Q) TripAdvisor is a huge international company. How does this award make you feel knowing that you have beaten countless other companies in Morocco in order to gain this award?
A) In the category of Riads, B& B’s and Inns there are 1500 in Marrakech alone. In Morocco there must be 10,000, so to come into the number 12 position is hugely rewarding. Coming in at number 21 in all Africa is mind blowing.
TripAdvisor is now hugely important with travellers and tourists so we are proud and delighted.
Q) I’ve seen on TripAdvisor that certain companies like to respond to reviews whether they are negative or positive, in order to get more information from the client about their stay. Is this something you have been known to do? (A if yes B if no)
- Do you find that this helps you to understand the needs of the customer better?
- Do you not feel as if it may be a way to better reflect on the needs of the customer?
A) Yes, we do privately respond to all good and excellent reviews and publically to any poor or average review. Thankfully we have only ever had two of these in 7 years. A poor report is not always from a level playing field so in a small, intimate hotel such as ours you have to be objective about the interpretation.
Q) Some TripAdvisor reviews can be quite brutal! Is there any method you have from sifting through the reviews to find those that are genuinely helpful, that can be used to improve your services?
A) With only two of those to ‘sift’ through, we have a pretty good idea of any message to be learned and if there is a ‘could do better’, it is easy to see what to do.
Q) How do you think the publicity gained from this award will affect attitudes towards Riads and tourism in Marrakech as a whole?
A) Morocco is the safest country in Africa and Marrakech is populated by smiley, friendly people 99.99% of which are honest, genuine and understand tourism is key to the City’s success. Our small team in particular get a genuine pleasure from helping guests and seeing them having a good time.
Morocco is a moderate Islamic country and has a long history of race and religious tolerance. The security in the country is thorough and efficient.
Rarely do we meet tourists who do not wish to come back, so we are looking for a better understanding within Europe of how pleasant an experience a Marrakech Riad holiday can be. Most guests prefer living within the Medina amongst the ordinary people in the middle of a city that has been there for 1100 years.
