5 Things To Know About the Le Meridian N’Fis in Marrakech, Morocco [Review]

I had the opportunity to travel to Marrakech, Morocco, for the first time this October, thanks to friends who flew the inaugural Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Marrakech (RAK). As I was in London around the same time, I popped down to visit, since I had never been to Morocco before.

I had planned to stay 5 nights, and it was important for me to choose a hotel that was safe, provided good value when redeeming points, and was well-located, as I was unfamiliar with the city and wanted to walk to most attractions.

Le Méridien N’Fis met all of my needs and more, and provided a great place to stay for my first time in this North African country.

1. It’s a Fantastic Use of Points

When searching for hotels in the area for 5 nights in Marrakech, I wanted to maximize my ability to redeem points, so I settled on Le Méridien N’Fis, where I could redeem Marriott Bonvoy points and have the fifth night free. There are several excellent hotels that you can book with points here.

With cash rates over $300 per night, Le Méridien N’Fis was only going to cost 90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for all 5 nights, with the fifth night included (averaging 18,000 points per night). I thought this was a fantastic use of my points, as it would have ordinarily cost over $1,500 in cash for the stay!

Overall, Morocco is a relatively inexpensive destination for visitors from the United States, making the exchange rate here very favorable for Americans. But there are only a few chain hotels in the city. If you want to redeem points, Le Méridien N’Fis is one of the best options, as it’s considered one of the upper-end hotels in the city.

During my stay, I also applied 5 of my Nightly Upgrade Award certificates given to me as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite member. These upgrades cleared 5 days in advance to a 1-bedroom suite. This added value to my 90,000-point stay, making a 5-night stay in Morocco’s second-largest city free, and in a bigger room, to boot!

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My Suite Night Awards (SNA) cleared for all 5-nights into a lovely 1-bedroom suite!

2. Its Location Is Great

Le Méridien N’Fis is situated in a prime location, in the Menara District, and is approximately a 15-minute walk from the walled inner historic city and the famous nighttime markets at Jemaa el-Fnaa. Across the street is the city’s higher-end mall, featuring several chain restaurants and boutiques. However, I found this mall to be quite unremarkable and actually quite small for the building it was housed in.

About a 15-minute walk to the west of the hotel is the city’s main train station, where you’ll find trains departing for Casablanca and other major towns. I would consider it walkable, even with luggage, so the hotel is a good place to stay in if you need to catch a train.

It is approximately a 15-minute drive from the airport (with traffic), and a taxi costs around $10 to get from there to the hotel. If you don’t feel like hailing a cab, the hotel’s concierge can arrange a private car transfer (which I did after my arrival, as I wasn’t sure about the situation with taxis and whether I needed to negotiate rates).

For a driver to pick me up at the airport, it cost $40. Of course, this was significantly higher than the price of a taxi, but for the convenience and peace of mind, I was happy to pay the expense. The vehicle I was in could have fit 2 other passengers with bags, so if you divide the cost among other passengers, it would be quite reasonable.

I was debating staying at the Park Hyatt Marrakech, but this hotel is not walkable to the old quarter and historic markets and would have required a drive for nearly every activity, which I didn’t want to do.

3. Its Gym Is Absymal

Having stayed in a lot of hotels before, I’ve seen a variety of hotel gyms, but the gym at Le Méridien N’Fis is one of the worst I’ve ever encountered.

Wanting to use the gym on my first night staying there, I had heard the gym was just off the lobby and headed there to use the facility. I wandered up and down the nearby corridors, but couldn’t find it, so I finally went to the concierge desk for assistance. I was told to go to room 20 down the hallway, so I headed down the main corridor again, where I had been before.

Sure enough, room 20 was the gym, something I had missed before. It was essentially a guest room, where the door was propped open for easy access. Inside was an abysmal selection of equipment, including a single treadmill, an elliptical machine, and free weights. To make matters worse, the treadmill malfunctioned and paused every few seconds, even at full speed, rendering it essentially unusable.

Along the wall were 2 armchairs. Is one supposed to sit in these to watch people attempting to exercise? It was just incredibly odd. Off to the side of the room was the bathroom, which was clearly designed as a guest room bathroom. Along the walls were fixed nightstands still attached to the wall. Given that this hotel is branded as a luxury property in the city, it’s unacceptable to have a fitness facility in such subpar accommodations.

It was only after I had visited that I learned that the true gym was under renovation, so this guest room mini-gym was just a temporary solution. However, I would have appreciated more effort in adding working equipment and providing a conducive atmosphere rather than cramming everything into such a small space.

4. Dining On-Site Was Reasonably Priced

I stayed at Le Méridien N’Fis for 5 nights and was pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the on-site restaurants were. Of course, this is Marrakech, so things are much cheaper than in the U.S., but you could use this as a great excuse for a getaway, thanks to the reasonable prices.

On a few nights, I ordered room service. A club sandwich was around $11, a price you’d rarely ever find at a higher-end hotel in the U.S. Things were so cheap, in fact, that I ate at the hotel several times to take advantage of the reasonable pricing, good food, and good service.

On the final night of my stay, I had dinner with my friends and had a nonalcoholic drink, appetizer, and entree all for less than $22. In the U.S., this same pairing would have cost double, easily.

5. Its Staff Was Friendly

I found this hotel’s staff particularly helpful, more so than in other properties I’ve stayed at. I needed to arrange an airport transfer, and Yousef, the concierge, was a delight to work with. On several occasions, we needed taxis to get to local attractions, and the bell staff was happy to help with this request.

I also found the staff to be extremely responsive to the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app, which many hotels struggle with. My questions in the app chat were promptly responded to, day or night. I had requested room cleaning, extra water bottles, additional towels, extra soap, and other simple requests at various points throughout my stay, and each request was handled promptly. I was extremely impressed, as many Marriott hotels seem to ignore the in-app chat feature completely.

Earlier in my stay, I ordered room service, and the staff who brought the trays did not expect any tips, although tipping culture in Morocco is similar to that in the U.S.

Final Thoughts

When I next return to Marrakech for another North Africa adventure, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at Le Méridien N’Fis again. The hotel provided clean, comfortable accommodations at an extremely reasonable price point. The hotel was well-located, a short walk from the medina, and within mere minutes of the city’s airport.

Using Marriott’s fifth-night-free feature when redeeming points, I found this hotel to be an absolute steal to book, especially since rates were well above $300 per night during the peak season. Marrakech is a unique city renowned for its beautiful architecture, authentic cultural experiences, and excellent food, and Le Méridien N’Fis provides a great starting point for exploring all that Marrakech has to offer.