Sheraton Bijao Beach Resort
The newly renovated 294-room Sheraton Bijao Beach Resort reopened in Panama in November after joining Starwood Hotels–making this Sheraton’s first all-inclusive hotel in Central America.
Sheraton Bijao Beach is ideally situated in Panama’s spectacular Santa Clara region, known as the ‘Dry Arc’ for its year-round dry, tropical climate. An hour north of Panama City, the resort is close enough for you to take your group into the bustling capital for shopping and sightseeing, or to enjoy lunch at the Panama Canal, but distant enough to offer a sense of privacy and seclusion.
The 3,600 sf of meeting space is complemented by a long stretch of beautiful beach and lush surroundings for extraordinary outdoor events. Host a cocktail party right by the water or organize a scavenger hunt leading up to the nearby dormant volcano.
Trip Barrett, DOSM for Starwood Hotels Latin America, tells us more about the resort.
Prevue: Why should meeting planners consider the Sheraton Bijao Beach Resort for their groups in Central America?
TB: Especially today, meeting planners have so much on their plates to come up with, all within the budgets companies offer them. When you have a property that is all-inclusive, it certainly makes it easier to start setting up their plans. The beauty of this property is that the onsite staff works with meeting planners before they arrive so that they can set up all the activities.
Not having to worry about extra costs is great. The coffee breaks and meals–it’s all there. They’ve got buffet-style restaurants and two a la carte restaurants. It really allows for the planner to say ‘Hey, I don’t have to worry about adding extra costs and I can get a great selection of activities and food during the course of the stay.’
We just converted to a Sheraton and did a multimillion dollar investment to bring it up to Sheraton standards. Some examples are adding the Link@Sheraton and putting the 5-diamond beds in. It’s a great experience for those meeting planners who know and trust the Sheraton brand, in giving them that confidence to book an all-inclusive stay with us.
What are some other unique selling points?
I think the first one is the location. You are close enough to Panama City where you can fly into there. You are also still close enough to take a group to see the Old City or the Panama Canal. It is also away from the city though, so you are in a remote destination. This is good for people who want to enjoy the full offerings at the resort, the great beach and the ability to see some things off site as well.
It has a great location and the weather throughout the year is spectacular. It’s truly one of those destinations that we’re very proud to have as part of the Sheraton brand. This is the second all-inclusive property that Starwood has opened this year. We also opened the Westin Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal in Costa Rica. This has been an exciting year for us, opening four great properties that are all excellent for groups.
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