I had friends visiting Morocco for the first time and we wanted them to experience an authentic Moroccan riad. After reading the stellar reviews from other guests, I booked our stay Dar Chams thinking we hit the jackpot. In my confirmation email from hotels.com I was told we would “pay at the property”. Once we arrived we were greeted by a welcoming hostess who took our information including my husband's ID. We were never asked to pay, so we assumed all was well. We did some touring and had a late dinner before coming back to the hotel around 1 am. Mind you, Tangiers is a night city.
Once the guard opened the door to the riad, he allowed me and my two American friends (all white) to enter without hesitation, but when he saw my Moroccan husband, he gave him a little push on the shoulder telling him he hadn't paid for this room. He insisted that the hostess took down our information and we all had a right to be at the hotel, but the guard still refused to let him enter threatening to call the police. I further insisted that if there was a problem with payment the guard should be talking directly to me. When we called the manager he gave a pretty empty apology making the excuse that, “many guests had tried to avoid paying their bills by jumping out the window". I don't have space to go into the entire absurd story. In brief, my Moroccan husband was a victim of severe racism and did not receive the proper apology from the manager or guard who accosted him. Sadly, one star.