Site and Historical Context:
Hotel La Compañía is centrally located in the heart of Panama’s Casco Antiguo old quarter. Originally built as a Jesuit convent in 1688, the hotel spans one city block with four buildings, surrounding courtyard and each representing a distinctive period in the history of Panama. Spanish Colonial (1688): The oldest section, showcasing Panama’s early Spanish roots. French Colonial (1739): Built by Jesuit priests, featuring a grand entrance gate dated to its construction. American Beaux-Arts (1904/1905): An elegant wing reflecting the American era, originally a high-end store. Hotel La Compañía is an architectural masterpiece centred around these three periods in the hotel’s history.

In addition to these period structures surrounding the courtyard a 300-year-old church completes the enclosure of the spacious courtyard now meticulously restored with lush gardens, alfresco dining, and settings for events of all kinds.

The hotel’s 88 guestrooms are divided into three wings that all pay tribute to each of the cultural time periods that influence the property. The French Colonial wing, built as a Jesuit university in 1739, boasts classic French sophistication while the Spanish Colonial wing offers guests a cosy ambiance with original calcinate stone walls, dark woods, and wrought iron accents. The youngest of the buildings, the American wing takes inspiration from the early 20th century with elegant wainscoting panels accentuated with a timeless photo wall. All guestrooms have a balcony with views that overlook the hotel’s courtyard or the beautiful neighbourhood of Casco Antiguo.

Narrative and Design Process:
An intriguing opportunity was presented to us to re-build and re-purpose structures that were built centuries ago ……it was hallowed ground where one needs to tread with great respect. It was our design responsibility to ensure we held true to each of the building’s heritage and historical identity; and treat them with respect. This project mandated a trifecta of responsibilities: to history, to the people of Panama and to the modern traveller.

Heritage regulations mandated that the exterior facades must replicate the original designs within a limited leniency. Our primary design task was therefore predominantly interior design.

The owner’s intense archaeological research of all the buildings was thorough and compelling, particularly given the limited available information. This research provided us with the inspiration to create meaningful and relevant stylistic adaptations while often inventing historical designs where information was absent.

With the owner, we developed a design narrative which embraces the immense historical significance and collection of the three architectural styles, which span 4 centuries, and combine with a contemporary styling.

To create uniformity across the different historical styles was one of the more interesting challenges for the project, and the topic or many design discussions with the owner. We agreed having a different style, French, Spanish and American style specific to each building’s style was historically appropriate and would create a unique design experience for the guest. The common thread between all wings was re-creating the historical facade while introducing contemporary furnishings mixed with period finishes, materials, and furniture to the interior. There was a global contribution of design consultants, craftsman, materials, furniture, and furnishings sourced, spanning from Panama, across the Americas and Asia.

Often those conversations with the owner would start with how we visually join this style or architecture with the adjacent one. In conclusion, we intentionally let the abruptness from one style to the next play, and was the right decision and created a visual, historical design journey through time.

Several key moments include the discovery of the 1739 keystone in the calicante stone walls adjacent to the neighboring church. This established the date of the French wing structure and inspired the 1739 namesake restaurant.

Another was the discovery that the technique remained locally available to construct historically correct calicante and brick wall construction for existing and new partitions. For a designer, this was significant and provided the opportunity to utilize an exposed historic wall structure appearance throughout the hotel.

Hotel La Compañía, meticulously restored over a 7-year period, was opened by Hyatt Hotels as part of “The Unbound Collection by Hyatt in April 2022”. There is an old expression with historical restorations and an adaptive re-use that we are merely caretakers of history. The history of Hotel La Compañía has been successfully reawakened.