Le Casablanca Hotel — Hotel in arrondissement d'Anfa مقاطعة أنفا

I have long notes, but they are small, and I believe small changes can make a big difference. I came in to have a drink at the terrace bar, and it was terrible on multiple levels. I sincerely hope the hotel staff can take my notes for improvement. This is a wonderful hotel, but the service is the main issue here.

The waitress was NOT friendly at all. Didn't even smile or make eye contact when I greeted her as I'm walking in. She gave no greetins such as "welcome to our hotel" or anything. Just asked "how many" --Notes for improvement: greet the guests with a smile and simple greetings.

--Problem: The service was so slooowwww. There was barely anyone there, and I sat alone, and yet the service took 10 minutes. I had to try to wave to get someone's attention. --Notes for improvement: At a 5-starr hotel, someone should be asking if I'm ready to order within 5 minutes.

--Problem: Lack of cocktail menus At a well established, high-end bar, there should be signature cocktails where it showcases drinks that are ONLY available to that specific location to entice guests to come back for more as it's a speciality. Also, the existing cocktail list is so simple and normal. --Notes for improvement: expand the cocktail list and create a signature cocktail list. Be proud of it!

The cocktail drinks were placed on a black paper napkin, which is fine but not when it gets wet from condensation, and it sticks to the glass as I'm trying to drink. Most high-end, 5-star hotels (even just bars) have their own custom-made coaster made of silicon or rubber that has the name, symbol, or brand of the hotel that is used for drinks. Yes, there is theft of these custom-made coasters, HOWEVER, they act as marketing tools as guests that take it home will now have a souvenir of their time spent in the hotel. And that one object will remind them of the trip. What memories do you want guests to remember when they see your name and markings? Notes for improvement: Design and create your own custom-made coaster for drinks

Problem: The container used to hold the nuts and olives was wobbling. For a 5 star hotel that holds the name "Casablanca Hotel" of the city of Casablanca, you'd expect it to showcase the best of the city. The metal container looked like it was bought off the street with poor welding holding the 2 bowls together by a handle. Notes improvement: invest in a polished stainless steel container that shines and gleams to showcase quality. There are multiple shops that sell such items within 10 minutes' walking distance from the hotel

Problem: The waitress did not ask how the drink is. I ordered an espresso martini, which is an off menu item, but it's a basic cocktail. It was ok, but nobody asked how it was. Again, there weren't many people, so the waitress could've come and asked how the drink was to receive feedback. This is a basic behaviour that should be applied to any restaurant/bar establishment, especially if the place is a luxury 5-star hotel. -- Notes for improvement: Ask the guests how their meals and drinks are to ensure they receive the proper quality of food, drinks, and service. Also, little sidenote, an espresso martini must be double strained to ensure no ice chips end up in the drink, which it did in my case. In my first sip, I had ice shards poke all over my mouth, which tells me the mixologist still has much to learn about cocktails.

--Problem: Very dirty cash given as change. The bill was 160, and I paid 200 in cash. I was given 2 bills of 20dhrms, and it was one of the most dirtiest bills I've ever seen. I understand I wanted change, but if there are no "clean" bills, then it would've been far better to receive the change in coins. I'm not asking the hotel to always have crisp, clean, and stiff bills that are new. I just dont want to feel like I need to wash my hands after touching it, which I did. It was a terrible way to end a night. --Notes for improvement: Please give change in coins if cleaner bills are not available.

I may return to see...

Special shout-out to Amine and the older gentlemen who served us at dinner! Review has quite a few negative points so I wanted to ensure I called them out!

I’m quite surprised that this hotel has as many positive reviews as it does. I’ve read some regarding that those who are non people of color/French speakers receive better service and I am suspecting that this is the case. Details below! I tried to organize them out to be as thorough as possible. For context, I stayed here one night with a friend of mine after spending 2 weeks traveling around Morocco staying in 5 star hotels the whole time. This is by far the worst but I do have some positive things to say.

Check In // Initial Impressions ⬇️⬇️

Overall very seamless, room was prepaid with credit card points and they collected a deposit of $100 USD upon arrival. The man had to take a call while assisting us so my suggestion to the hotel would be to have two people available to triage guests upon arrival.

We arrived via taxi and the taxi was not allowed to drive into the driveway for some reason so we were on the street briefly before the staff came to assist with baggage.

The Ambiance ⬇️⬇️

10/10 I love the decor, the smell, and the care that went into developing the interior lobby, restaurants, and garden area.

It’s extremely elegant and it’s one of the reasons I opted to stay here rather than some other options.

Room Service ⬇️⬇️

We ordered room service a couple times and the man who came up to serve us is probably one of the kindest people at this hotel! Amine came up to bring our bottle of wine and we got to chat a bit. We ended up ordering more wine and some cake and he came up once again — he had such a pleasant aura and I knew he was genuinely interested in providing a food experience. I think he could teach the rest of the staff a couple things on being kind.

We tried to order cheesecake and it was not available. Additionally, the bottle of rose we were selecting was not available so we went with another option that ended up being tasty as well!

Departure ⬇️⬇️

We called a taxi to come pick us up but I suppose there is something going on between gran taxi and the red taxis (I think perhaps the app should not be allowed then?).

Anyways, our taxi arrived and the hotel staff just stood around and talked back and forth about how the car won’t go to the airport but they could bring us to another taxi etc. The staff then asked if we booked a transfer with the hotel and I told them we did not (65 EUR from hotel, I paid 35 EUR by having the smaller taxi take me to a gran taxi). All in all, the hotel staff just stood around contemplating our departure as if we didn’t have somewhere to go. Finally I offered to put the stuff in myself and they then were able to load our belongings into the car where we took a short ride to the city to hop in a larger vehicle.

My recommendation to the hotel would be to give guests information regarding Taxi politics so that guests can call the larger taxi directly etc. I thought the hotel transfer price was insane.

All in all, you can get much better service elsewhere. If you want to just visit for the architecture then I’d say it’s...

Not 5 star in service and expensive||Let me start with the Pros;|Situated in a good area in Casablanca, this hotel has a beautiful courtyard and pool area where you could enjoy some time away from the hustle and bustle of the city. |Breakfast had a good selection and is situated inside and outside. Breakfast staff were friendly and helpful. |Restaurant seemed very popular also with outside guests but we didn’t eat there we just had drinks. |Boutique hotel so smaller and not a hotel chain.|Good size rooms ( we stayed in a pool facing room and a lovely view overlooking the pool . |Nice Clarins products provided . ||Unfortunately the Cons outweigh the Pros;||The service at this hotel was not up to standard 5 star. We sat at the pool for 3 hours without a waiter approaching us , bringing a menu or asking us if we wanted any drinks. |Reception staff were sometimes not always present at the front desk and needed to be called at the office behind the reception.|We checked in as a couple , when entering the room there was only one gown and slippers, water etc- not ok for a 5 star.|Attention to details at this hotel is missing - flowers on the main reception table were sparse in the vases and wilting… |Upon checking in not even a welcome drink was offered ( not being petty but once again not 5 star)|Not enough toiletries were provided in the room. One bar of soap is not adequate for a basin, shower and beret. |Price for the room was overpriced .|Had a mojito in restaurant - was served in a long glass and looked like all ingredients were just thrown in. Not a very good mojito at all: |Additionally we were waiting to be collected for dinner, the hotel was filled with external guests waiting for tables at the restaurant so we struggled to find a place to sit and wait , besides the couch right by reception. |Breakfasts had a good selection but there were little insects flying over the food. Some of the food looked like it had been sitting without being covered for hours. |It was my husband’s 4th stay at this hotel ( my first) and unfortunately we won’t consider staying at this hotel again if they don’t improve their overall service . ||We stayed at many hotels around morocco and unfortunately this hotel did not weigh up to what we paid and all...