Review: Hyatt Regency Casablanca

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Casablanca after taking the train back from Marrakech before our return flight to the U.S. and were also pleasantly surprised. Since we had been staying in small pensions / B&Bs / Riads throughout Morocco, it felt like the most luxurious property in the entire world, and was certainly a nice reentry back.

You are wasting your youth not experiencing these places.

When you're older, that's when you can stay in cookie cutter hotels and take airport transfers (?!).

Live a little. You get this unique opportunity of having time and money while you're young and you're wasting it away doing immensely banal things like noticing bathroom layouts and if you turned left or right , instead of engaging with the local markets, doing crazy advenrure things only 20-30 year olds would do etc

I wish I worked more, or I wish I stayed in more chain hotels with chain experiences , is not something anyone says when older.

You couldn't be bothered to google the name of the mosque (Hassan II Mosque)? It's only one of the largest in the world and has the tallest minaret in the world.

And I believe its the only Mosque in Morocco that allows non-Muslims to visit.

Next time, PLEASE go to Marrakesh or Chefchaun (no loyalty points to be earned there but an amazing little city)

@Ken, if you have been reading OMAAT, you will understand why Ben does as it is. I suggest reading a few posts back.

@Ken,

This is work travel for Ben. It's not vacation. I'm highly skeptical of strangers telling others how to spend their time, but your advice to Ben is especially misplaced because you completely misunderstand the purpose of this trip he's on.

You get this unique opportunity of having time and money while you’re young

He has this opportunity due to his job of reviewing airlines, chain hotels and their related rewards programs.

I think this looks like a nice Hyatt property. I have not visited Casablanca, and it is not on my top 50 places to go, but some extent I do agree,
In the lesser known parts of the world, some great properties show up.
I experienced this with the IC in Aqaba, Jordan.

Not understanding the objections to having the toilet in a separate room.

It would be a downgraded design (and not as hygenic) to have the toilet mixed in with bathing and brushing your teeth. I know it is common in America, and there can be plenty of non-hygenic designs in budget places all over the world. But, most well designed Middle Eastern high-end hotels take the bathroom design seriously and (luxuriously so) provide a separate, completely enclosed potty room.

Most carry this design over into the lobby bathrooms, providing each toilet with a private, luxuriously appointed fully enclosed room with its own ventilation fan and ducting. Even if it means building 6 or 7 separate extra rooms inside the main hammam room.

Perhaps the one in your room wasn't well maintained? Or located too far away from the main bathroom? Too close to the fridge?

In any case, most fellow Americans that I know take about 5 years to gradually appreciate the joys (both hygenic and comfortwise) of a well-designed and maintained Old World high-end loo.

You might be surprised how many expat retirees incorporate various Old World elements into their retirement home designs. Things like private potty rooms, bidets, and shatoffs are commonly added luxuries.

How is the outside of the hotel rundown? The building doesn't have the greatest architecture but it looks pretty fine, at least as far as big hotel chain hotel architecture goes.

Lucky- I love reading what you write and your information is excellent. Just a comment on what you said, I don't think you should feel bad for anyone other than the corporation for what you said below. I have a feeling that the food for the elite members isn't being thrown out when they don't take advantage of it, rather it's feeding a lot of staff families when they take the 'waste' home with them at the end of the shift, which is great in and of itself. Far better than wasting it. Long time listener, first time caller. Thank you for this blog, very much appreciated.

Dan

I almost felt bad, given how they had breakfast and evening snacks, and I imagine almost everything went to waste.

@hrrmph - "Old World high-end loo" - ha! Have you been to Morocco? The country is full of squat toilets flushed with plastic buckets filled from a spigot. High end luxury is a hose attached to the spigot. You're thinking of "old world European" perhaps.

Ken's right though, he should experience a bit more of these amazing places rather than sit in club lounges all day where you could frankly be anywhere.