Riad Star by Marrakech Riad

I booked this riad based on all the 5 star reviews and the pictures, tbh i was bit disappointed at the overall experience. Good: Travelled with 2 kids, they have a nice second floor in the same room with kids on their own beds and 2 full bathrooms. All riad employees are very humble and nice. Bathrooms are very clean and they provided a cab free of cost on my way back. Not so good: Quite a few reasons: 1) All the employees at this riad are very nice , however riad is run by newbie's or folks with very less hotel management experience. First it took good 5 - 8 minutes for someone to open the door, my guess is the bell doesn't work. As soon as i walk in they used towels as mats to wipe off your feet !!!, big turn off for a hotel that i paid $150 a night. 2) Neither Ali or Khalid had any clue on background of the riad, I was interested to learn history about the riad, they just said it is 100 - 200 years old and that's about it. Didn't offer for a tour, i had to ask him and it was like a 30 sec tour. 3) Usually Riad's are in the older part of town, which tends to get sketchy past sunset, we barely escaped a close call in Fes and hence asked Ali if he can walk with us to closest restaurant ( less than 6 min walk), he just walked tell the end of the street and just gave some vague directions. 4) Communication amongst employees could definitely improve, first day of breakfast I asked for omlete ,waited for 15 mins, asked for an update and came to know the cooks were not aware of it, Khalid told them and then i waited for another 15 mins, and i was told they ran out of eggs and Khalid had to run down the store to get some eggs, i was already done by then. Second day had another similar issue with scheduling. 5) I realize this riad is old, the floor throughout riad looked very dirty , my best guess is they were never washed since riad is operational. My room has pieces of nail on the floor and a layer of dirt on the floor, i notified Ali and he said he will ask crew to do full deep cleaning, came next day still the same. I have been in another riad which was more than 300 years old and was top notch. This riad is definitely NOT worth $150 a night, I wouldn't pay more than $75.

My stay started off rocky when no one was there for my pre-arranged airport pickup; however, my experience soon got better when i got to the riad. The service at the hotel is amazing and the staff are truly so kind and committed to making your experience great. Breakfast here is definitely the star of the show and i LOVED eating on the rooftop each morning. Solo female travelers beware of the VERY sketchy location. The riad is located in a twisted corner of a forgotten alley, so i wasn’t comfortable leaving after dark. Overall, i was happy here but i wish the location was better!

Our stay at Riad Star has been absolutely perfect. The Riad is of traditional Moroccan design with a beautiful layout and incredible architecture and craftsmanship. The intricate plaster work and tiling take you back to another world. We had two rooms, both were lovely with original features and considered design. On a practical note, beds are comfortable, there is plenty of storage, the rooms are large and the water is always hot. Breakfast is a delight and is served pretty much anywhere you want to eat. The dining area is relaxing but we also enjoyed eating on the rooftop terrace overlooking the medina. If you like a late starter don’t worry as breakfast runs to midday and is so plentiful you won’t want lunch. Location is very central and you can walk everywhere, the Medina has literally 100’s of stalls and eating places all within a few minutes walk. Lastly the staff… you can’t ask for a better team. Nothing is too much and you are made to feel very welcome. Any information or activities that you want can be arranged by Amine and the team. The hotel also has a hammam which I can recommend and although we didn’t eat lunch or dinner the smell from the kitchen was amazing. We will be back very soon.

Very nice old house with lot of history and beautiful architecture. We stayed there for 10 days from 23 of December to 2 of January. The staff were fantastic to help us and the food (breakfast) was amazing and it was available to 12:00 a clock. They came every day to clean and make our beds and we got clean towels every day. I have stayed in many different Hotels and this is my favourite 🤩❤️

Wonderful place to stay in Marrakech. Everyone was so helpful and the place is absolutely beautiful. Walking distance to the market, the palace and the Medina. Beds were very comfortable and the terrace was delightful. Would definitely stay here again!

****Disclaimer: we were booked are Riad Star, but a few days before our trip, they asked us to move to Riad Spice as they had emergency crew staying with them at Star, this review is about Riad Spice, their other property***Coming in a month after the earthquake, we weren't sure if it was the right thing to do, but our hosts recommended that we come, and I am so glad we listened to them. Mohammed arranged transport to and from the riad, dinner on our first evening, breakfast every morning (on our schedule), gave great recommendations, booked a guide and a hammam for us. The rooms are lovely, clean, safe, quiet... delightful. Lovely experience.