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Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial: A bit of France in Marrakech

Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial: A bit of France in Marrakech

Old Jan 10, 2018, 11:41 am
  #1  
cwl
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Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial: A bit of France in Marrakech

Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

Map| 2 Reviews | 50% Recommended

Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

Rue Harroun Errachid Hivernage Marrakech, MA 40000

A bit of France in Marrakech (10 Photos)

Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

The Sofitel Palais Imperial was the original hotel with an extension built which is now called the Sofitel Lounge and Spa. In reality it is one hotel with shared reception, restaurants, pool and spa.

A little bit of colonial France in North Africa. 

 

Room

 

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Balcony view, walls to the Medina off to he left.

Prestige Suite room 304 consisted of small lobby area leading to the main room with dinning table with 4 chairs and a 3 seater sofa plus 2 armchairs. Off the main room was the bedroom with super king bed.

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Two part bathroom. First part consisting of bath with sink and vanity area. The second part of the bathroom contained a further sink and vanity area, separate walk in shower and separate toilet. All the bathroom in marble in what I would describe as a 1990’s style. The suite contained ample storage space with large cupboards in the lobby area, main room and bathroom.

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Large double balcony with table and 2 chairs one side and a large round lounger on the other side with towels provided.

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The suite offered an excellent view over the heated hotel pool with a full panorama of the snow topped Atlas Mountains in the distance.

Looking at the other suites the suite allocated appeard to me to offer one of the best views in the hotel. The décor of the suite was black wood with red accents and was a lot more attractive than the pictures of a Prestige Suite on Accor.com.

Welcome amenity of oranges and Moroccan sweets. Complimentary bottled water replemished daily even if not used in full.

Very satisfied with the room allocated and upgrade granted.  The room was well maintained with modern electrical items.  My guess would be the hotel was built 20 to 30 years ago so the overall design if of that era.

 

Check In

Official hotel check in time 3pm. Advised hotel in advance would be arriving 1.45pm and requesting early check in.

On arrival redirected to Sofitel Marracech Lounge and Spa where there was no doorman or anyone from hotel present. Walked short distance back to Palais Imperial entrance where 4 door staff stood around doing nothing. Requested luggage assistance and member of staff followed me back to the Lounge and Spa entrance and took bags and escorted to reception.

Advised staff we were checking in and asked to take a seat of one of the sofas. After a short wait passports and credit card requested. Mint tea provided. After a further 5 minutes Zakaria introduced himself as our butler for the duration of our stay. He explained our room was not quite ready and would be a further 15 to 20 minutes. Offered to show us to bar for a drink whilst we waited. As it was lunchtime said we would prefer to eat and Zakaria showed us to a table in the pool restaurant and advised our room would be ready after lunch and return to see him when we were finished.

By time lunch finished it was 3pm, returned to reception. Zakaria said room was ready, a further short wait and then Zakaria escorted us to room 304 which was a Prestige Suite upgraded from the booked junior suite.

Check in was rather chaotic. Although not explained at the time check in is usually conducted for both Palais Imperial and Lounge and Spa at the larger Palais Imperial reception and lobby. However this had been used for New Year functions and not reopened when we checked in. Both hotels were using the small reception in the Lounge and Spa which was not ideal. By the end of our first day the reception had been swapped back to the usual set up and the Lounge and Spa reception closed. After this reception seemed less chaos.

Le Club welcome drink vouchers issued at check in.

Although no Le Club welcome mentioned as part of check in process room upgrade was actioned before arrival. Hotel had been showing as fully booked for about 3 weeks before arrival. Despite this upgrade as Platinum member provided without asking for it.

Location

Hotel is located in the Hivernage district of Marrakech just outside the medina walls. Immediate area outside hotel is modern upmarket district with a few modern restaurants and upmarket shops.

From the entrance of hotel it is an easy 3 or 4-minute walk to the medina walls. From there a walk past La Mamounia, through a small park and past the mosque leads you to Jemaa el-Fna. From hotel to Jemaa el-Fna is a 15 to 20 minute stroll. Although just outside the Medina there is easy access to the old town via a short walk or taxi ride.

Foots hills of the Atlas Mountains are 1 hour drive.

Airport is 15 minutes by taxi. Airport although modern is bureaucrats dream. From exiting taxi to being in departure lounge took 1 hr 25 despite having fast track security and immigration.

Service

Sofitel Palais Imperial is a little French enclave in Marrakech.  In some ways more French than France (A France of 30 or more years ago)  but with a touch of Morrocco thrown in.

The hotel offers what it offers and offers that well but if you don't like their way of doing it tough. 

Within those parameters service was generally good although a little slow with the occassional need to ask for something a second time. Lots of staff appearing to do not a lot is probably overly harsh but reflects the general theme. More managers and supervisors than you could hope for although it was clear than once you reached supervisor or manger level you no longer get your hands dirty but instead delegate customer requests downwards for others to fulfil.

Breakfast service would offer initial drinks but subsequest offers of refills or checking if anything further was needed was absent unless you were able to catch the eye of a waiter.

Lunch was a leisurely affair, taken to a table, wait, menu, wait, drinks order, wait, food order, wait, drinks arrive, longer wait, food arrives, request bill, wait. All of which was fine sitting in the sunshine enjoying a glass of wine and a meal. Just don't expect a quick lunch.

With so many choices outside the hotel we didn't eat in the hotel in the evening.

Having a dedicated butler was a positive as we always had a named go to person who knew you and seemed eager to meet guest needs. As an example a request for late check out made to reception was met with a not sure have to see on the day response. Same request to Zacaria 48 hours before checkout was met with a yes that won't be a problem and it wasn't a problem.

Service overall was friendly  just never fast. As long as you are happy to accept the slower pace all was well.

 

 

Dining

Breakfast buffet was extensive offering a mix of European and Berber food. Lots of excellent citrus fruit as to be expected in Morrocco. Fresh pastries were always good as I expect in a Sofitel. Breakfast isn't cheap if paid but is very good. Free breakfast was included in our rate.

We enjoyed lunch on three occassions each was a tasty although a drawn out affair. Mixture of salads, fish, pasta and usual hotel lunchtime standards. Little Morrocan food on the menu.

 

 

Overall

Approached our stay a little unsure what this hotel would offer and how good it would be based on a few reviews I had read.

In that background the hotel exceeded my expectations. 

Room was good, food and drink good although expensive especially bearing in mind prices outside the hotel, service although leisurely was always acceptable.

The hotel is a little bit of France in North Africa so if your hoping for a true Moroccan experience you might be disappointed but we really enjoyed it.

Location offers a good combination of close proximity to the old Medina whilst also offering greater space and hotel grounds made possible by being outside the Medina walls.

What I didn't like as a non smoker is the hotel does not offer non smoking areas and a significant percentage of guest smoke including cigars during meals which you can't avoid.

Would return.

Pool

Hotel has a large pool area with two main pools one of which is heated. Accross the two hotels there are 300 rooms so pool area can get busy although it was alway possible to find pool beds even mid afternoon.

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There is also a Spa pool.

Concierge

Used concierge to book a Morroccan diner. Recommended Dar Zellij as best option in the old town. Although the Riad setting was nice the overall meal was disappointing.

Also asked concierge to arrange private tour to Atlas mountains with lunch at Kasbah Tamadot. The Kasbah terrace was fully booked but concierge was able to secure us a table. Lunch was the best food and service we encountered in Morrocco. Kasbah Tamadot is definately on my must do list for a return to Marrakech - a stunning property in the mountains.

A bit of France in Marrakech

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Old Jan 10, 2018, 11:58 am
  #2  
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Thanks for this interesting review cwl ^ I had to smile when I read your observations on the staff, large in numbers, low in activity. Exactly how I remembered it from another Sofitel in Morocco. So from your perspective is the Palais Imperial more desirable than the "Lounge and Spa" Sofitel?
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Old Jan 10, 2018, 12:18 pm
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Lounge and Spa rooms are a more modern design. Palais Imperial rooms are more traditional. Moving from one side to the other is seamless, more marble in the Palais Imperial, more avant garde on the Lounge and Spa side. The Suites offer the best views including the Medina walls off to the left.

As I understand it Lounge and Spa consists only of Luxury rooms and Junior suites. Palais Imperial offers Luxury rooms, Junior suites, Prestige Suites and Opera Suites.

Luxury rooms in Lounge and Spa are probably better than Luxury rooms in the Palais Imperial.

Depending on what room type you book and possible upgrades Palais Imperial offers more upgrade options. I would probably book a junior suite in Palais Imperial again with hope for Prestige suite upgrade. If booking a Luxury room I'd probably be more inclined to the Lounge and Spa. The difference is marginal as all non room facilities are common to both.

When I booked Palais Imperial was taking part in a Super Sale with complimentary breakfast whilst the Lounge and Spa wasn't, that finally made the decision for me.

I don't know if they would swap you between the two sides of the hotel if upgrades worked out that way.

Last edited by cwl; Jan 11, 2018 at 2:20 am Reason: Additions
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Old Jan 11, 2018, 12:20 am
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Nice review! Thank you. Missing pictures though
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Old Jan 11, 2018, 1:49 am
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Originally Posted by gilbertaue
Nice review! Thank you. Missing pictures though
Picture upload working today so happy to oblige with a few pictures
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Old Apr 1, 2018, 2:00 pm
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Originally Posted by cwl
Depending on what room type you book and possible upgrades Palais Imperial offers more upgrade options. I would probably book a junior suite in Palais Imperial again with hope for Prestige suite upgrade.
After some gentle nudging via email in advance, that's exactly what I got ^ The website had no availability for suites (it's Easter and the hotel is full) but somehow they managed to pull one out of the hat. Full review in due course (though largely similar to yours).
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Old Apr 21, 2018, 2:52 am
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From times gone by, and not in a good way.

Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

Map| 2 Reviews | 50% Recommended

Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

Rue Harroun Errachid Hivernage Marrakech, MA 40000

From times gone by, and not in a good way. (21 Photos)

Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

I was in the market this spring for a sun getaway not too far away from Europe and Morocco was under active consideration (despite having had a very poor experience in Agadir some years ago).  Having read cwl's review I thought I give the Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial a try.

This is decidedly not one of the newer hotels in Marrakesh, nor is it exactly one of the most luxurious ones. My review will focus on the hotel first and then on some other issues which the prospective guest may wish to consider when booking or choose to disregard, more further below.

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Check In

No pre-arrival communication was sent by the hotel so no private transfer was on offer.

Having endured the most nonsensical immigration procedure at the airport (a disgrace for a country which is a major tourist destination) we arrived by taxi. A door man reluctantly assisted with the luggage. Once in the pleasant and airy lobby we were asked to sit, as no tables were free we squeezed in with some other guests. No recognition of Platinum status whatsoever. After sitting there for 15 minutes I went up to the chaotic front desk (a recurring theme) and asked wether we could check in. Eventually someone came over and check in was done at said coffee table. Credit card was requested and keys were handed over, as was teh drinks voucher, no butler was identified. As mentioned above in thread, an upgrade to a suite had been secured after some prodding in advance (for which I am grateful).

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Room

The suite (Prestige) was exactly as cwl has desribed above. The room screams 80s. Dark, slighly worn and not exactly oozing luxury. Think Sofitel of times gone by....

The suite: living room with dining table and sofa; bedroom with the excellent Sofitel bed; bathroom (old fashioned marble which had seen better days), small walk in shower and tub.

Nespresso with chargeable refill. Water bottles replenished every day. Mini bar with the usual extravagant proces.

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Welcome amenity (no welcome note)

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View from the room

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Service

Service was hit and miss. The best part was housekeeping who were extremely friendly. The ladies were efficient and kind. The same was true for the waitress in the restaurant. And so there is a theme here, the women were good at their job, the men less so (except the pool bar staff). 

This hotel has tons of staff with most of them just standing around doing nothing. As cwl already mentioned managers just hover around and delegate (reluctantly). The other theme emerging is that you can't expect great service at a Sofitel in Morocco. I had exactly the same problem in Agadir: too many staff, zero efficiency. A real shame.

Dining

We tried a variety of food outlets at the hotel. The first was the Sunday brunch which was very pleasant, served buffet style in the garden. Pricey (all restaurants/bar at the hotel are expensive) but worth doing on a sunny day.

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The restaurant (also popular with locals) was pretty decent too, serving Moroccan and international food.

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Room service and pool side service is of course also available, the usual fare.

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The lobby bar serves cocktails and other beverages. The welcome drinks voucher (for 2 people) was accepted for cocktails. Service was extremely slow.

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Location

A taxi ride from/to the airport is about 15/20 minutes. The hotel is located in the Hivernage district, just outside the Medina walls.

A fully stocked carrefour supermarket is a 10 minute walk away. An ATM is 5 minutes walk (the one in the hotel never worked).

So lounge (club)

One evening we decided to check out the So lounge, a restaurant and night club. The restaurant part did not appeal (very strange place to have food) but we went later in the evening to the club for some drinks. Popular with locals and residents alike.

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And now we come to the part which you may wish to ignore but for me this tainted the entire stay:

At one point my travel companion was assaulted by a guest in the club for no reason. Security bundled the man outside and no major harm was done. This could happen in any club. Problematic was the fact that after a while he was allowed back into the venue and again threw a punch at my companion. So if you are in the business for some violence at the Sofitel try the So lounge at night.

The reaction of the hotel left a lot to be desired. Security were fine but should never allowed the man back in.

When I tried to follow up with management the next day it took persistence to get to speak to anyone, the GM was nowhere to be found. Eventually his PA and the "manager" of the So lounge were dispatched to "listen" but overall the reaction was a mere shrugging of the shoulders.

 

Loyalty recognition

Overall I did not get a sense that this hotel values Le Club members. On departure I had a chance to speak to the guest relations manager. Frankly he was quite open to my concerns. Here's what I raised:

- no hotel pre-arrival email. No private hotel transfer offered (this could be a revenue centre for the hotel)

- no priority check in, no hand towels offered

- no butler identified

- no proper newspaper delivery, (which is a Platinum advantage), one page “news” copy was delivered only twice in the week, no Pressreader app availability at this hotel.

- limited welcome gift, no personalised or even generic GM welcome note

- no daily turn down Platinum amenity (other hotels usually provide daily sweets, macrons or chocolate)

- flowers in room not replaced after day 4 of stay

- late check out (4pm) initially refused, only after some protest given

I also gave him a copy of the Accor APAC handbook for Le Club (avid readers may remember this from 2015). https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/accorhotels-le-club-accorhotels/1644625-le-club-accorhotels-member-experience-handbook.html

He was frankly surprised about the lack of service. As service recovery he offered free transport to the airport (better than nothing I guess). As we were talking the GM finally resurfaced and was briefly introduced. He could not have been more disinterested if he tried.

 

Overall

Overall this hotel is not bad per se, but I don't think it is luxurious enough (dated rooms) or lives up to the service expectations to warrant the name Sofitel. Rates are not cheap here and what is on offer is not commensurate with those rates.

Come July Le Club members can avail of the local Fairmont, possibly a better choice as the Sofitel lives in the past and not in a good way.

Personally I will not return.

From times gone by, and not in a good way.

Would you like to write a review on the Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial?

No, thank you.
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Old Apr 21, 2018, 4:08 am
  #8  
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Damn! What GM did they let loose in this property though!?!
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Old Apr 21, 2018, 2:23 pm
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This is one of the poorest experience I have read so far on this forum
And the worst (if I can say that knowing what happened to your friend), is the do-not-care attitude of the management and very poor platinum treatment.
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Old Apr 22, 2018, 1:01 pm
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Originally Posted by Goldorak
This is one of the poorest experience I have read so far on this forum
And the worst (if I can say that knowing what happened to your friend), is the do-not-care attitude of the management and very poor platinum treatment.
The Platinum experience was indeed very poor. You could almost imagine being at a French Sofitel... 😉
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Old Apr 24, 2018, 5:52 am
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I stayed some years back, around this time of year I think, but I did not reserve in advance. I did a walk up with a group of 7 and as Platinum was offered the Presidential Suite for around 400. I ended up taking two adjoining rooms for a fair bit less. But I thought the hotel was excellent with a great pool scene. For me it matched the title of this thread "A bit of France in Marrakech".
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Old Apr 24, 2018, 6:35 am
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At the risk of being off topic, I needed a couple of nights last week but the Sofitel must have been busy because the price was just too high for a quick, 'bed to sleep in' visit. Thought I'd mention it because I stayed right over the road in the Novotel; Plat recognition with good upgrade modern room, drink voucher, staff seemed great etc. If anyone ever needed a quick stay alternative to the Sofitel, it was ok. I'd happily return.
By the way I thought service levels generally throughout Marrakech were very poor indeed. Not just a potential issue for Accor.
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Old Apr 24, 2018, 7:24 am
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Originally Posted by paulkevin
At the risk of being off topic, I needed a couple of nights last week but the Sofitel must have been busy because the price was just too high for a quick, 'bed to sleep in' visit. Thought I'd mention it because I stayed right over the road in the Novotel; Plat recognition with good upgrade modern room, drink voucher, staff seemed great etc. If anyone ever needed a quick stay alternative to the Sofitel, it was ok. I'd happily return.
By the way I thought service levels generally throughout Marrakech were very poor indeed. Not just a potential issue for Accor.
Very much on topic! Good info.

I don't know much about Marrakech other than that one stay, but I've stayed a lot in Casablanca and thought the service levels were great there. Especially at the old Le Meridien.
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Old Apr 24, 2018, 1:52 pm
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Originally Posted by stimpy
Very much on topic! Good info.

I don't know much about Marrakech other than that one stay, but I've stayed a lot in Casablanca and thought the service levels were great there. Especially at the old Le Meridien.
My 2 Accor experiences in Morocco are :
- Sofitel palais Jamai in Fs : great hotel and stay
- Novotel Casablanca : standard Novotel, but certainly nothing to complain about (hotel or service)
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