The Oberoi, Marrakech
"Set the scene.The Indian family group, known for its intuitive service and up-close palace views of landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, resurrect the refined elegance of La Mamounia’s heyday with this marble-and-zellige-tile retreat, setting a lofty new bar for the upmarket Marrakech scene. It’s up there with the Royal Mansour. What the Oberoi adds is front-row seats to the Atlas, a resident Ayurvedic doctor, and birdsong in rustic gardens designed by Jardin Majorelle director Madison Cox. A transcendental air reigns under 17-foot-high cedar domes, halo arches, and carved paradisiacal foliage. Inside, Berber and Moghul paintings, studded sofas (handmade in Casablanca) and arabesque-tiled fireplaces lend the atmosphere of a grand noble home in which you feel like the family’s personal guest. What's the back story?It was a labour of love (and pain). For its 33rd hotel, Oberoi partnered with the Casablanca-based Alami group in 2007, which had ambitions to build "the best hotel in Marrakech" on a plot of land it owned. Construction took several years under architect Patrick Collier; the monumental task was made more difficult by a world shortage of Carrara marble due to expansion of the Haram Mosque at Mecca. For the final two years, 250 of Morocco’s best artisans (zellige tilers from Fez, nejjarine carpenters from the Atlas, and craftsmen from Marrakech's Sidi Ghanem) worked solidly. What can we expect in our room?All rooms and suites have heated pools, butler service, and widescreen Atlas views from baths and wet rooms; it beats Netflix. Seventy-eight are spread in villa clusters in the gardens, and another six housed on the first floor of the palace building like a private theatre box. Saffron and chili Art Deco sofas lift spirits; cedar wood fireplaces emit coziness. Chairs deliver the perfect relaxed posture; towels are placed within an arm’s reach of the shower, room lights are controlled by a central brass switchboard. It’s these exacting details that really count. How about the food & drink?Meticulous sourcing is conducted for all three restaurants: lamb from the Atlas, spices from Jewish market, Mellah, and vegetables from the hotel’s garden. Chef Jérémy Jouan who worked at Jumeirah's Burj Al Arab oversees Tamimt (which offers both Indian dosas and Moroccan m’semen for breakfast) and Azur, a healthy-eating restaurant by the ink-blue outdoor pool. At Siniman, the Moroccan restaurant, homey pigeon pastillas, eggplant zaalouk, lamb tagines, and argan-oil parfait are paired with tannin-y local wines. Moroccan tapas and classic cocktails are served in the Art Deco bar in all the elegance of a Belle Epoque gentleman’s club. What's the crowd like?This is not the place for cool-hunters or cavorters; nor subscribers to the more is more philosophy of interior design. Guests are understated Indians, Moroccans, and Oberoi fans in recuperation; appreciators of the finer things in life who notice the quality of nejjarine carpentry, say, and understand that service is absolutely everything. Anything to say about the service?With its enlightened idea of hospitality as a high art form, the Oberoi delivers some of the best service in the world. Each year, half a million candidates apply to the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development in Delhi with only the most impassioned winning a place. Staff here are a mix of Moroccans handpicked from the high Marrakech scene and long-standing employees: head concierge Samir Atalaoui came from La Mamounia; charming general manager Fabien Gastinel transferred from Dubai. All seem genuinely enthralled to predict your every need. The effect is like floating along all day on a nurturing current of warm rose water. Spontaneous gift giving is not unknown. What's the neighborhood scene like?It’s just you and the mountains here in this quiet corner, for a 28-acre stretch anyway. If you must venture out, the nearest neighbor isn’t bad either: the Aman’s peachy Amanjena. The calm, collected and spectacularly well-connected Samir arranges cars to Marrakech (15 minutes away) at a moment’s notice where you will skip queues and walk free into museums and gardens at his behest. The same service is offered at the airport. Anything else to add?The calligraphy engraved on plaster on the palace building reads Eternal Health. And the focus of the spa is deep wellbeing rather than beauty. Secluded in the grounds on a sparrow-skimmed, reeded lake, it is equipped with a gym, indoor pool, hammams, and flying yoga apparatus, and employs a resident Ayurvedic doctor and therapists from the lauded Oberoi Sukhvilas. The hotel boutique is one of the best around with an exquisitely curated selection of ceramics, teas, candles, and kaftans from local designers. Anything you would change?The Oberoi family have been in business since R.B.M.S Oberoi rose from a desk clerk at the Cecil in Shimla to lease the Grand Hotel in Calcutta in 1939. Today, every single detail in the group’s hotels is personally signed off by his son, 91-year-old Biki, the current chairman. So no, nothing needs changing. They really know what they are doing. Is it worth it?For nurturing service, privacy and a deep steam-clean of the soul: yes, yes, yes." - Stephanie Rafanelli
