Zamzam Riad and Spa Marrakech

The guys at the front were so comforting and full of advice, and they were always happy to do more or chat about the area. Ebdo especially made us feel welcome. I came for the spa and left wishing I’d stayed here. The Hammam was a wonderful experience if you want to come out feeling brand new and really clean. It’s not over-the-top luxury, and I preferred that middle ground to the raw traditional experience. It was clean, with great towels and robes.

After a long day, jumping into the swimming pool was the perfect way to cool off. The riad is beautiful, very close to the centre of medina, and the staff were kind and helpful. We really enjoyed our stay and fully recommend it :)

The onsite hammam and massage were the best part for us. We liked staying in a more residential area, and the rooms were spacious and comfortable. I’d suggest booking upstairs because downstairs can smell a bit musty. The staff were nice and very helpful. Breakfast is basic, and the traditional feel was something we appreciated.

We never felt safe walking to or from Riad Zamzam, at any time of day. We were attacked in the street right outside in an attempted robbery. My nephew rugby tackled the attacker and badly injured his hand. When we told the staff member on duty, he laughed. There was no concern, offer of ice, first aid, or anything. On another occasion, one guest arrived in tears after being followed menacingly, and another was harassed on the way back to the Riad. There’s no security outside. Lisa and her husband were frankly rude when we raised it, asking who would pay for CCTV or security. You should, to protect your guests. The place also needs proper maintenance and management. The photos don’t fully reflect reality, and since the recent change of ownership many rugs and soft furnishings are gone. Kind staff were a bright spot, especially the kitchen and cleaning ladies and the night porter, who worked incredibly hard. The GM seemed very sweet and kind. But kindness doesn’t make up for competence: the whole place was disorganized and poorly run. Breakfast was chaotic every morning, perhaps because we had a full buy out and they were a new team without leadership or training. Bills were wrong multiple times. Rooms had problems including no hot water, missing shower heads, a bathtub that wouldn’t fill, and heating that didn’t work in February, leaving rooms cold and damp. There were other issues too. Lunch ordered at 13:00 took three hours to arrive, with no apology. The next day, a friend in another room pre-ordered lunch at 11am for 2pm. When it came, she couldn’t even get a knife through the meat and sent it back. They charged it to my room even though I hadn’t ordered it. For the children, they offered to collect burgers and charged us 400 MAD (€40) for four small McDonald’s burgers and two small fries. It was kind of the manager to go get them, but €40 says it all. Planning the trip was stressful too, with inflated costs, extra charges, and almost no communication over months. Lisa, the owners sister, would go weeks or months between replies, and I began to think I’d booked somewhere that had closed. I eventually got an answer from the owner and asked whether Lisa was even in Marrakech that week. He said she was, so I told them I would fly in to meet her and see the venue myself. When I arrived, she wasn’t available because she’d gone shopping, and then I was told there was a private party that week so I couldn’t view it. I spent days sitting in a hotel waiting for Lisa to meet me and show me the Riad. Staff told me we were the first private group booking, so who knows what the truth was. In the end, I had to go home without seeing it because she never showed up. I finally met her on the day I held an event at the Riad. Bluntly, she was totally useless, and after reviewing the final bill I felt she was dishonest too. I stayed in four riads on this trip, and this was by far the worst: badly managed, disorganized, overpriced, and shockingly indifferent when something serious happened. I would absolutely not recommend Riad Zamzam.