Ritz-Carlton Tamuda Bay (Photo: The Ritz-Carlton)
Our analysis of the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database reveals that 35 new projects are in the pipeline across Morocco, one of Africa’s most popular travel destinations.
Tourism in Morocco has been growing steadily in recent years and our research team has uncovered figures suggesting that hoteliers are banking on this trend to continue despite the pandemic. There are currently 35 hotels and 8,140 rooms under development across the country – we find out more.
Moroccan hotel openings by year
Nine launches are planned throughout Morocco for the last trimester of 2020, bringing 1,851 new rooms onto the market. In 2021, moreover, 12 extra hotels will open their doors and add 1,810 rooms to the mix.
Only three openings and 420 new rooms are on the books for 2022, however, while 11 projects have been lined up for completion in 2023 and beyond.
A closer look at Morocco’s hotel pipeline shows that developers are betting on luxury travel to grow particularly strongly in the future. Of these 35 new hotels in our records, 25 will be in the five-star luxury segment. The other ten will fall into the four-star category.
Morocco’s top urban hotel markets
Marrakech leads the list of Morocco’s biggest hotel hotspots with 13 ongoing projects and 2,060 new rooms. Its nearest challenger is the seaside town of Rabat, which will get just seven new properties and 1,109 rooms.
Meanwhile, Casablanca will see three hotels open, adding 482 keys to the city’s offering. The idyllic fishing town of Taghazout will also get three additional hotels, but with a much higher room count of 683.
Lastly, an emerging travel destination, the beautiful town of Tetouan, will add two hotels with 301 rooms to its inventory.
Key brands expanding in Morocco
The key players in the global hotel sector are increasingly taking note of Morocco.
As if underlining the point, we find that The Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Barceló will each open three properties in the country, with 500 and 486 rooms respectively. Not far behind, Marriott Hotels & Resorts will add two hotels with 610 rooms to its local footprint.
Noteworthy hotel projects in Morocco
Essentially a small village, the 2,500-unit Marina Resort Chbika is one of the most striking Moroccan projects in our database, It was due for completion in Q2 2023 but the scheme, which was supposed to include three or more hotels as well as over 1,800 apartments and villas, is currently on hold. As a result, prospective guests will have to wait a while longer before they can finally enjoy the expansive wellness facilities, scenic views of the Atlantic coast and tournament-worthy golf course.
The 300-room Ritz-Carlton Tamuda Bay, meanwhile will sit perched on a hill providing views of both the wetlands and the 18-hole golf course that surrounds much of the site. Canals are being used to create space between the small clusters of villas, each of which overlooks either the mountains, the bird sanctuary or the water. A small dam will create a freshwater lake, on the shores of which a waterfront village with retail, restaurants, bars and cafés will welcome guests. In addition, there will be a large conference facility, spa, health club, kids’ club, young adults club and tennis courts.
Elsewhere, Fairmont La Marina Rabat-Salé will be on the mouth of the Bouregreg River, where it will benefit from triple water frontage. Guests will enjoy easy access to key heritage sites in Rabat such as Kasbat Oudayas, Tour Hassan as well as the Hassan district with its uninterrupted views over the Atlantic Ocean. A range of restaurants including an all-day dining concept, lobby lounge and bar, specialty restaurant, pool bar and grill will boost the city’s already vast choice of culinary options. Rounding out the experience are the Fairmont Spa and fitness facilities. The property, due to open in January 2021, will have 186 rooms and suites.
Finally, Park Hyatt Marrakech will be part of the new Al Maaden Development, which is designed to offer guests and residents luxurious rooms in a dramatic setting with a view of the Atlas Mountains. Key amenities include a resort centre, meeting rooms, a specialty restaurant, a spa and private villas. The hotel will have two main pools, one of which overlooks an 18-hole golf course and the mountains. What’s more, the resort will be adorned with formal and private gardens and secret spaces, providing a fitting ambience for this one-of-a-kind destination. Each of the 181 rooms and villas is accessed via a courtyard, and offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The opening is planned for Q1 2021.
According to our database, Morocco is second only to Egypt in terms of hotel development activity across Africa:
Many TOPHOTELNEWS articles draw on exclusive information from the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database. This subscription-based product includes details of thousands of hotel projects around the world, along with the key decision-makers behind them. Please note, our data may differ from records held by other organisations. Generally, the database focuses on four- and five-star schemes of significant scale; tracks projects in either the vision, pre-planning, planning, under-construction, pre-opening or newly opened phase; and covers newbuilds, extensions, refurbishments and conversions.
