We enjoyed our stay at the JW Marriott and liked the hotel. First the positive: The hotel check in went smoothly for us. There are a few really nice staff to commend, Antony and Philip. Both were so friendly and gave us some good tips on things in the area to do. We really liked the breakfast buffet at Masai restaurant and the salad with really fresh greens and cashews was delicious for lunch. The pools on the 13th floor are fun and there are shady options available. And the bar has nice drinks available. The gym is great on the 13th floor with good equipment. Cleaning staff were very efficient and nice.

Now for some odd quirks. Arrival on lower level and you have to take the elevator to the lobby for check in. Then you switch to a different elevator for your room. Takes getting used to so you take the right elevator. Our room safe stopped working after we had locked our passports and valuables in it. So required a call to Security and waiting for them to open it for us. The housecleaning staff had somehow opened our closet and the light wasn't going off when it closed. We didn't realize it until we were ready for bed. Then light coming in through the closet door so we had to call and get it fixed before we could go to sleep. The shower is really good. The large bathtub with the curtain around it in the middle of the room is definitely odd. Would prefer if they removed it and offered rooms with only showers for those that don't use the tub. The room is somewhat dated but loved that there are 2 sinks and wonderful sitting balcony with beautiful views and great breezes. The location is convenient and the hotel residence attached building has a small mall with several nice restaurants. Loved Bella and their vegetarian appetizers. Also if you go to the right when you exit the hotel and follow the road around the corner, there are a few restaurants on the right (past the pharmacy). Loved the Italian one. And across from that is a small market with lovely whole food and fruit options. We also found a good route to walk to the large American style mall with every store and restaurant you could imagine in it and a large grocery store as well. All in all, it is a very nice hotel, just be aware of the quirks. The weekday traffic by the hotel is really difficult, especially early morning and late afternoon. But mid-day seems to ease up a little and weekends are fairly light traffic.

I stayed here on business and as usual, another Marriott property met my needs and exceeded my expectations. The staff are friendly, the amenities are great (pools were nice with amazing waterfront views), the room was large and comfortable, the execute lounge was nice with an assortment of offerings, and the breakfast was plentiful and fresh. I would recommend this property and plan to stay here again on my next visit to Panama City.