Royal Mansour Marrakech is getting attention from an international publication for its unusual approach to luxury hotels. Portuguese business website Jornal Económico featured the hotel in an article called “Seven Wonders” by hotel and restaurant consultant Miguel Abalroado.
The hotel is just over an hour from Lisbon by plane. It took three years to build, with about 1,200 Moroccan craftspeople working on it.
The project was part of King Mohammed VI’s plan to help build the country’s luxury tourism sector.
Royal Mansour Marrakech is not a normal hotel. It does not have standard rooms. Instead, it has 53 private riads, each built across three floors.
The riads are spread across 3.5 hectares inside the old medina walls. They have private courtyards, plunge pools and personal butler service.
Hotel staff use a 1km underground tunnel system to move around the property.
The hotel has four restaurants and a 2,500 sq m spa.
More than 500,000 sq m of handmade materials were used in the Marrakech property, including carved wood, zellij tiles, tadelakt plaster and hand-worked bronze.
The hotel is expanding
Royal Mansour now has hotels in Marrakech, Casablanca and Tamuda Bay.
The Tamuda Bay property has 55 suites and villas, a 4,500 sq m spa and private beach access.
The Casablanca hotel is a 23-storey building in the city centre. It has 142 rooms and suites, restaurants and event spaces.
The group is also looking at opportunities to take the brand to European capital cities.
Prices at Royal Mansour Marrakech start at around $1,200 a night for the smaller riads. The largest multi-bedroom riads can cost more than $10,000 a night.
The hotel has around 10 staff members for every guest room, helping it provide its private butler service.
Its restaurants also include partnerships with Michelin-starred chefs Hélène Darroze and Massimiliano Alajmo.
Royal Mansour Marrakech has also appeared on the World’s 50 Best Hotels list and was ranked as the leading hotel in Africa.
The hotel’s growth comes as the tourism industry prepares for more visitors.
The national target is 26 million visitors by 2030.
Almost 20 million international tourists visited the country, while tourism revenues in foreign currency reached 138bn dirhams ($13.8bn).
Tourism accounts for more than 12% of GDP and supports around 894,000 direct jobs.
The government is supporting the sector through its 2023-2026 Tourism Roadmap and a $600m investment strategy.
Airport expansions and high-speed rail projects are also being developed ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Abalroado selected Royal Mansour as one of seven projects around the world linked to local culture and identity.
The other projects are Noor in Córdoba, Baga in Jaén, Inishere in Wales, Hymkok in Oslo, Tujume in São Paulo and Casa Leali on Lake Garda in Italy.
