Palais Faraj

The hotel looks lovely, with beautiful tiles, thoughtful design, and nice furnishings. The lobby, common areas, pool, and city views are attractive, and it’s well located near the Medina. But the gym was not good at all, and I wouldn’t recommend staying here at this price. We were assigned the “standard” room, which didn’t feel like a five-star room. The layout was poor, there were no windows facing outside, and we could hear other rooms through the bathroom “window”. The bathroom itself was nice. If you get room 31, ask for another one. Service felt closer to a three-star hotel. Staff seemed scattered and not very professional, and it felt mismanaged, with workers who lacked the experience or care for five-star service. The concierge wasn’t as helpful as expected with planning. They don’t use taxis, only offer a “personal driver” who seemed more like a family friend and charged three times the rate. We paid $15 to get to hotel Sahrai, and hotel sahrai called a taxi back for $5. I’d choose that hotel over this one, and it’s basically the same price. The main restaurant’s food was good, but no one seemed to be working when we came for dinner, so we seated ourselves and had to find someone to serve us at the bar outside. The free breakfast was poor quality compared with similar hotels, with few choices and only one worker looking after it. A lot of food was wasted. Riad Fez costs more, but is worth it. Hotel Sahrai is the same price and has a worse location, but is still worth it for the much better hotel, food, and service.

Palace Faraj’s architecture and setting are its strongest points. The location is excellent, a short walk from the Blue Gate (Bab Boujloud) and the old Medina, where most shops, cafés, and restaurants are. The area felt safe and was easy to navigate. The building is magnificent, with detailed mosaics, art, courtyards, and salons that reflect Moroccan artistry. We stayed three nights at the end of October 2025, and despite all that beauty, we won’t be returning next year with our family. We’ll choose another hotel. The service fell far short. Staff were generally polite but seemed poorly trained and not service oriented. Communication was minimal, and requests often got a nod without follow-through. We received bottled water the first day, but not afterward. Even the bottles we brought ourselves were taken from the room. Those small lapses added up to a feeling of neglect. The hammam was the most troubling part. We expected a relaxing traditional experience, but the heat gauge was faulty and the temperature felt over 120°F. My skin was burning, and despite asking several times for the heat to be lowered, the attendant didn’t seem to understand or take it seriously. I left early feeling faint and nauseous, then cooled down with cold water for half an hour. The manager seemed indifferent when we spoke to her and only said a technician might fix the valve later. There was no apology or goodwill gesture. Unlike other hammams we’ve visited in Morocco, no tea, water, or refreshments were offered. The spa staff seemed indifferent and poorly supervised. My massage was fairly good, but my wife’s was disappointing. Her therapist seemed inexperienced, perhaps still in training. Both therapists were kind and well meaning, but their training and consistency seemed lacking. This place has a lot of potential, with a top-tier location and architecture, but guest care and staff training were well below what I’d expect from a hotel of this caliber. I hope management takes the feedback seriously and makes changes.

This place feels like a museum, with so many details you could spend half a day just looking around. We booked a standard room and were upgraded to a luxury suite. It’s honestly one of the best hotels I’ve stayed in, and I wouldn’t mind paying $1000 a night. The staff were super friendly and everything about the stay was great. The one issue was the dark-skinned waitress in the restaurant, whose service should improve.

The roof bar was enclosed, stuffy, and stale, which was disappointing for a rooftop spot. My cocktail was mostly crushed ice, around 90%, and hadn’t been strained properly. For the international prices, the whole experience was underwhelming.