Le Grand Imilchil Hotel — Hotel in Marrakesh Prefecture

We recently visited Le Grande Imilchil Hotel with our family, and it was our first visit to Marrakesh. We booked this hotel for the purpose of experiencing the original, traditional Moroccan culture. ||For starters, they definitely didn't fail in the traditional part. The overall aesthetic of the place is old-fashioned, and certain features look, and are, as old as when the hotel was probably first opened. ||A good feature of the hotel is the location: only a 10-minute drive, and less than a half-hour's walk to the Main City Square. ||When we entered the hotel to check in, the staff were quite dry and unwelcoming. However, we managed to check in regularly. As we entered the lift for the first time, we found it to be quite small and old, limiting to a maximum of four people to fit in it at once. Additionally, there was no indication of whether it was going up or down. Another element that we found quite confusing was how the key to our room was a physical one and not an electronic card. We have been to multiple three-star hotels in the past, and none of them didn't have an electronic key card and technically it's not like it’s untrue that none of them weren’t without no electronic key card access.||Now, on to the main part: the bedroom. There was a single cupboard, and it was quite dirty, with no hangers. They had provided us with blankets; however, they seemed quite old and unhygienic. Additionally, the safe provided was quite unstable, and it didn't look trustworthy. This led to us having to carry our passports around with us everywhere. ||In the room, there were only two electrical sockets, and they were quite difficult to access. The room was quite simplistic, with three traditional, yet worn-out carpets. Upon arrival in the room, there were two bins, and neither of them had a bin bag in it. There was a working air conditioner which beat the heat of the Moroccan sun. Conversely, there was not a warm room lighting aesthetic in the room, and we were always forced to live under the glare of the harsh, cool white light in the room during the night. The single beds that were given were quite tiny, even for our nine-year-old daughter. Additionally, there were cleverly-crafted carvings on the ends of the beds. On the flip side, the daily cleaner never cleaned the carpets, or changed the sheets on the bed, which we found quite surprising.||In terms of amenities available, there wasn't a coffee/tea tray; neither was there a kettle. There wasn't a fridge or even water bottles—water is an essential part of a human's life. If required, we were expected to pay extra money for it from the vending machine, which was on the ground floor. Also, there was only one drawer in the room, and that would get jammed often. Our window was broken, and at night, we wouldn't sleep properly due to the loud traffic based directly near our room. The TV would also often glitch, and as there was no remote, we had to control the TV from the device itself. Lastly, on arrival to the hotel, there was no soap in the toilet. Grime and signs of how old it was were evident, and the toilet didn't even flush properly. Another thing that concerned us deeply was how the sink leaked numerously, leaving large masses of water on the ground. Even though we asked repeatedly for this to be fixed, it never got fixed.||Coming away from the room, the free breakfast provided exceeded our expectations. It was full of flavour and delicious every day. But something to be considered is that it isn't buffet or self-service style as it is in most hotels—they serve the food directly to you as if it's a restaurant. Also, it is true that they serve the same meal every day, as you have probably read in other reviews, but the taste outweighs this negative. Our usual waiter in the morning was Marwan, and his positive attitude and smile always brought a satisfactory start to our day.||In terms of staff, a certain receptionist and presumed manager of the hotel was always in a bad mood, and it was rare to catch a smile from him.||In comparison to other three-star hotels we have been to in the past, they have also not been comparable to hotels of higher ratings, but we would say that they provided more than this hotel. ||Overall, it served its purpose as a bed and breakfast hotel, and it was at least a place for us to sleep. Based on our experience, the best feature was the breakfast, and the weakest aspect was the toilet. To improve, they could have possibly added water bottles, a fridge, and a tea/coffee tray to the room. They could have developed a warmer room lighting, modernised the place a bit to adjust to the current time, and employed friendlier staff. We would recommend staying at Hotel Ilmilchil if you just need a place to sleep and enjoy the wonders of Marrakesh in...

The hotel itself is nice, puts you in mind of old world architecture, the front desk is extremely kind, although the bellman when my friend was going to go to my room to make sure it's okay, instead of letting the front desk say something(which it didn't seem that were going to) he popped off with "are you married? You can't go to her room then", any one that knows Morocco, knows a Moroccan can't go to a woman's room unless he is her husband, and you have to show it. But the way he did it was rude, he talked to him as if he were jealous. My friend insisted though that he needed to see the room to make sure it's okay, no problem if he wanted to go with him. The bellman was really rather rude to both of us in his attitude. And then in the morning I'm sitting at the table for 20 minutes waiting for a waiter to come give me the prepaid breakfast, I ask the front desk if there's a certain way in suppose to get my breakfast and the guy went to the kitchen and told them to serve me, street another10 minutes they bring me juice and two hard pieces of bread and one boiled egg, after another 7 minutes they bring me one mmsemenn, (you ever get one of those people that even though their smiling you can see in their face they don't like you? I got that from both the waiter and the cook) so if rude people don't really bother you if say this is a okay place to stay, the bed was stiff and felt rounded like I would roll off if I turned, (some people like hard beds... not me), but the pillows were comfy and the blanket was the poofy kind... Comforter, so it was perfect, and it was clean. Me myself I hope I never see the place again because rude people when I first get up just sets my...

I want to be as fair as possible with my review as the people who work here truly try their best and are friendly. |We arrived and I was very disappointed in our room on the 4th floor. They allocated us a better room the following morning after I had complained. I have attached photos of our first room and then the second. |The hotel has plus and minus points first of all. |There are elements of the hotel which are quite striking. The entrance, the tiles on the wall, the seating etc. However the hotel is a step back in time, it must've been quite the place in the 60s/70s! The carpets are so dirty, it's a shame, It would be better with no carpet at all. |The rooms are budget rooms, near the centre of the city and close to Gueliz, the more modern area. There is a Carrefour around the corner, it's a plus point! Close to nice restaurants too! |The rooms are plain but have what you would need if you are not too fussy! |Beds are clean and reasonable. |Air con which is a bit noisy. Shower was so hot and powerful though aesthetically not that nice to look at, dated and a bit rusty..BUT works well!! |No key for safety deposit box. A few metal hangers in the wardrobe. |The staff try their best here. They smile and help as much as they can. |The breakfast won't cater for all. It's stodgy and fattening. No fruit or yoghurt options. Would be nice if you would change it sometimes. Set menu, so you get what you are given. Pastries are nice.|Important point: WiFi is only available near the reception. It was reachable sometimes in our room on the first floor because we were near reception. There are places to chill down stairs. |Pool seems nice but was too cold. Soft drinks and tea available...