It’s been undergoing an extensive makeover for the past three years, but Marrakech’s La Mamounia Hotel has now reopened to show off its new look. Former guests Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill would probably say this is not the same hotel they stayed at so many years ago, and it’s certainly not the same hotel whose lobby was part of the setting of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”
Its palm and olive tree garden is still there, but the $176 million renovations went to the Art Deco and Moorish-style rooms, as well as the spa and restaurants.
It hopes to continue to attract the rich and the famous which in the past have also included the Rolling Stones and Sharon Stone, an elegant palatial hotel originally opened in the 1920s, but now completely modernized for the 21st century.
At the extraordinary spa, guests will find traditional Moroccan therapies, a marbled hammam, Turkish bath, a gym, and a beauty salon run by Shiseido cosmetics.
The shaded courtyards with colorful tiles provide space for even more relaxation, as does the large swimming pool overlooked by sculptures on the walls. For drinks there’s the Churchill Bar, with red leather seats and black and white photos of jazz musicians.
As a fine example of Moroccan art and craftsmanship, many consider this hotel to be a national monument, and tourists have always passed by just to take a look. However, it will now be open only to those who book a room or a table at the restaurants.
The official reopening was yesterday, the 29th, and you can get additional information as well as book it here: La Mamounia Hotel

-See the complete Marrakech city guide.
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