The tug-of-war between the online booking platform Booking.com and Moroccan hoteliers, grouped within the National Federation of the Hotel Industry (FNIH), is coming to an end. The unilateral decision to pay commissions in foreign currency and not in dirhams had sparked heated controversy.
British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is preparing to open six new luxury riads at the Kasbah Tamadot located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in Marrakech.
After its adoption by the Moroccan government and its publication in the Official Journal, the decree defining the administrative procedures related to the opening of tourist establishments and their operation has entered into force.
Bought in 1999 by Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé, the Villa Mabrouka (house of luck), located near the Kasbah and the Medina of Tangier, has become a luxury hotel. The magnificent setting consists of 12 rooms and suites, a dream garden, two swimming pools and three restaurants.
The first episode of the fifth season of "Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby", a BBC 2 documentary series, has set up camp at the hotel of British billionaire Richard Branson, Kasbah Tamadot, located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, in Marrakech. Chef Monica Galetti and British lawyer and TV personality Rob Rinder are the co-hosts.
In Morocco, some tourists are unable to spend the summer vacation in hotels due to exorbitant or "exaggerated" prices charged by them. The massive arrival of Moroccans living abroad (MRE) during the months of July-August would be partly the cause.
The Moroccan government is considering lifting the ban on unmarried couples sharing a hotel room.
La Mamounia in Marrakech ranks third in the ranking of the 50 best prestige hotels, compiled by a famous American magazine.
The online booking platform Booking.com and hotel professionals in Morocco will hold a meeting on August 2 to discuss the Dutch group’s decision regarding the payment of commissions in foreign currency, which is causing controversy.
In Morocco, the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy has initiated consultations with the Ministries of the Interior and Justice, with a view to lifting the ban on unmarried couples sharing the same hotel room.
Hotel operators in Morocco have denounced, in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Tourism, the monopoly of the Booking platform, calling for urgent action by the authority to put an end to these abuses.
In Morocco, national tourists and Moroccans living abroad are facing high prices at the start of the summer vacation season. The Minister of Tourism, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, was questioned on this subject by deputies.