as it also included warm goat cheese wrapped in crispy phyllo dough that was awesome.
Walked through but did not use the Casino, Sports bar, Exercise room (very spacious and well appointed) or spa. My most negative comment relates to the smell of the place. My traveling companion did not notice but I felt the guest room hallways and room had a musty odor that was off putting. Maybe it was the cleaning products they use but I found it very unpleasant. Also took hotels shuttle service to the airport at 4:45 am – much too early for loud reggae and other music choice!
Relatively new to the Marriott Autograph Collection, the Sortis is still learning the Marriott way but is a wonderful addition to the brand. I Highly recommend it.
Review: Sortis Hotel and Casino Panama City
Visited: July 29,2016
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