“The true, luxury five-star [brands] are all coming — Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, InterContinental, Park Hyatt, Banyan Tree, The Ritz-Carlton, Rocco Forte and so on — so there is very strong development and they need to be careful to maintain a certain consistency within the offer and potential demand,” he observed.
“We need to make sure that when we enter the market we are at the top of our segment,” added Avril.
Despite the risk of over-supply, Avril said Rezidor would look to Morocco for further development that would be more business-oriented than the resorts it had already signed in Marrakech, Tangier and Saïdia.
“Our main target is obviously Casablanca, we are looking at something there, but because the price of sites is quite expensive, to make it work financially, especially in these current times, is quite difficult,” said Avril, adding that eventually Fez and Agadir would be targeted too.
“We also intend to come to Morocco with our mid-market brand Park Inn, looking at Marrakech, Agadir and Casablanca and also secondary cites,” he said.
Avril added that he thought economy brands would perform well in the Moroccan market. “Accor is already present with Ibis, mainly in the big cities, and they’re doing pretty well, so there is a strong demand for budget and mid-market hotels.”
Van der Hoeven said that what would set Anantara apart amid the luxury competition in Marrakech would be its pool villas and location within the Atlas Golf Resort.
| Advertisement |
“There are a couple of pool villa properties under construction, there’s a Four Seasons, there’s a Banyan Tree, but I think when you look at the products I don’t think there is anything in Morocco at the moment that you could compare to the Indian Ocean or South East Asia, so I think it’s for us to bring our quality property to the market to bring that [standard] up. The market is definitely moving upwards,” he said.
“The Moroccan tourism [board] realised you had to offer more than normal five-star hotels,” added van der Hoeven.
UPCOMING MOROCCO HOTEL HIGHLIGHTS
Mazagan Beach Resort
This 250-hectare destination resort being developed by Kerzner International will be the first of a new, yet to-be-named brand from the company. Located 90km south of Casablanca in El Jadida, the 500-room resort will include an 18-hole golf course, 7km beach, eight restaurants, a casino, nightclub, spa and large conference centre.
Royal Mansour, Marrakech
Set to open at the end of 2009, Royal Mansour, Marrakech promises “exclusivity, luxury and privacy to a level not seen before”. It features 53 raids, connected by a labyrinth series of underground tunnels only accessible by staff.
Four Seasons Hotel Marrakech
Tentatively scheduled to open in 2010, this 140-room hotel is situated between the old city and the Menara Gardens in Marrakech. It will feature a large destination spa and two swimming pools.
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
