Hotel Oudaya Review

Reviewed by Barronosod from USA on 10/17/09
Be ready to argue
A plain enough hotel, with standard rooms and pool area. Nothing fancy, nothing terrible, though a little over priced perhaps. They said the hammam worked, it didn't. They said internet worked, it didn't. Rare hot water. No big deal. The attitude towards guests however, is a bit more than sub-standard. I walked in an hour or so after check-in and saw a conflict in the lobby. A staff member was demanding that an old European woman leave her three large bottles of water outside. He then did the same for me. I questioned this rule some, standing by my fellow old woman, and the manager came out yelling things like “You have eyes! Are you blind?!”, etc. This rule of not bringing water into a hotel seems pretty well posted throughout Marrakech hotels, but I’ve never once seen it enforced (and certainly not in such an aggressive manner). Later I was taking a bag to my car and a security guard came out to grab my bag, refusing to let go. In short, the clerk insisted that I pay for the room before being allowed to take a bag to my car, as “You might run away without paying the bill.” I saw several such conflicts during my less than 24 hour stay. Later, the clerk called up to apologize, stating “I’m sorry for that. The boss demanded that I make you pay now.” It speaks volumes that employees would need to apologize for their boss’ demands. The vibe is very aggressive and tense. I felt more like a necessary nuisance than a welcomed guest. I had to sneak a bottle of water into my room that night so that I could brush my teeth. Needless to say, I left early the next morning. There’s the 4 Star Nassim Hotel about 1 block away for just 15% more, and the Amalay Hotel just around the corner with much nicer rooms and 30% less.
Besides all of this, I had to change my room once because there was blood all over the bathroom floor and about 20 dirty towels. My second room also had the dirty towels but not the blood, so I stayed. Big mistake.Hotel Nassim

Member Rating: 1.8
Ratings details: Room: 2.0 Atmosphere: 2.0 Service: 1.0 Value: 2.0