Bristol Panama, a Registry Collection Hotel ★★★★★

An Art Collection With Rooms Attached

Panama City hotels of this size usually announce themselves with marble and a chandelier. The Bristol takes a different route: works by close to a hundred Latin American artists, hung through the lobby, the corridors and the guest floors, alongside furniture and detailing that borrow from Panamanian craft rather than from an international template. The result is a house of about 125 rooms that behaves like a much smaller one, with staff who recognise returning guests and a lobby bar that fills with people from the surrounding towers in the evening. It is a grown up hotel, and it knows it.

Why It Works

The case for staying here is service and sound. Rooms are soundproofed, which matters in Obarrio where traffic runs late, and the beds and bathrooms are of a standard the price rarely commands in this city. The kitchen is the other argument: Salsipuedes has a reputation of its own, and a hotel restaurant that locals book is the surest sign that a place is properly run. Add a spa, a sauna, a gym and an outdoor pool on the terrace, and a business traveller can land, work, eat well and swim without crossing the avenue.

Why This Location

Obarrio is the heart of the banking district, a grid of towers, restaurants and small galleries just inland from the bay. The hotel stands on Calle Aquilino de la Guardia, walking distance from the offices and the dining of Via Argentina and El Cangrejo, and a few minutes by car from the shopping centres. The Cinta Costera promenade and its view back to the skyline start nearby, Casco Viejo is a short drive along the waterfront, and the Miraflores locks of the canal are close enough for a morning. The international airport lies east of the city.

Fast Facts

• Price: Luxury

• Vibe: Discreet, art filled, urban, professional

• Rooms: about 125, in deluxe king and executive tower categories

• Best For: business travellers, couples using the capital as a base, food minded visitors

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the Latin American art hung throughout, which turns a corridor into something worth slowing down for

• Dining: Salsipuedes, blending Panamanian home cooking with international dishes, plus a bar and lounge and a full breakfast service

• Amenities: full service spa, sauna, fitness centre, outdoor terrace pool, meeting rooms, valet parking, concierge

• Attractions: banking district on foot, Via Argentina and El Cangrejo dining nearby, Cinta Costera promenade, Casco Viejo a short drive, Miraflores locks inland

Rooms in the Tower, and the Quiet Inside Them

The categories run from deluxe kings to executive tower rooms, with the higher floors taking the view over the district towards the water. All of them share the same virtues: heavy curtains, proper beds, a working desk and the soundproofing that makes the difference between a city hotel and a night of traffic. Bathrooms are generous by the standards of the neighbourhood. Ask for a room high in the tower if you want the skyline, and for one facing away from the avenue if you are a light sleeper, though the glazing largely settles the question.

Salsipuedes, or Panamanian Cooking Taken Seriously

The restaurant is named after the old market street, and the cooking follows that idea: dishes from the isthmus, the coast and the highlands, given the attention usually reserved for imported menus, next to international plates for guests who want them. Breakfast is generous and the buffet covers the range you would expect of a hotel used to long stays. The bar and lounge handle the rest of the day, and both fill with people who work nearby, which is the best recommendation a hotel dining room can have.

What to Know Before You Book

This is a business hotel first, and the rhythm of the week shows in the lobby, so leisure travellers may prefer the weekend. The district is safe and walkable by day and better navigated by car after dark, as in most of the new city. Pets are not accommodated. Families are welcome and connecting arrangements exist, but the property suits adults and older children better than toddlers. If the canal and the old town are your priority, factor in the drive: the compensation is a quieter night than either of those districts offers.