Ramada opens in Panama City

PANAMA CITY - Prakash Patel and his two brothers, Ganpat and Pravin, had hoped to open their Ramada Panama City hotel in July 2007.

A previous contractor's licensing problem delayed the U.S. 98 hotel's opening for more than a year, but Patel and his brothers finally opened the new Ramada last week, he said Tuesday.

"It's a convenient location. That's why we put it here," Patel said, as he showed off the new hotel's outdoor pool Tuesday.

The hotel is located across the street from an Econo Lodge, which also is owned by the Patel brothers' corporation, Three Brothers of Panama City LLC.

Concord, N.C.-based Graham Construction Co. took over as contractor for the Ramada project in January, Patel said, adding he was happy with how the hotel's appearance.

The new Ramada Inn is the only one open in Bay County. Patel said there had been a Ramada previously located in St. Andrews, but that hotel was torn down to make way to for the Harbour Village condominium project.

The new 49-room Ramada features 32-inch LCD televisions in each room, a fitness center, free wireless Internet access, and smoking and non-smoking rooms.

Special rooms include second floor suites with heart-shaped Jacuzzis and larger family rooms on the third floor equipped with a pair of king beds.

Besides the Ramada and Econo Lodge, which the family has owned since 2000, Patel said the family corporation owns two other area hotels, Patel said, including the La Brisa Inn. The family also owns three other pieces of property in the area and has tentative future plans to build two more Bay County hotels at a later date, he said.

According to Wyndham Hotel group's Web site, Ramada Worldwide has 875 hotels in 35 countries.