February saw the opening of The Santa Maria Hotel and Golf Resort, part of The Luxury Collection by Starwood Hotels, UMAYA’s first hospitality project in Central America.

The new hotel features 182 luxurious guestrooms and suites with authentic Panamanian design elements, including traditional Mola blankets to adorn the beds, handmade baskets made by the Embera community and wood mined from the depth of the Gatun Lake. The Santa Maria offers stunning urban and golf course views, two restaurants, a state-of-the-art spa, a fitness center, an outdoor pool and exceptional meeting and event spaces.

UMAYA was commissioned in 2015 to develop the interior lighting design for all front-of-house public areas, in addition to the façade lighting scheme. This was a joint effort between our offices in Dubai and Montevideo, following our philosophy of combining global design know-how with local expertise.

The Panamanian market has been very receptive to UMAYA’s work since our first endeavor with The Santa Maria. Our current portfolio in this market includes also two restaurant, two residential towers, a clubhouse and two master plans.