Morocco: Royal Mansour ranks 5th best hotel in the world; 2 other hotels in the top 100

Morocco’s Royal Mansour Hotel in Marrakech is ranked as the fifth best hotel in the world, according to a recent ranking by Travel & Leisure Magazine for the year 2022.

The Oberoi, and Mandarin Oriental, two other hotels, also located in Marrakech, are among the 100 best luxury hotels in the world for the year 2022, according to the magazine’s ranking.

Ranked 5th worldwide and first in North Africa and the Middle East (MENA), Royal Mansour was described by the American media as a “storied property” that “brands itself as a sort of historic center of its own,” with its 53 private riads, acres of gardens, intricately carved arches, and Moorish tiled courtyards.

According to the ranking, based on the readers’ opinions and travel experiences around the world, the Oberoi is the 17th best hotel worldwide. “Contained within a 1.2 million-square-foot orchard filled with citrus and olive trees, this newcomer impresses with both its size and Moorish architecture.”

“Villas feature private plunge pools for ultimate privacy, and an ayurvedic spa offers meditation, yoga, and healing spa treatments to help guests relax even further,” the U.S. media outlet notes.

Mandarin Oriental is ranked 57th. “This 50-acre expanse of palms, olive trees, and shimmering lakes houses 54 rustic yet elegant suites and villas.”

In a different regional ranking by Travel & Leisure, Royal Mansour was additionally crowned the best hotel in North Africa and the Middle East.

Ten exceptional destinations have been selected to rank the ten best urban hotels in MENA region.

The Norman hotel in Tel Aviv occupies second place, followed by The Nile Ritz-Carlton (Cairo), Four Seasons Hotel Amman (Jordan), and Marriott Mena House (Cairo).

The sixth place goes to Marrakech’s La Mamounia Hotel ahead of the Burj Al Arab (Dubai), the Four Seasons hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza (Cairo), the King David Hotel (Jerusalem), and the Four Seasons Cairo at the first residence (Giza).

Travel & Leisure’s annual ranking of the best hotel destinations is based on facilities, location, service and dining.

The ranking was revealed as the Moroccan Tourism Department said tourist arrivals exceeded 1,140,000 people in June 2022, a 5% increase compared to the figures of June 2019 and a 235% increase compared to June 2021.

Tourism in Morocco continues its upward trajectory towards its pre-pandemic levels. The accelerated pace of recovery augurs even a performance exceeding that of 2019 for the summer period, the department said.

According to the tourism department, several factors will contribute to accelerating this recovery such as a stronger air capacity exceeding that of 2019, the various partnerships signed with tour operators to secure a significant number of arrivals, and the measures undertaken to promote attractiveness, including the launch of the electronic visa as of July 10.