Panama Hotel

What a massive disappointment. I arrived 6:30PM on Friday, May 3, 2024 - no one at the front desk. Just a key in a lockbox. I walked in, and the place was trashed. I checked the room, it's not the one I booked online. Next morning, I bring all this up to the guy at the front desk. He shrugs it off defensively, "Renovation." he says. Repeatedly. The website said nothing about a renovation. As for the wrong room, he said, it was already booked. How could that be when I booked it online? The answer? "Renovation!" - He really said that. And what about the website's complimentary breakfast? Nope! And yet, I'm being charged full price. I asked for the manager, was told manager manager Manny wasn't there. He may be in Monday. Or the following Friday. He's not there much, he said. Left a message for Manny to call, haven't heard from him. It's like I booked a room in Hooterville. Though I bet Arnold Ziffel's got better management skills.

The “24 hour front desk” is an outright lie. Arrived at 8pm and found a note taped to the front door with my full name on it and a phone number to call. My friend called and was able to get the key without verifying any information from myself, just the information in the note. The room was upstairs with no elevator and the bed wasn’t comfortable. The “32 inch smart tv” was neither 32 inch or smart. The friend was actually in a public area shared with everyone else staying there, as was the bathroom. Also found a spider in the room.

Charming bedroom with a claw tub! Post could not have been more helpful when we arrived after the office had closed. Just note ******* did not know that some of the rooms are under renovation, so double check when you book!

I loved how quaint the property was. Staff was superb, and very helpful. They really made me feel at home.

It’s a classy old school bed and breakfast in the heart of downtown San Rafael. We stayed in the Bordello Room. Look it uo

We were not told that the restaurant was closed. For the price of the room, I would have expected more amenities; nicer towels, etc. The bed and pillows were fine, room was comfortable. Bathroom tile needed badly to be replaced. The location has convenient for us. Nice little bakery next door.

No other guests. Did not feel safe at night. Lobby closed. Bathroom down hall. Very hard to climb in tub to take very coo shower

The main issue is that this is not a hotel. At best this is a hostel. Description on ******* website range from misleading to completely false. Shared bathrooms were not clearly stated. One of two showers did not works, the other barely worked. The soundproofing advertised is simply not there and if anything this has been one of the least insulated situations I'ver ever experienced. Loud and drafty. There is no staff on the property. The phone number on the website takes you to a mailbox that is full. The email address does not work. You cannot get in touch with staff. The advertised sink in room, desk simply did not exist. A table with two chairs featured as part of the room does not exist - it's a picture of a table in a common are. This whole experienced ruined what was meant to be a romantic weekend with my wife. Clearly no due diligence from Expedia's site was done. Incredibly disappointing.

If you know what you're getting into (i.e. not front desk, shared bathrooms etc) it's a completely fine and cute place to stay in. It's right on the edge of a neighborhood, there's a good bakery immediately next door and it's quiet. I am not sure if and when anyone is ever on premises (outside of cleaning). I think I would be important that they note in their listings that due to their location, there is no designated parking and you have to find parking within the neighborhood. At some times of the week or day, that is a bit challenging. My one complaint is that there does not seem to be daily housekeeping/cleaning. Which is completely fine when it comes to my individual room but completely unacceptable for common areas such as shared bathrooms. One of the bathrooms had a broken toilet running almost for my entire 4-day stay. The other bathroom has a shower where temperature is very hard to regulate and it seems to get warmer water, one has to sacrifice pressure. The other shower didn't work at all and I was unable to figure out whether that was due to someone else taking showers at the same time and would have been fine at a different time, or if it was just broken. I don't mind shared spaces and again, I think this is a cute hotel, but if there are shared spaces like that, it needs to be maintained so it can work.