Royal Mansour Marrakech, Morocco, has been named winner of the No.3 Gin Art of Hospitality Award, the first special award announced in advance of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024 awards ceremony.
The No.3 Gin Art of Hospitality Award was voted for by the 600-strong voters who make up The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy, who were each asked to name the property where they received their single-best hospitality experience within the 18-month voting period.
This is the first of two special awards to be announced in the weeks leading up to the glittering awards ceremony taking place on 17 September at London’s historic Guildhall, where the list of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024 will be revealed.
The No.3 Gin Art of Hospitality Award celebrates the indefinable and invaluable magic that goes towards ensuring guests feel taken care of. It is designed to reward a property and its entire staff for the hotel’s outstanding service and attention to detail, from the reception desk to housekeeping, amenities and food and beverage teams. Voters were asked to consider the ambience created in the hotel, the delivery of unique experiential elements and the overall warmth of the hospitality and environment.
Designed by King Mohammed VI, and inspired by the concept of creating a “medina within a medina”, 53 riads are dotted throughout six acres of lush gardens at Royal Mansour Marrakech. In ode to Moroccan craftmanship, the riads showcase traditional architectural style, crafted by more than 1,500 local artisans. The décor is an opulent display of texture, colour and pattern. Shaded spots under date palms, quiet courtyards and floral borders leading to beautiful mosaiced fountains create a secluded sanctuary in the heart of the city. The sprawling spa is the hotel’s crown jewel complete with a hammam and holistic treatment menu.
Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, says: “Royal Mansour Marrakech has long been a benchmark for the luxury hotel industry, setting an example of what it means to be truly hospitable.
The team at this iconic hotel continue to deliver the ultimate experience, ensuring guests feel taken care of. Less than a year on from the Marrakech-Safi earthquake, this is especially impressive – we are honoured to celebrate this award as a testament to the hotel’s resilience and dedication to delivering exceptional service in the face of challenging times.”
Providing each guest with their own private palace, Royal Mansour Marrakech epitomises service fit for royalty. The network of hidden tunnels allows personal butlers, assigned to each riad, to deliver impeccably discreet service. Human touches elevate the experience as the team personifies the Moroccan spirit of gracious hospitality.
This extends to the hotel’s four restaurants: La Grande Brasserie and La Grande Table Marocaine – headed up by world renowned chef and winner of The World’s Best Female Chef Award as part of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015, Hélène Darroze; Sesamo, the hotel’s opulent Italian restaurant ranked No.45 on Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, orchestrated by the Alajmo brothers and Le Jardin, a fusion of Asian and Mediterranean dishes created by Executive Chef Jérôme Videau.
Jean-Claude Messant, Managing Director of Royal Mansour Collection, says: “It’s a very special honour for our flagship hotel Royal Mansour Marrakech to receive the No.3 Gin Art of Hospitality Award.
It’s all down to the exceptional people that make up the team – they’re always striving to deliver the highest level of hospitality, ensuring each and every guest leaves our hotel with the most magical and unique memories of their stay. As our collection grows, we will continue to innovate our approach to hospitality, as this lies at the heart of everything we do.”
Johnny Roberts, Managing Director at No.3 Gin says: “No.3 Gin is thrilled to present the Art of Hospitality Award 2024 to Royal Mansour. This unrivalled space embodies the finest art of service provided to all its guests to create an everlasting experience. The passionate team at Royal Mansour strives for perfection, which ties with the values of No.3 Gin, born from the pursuit of creating the world’s best gin.”
At just 14 years old, Royal Mansour Marrakech has taken its place alongside many of the world’s most historic hotels. The team’s dedication to their guests’ experience makes the hotel a worthy winner of the No.3 Gin Art of Hospitality Award for 2024.