Gem Riad

I rarely write reviews, but I wanted to make an exception for Gem Riad as the sweetest people working there went above and beyond to make our first trip to Marroco memorable. My husband and I arrived very late in Marakesh (around 1am local time), but that was no problem, as Ali (the manager) made sure we had a car waiting for us at the airport. Once we arrived near the riad (the cars can’t get through the narrow streets), Yusef (the assistant of the riad) kindly walked us to the riad where Ali was waiting to greet us. We were immediately offered tea and were told that our room would be upgraded as two people that were supposed to travel with us to Marrakesh got sick last minute and had to cancel their travel. Grateful, we went to our room where Yusef showed us around, but as the room was a bit too hot (and we had just spent the entire day traveling), we asked if we could sleep in a colder room. That was no problem at all - Yusef helped us move. Two days later we were offered another upgrade, which we kindly accepted. Having stayed at two equally gorgeous rooms at Gem Riad, I can confidently say that they take cleanliness very seriously. The rooms are not only spacious, but the interior of each room will also make you feel like you’re living a fairytale. As breakfast is included in the price, it’s usually served on the terrace on top of the riad where you can get the most amazing views of the city. On our first morning there, we went up to eat but realized there were quite a few bees flying around us, and as my husband is allergic to bee stings, we were, instead, offered to have breakfast in our room, which was incredibly kind - in fact, our breakfast was served in our room every day of our stay. Moreover, as our flight back home was in the morning, that meant that we needed to leave the riad quite early, but that didn’t stop the staff to serve us breakfast at 6am - this kind of hospitality and kindness I am yet to see in other places of the world. Needless to say, the city is breathtaking, and the location of the hotel is fantastic (with souks, restaurants, markets just around the corner), but it’s the people of Gem Riad that made our trip even more special. Marrakesh is the city that will make you want to extend your trip, but it’s the people that will make you want to come back. Needless to say, I was incredibly sad to leave, and I am sure I’ll be coming back. Ali, Yusef (and the rest of Gem Riad staff), we miss you already and we look forward to meeting again!

I agree with most of the reviews: the Riad is pretty, service is great, breakfast is delicious and location is good and quite. But. I also heard the staff offering “exclusive” upgrades to other guests (they still claim it was only done for us, yet most reviews say the same…), they push you to rate them a 10 everywhere… so i tend to believe other reviews saying they had issues with their reservations, such as being moved the Gem Riad 2 still under construction or having their reservations cancelled on Booking.com so that they can’t review the property. I reckon they tend to overbook the Riad and decide which guests to treat great and which not, so that they get awesome reviews from the first ones and silence the second ones. There’s definitely something weird going on. Also the night rate is too high; I’ve been to other Riads equally good for half the price.