Colón Special Report–The Hotel Washington

The former house of glitz
and glam during Colon's glory days

By Neil McColl

Cooled by Caribbean breezes, soothed by the rustle of the palm fronds and lulled by the surf of Manzanillo Bay one can find a certain timelessness at the historic “Hotel Washington” on the waterfront of the City of Colon.

The “Washington”, as it is popularly called, was the “Jewel in the Crown” during the golden days of the pioneer City of Colon. It was preceded by an earlier 2-story wooden building - the “Casa Washington” (Washington House) a hostel built by the Panama Railroad Company in 1870 as a lodging, a dining hall, a meeting place for social activities , the head office of the Railroad and an R & R for the employees of the Railroad. The hostel offered a ballroom, a billiard room, a library, and a conference room. In 1905 a third fioor dormitory was added.

1870: A two story hostel for the
employees of the Panama Railroad
Company.

1908 saw the acquisition of the hostel by the then “Isthmian Canal Commission” and the site was chosen 43 years after the foundation of Washington House, for the construction, authorized by the then U.S. President Howard W. Taft following his visit in November of 1910, of a luxury hotel to provide adequate facilities to the neighboring Atlantic Terminal of the Canal and to also provide for a supplementary income to the Canal Commission. It was to be built however by the Panama Railroad Company on a recommended budget of no more than $500,000 (U.S.) and was, specifically, to be designed in a modified Spanish Colonial style which was later described as an “architectural dream.”

The “Washington” was open to the public on March 23rd , 1913. The hotel was always classed as a “first” or “5 star” and amongst its distinguished guests there are named President Taft, British Prime Minister Lloyd George, the wealthy Vincent Astor, President Warren Harding, Will Rogers, Edward Arnold, Bob Hope, Al Johnston, Juan Peron and Isabel of the Argentine and the then Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth 2nd of the United Kingdom.

Today: The hotel is fully operational,
has a pool and was recently painted.

The Argentine novelist Ricardo Guiraldes included in his “Don Segunda Sombra” that “to write these memoirs we have to include a menu of the Hotel Washington” and from those times (1918) it was possible to appreciate the high culinary standards and importantly the cost: A steak, salad and potatoes for $0.50 followed by desert for 0.25.

The Hotel Washington’s inauguration was celebrated in grand style with a Ball on the 29th. March 1913, organized by VFW Post No 40 with an entry costing $10 per couple which included the ball and transportation by special train from the Pacific-side.

After 40 years the hotel passed to the Motta Group and it is now under a further new management but remains a dignified and historic monument to the pioneer City of Colon, meeting the times and changes of this modern world.

Colón special Report–Hotel Melia

Where the U.S. trained Noriega

Today, tourists flock to the Melia Panama Canal Hotel in Colon, located on the shores of Lake Gatun to enjoy the large pools, tourist activities and beautiful facilities in the 285 room hotel while attending conferences or visiting nearby Colon Free Zone. However, before it’s transformation into a hotel the building played a most important role in the former U.S. Canal Zone. It was formerly the “Escuela de Las Americas”, where Latin American militants from Argentina to Cuba, including Generals Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega, trained under U.S Armed Forces supervision.

The pools are a main attraction for guests- at the Hotel Meliá
Panama Canal in Colón.

According to guest relations specialist Maritza Lawson who has worked at the hotel since its foundation, the Spanish hotel group Melia took over the abandoned property in 1997, refurbished the property to its present beauty and opened in March of 2000. The hotel is surrounded by gardens, two enormous swimming pools, lakeside gazebo, gym and other recreational activities. Inside, all rooms are spacious and equipped with all the amenities that travelers expect from a five star hotel. The halls are decorated in tasteful Spanish style and accented with stained glass windows throughout. A lovely feature of the hotel is the immense five-story open air lobby, where Ms. Lawson greets guests as they enter the hotel.

“Our main market is business travelers, people from all over Central and South America as well as many people from the Caribbean who come to purchase in the Free Zone. This is the best hotel around and so many people are return customers,” explained Ms. Lawson, “Our secondary market is large groups who hold conferences here. Our capacity for 600 people in the Convention Center as well as the vast external spaces make the hotel unique and very sought-after by large groups.”

The Hotel Melia Panama Canal has a
distinctive Spanish decor.

Even before it was a military school, the Melia was originally a hospital, during the era when the Panama Canal was pivotal for the United States for transporting ships, troops, arms and supplies during the World Wars.

When World War II finished the hospital became the military School of the Americas, and the heart of the U.S. Southern Command. U.S. presence in the region was regarded as the main stronghold against the looming threat of Communism in the Caribbean.

After the school closed the building was abandoned for years. Damian Barcelo, owner of the Spanish hotel group Barcelo, affiliate of Melia, fell in love with the property and the three buildings which now make up the hotel, convention center and 20 time-share units. The unique opportunity to build a hotel in these facilities inspired Mr. Barcelo. Today, the rich history of the buildings adds to the the experience for guests.

The Park - like setting was once a military training camp.

According to Ms. Lawson, occupancy rates at the hotel are consistently between 75% and 90% in the past two years. “I remember during the first years of the hotel, when having just 88 rooms occupied was a big day,” she said “Now we are running at full capacity, growing with the country and with Colon.”

The hotel is just four kilometers from the main road, which leads to the city of Colon. Guests can enjoy all day tours of Lake Gatun, visit an Embara Indian village, go fishing, or take a zip cord canopy tour.

Call 470-1100 or visit www.meliapanamacanal.com.pa or www.solmelia.com.

Colón special Report–Nightlife

Betting on Colon: at Casino Mallorca

One of the popular roulette tables at
Casino Mallorca.

Businesspeople and tourists who travel to the city of Colon are usually on a singular mission: to buy products at wholesale prices in the Colon Free Zone. While in the vicinity, their number one choice for lodging is the Melia Panama Canal Hotel Casino and Conference Center. The Casino Mallorca, located inside the large hotel is a recent addition to the property. They began operation of the upscale casino in October of 2006 to provide entertainment for the growing number of guests in the hotel.

The Casino Mallorca offers excellent service, ambiance, technology and promotions for players. Lucien Giel, who manages the casino, told The Visitor that the casino is the high-end offering in the vicinity, due to the clients of the hotel and the fact that locals must travel by car to reach the casino, which is in a reverted area of the former Canal Zone, right on Lake Gatun.

Players enjoy “TITO” slots (“ticket-in, ticket-out” technology which prints a ticket when a player leaves a machine and they can insert it immediately into another machine without having to go to the cashier) and the newest addition to the casino is a shiny new automatic roulette table. Players place their bets pushing buttons, the ball is automatically released and the payouts are printable immediately on the TITO ticket.

The new automatic roulette table at
Casino Mallorca.

The casino organizes monthly slot and blackjack promotions, two-player tournaments and offers special discounted rates for players who stay at the hotel, as low as $70 per night (rooms usually start at $115). They also offer complimentary packages for junkets and foreign players with high stakes.

The Mallorca Casino is named after Mallorca , a popular Spanish island. It is are owned by Merit Gaming which is soon to expand into the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Aruba. Merit Gaming is affiliated with Melia hotels and is negotiating expansion into Panama City and the rest of the country.

Enjoy happy hour from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and catch a game on one of the flat screen TVs.

Visit www.casinomallorcamelia.com or call 470-0390.