American Trade Hotel |  Panama City, Panama; Casco Viejo

A member of Small Luxury Hotels

Reintroducing a Panamanian Icon: Rebranding American Trade Hotel for Independent Luxury

American Trade Hotel, located in the heart of Casco Viejo, a UNESCO World Heritage district in Panama City, embarked on a transformative journey from its roots as a property affiliated with Ace Hotel Group to its rebirth as an independently owned, design-forward boutique hotel. Tasked with leading this evolution, ENVISIONWORKS delivered a comprehensive rebranding initiative that honored the hotel’s cultural legacy while repositioning it as a globally appealing luxury destination through Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Central to the rebranding was a full responsive website design and development, built to reflect the hotel’s architectural heritage and editorial sophistication while meeting the expectations of international luxury travelers. The new site integrated immersive imagery, mobile-first performance, and SEO-optimized content architecture to elevate discoverability and support direct booking conversions. With carefully crafted copy and a strong sense of place, the website reintroduced American Trade Hotel as a vibrant portal into Panama’s historical and cultural fabric.

To amplify its relaunch, ENVISIONWORKS deployed a multi-platform digital marketing strategy tailored to elite travel audiences. Organic search enhancements, targeted paid media, and curated social storytelling brought the hotel’s brand to life beyond the screen, engaging discerning guests across North America, Europe, and LATAM. Custom campaigns featured refined messaging and evocative visual content aimed at increasing visibility among feeder markets and travel advisors aligned with Small Luxury Hotels.

Complementing the digital ecosystem, ENVISIONWORKS created a suite of marketing collateral that extended the new brand identity across printed and digital formats. Each touchpoint was designed to reflect the hotel’s layered narrative, melding historic intrigue with modern sophistication.

Underpinning it all was creative direction and design that wove together the elegance of its colonial-era setting with a refreshed visual identity. Leveraging original photography, custom typography, and elevated graphic treatments, we captured the soul of the American Trade Hotel in a way that invites both discovery and reverence.

The result: a powerful brand repositioning that reintroduces American Trade Hotel not just as a place to stay, but as a cultural landmark redefined for the luxury traveler seeking authenticity, design, and story-rich experience.