Your going to Fes to experience the riches of the Medina Kdema, The Old City, the only fully functioning medieval city in the world. Why would you choose to stay in a hotel and not a riad?

1. Location, Location, Location:

Wandering the medina is awesome, but there is are a lot of other great things in Morocco besides the medina of Fes. If your trip to Morocco is largely based on traveling to the nearby areas, or you are only over-nighting in Fes then a hotel could be a great fit. Here is why: the riads are located in the carless maze of Fes Al Bali. If you are trying to get out early to see places like Volubilis, Sefrou for the Cherry Festival, the Hot Springs at Moulay Yacoub, the mountains at Ifrane or any of the other fun things to do around Fes, it is going to be far easier going in and out from a hotel in the Ville Nouvelle than making your way out from the medina each morning trying to catch your transportation.

2. Anonymity

When you go to one of the hotels of Fes, it is easy to be a nameless, faceless person. And lets face it, there are times on vacation where it is thoroughly enjoyable just to disappear and be to yourself. Riads are great, but even the most private tend to be more communal in nature than a room in a hotel. Riads are in fact, old family homes, where most of life was made to interact with other members of the family. Hotels, by their very nature are meant to be service the needs of guests independently.

3. A Break

For a Westerner, the shift from modern city life to a section of the city where the clock has not moved for hundreds of years can be a bit of a shock. There is a reason a book was produced called “Culture Shock Morocco.” And while the contrasts draw people to Fes, there can be a real need at the end of the day, to return to a world that is somewhat like our own. The hotels of Fes provide the balance of allowing you to soak up the mystery of the medina and to come home at night to a world that feels familiar.

4. Special Needs

Again, riads are restored ancient homes, and the riads of Fez are set in a medieval city. The roads to get to and from your riad are hilly and uneven. Riads don’t come equipped with elevators. They are not easily childproofed. If you have problems walking, are in a wheelchair or have small children with you a hotel might be a better fit. Most of the hotels are more suited to handling special needs travelers than the riads would be.

5. Price

If you are really looking to travel cheap, and we mean really cheap, riads are going to be out of your price range. At some of the pensions you can get a double room for 13 pounds. At even the cheapest of riads a double room would be at least 40 pounds. So if you had rather spend your money in other ways a pension or a non-classified hotel would be a better fit than a riad.

Fes Hotels sat down with Saad Hamoumi one of the premier Moroccan travel agents to ask him about business travel and conferences in Fes. Mr. Hamoumi is the president of Ulysse Voyage, and has arranged travel services for Pepsi, Boeing, Unilever, Kipling, Lafarge, Nokia, Emirates Airlines and others. Ulysse Voyage  is also a partner in the Uniglobe Travel Network, the largest network of travel agents in the world.

Fes Hotels: Mr. Hamoumi, can you describe what accomodations exist for business travelers in Fes?

Hamoumi: The city of Fes has many five star hotels that we recommend. Our first choice would Sofitel Palais Jamai, which is a 5 star palace managed by Accor. After that, the Merinides, Jnan Palace and Royal Mirage are all solid 5 star options. There are several good 3 and 4 star hotels as well.

Fes Hotels: Fes was named to the list of Top 10 Cities to Visit in 2009. If a company was wanting to do a business conference there to allow attendees to enjoy the city, would this be possible?

Hamoumi: Yes. While Marrakech gets a lot of the press for things like this, we have arranged multiple conferences in Fes. The most recent ones were a conference for the 1200 year anniversary of Fes for around 300 people and the Power Card seminar with HPS, where 250 people from several different countries gathered for a three day conference. Both of these events were very successful thanks to the professionalism, hospitality and serenity that the participants found in this ancient city.

Fes Hotels: What reasons would someone want to do a conference in Fes as opposed to something in a European city?

Hamoumi: Fes is an excellent spot for a conference because it has a special atmosphere that is unique in our world. Fes is actually a sister city of Florence, Italy and offers a similar culturally rich experience. A few benefits to having the conference in Fes would be the change of scenery for the visitors. Attendees would feel detached from the hurriedness of life in today’s big cities and could enjoy the peaceful atmosphere in Fes. Moroccans are renowned for their hospitality and would treat the attendees with utmost of warmth. Fes is a quick flight from Europe and not to bad from the US. The pricing of hotels and tourism services in Fes is a much better deal than those in Europe for a similar type event. In addition to the conference, attendees would have a great opportunity to do some “extra-curricular activities” like visiting the Sahara desert, hiking in the mountains or taking in sun on the beach. All of these things make Fes an extremely attractive destination for someone wanting to do a conference that really makes the attendees feel like they are attending an event to remember.

The prices in Morocco in general and Fes in particular are often 30-50% less than those same quality of services in Europe. In addition, we can adapt all kinds of budgets and provide counseling to make any event a success.

Fes Hotels: Now, Fes is known for being medieval. Are the hotels in Fes capable of handling a modern, technology driven business conference?

Hamoumi: The hotels of Fes have all the infrastructure to host big events. They have well equipped conference rooms, simultaneous translation services, audio visual systems, security and the extras like dedicated staff and limousines if you they were needed. We organize events in the city that deliver service according to international standards. A person who is planning to organize a seminar or conference in Fes would have the same quality of services as the best of the European cities.

Fes Hotels: Thank you Mr. Hamoumi for your time and your expertise. It has been a pleasure.