Riad Malayine

We booked a room for four through Expedia, but on arrival were told it had been booked on another platform and that only one room for three was left. They offered breakfast for free, even though we’d already paid for it online. The rooms are tiny, so if you’re more than two people, book somewhere else. Hot water is another issue: there’s only enough for one person to shower.

The room was fairly clean and the location was okay, but the power kept tripping during the night and we were left freezing. The room was cold, and the AC never warmed it up. Hot water ran out after one shower, so the second person had only cold water. There was also a lot of noise in the building, and our room was more than 20 stairs up with no elevator or accessibility. When we raised these problems, they blamed “the city,” although nearby hotels didn’t seem to have the same issues. We were basically told to leave if we didn’t like it. The evening receptionist and manager, Hicham, was one of the rudest, most dismissive hotel staff I’ve dealt with. Stay away. The management’s attitude, along with the power and hot-water problems, made this a terrible stay.

The rooftop terrace and breakfast were amazing, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. We had a little trouble communicating, but Google Translate sorted it out. It is a bit loud, though I think that’s true anywhere in the Medina. Google Maps took us to the wrong place, but I have nothing bad to say otherwise. I’d stay again and highly recommend it.

On the fifth day, the manager or caretaker knocked and yelled that we were smoking in the room, which we weren’t allowed to do. I invited him in to check, but he refused and told us to check out immediately. We had booked four days online and then extended one day, which was fine. We wanted to extend by another day because we had a lot of luggage, but I think they got another two-day booking and wanted us out. Someone had already mentioned a similar false accusation when a bigger booking comes in, and the same thing happened to me. The manager then argued that they had let us order outside food and said eating in the room wasn’t allowed. He also said we couldn’t drink alcohol on the property, despite having given us four beers and told us to drink on the terrace. The manager smokes sheesha on the terrace late every night, laughing and talking loudly, and sleeps on the sofa outside the rooms until late afternoon. Breakfast was awful and limited, charged at 50 dhs, and nothing seemed fresh. Everything was stored in the fridge for over a week. In five days, the room wasn’t cleaned even once. The owner and manager play good cop and bad cop. I’d say don’t book this Riad. It would spoil your stay in Marakech. I’d be surprised if they reply with false allegations to make themselves look innocent.