Pros

  • Convenient new town location in Hivernage
  • Elegant rooms and suites with opulent marble bathrooms
  • On-site spa with a variety of treatments, plus a fitness center with personal trainers
  • Kids' club, playgrounds, and babysitting available on request
  • Hotel lends strollers and car seats to guests
  • Four on-site restaurants serving international or Mediterranean cuisine
  • Four bars, including a pool bar and a semi-outdoor library lounge bar
  • Indoor/outdoor and valet parking available
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Cons

  • Pool area and some outdoor seating areas lack adequate shade
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Bottom Line

The  Palais Imperial and its adjacent Marrakech Lounge and Spa were originally considered a single entity, but the two split in 2008, and each has its own entrance and a different look and feel to its rooms. That said, most common areas and amenities of this luxury property are shared and include a huge pool, multiple conference rooms, a variety of restaurants and bars, and plenty of family-friendly amenities. There are 183 rooms and suites, each of which comes with king-size beds, flat-screen TVs, elegant decor, and spacious marble bathrooms with shower/tub combos and Lanvin toiletries. The property is located in Hivernage, in the new town, which is about a 20- to 25-minute walk to Jemaa el-Fna square in the medina. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

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Amenities

  • Cribs
  • Fitness Center
  • Internet
  • Jacuzzi
  • Kids Club
  • Pets Allowed
  • Pool
  • Spa

Oyster Hotel Review

Hotel Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

Scene

Contemporary palace hotel with traditional Moroccan and Gallic touches

As its name might suggest, the terra-cotta hued Palais Imperial resembles a contemporary take on a traditional palace. The driveway has a long stretch of grass and a rectangular fountain at its center, and is surrounded by palm trees and shrubs. There are a quirky-looking life-size chess board and a few covered seating areas. The entrance reflects local aesthetics, with intricate mosaic designs on the walls and ceilings, and plush banquet-style seating with lots of cushions in bright vermillion hues. The lobby appears more French, consistent with the Sofitel brand, with salmon-colored walls and small chandeliers of crystal and gold strung from high molded ceilings. The lobby has plenty of seating areas with sofas and plush chairs in hues of red and gray. Guests are welcomed with a minty cup of Moroccon tea and local pastries. A section of the lobby is decorated to resemble a tea lounge, with large silver platter trays and low seating. 

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Location

Convenient location in the new town, about a 20- to 25-minute walk to the medina 

The hotel is located in Hivernage, in the new town, and is especially convenient for business travelers attending events at the Palais de Congres (the convention center), which is a five-minute taxi ride away. It's about a 10-minute taxi ride to the medina, which includes the Museum of Marrakech, the Tombeaux Saadiens, the Palais El Badii, the Palais de la Bahia, and souks galore, or a 20- to 25- minute walk. For convenience, a Carrefour supermarket is within a 10-minute walk of the hotel. The area is also popular with golfers, and the hotel is near both mini-golf and an 18-hole course. The train station is five minutes away on foot, and the airport is a 15-minute drive west.

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Rooms

Rooms and Suites with contemporary decor and opulent marble bathrooms

The hotel offers 89 Luxury Rooms and 94 Suites. All rooms have king-size beds and balconies with views of the garden, ramparts, or Atlas Mountains. All Rooms and Suites come with Bose radios with CD players, minibars, safes, and flat-screen TVs. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Decor combines contemporary French touches found in most Sofitel properties with such quintessentially Moroccan elements as lantern-style bedside lamps and lush red velvet runners and throw cushions. Bathrooms are opulent marble creations, with soaking tubs, spacious sink/vanity areas, and nice touches such as slippers, bathrobes, and Lanvin toiletries. 

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Features

Large outdoor swimming pool, on-site spa and fitnes center, extensive conference faciliites

The Palais Imperial's central feature is its enormous outdoor swimming pool and hot tub on a patio surrounded by tall palm trees and flanked with gray sofa-style lounge chairs with red umbrellas and cushions. The area gets a lot of sun, and there's not much shade directly over the pool. The hotel has its own spa, So Spa, which offers a sauna, a Turkish bath (hammam), and a variety of treatments ranging from customized massages to Berber-style facials with argan oil. The hotel also has a fitness center with weight-training and cardio equipment, and personal trainers are also available. The hotel has extensive conference facilities, including nine function rooms that come with modern technology, including audio-visual equipment and videoconferencing technology. There's also a business center with printers and fax machines. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Indoor and outdoor valet and self-parking is available for a fee. Children are welcome, and the hotel offers connecting rooms for families traveling with children, or for groups. There are also a kids' club, and indoor and outdoor playgrounds. Babysitting is available on request. The hotel lends strollers and car seats to families traveling with children. 

See More Features

All-Inclusive / Food

Four on-site restaurants serving international or mediterranean cuisine plus four bars

The Sofitel Marrakech is home to four celebrated restaurants, each with its own menu and ambience. Breakfast and lunch are available at Le Jardin, a laid-back terrace cafe near the swimming pool that specializes in global cuisine. Lunch and snacks are available up until the early evening at l'Oasis, where most dishes on the menu are Mediterranean. Meals here are served on grey wicker chairs shaded by huge red umbrellas, although guests who are already at the pool can order cocktails directly to their lounge chairs through the poolside bar service. Palais Darkum also serves drinks in an open-air veranda setting and has its own small library with books and a flat-screen TV. An entire night out can easily be spent at So Good, which serves a French-Moroccan meals and its adjacent So Zen bar or its So Fun live music venue. Fine dining enthusiasts may want to reserve at least one night at l'Orangerie, a fine-dining dinner restaurant that serves gourmet takes on French and Moroccan classics. All restaurants are open seven days a week and room service is available 24/7.

See More All-Inclusive / Food

Oyster Hotel Review

Hotel Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

Scene

Contemporary palace hotel with traditional Moroccan and Gallic touches

As its name might suggest, the terra-cotta hued Palais Imperial resembles a contemporary take on a traditional palace. The driveway has a long stretch of grass and a rectangular fountain at its center, and is surrounded by palm trees and shrubs. There are a quirky-looking life-size chess board and a few covered seating areas. The entrance reflects local aesthetics, with intricate mosaic designs on the walls and ceilings, and plush banquet-style seating with lots of cushions in bright vermillion hues. The lobby appears more French, consistent with the Sofitel brand, with salmon-colored walls and small chandeliers of crystal and gold strung from high molded ceilings. The lobby has plenty of seating areas with sofas and plush chairs in hues of red and gray. Guests are welcomed with a minty cup of Moroccon tea and local pastries. A section of the lobby is decorated to resemble a tea lounge, with large silver platter trays and low seating. 

See More Scene

Location

Convenient location in the new town, about a 20- to 25-minute walk to the medina 

The hotel is located in Hivernage, in the new town, and is especially convenient for business travelers attending events at the Palais de Congres (the convention center), which is a five-minute taxi ride away. It's about a 10-minute taxi ride to the medina, which includes the Museum of Marrakech, the Tombeaux Saadiens, the Palais El Badii, the Palais de la Bahia, and souks galore, or a 20- to 25- minute walk. For convenience, a Carrefour supermarket is within a 10-minute walk of the hotel. The area is also popular with golfers, and the hotel is near both mini-golf and an 18-hole course. The train station is five minutes away on foot, and the airport is a 15-minute drive west.

See More Location

Rooms

Rooms and Suites with contemporary decor and opulent marble bathrooms

The hotel offers 89 Luxury Rooms and 94 Suites. All rooms have king-size beds and balconies with views of the garden, ramparts, or Atlas Mountains. All Rooms and Suites come with Bose radios with CD players, minibars, safes, and flat-screen TVs. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Decor combines contemporary French touches found in most Sofitel properties with such quintessentially Moroccan elements as lantern-style bedside lamps and lush red velvet runners and throw cushions. Bathrooms are opulent marble creations, with soaking tubs, spacious sink/vanity areas, and nice touches such as slippers, bathrobes, and Lanvin toiletries. 

See More Rooms

Features

Large outdoor swimming pool, on-site spa and fitnes center, extensive conference faciliites

The Palais Imperial's central feature is its enormous outdoor swimming pool and hot tub on a patio surrounded by tall palm trees and flanked with gray sofa-style lounge chairs with red umbrellas and cushions. The area gets a lot of sun, and there's not much shade directly over the pool. The hotel has its own spa, So Spa, which offers a sauna, a Turkish bath (hammam), and a variety of treatments ranging from customized massages to Berber-style facials with argan oil. The hotel also has a fitness center with weight-training and cardio equipment, and personal trainers are also available. The hotel has extensive conference facilities, including nine function rooms that come with modern technology, including audio-visual equipment and videoconferencing technology. There's also a business center with printers and fax machines. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Indoor and outdoor valet and self-parking is available for a fee. Children are welcome, and the hotel offers connecting rooms for families traveling with children, or for groups. There are also a kids' club, and indoor and outdoor playgrounds. Babysitting is available on request. The hotel lends strollers and car seats to families traveling with children. 

See More Features

All-Inclusive / Food

Four on-site restaurants serving international or mediterranean cuisine plus four bars

The Sofitel Marrakech is home to four celebrated restaurants, each with its own menu and ambience. Breakfast and lunch are available at Le Jardin, a laid-back terrace cafe near the swimming pool that specializes in global cuisine. Lunch and snacks are available up until the early evening at l'Oasis, where most dishes on the menu are Mediterranean. Meals here are served on grey wicker chairs shaded by huge red umbrellas, although guests who are already at the pool can order cocktails directly to their lounge chairs through the poolside bar service. Palais Darkum also serves drinks in an open-air veranda setting and has its own small library with books and a flat-screen TV. An entire night out can easily be spent at So Good, which serves a French-Moroccan meals and its adjacent So Zen bar or its So Fun live music venue. Fine dining enthusiasts may want to reserve at least one night at l'Orangerie, a fine-dining dinner restaurant that serves gourmet takes on French and Moroccan classics. All restaurants are open seven days a week and room service is available 24/7.

See More All-Inclusive / Food

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Airport Transportation

  • Babysitting Services

  • Balcony / Terrace / Patio

  • Basic Television

  • Beauty / Hair Salon

  • Business Center

  • Cabanas

  • Cable

  • Children's Pool

  • Concierge

  • Cribs

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Fitness Center

  • Internet

  • Jacuzzi

  • Kids Allowed

  • Kids Club

  • Laundry

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Mini Bar (with liquor)

  • Pets Allowed

  • Pool

  • Poolside Drink Service

  • Rental Car Service Desk Onsite

  • Room Service

  • Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space

  • Smoking Rooms Available

  • Spa

  • Supervised Kids Activities

  • Swim-Up Bar

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.