Westin Playa Bonita Panama Celebrates Grand Opening

The $100 million Westin Playa Bonita Panama celebrated their grand opening as the first Westin in Panama a few weeks ago. Located just 20 minutes outside Panama City Business, the beach hotel has six restaurants, three freshwater pools, four bars, 611 luxury rooms -- and the Westin Playa Bonita will have you at those views.
Tucked away in upscale Playa Bonita, this property looks out to the Pacific Ocean, golden beaches, and the islets of Taboga and Taboguilla. Access the VIP lounge on the 19th floor for the best views of the ocean, rainforest and Panama Canal.
The Westin Playa Bonita Panama is a corporate meeting paradise with 62,000 square feet of meeting and event space, the largest meeting space in Central America. Planners can choose from 22 multi-function meeting rooms including the largest, the Grand Ballroom with 13,498 square feet.
International business travelers and meeting attendees have plenty of options during their free time as the resort also features six upscale restaurants (serving everything from Asian fusion to Mediterranean tapas), three infinity-edge pools and four bars. In addition, a Westin workout gym keeps your attendees fit.
As announced late in 2011, Starwood plans to increase its presence by opening another Westin under a franchise agreement with Bern Hotels & Panama Resorts. The second Westin is expected to open later in 2012 to be located in the heart of Panama City’s financial district as the  Costa del Este-Panama's Westin Hotel.
Starwood and other large international chains like Hilton, Sheraton and Trump are riding the wave of the tourism boom currently taking place in Panama. With these new hotels, Panama is expected to reach an occupancy rate of more than 24,000 rooms in 2012.
"Panama as a destination has grown tremendously in the last four years," said Ernesto Orillac, Vice Minister of Tourism. "The multimillion dollar investment being made by international hotel chains shows not only the level of confidence in the country's tourism development, but also, the ability to create the conditions to meet the demands of a growing number of visitors."
More about Panama
An authentic and unexplored destination, Panama is in the main air hub in Latin America, boasting stunning landscapes, diverse ecosystems in forests, beaches, mountains, and the Panama Canal (the eighth wonder of the world). Panama is the most important financial center of the Americas and home to major multinational corporations and a free trade zone.