Hotel Sofitel Marrakech Palais Imperial

As its name might suggest, the terra-cotta hued Palais Imperial resembles a contemporary take on a traditional palace. The driveway has a long stretch of grass and a rectangular fountain at its center, and is surrounded by palm trees and shrubs. There are a quirky-looking life-size chess board and a few covered seating areas. The entrance reflects local aesthetics, with intricate mosaic designs on the walls and ceilings, and plush banquet-style seating with lots of cushions in bright vermillion hues. The lobby appears more French, consistent with the Sofitel brand, with salmon-colored walls and small chandeliers of crystal and gold strung from high molded ceilings. The lobby has plenty of seating areas with sofas and plush chairs in hues of red and gray. Guests are welcomed with a minty cup of Moroccon tea and local pastries. A section of the lobby is decorated to resemble a tea lounge, with large silver platter trays and low seating. 

The hotel is located in Hivernage, in the new town, and is especially convenient for business travelers attending events at the Palais de Congres (the convention center), which is a five-minute taxi ride away. It's about a 10-minute taxi ride to the medina, which includes the Museum of Marrakech, the Tombeaux Saadiens, the Palais El Badii, the Palais de la Bahia, and souks galore, or a 20- to 25- minute walk. For convenience, a Carrefour supermarket is within a 10-minute walk of the hotel. The area is also popular with golfers, and the hotel is near both mini-golf and an 18-hole course. The train station is five minutes away on foot, and the airport is a 15-minute drive west.

The hotel offers 89 Luxury Rooms and 94 Suites. All rooms have king-size beds and balconies with views of the garden, ramparts, or Atlas Mountains. All Rooms and Suites come with Bose radios with CD players, minibars, safes, and flat-screen TVs. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Decor combines contemporary French touches found in most Sofitel properties with such quintessentially Moroccan elements as lantern-style bedside lamps and lush red velvet runners and throw cushions. Bathrooms are opulent marble creations, with soaking tubs, spacious sink/vanity areas, and nice touches such as slippers, bathrobes, and Lanvin toiletries. 

The Palais Imperial's central feature is its enormous outdoor swimming pool and hot tub on a patio surrounded by tall palm trees and flanked with gray sofa-style lounge chairs with red umbrellas and cushions. The area gets a lot of sun, and there's not much shade directly over the pool. The hotel has its own spa, So Spa, which offers a sauna, a Turkish bath (hammam), and a variety of treatments ranging from customized massages to Berber-style facials with argan oil. The hotel also has a fitness center with weight-training and cardio equipment, and personal trainers are also available. The hotel has extensive conference facilities, including nine function rooms that come with modern technology, including audio-visual equipment and videoconferencing technology. There's also a business center with printers and fax machines. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Indoor and outdoor valet and self-parking is available for a fee. Children are welcome, and the hotel offers connecting rooms for families traveling with children, or for groups. There are also a kids' club, and indoor and outdoor playgrounds. Babysitting is available on request. The hotel lends strollers and car seats to families traveling with children. 

The Sofitel Marrakech is home to four celebrated restaurants, each with its own menu and ambience. Breakfast and lunch are available at Le Jardin, a laid-back terrace cafe near the swimming pool that specializes in global cuisine. Lunch and snacks are available up until the early evening at l'Oasis, where most dishes on the menu are Mediterranean. Meals here are served on grey wicker chairs shaded by huge red umbrellas, although guests who are already at the pool can order cocktails directly to their lounge chairs through the poolside bar service. Palais Darkum also serves drinks in an open-air veranda setting and has its own small library with books and a flat-screen TV. An entire night out can easily be spent at So Good, which serves a French-Moroccan meals and its adjacent So Zen bar or its So Fun live music venue. Fine dining enthusiasts may want to reserve at least one night at l'Orangerie, a fine-dining dinner restaurant that serves gourmet takes on French and Moroccan classics. All restaurants are open seven days a week and room service is available 24/7.