Rabat – The world leader in the hotel business Marriott International signed a partnership with the Moroccan company Tower Seven Art for the opening of the upper-scale Hotel Le Faberge in Casablanca.
The hotel will be part of Autograph Collection, a franchise of luxury hotels managed by the Marriott International portfolio. The brand is renowned for its values of “vision, craft, and design.”
Scheduled to open in 2023, the new hotel is the first of its kind in Morocco. Le Faberge will offer a “unique experience” and “will breathe new life into the hotel landscape of Casablanca,” said a joint press release from Marriott International and Tower Seven Art.
“We are proud to be the first Moroccan operator approved by Marriott International in Morocco,” said Youssef Attari El Filali, CEO of Hotel le Faberge in Casablanca.
Marriott International will offer operational support to its Moroccan partner in branding, design, and management, he added.
El Filali expressed a shared intention to develop a long series of hotel units over the next ten years in Morocco, in cooperation with the international operator.
The hotel will feature 104 guestrooms and will be located in one of the most dynamic neighborhoods of Morocco’s economic capital.
The real-estate project is set to create new job opportunities in the city including “200 jobs during the construction phase and 150 after the opening,” added the press release.
Morocco remains a top tourist destination even though the sector has been badly hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Government revenues from tourism dropped by MAD 11.1 billion ($1.2 billion) in the first two quarters of 2020, a 71.7% decrease in tourism revenues.
The global health crisis caused severe economic hardship for many Moroccans working in the field of tourism. Morocco’s tourism sector lost 50% of its jobs in 2020.
The number of tourist arrivals in Morocco decreased by 63% at the end of June 2020, while overnight stays in classified accommodation establishments fell by 59%.
The creation of an upper-scale hotel establishment in Casablanca can help revitalize a badly-hit sector and strengthen Morocco’s standing as a top-tier tourist destination.
