PANAMA CITY, Panama
The Trump name was pried off Panama City's Trump International Hotel and Tower Panama after a hostile 12-day fight between the hotel’s majority owner and The Trump Organization.
Miami-based Cypriot businessman Orestes Fintiklis had been battling the Trump Organization in a standoff that lasted nearly two weeks, claiming the Trump brand was responsible for a decline in profits.
The Trump Organization fought to keep its brand on the hotel, claiming the owner was in breach of contract before the management contract was up.
The verdict was rendered by a Panamanian court and enforced March 4, 2018, by police and an official of the court. Over the previous 12 days the branding battle reached a level of acrimony not frequently seen in hotel rebranding disputes, including a Feb. 28 incident in which armed Panamanian authorities entered the hotel.
The Trump Organization said it plans to appeal the decision.
"Trump Hotels remains fully confident that it will not only prevail, but recover all of its damages, costs and attorneys' fees, including those ... arising from today's events," the Trump Organization said in a statement.
As of press time, The Trump Organization still maintained the branding on its corporate website.
The Trump Organization suffered another setback in January 2018 when the Trump SoHo New York stripped the family's name from its property, rebranding as The Dominick.
