The name Kheirredine is a variant of the Arabic Kheir or Khair, meaning best, benevolent and giving. So it’s fitting that its namesake, Riad Kheirredine in Marrakech’s medina, provides guests a level of service that is quite simply among the best – perhaps the best – we’ve ever experienced.
Hidden away down one of the medina’s winding alleyways, entering the Riad brings you into a central courtyard of towering banana plants, contrasted against the alabaster white of beautifully intricate wall carvings. Floating on the central fountain are a dozen white roses. The Riad is littered with white roses everywhere and staff members are regularly seen walking around with bunches of freshly cut white roses, ready to replenish the bedrooms.
Your eyes have barely taken in the sights and scents of the entrance when you’re met by not one but a team of smiling employees, ready to serve you a welcome drink of fresh mint tea and give you the guided tour of this sprawling maze.
Despite its labyrinthine layout, Riad Kheirredine is a luxury boutique hotel with just fourteen bedrooms (more on that shortly). The original house was expanded when the owners bought the neighbouring building, making room for a hammam and separate spa, a bar, several sitting rooms, a second inner courtyard with plunge pool, and perhaps the most impressive feature of the Riad: a multi-level roof terrace dotted with secret hideaways, lounge areas, and a second plunge pool.
There’s enough choice of private seating areas to cater for a Riad twice its size, meaning that guests always have a sense of peace and privacy.
And it’s not just the choice of area; there’s something for everyone, whether you fancy lounging in the shade on one of the canopied daybeds, sunbathing on a deckchair (sun hats and towels ready and waiting) or seek ultimate seclusion on the cabana with 360 views of the cityscape as far as the snow-capped Atlas mountains.
Everything at Riad Kheirredine has been designed for the guest’s ultimate convenience. If you happen to miss the chance to order a drink (unlikely as team members are regularly doing the rounds) there’s a phone on the rooftop to order drinks or food at any time of day or night.
While the facilities are already impressive, there are further plans for expansion with the addition of a third neighbouring house. Renovation is already underway (we spotted a spectacular wall carving three-storeys high) and the new building will mainly provide additional guest facilities such as a bigger spa, gym, and bar area, as well as a few bedrooms.
When we were told that we’d be staying in one of the Riad’s Junior Suites we were looking forward to seeing the room. What we hadn’t been expecting was a three-storey mini apartment with two bathrooms, a bedroom, two sitting rooms and a private balcony.
Riad Kheirredine is Italian-owned and there are hints of Italian design throughout. Unlike most riads, the colour palette is mainly neutral – a combination of creams and golds, but still with a decidedly Moroccan tradition as shown through intricate lampshades and luxurious fabrics.
The details are the differentiator: cleaning service twice daily including turndown service (complete with monogrammed slippers) and replenishing of fresh white roses, biscuits, fruit and water.
It’s these small touches that make Riad Kheirredine so special. The attention to detail is unparalleled and we were dumbfounded to find that everything we thought of, the Riad team had thought of first: sun hats and towels are seamlessly replaced with blankets in the evenings, separate water bottles are provided for brushing your teeth, all guests have access to unlimited soft drinks (water, tea, coffee, juice) and a laundry service is complimentary.
The details stretched to ensuring that any wires from our appliances were bound neatly with a branded leather button.
And even when you leave the Riad, the service doesn’t stop at the door. Guests are given a mobile phone on arrival with useful numbers already programmed into Whatsapp should you need to call the reception for advice or to order a taxi.
There is a dedicated team whose job it is to accompany guests through the meandering streets of the medina to ensure they don’t get lost. I’ll say it again: they’ve thought of everything.
Breakfast can be set up wherever you feel like having it. We had an early start one morning and felt like we were witnessing a magic show as a team member set up our early breakfast spread across the bed, making it look at seamless as setting up any restaurant table.
Our preference, though, was to eat breakfast on the roof terrace, enjoying that incredible morning view all the way to the mountains. As you’d expect, the breakfast is a multi-course affair with cakes, breads, pastries and fruit as standard for the first part, and an à la carte second course with eggs, meats, cheeses and cereals. As you might expect from an Italian-owned Riad, the coffee is also excellent.
When I made noises about perhaps not ordering the cereal as it might be too much food, our waiter, Yacine, chided me: “Too much?! Of course you’ll have the cereal too!”.
That’s the ethos that shines through strongly at Riad Kheirredine: what the guest wants, the team will make happen – no questions asked.
After two nights at Riad Kheirredine, we left feeling like our expectations of hospitality might have changed forever. How could another hotel possibly live up to this level of attentive, personalised service?
Perhaps Riad Kheirredine has ruined future hotels for us forever. If so, at least we had an amazing last supper, cereal included.
For best rates, book through the Riad’s website directly:
https://www.riadkheirredine.com/
We stayed in a Junior Suite, priced from 190eur per night, including complimentary soft drinks, laundry service, full breakfast, and all the special touches.
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