5 photos from the developer
Preselling
The Westin Residences
Playa Bonita, Pacific Coast
from $448k to $1.7M
- Unit types
- 3
- Smallest unit
- 80 m²
- Bedrooms
- 1–3
- Status
- Preselling
- Area
- Playa Bonita
The Westin Residences has not been built. Empresas Bern's own portfolio page gives the project status as "PRE-sale". FRAPAN-Invest puts the construction start in the second half of 2026 with a three-year build and completion around mid-2029, and the RE/MAX listings that carry a delivery year say 2029. The building people confuse this with is the Westin Playa Bonita hotel next door, which Bern and Starwood opened in December 2011 with 611 rooms and which has been operating ever since. Two separate buildings sharing one beach. What is actually for sale here is a position in a 29-level condo-hotel tower sold in two phases: 200 residences in Phase A at eight per level, 150 in Phase B at six per level, 350 in total, with the residences on levels 3 through 27. It is Panama's first Marriott-branded condo hotel, and the Marriott Bonvoy affiliation is a real, checkable brand relationship rather than a licensing arrangement where the hotel group's involvement is unclear. The part to weigh before anything else is the payment shape. RE/MAX Infinity publishes the schedule as 15 percent at signing, 10 percent a year later, 15 percent two years after that and 60 percent on completion, which means roughly 40 percent of the price leaves your account across three years before anyone hands you a key.
The Westin Residences prices and floor plans
| Unit | Beds | Baths | Size | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Bedroom + Den / 2 Bath — fully furnished | 1 | 2 | 80 m² | $448k |
| Multi-Use 2 Bed + Den / 3 Bath — lock-off 1/1 + 2/2 | 2 | 3 | 128 m² | $716k |
| Three-bedroom penthouse — floors 26–27 | 3 | 3 | 169 m² | $1.04M |
Where The Westin Residences actually is
The site is in Veracruz, Arraiján district, Panamá Oeste, on Playa Bonita, roughly 15 to 17 km and about 15 minutes by car from Panama City. That is the closest beach location to the capital covered on this site, and it is the main thing the project competes on. See our Playa Bonita area page for the wider picture. The neighbouring Westin Playa Bonita hotel has anchored the area since December 2011 with restaurants and resort infrastructure, and owners are told they will have access to it. FRAPAN-Invest notes that a station on Panama's new metro line will sit about five minutes away by car, with that line due in 2027 or 2028.
The beach itself is the part the renderings do not prepare you for. Guests at the neighbouring resort describe on TripAdvisor a shoreline that suits walking better than swimming: broken shells and hard sand, murky water, and a tidal range that pulls the sea out something like 200 to 400 metres and exposes rock at low tide. The reviews are not unanimous, and some repeat guests report years of swimming there without trouble. Stand on it at low tide yourself before you sign anything.
What’s included at The Westin Residences
- Private beachfront
- Westin sensory spa
- Multiple infinity pools
- 24/7 concierge service
Who The Westin Residences suits — and who it doesn’t
Buyers who want the closest beach location to Panama City and can comfortably hold a pre-construction position for three to four years without needing the unit to produce anything in the meantime. Investors who want a branded apart-hotel product with an established international operator next door, and who can fund roughly 40 percent of the purchase price in staged payments before delivery. Buyers whose reason for choosing Playa Bonita is proximity to the capital and the Marriott brand rather than the quality of the beach itself.
You are buying a hole in the ground, and although the delivery year is now firmer than it was, it is still three years out. Empresas Bern publishes no completion date on its own site. Brokers fill the gap with guesses that run from 2027 (The Agency Panama) through 2028 (Prime Real Estate, Panama Sovereign) to 2029 (RE/MAX 507, RE/MAX Infinity, Haute Living) and 2030 (Choose Panama). FRAPAN-Invest is the only public source that shows its working, a construction start in the second half of 2026 plus a three-year build, and lands on mid-2029. The developer's current sales material also gives 2029, which is the first time the developer and the better public estimates have agreed. Under the payment schedule now in force, about 40 percent of the price is committed before that date arrives, so the deposit-forfeiture and delay clauses in the promesa de compraventa, the purchase-promise contract that governs a pre-construction sale in Panama, matter more here than any amenity list.
The rental case has a hole in it. The entire pitch is apart-hotel income from short and medium-term guests, but we could not find any registration for this project with the Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá, and short-term rental rules are the single thing that decides whether that income is legal. The public record contradicts itself on the point: proyectos-inmobiliarios.com markets the units for short rentals through Airbnb and Booking, while a live Encuentra24 listing from Luxury Homes and Legal states plainly that short-term rentals are prohibited. Get that answered in writing before you treat rental yield as real.
Nobody agrees on how big the building is. Bern's project site, The Bouzy Group's own project page and the RE/MAX and Encuentra24 listings that itemise the phases all say 350 residences, 200 in Phase A and 150 in Phase B. The Bouzy Group's June 2025 press release and several pages that repeat it say 448. Those are the same sales organisation contradicting itself.
Agent asking prices for a single floor plan span 15 percent, and it is now clear which end is real. The same 80 m² unit is listed at $401,000 by RE/MAX 507, $424,000 by Luxury Homes and Legal, $448,000 by Immogration Corp, $450,000 by another Encuentra24 seller and $464,000 by B&B Real Estate Panamá. The developer's own list price for that unit is $448,000 as of 1 August 2026. Anything materially below that is a stale listing rather than a bargain, and anything above it is an agent's margin. The same unit sold for $399,000 in March 2025, so the developer has taken it up 12.3 percent in seventeen months.
Phase A is most of the way gone and Phase B has no published prices. Over 80 percent of Phase A is reserved, which leaves a thin and shrinking choice of the units people actually want. Phase B pricing has not been released, and the developer treats it as confidential and shows it on screen rather than issuing a list. If none of the remaining Phase A inventory suits you, you are negotiating blind.
The beach gets mixed reviews from people staying at the resort next door. Broken shells, hard sand, murky water and a long tidal flat at low tide are recurring themes on TripAdvisor. If the beach experience is central to why you are buying, weigh that against the marketing photography.
The carrying cost is real and it is not just maintenance. Maintenance plus the Marriott branding fee runs $4.20 per m² per month, roughly $336 a month on the smallest 80 m² unit and about $538 on the 128 m². That figure was previously only a broker's estimate on this page and the developer now confirms it. Budget separately for a one-time administrative fee of $6 per m² at delivery, around $480 on the entry unit, and deed registration of roughly $2,000 to $2,500.
Before you buy at The Westin Residences
This is a pre-construction purchase, so the paperwork matters more than the building. Empresas Bern's portfolio page lists the status as "PRE-sale" and publishes no delivery date, though the current sales material gives 2029. The payment schedule in force as of 1 August 2026 is a $5,000 refundable expression of interest, the balance up to 15 percent at contract signing, then 10 percent at six months, 10 percent at twelve months and 5 percent at eighteen months, with the remainder on delivery. That is 40 percent during construction. An older schedule circulated by RE/MAX Infinity (15 percent at signing, 10 percent at one year, 15 percent at two years, 60 percent on completion) reaches the same 40 percent by a different route, so check which one your contract actually says. Developer financing is offered on 50 percent of the price over five years with no pre-approval and no prepayment penalty; local banks will lend on roughly 30 percent down, and the developer reports approval rates around 95 percent for foreign buyers.
An attorney should read the promesa de compraventa specifically for what happens to your staged payments if the building is late, if it is delivered differently from the plans, or if you need to exit. Ask which entity the contract is with, whether your payments sit in escrow or go to the developer's working capital, and what the delay remedy is. Ask separately for the construction permit and the plano for the lot.
If you are buying for residency as well as for the unit, the deposit structure is worth understanding. The developer's stated arrangement is that $300,000 placed at signing earns interest across the roughly two and a half year build, returning something on the order of $30,000, and that the same deposit qualifies for residency. Have your own attorney confirm both halves of that independently. The interest depends on the instrument the money actually sits in, and the residency qualification depends on the visa category and on rules that have changed more than once. Our residency guide covers what the current thresholds are.
One thing to weigh on that developer. On 24 May 2024 an arbitral tribunal seated at the Centro de Conciliación y Arbitraje de Panamá ruled against Grupo Empresas Bern in a dispute with its partners in Town Center Costa del Este. La Prensa reported the award at $77.7 million in damages and costs. La Estrella de Panamá reported $82.6 million and published a breakdown putting $41.3 million on construction deficiencies and $19.8 million on deficient project administration. La Prensa also reported that the tribunal awarded the hotel site and its improvements entirely to the Town Center side, having found the hotel was built without shareholder authorisation, and that Bern's $61.1 million counterclaim was rejected in full. Bern rejects the award as legally unacceptable, alleges evident defects of nullity, and filed an annulment action with the Supreme Court in July 2024. The Sala Cuarta de Negocios Generales had still not resolved it as of August 2025, and in July 2026 Bern said the judicial process continues with no final decision. Bern also says the entities involved have no legal, administrative, financial or operational relationship to its current business units. Nothing there has been finally decided and none of it concerns this project. The Marriott brand relationship does not change any of it either, because the developer and the brand operator are separate parties. Confirm which Bern entity signs your contract, and what recourse you would have against that entity if the building is late or defective.
Two other things to settle before money moves. First, the short-term rental position. The investment case for a condo hotel is rental income, and we could not find a registration for this project with the Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá, while the public record disagrees with itself about whether short-term letting is even permitted here. Get the developer's answer in writing and have an attorney check it against the building's régimen de propiedad horizontal, the horizontal-property rules that govern a Panamanian condominium. Second, title. Our reviewer verified on 4 August 2026 that Playa Bonita is a titled area at the Registro Público, but that is an area-level finding and it does not establish anything about this parcel or about a unit that does not yet exist. We have not verified a finca number for this project. In a pre-construction sale your unit has no separate title until the building is finished and the horizontal-property regime is registered, so what you hold until then is a contract, not a deed. Have an attorney confirm the parent finca and the developer's ownership of it before any deposit. Our guide to titled property and Rights of Possession explains what that distinction is worth.
FAQ
What does a unit at The Westin Residences cost?
As of 1 August 2026 the developer's list prices are $448,000 for the 80 m² one-bedroom-plus-den, $716,000 for the 128 m² multi-use two-bedroom, and $1,040,000 to $1.7 million for the three-bedroom penthouses on floors 26 and 27. That works out at roughly $5,600 per m² on the entry unit and $6,154 to $6,464 per m² on the penthouses. Converting the 128 m² to a third bedroom is a $8,000 option.
Agent asking prices for the same 80 m² unit disagree with each other and with the developer: $401,000 at RE/MAX 507, $424,000 at Luxury Homes and Legal, $448,000 at Immogration Corp, $450,000 at another Encuentra24 seller and $464,000 at B&B Real Estate Panamá. Only Immogration matches the developer. Treat the rest as either stale or padded.
Have prices at The Westin Residences gone up?
Yes, and by a documented amount on one unit. The 80 m² one-bedroom was $399,000 in March 2025 and is $448,000 as of 1 August 2026, a rise of 12.3 percent in seventeen months. That is the developer raising its own list price during pre-sale, which is normal practice in Panama as inventory thins, not a market-wide index. Over 80 percent of Phase A is now reserved, so the pressure runs in the same direction. It is not a guarantee of appreciation after delivery, which is a different question entirely and depends on the resale market in 2029.
When will The Westin Residences be delivered?
2029, on the developer's current sales material. Bern publishes no date on its own project page, and broker estimates have ranged from 2027 (The Agency Panama) to 2028 (Prime Real Estate, Panama Sovereign Realty), 2029 (RE/MAX 507, RE/MAX Infinity, Haute Living) and 2030 (Choose Panama). FRAPAN-Invest is the only public source showing its working, a second-half 2026 construction start plus a three-year build, giving mid-2029, and the developer now agrees with it. Get the schedule written into your contract rather than relying on any of this.
What is the payment plan at The Westin Residences?
As of 1 August 2026: a $5,000 refundable expression of interest, the balance up to 15 percent at contract signing, then 10 percent at six months, 10 percent at twelve months and 5 percent at eighteen months, with the remainder due on delivery. That commits 40 percent of the price across roughly a year and a half, against a 2029 handover.
Developer financing covers 50 percent of the price over five years with no pre-approval requirement and no prepayment penalty. Local banks lend on about 30 percent down, and the developer reports roughly 95 percent approval for foreign buyers. An older RE/MAX Infinity schedule of 15/10/15/60 is still circulating and reaches the same 40 percent on different dates, so confirm which applies to you.
What are the HOA fees at The Westin Residences?
$4.20 per m² per month, covering maintenance and the Marriott branding fee. That is roughly $336 a month on the smallest 80 m² unit and about $538 on the 128 m². This figure appeared on this page previously as an unverified RE/MAX estimate and the developer now confirms it.
Two costs sit outside it. There is a one-time administrative fee of $6 per m² payable at delivery, about $480 on the entry unit, and deed registration of roughly $2,000 to $2,500. A previously published figure of $250 a month plus a $214 Pearl Club membership appeared here and we could not re-source it, so we have removed it.
Can I use the $300,000 deposit to qualify for residency?
The developer says yes, and says the same money earns interest across the build, returning roughly $30,000 over about two and a half years. Both halves need your own attorney's confirmation rather than ours or the developer's.
The interest depends entirely on what instrument the money actually sits in and who bears the risk if the developer runs into trouble. The residency qualification depends on the visa category you are applying under and on rules that have been changed more than once in recent years. Get the account structure in writing and have an immigration attorney confirm the current threshold before you treat the deposit as doing two jobs.
Is The Westin Residences already built?
No. Empresas Bern's own portfolio page lists the project status as "PRE-sale", and FRAPAN-Invest puts the construction start in the second half of 2026. The building often mistaken for it is the Westin Playa Bonita hotel next door, which opened in December 2011 with 611 rooms. They are separate buildings on the same beach.
How many units does The Westin Residences have, and how much is left?
350, on the better-sourced count. RE/MAX Destiny, proyectos-inmobiliarios.com and two Encuentra24 listings all itemise it the same way: Phase A of 200 residences at eight per level and Phase B of 150 at six per level, in a 29-level tower with residences on levels 3 through 27. The Bouzy Group's June 2025 press release says 448 instead, and several pages repeat that figure. We follow the 350 count because it comes with a phase breakdown that can be checked.
As of 1 August 2026 over 80 percent of Phase A is reserved and the remaining inventory is described as limited. Phase B prices have not been released and the developer treats that list as confidential, showing it on screen rather than issuing it.
Who developed The Westin Residences?
Empresas Bern, a major Panamanian developer also behind Pino Alto in Boquete on this site, in joint venture with Marriott International. The Bouzy Group is the sales partner, not the developer.
One thing to weigh on the developer. On 24 May 2024 an arbitral tribunal seated at the Centro de Conciliación y Arbitraje de Panamá ruled against Grupo Empresas Bern in a dispute with its partners in Town Center Costa del Este. La Prensa reported the award at $77.7 million in damages and costs. La Estrella de Panamá reported $82.6 million and published a breakdown putting $41.3 million on construction deficiencies and $19.8 million on deficient project administration. La Prensa also reported that the tribunal awarded the hotel site and its improvements entirely to the Town Center side, having found the hotel was built without shareholder authorisation, and that Bern's $61.1 million counterclaim was rejected in full.
Bern rejects the award as legally unacceptable, alleges evident defects of nullity, and filed an annulment action with the Supreme Court in July 2024. The Sala Cuarta de Negocios Generales had still not resolved it as of August 2025, and in July 2026 Bern said the judicial process continues with no final decision. Bern also says the entities involved have no legal, administrative, financial or operational relationship to its current business units. Nothing there has been finally decided and none of it concerns this project, but construction quality is one of the headings in the award, and the Marriott relationship does not bear on it because the developer and the brand operator are separate parties. Confirm which Bern entity signs your contract.
Can I rent a unit at The Westin Residences on Airbnb?
We could not establish this, and the public record contradicts itself. The project is marketed as an apart-hotel for short, medium and long-term stays, and proyectos-inmobiliarios.com specifically names Airbnb and Booking. A live Encuentra24 listing from Luxury Homes and Legal states that short-term rentals are prohibited. We found no registration for this project with the Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá, which is what settles the question in Panama. Since rental income is the whole investment case here, get the answer in writing before you commit.
Is The Westin Residences titled property?
Not yet, and it cannot be. Our reviewer verified on 4 August 2026 that Playa Bonita is a titled area at the Registro Público, but that is an area-level finding. In a pre-construction sale your individual unit has no separate title until the building is finished and the horizontal-property regime is registered. We have not verified a finca number for this project. Have an attorney confirm the parent finca and the developer's ownership of it before any deposit.
What is the beach like at Playa Bonita?
Mixed, and worth checking in person. TripAdvisor reviewers staying at the neighbouring Westin resort describe broken shells and hard sand, murky water, and a tidal range that exposes rock roughly 200 to 400 metres out at low tide, with the consensus that it suits walking better than swimming. It is not unanimous, and some repeat guests report years of swimming there without incident. Visit at low tide before you decide.