Grand Hotel Villa de France

This hotel was closed and partially gutted and left crumbling for over 10 years while the Iraqi owners who also own the El Minzah squabbled over money. Eventually someone embezzelled over a million dollars and fled Morocco.

Because of its historical significance the hotel was eventually preserved from demolition and upgraded and expanded to include several villas around a pool. Unfortunately, much of the garden area was destroyed in the process of renovation.

The new drive-up entrance is somewhat pretentious, and the furnishings and fixtures are on the tacky-modern side.

If you attempt to use the original entrance on Rue Russe, an overly-aggressive security guard will (unpleasantly) approach you and tell you to walk all the way around to the pretentious drive way entrance.

Many cars are parked directly on an unfinished sidewalk on Rue Russe where the old entrance was located. In any other city outside Morocco these cars would be towed away for blocking and obstructing a pedestrian sidewalk and tickets or fines would be handed out to the car owners.

I cannot imagine this hotel having a 5-stars rating. Someone needs to order the sidewalks on the original entrance from Rue de Russe to be redone so you won't sprain an ankle and tell the guardian that no parking is permitted on the sidewalk. In any other city the cars would be towed away and the owners fined.

Thirty years ago I stayed here when it was in its original condition, but it is now ten times more expensive. It took 10 minutes for hot water. My cousin stayed here in 1973, and she told me that even back then the famous hotel was deteriorating.

Even the historic Matisse room, now a free museum to the famous French artist who had lived and painted in the Grand Hotel Villa de France in 1912-13, has been altered with a new protruding exterior facade that was never there when Matisse lived in the room, and it was not necessary to alter and expand this room.

+ Une situation exceptionnelle. La gentillesse du personnel.