Our Readers' Favorite City Hotels in Central and South America of 2025

"Opened in 2023 after a five-year, locally guided restoration, this 159-room, 35-suite property revived an iconic French colonial building that once served as the city's premier social club and hosted notable figures like Albert Einstein and Queen Elizabeth II. The renovation restored period-appropriate 1917 design elements while integrating Panamanian artwork and furnishings, and the hotel is praised for exceptional, over-the-top service. Suite guests receive dedicated butler service for everything from unpacking and laundry to indulgent touches like flower-flecked bubble baths, and the concierge routinely arranges elevated experiences such as helicopter tours and private sails, all from a highly convenient historic-district location." - Sarah Bruning Sarah Bruning Sarah Bruning is the special projects and surveys editor at Travel + Leisure, where she has been on staff since 2018. She assigns stories across the magazine, primarily for the Experiences section and feature well. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines