An Event Planner’s Notes from Marrakech

The Selman

This final hotel reviewed for this article is the new kid on the block and is making quite an entrance onto the scene. The owners, the Bennani family of Casablanca, hired Jacques Garcia – Marrakech’s designer du jour, to oversee every aspect of the design of this deluxe location with bespoke fabrics and trims, oversized and dazzling chandeliers and beautiful slate gray polished tadelakt walls throughout. The dominant colors are deep purple and gold – shades usually reserved for royalty and the Vatican, but here employed on furniture fabrics, trims, table settings and as accents on staff uniforms.

A dining room at the Selman, Marrakech.

Lounge and dining area of the Selman, Marrakech.

The overall effect is one of hushed elegance – a counterpoint to the bustling city, glaring sun and powdered dust that coats almost everything in this region of Africa. The hotel also claims to be green minded and socially conscious in that they “ use a lot of sun power in the hotel and try to reduce the use of electricity. We print documents as little as possible and we use sawdust instead of hay in the stables, which is more ecological.

Finally, a portion of our profits is donated to a non-profit organization that helps locals in a village nearby.” Regarding events, Réda Chraïbi, Attaché Commercial for the Selman assured me that the Selman is available for almost any high-end event and offers several options for event producers including a Conference Room that can accommodate 110 guests seated theater style with external patio and a large area bordering the swimming pool that can seat up to 800 guests.

The pool at the Selman, Marrakech.

The pool at the Selman, Marrakech set up for a seated dinner and entertainment.

Mr. Chraïbi also showed me an area called the Spring Garden where the hotel organizes Arabian horse exhibitions. And it is this that sets the Selman apart.

Arabian pure bred horses perform exhibitions at the Selman, Marrakech.

On the property are housed truly incredible pure bred Arabian horses, some of the most beautiful animals I’ve ever seen – and I’ve covered many polo matches and equestrian events. Unlike massive polo horses, these horses are more compact, extremely powerful, temperamental and highly intelligent.

And they are spectacular to watch. The paddocks and stables are all within view from most areas of the hotel and from guest suites and what the guests see is remarkable, even when the horses are peacefully grazing in the paddock. Guests can also tour the horse stables, accommodations that put many hotels to shame.

The horse stables at the Selman, Marrakech.

Selman Marrakech
Contact: Réda Chraïbi, Attaché Commercial,
B.P 24 530 Marrakech Atlas, km 5 route d’Amizmiz,
Marrakech, Morocco 40 160
T. + 212 (0) 5 24 45 96 00
F. + 212 (0) 5 24 38 62 03
M. + 212 (0) 6 61 38 89 54
rchraibi@selman-marrakech.com
www.selman-marrakech.com

Julius Solaris is the editor of the Event Manager Blog, learn more about him on JuliusSolaris.com or send him an email.

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