OUTSIDE THE MEDINA WALLS, an engraved cedar doorway rises 20 feet from its
own honeyed reflection, like a lofty invitation to step inside. Crouched before the
Atlas Mountains on a 28-acre prayer mat of olive groves, the mammoth marble
hotel behind that entrance has been a long time coming. Almost a decade after
Oberoi first announced this retreat, the gold-brocaded lobby, with its portrait of
King Mohammed VI, tumbling crystal vines of chandeliers, black-and-white zellige
tiles, and keyhole arches, is at last ready. So are the acres of villas and pools outside.
“We are just so excited to finally have guests,” says Arjun Oberoi, managing
director of development. The night before, I am told, he rolled up his sleeves to
help with the finishing touches to my room. This kind
of attention to detail defines the Indian family enter-
prise, which, since Arjun’s grandfather Raj Bahadur
Mohan Singh Oberoi rose from front-desk clerk at the
Cecil in Shimla to lease the Grand Hotel in Calcutta
in 1939, has grown to include 33 hotels in seven coun-
tries. Its Indian palaces, like Udaivilas and Rajvilas
in Rajasthan and Amarvilas in Agra, are considered
among the most refined hotels in the world.Ten years in the making, the Oberoi
Marrakech finally opens its doors
A Palace to Call Home
top
Roses in bloom in
Lalla Hasna Park,
in central Marrakech
left
The Moroccan-themed
Siniman, one of two
restaurants at the Oberoiabove
The Oberoi’s
inner courtyard
was inspired by
a medieval
Islamic college34 CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER APRIL 2020
PHOTOGRAPHS: CATHERINE MEAD; TOM ANG/GETTY IMAGES
word of mouth^ ➤^ first in