Does anybody have any information on whether or not the El Panama Hotel is Chica friendly? I have looked through several threads but have not found any specific yes or no. Also we will be renting a cabana which holds 3 and there are 3 of us traveling. Do we need to rent a separate room or will they let Chicas to the room for an extra charge? Any information would be greatly appreciated because we will be arriving in two weeks and already have a reservation at the El Panama Hotel.

In my experience, El Panama is definitely NOT chica friendly. I stayed there earlier this year and managed to smuggle a girl round the side entrance (through the casino), without (so I thought) being observed by the security guards. I was wrong. They had been tracking me all the way. They checked with the front desk that I had not got a double room reservation, then said the girl had to leave. One of them then took me aside and made it clear that he could do me a deal if money exchanged hands. He asked for $40. I offered $20 which I think is about the going rate for this sort of scam. This did the trick and I was left alone with my girl.
In my opinion, these middle ranking hotels like El Panama, Riande, etc, are the worst for being non-chica friendly. Maybe they think they need to to this to improve their image? 5 star places such as the Marriott, Bristol, etc, are no problem at all. At the other end of the scale, 2 star places seem OK provided you have booked a double occupancy room. If you are stuck with the El Panama, my best advice would be to take your chicas to a $10 short time hotel. The taxi drivers know where these are.
Other people seem to have had more success than me. See, for example, Phil_potts comments in the Panama->La Bodeguita thread.
Good luck anyway. Let us know how you get on.

The general rule at El Panama now is NO. The situation he describes with the security guards also existed for a friend of mine. He ended up finding one who was working during his entire stay and giving him a substantial propina to avoid future problems. But in my mind it is not worth the hassle.

Most of the independent chicas know this and will put up a hassle when you tell them you want to take them back to the El Panama. They don't want to risk the "date" being cancelled.

I used to stay at El Panama back in the late 90s - before all of the casino action, it was the best hotel in the city. Back then, it was a pain to get chicas up, but I don't remember sliding the security guys that much cash. I think I gave one guy maybe $5.00 and that was it. Of course, Panama City was pretty different then.

I remember liking the pool there, and the rooms are nice though they tended to have a heavier musty smell than a lot of tropic-city hotels. You guys know what I mean, you don't notice it that much while there, then when you get back home any "clean" clothes you didn't use have to be washed as well.