Book a riad in Marrakech direct, without Booking or any platform

Is it safe to book a riad direct?

It is the first question people ask when they have never booked without a platform, and it is a fair one. The answer is a set of facts you can check before you pay anything:

• A written, dated confirmation before any payment. Your dates, rooms, total price and cancellation terms are sent to you in writing. You pay nothing before reading them.
• A 30% deposit only, by bank transfer or secure payment link. The balance is paid on site, on arrival.
• Free cancellation of a room up to 14 days before arrival, with the deposit refunded in full. A group booking or an exclusive hire can no longer be cancelled once confirmed.
• A real address: 217 Derb El Halfaoui, 100 metres from the Dar El Bacha palace, run by Éric since 2011.
• Public reviews: 4.2/5 on Google (617 reviews) and 4.2/5 on TripAdvisor.
• Someone at the riad 24 hours a day.
• Your exchanges are kept in your WhatsApp or your mailbox: every promise is in writing.

How to check you are on the official website

The only official website is riad-vendome-marrakech.com, and the WhatsApp number +212 600 608 608 is the same as on our Google listing. We never ask for payment by Western Union, nor for cash before arrival: if a message does, write to us before paying anything.

The rate when you book direct: how it is set

The rate is the house rate, given by Éric for your dates, the length of your stay, the number of guests and the rooms you choose. Rooms start at €70 a night. No intermediary commission is added: you pay the house, and only the house. To understand what makes a price move (season, weekday or weekend, length of stay, number of guests), read how the price of a riad night in Marrakech is set.

For a group, the whole riad can be hired from €950 a night, the low-season rate, on quotation; the seminar formula starts from €1,200 a night. Rooms go from €70 to €160 a night per room, depending on the room and the season. Each figure is confirmed in writing for your exact dates before you pay anything.

Prices updated in October 2026.

Why book direct rather than through a platform

A booking platform does one thing very well: it shows you hundreds of addresses and confirms a night in one click. Booking direct does something else: it puts you in touch with the house that will welcome you. Here is what you gain, concretely.

• You talk to the person who welcomes you. Éric, the owner, reads your message and answers it himself.
• Your stay is prepared before you arrive. A diet, a birthday, a late flight: it is discussed in advance, not at a desk.
• One contact from the first message to departure. Rooms, spa, cooking class, transfers: the same conversation.
• The house rate, in writing. Given by the owner, with no intermediary commission.
• A deposit, not full prepayment. 30% to confirm, the balance on site.
• The airport transfer on request. From Marrakech airport to the riad, €15 by day and €20 at night for 1-2 guests, €20 / €25 for up to 4, arranged on WhatsApp.
• A room upgrade when possible. Subject to availability on the day of your arrival.
• Hosted, Not Booked. On a platform, you are booked; here, you are hosted.

Talk to someone: the owner answers himself

When you write, it is Éric, the owner, who replies, in English, French, Italian or Spanish, and in Hebrew on WhatsApp. There is no booking centre, no customer service to call back, no transfer from one department to another: one single contact, from the first message to the day you leave. Rooms, spa, cooking class, airport transfer, a date that changes: everything goes through the same conversation.

How to book your stay direct, step by step

1. Write to us on WhatsApp at +212 600 608 608 (or by email) with your dates, the number of guests and what matters to you.
2. Receive your written quote within 24 hours: availability, rooms, rate and conditions.
3. Confirm with a 30% deposit by bank transfer or secure payment link. Your written confirmation follows.
4. Pay the balance on site, on arrival at the riad.

Does your flight land in the middle of the night?

Someone is at the riad 24 hours a day. Give us your flight number and arrival time: we arrange the airport transfer and someone waits for you at the door, even at three in the morning. If the flight is delayed or cancelled, write to us: we adjust, and the room waits for you. That is the difference between being expected and being checked in. Tell us about a night arrival.

What we can arrange for you

Because it is a conversation and not a form, special requests are settled before you arrive: a baby cot, twin beds, two neighbouring suites for a family; a diet (vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies) passed directly to Chef Naima; a long stay, a group, or the whole riad; a very early or very late arrival. Staying elsewhere and simply curious about the house? You can also discover a traditional riad without staying the night.

Booking without Booking, without Airbnb: it is possible

Many travellers now prefer to book directly with the house that welcomes them: to know who they are talking to, to support an independent house, or simply by choice. You need neither Booking, nor Airbnb, nor any other intermediary to stay at Riad Vendôme: direct booking is open to everyone, all year round.

Booking direct for a company or a seminar: quote and invoice

Companies book the riad direct for seminars, offsites and incentive stays, and they need paperwork their accounts department will accept. You receive a written, itemised quote within 24 hours, and an invoice is issued on request, in the name and with the details of your company. Mention it when you ask for the quote, with the name and address to show on it. The seminar formula starts from €1,200 a night; the riad has 12 rooms for 35 guests, and 20 rooms for up to 50 guests with the partner riad next door, 100 metres away. Read more on seminars at Riad Vendôme.

How to tell whether a riad is legit before you pay

Four checks take five minutes and remove most of the risk of a scam, whatever riad you choose. First, the address: it should appear on Google Maps with photos that match the website; ours is 217 Derb El Halfaoui, Dar El Bacha. Second, the reviews: many, recent and public; we have 617 on Google, rated 4.2/5. Third, the paperwork: a written, dated confirmation before any payment. Fourth, the payment itself: a partial deposit, never the full amount, and never Western Union or cash sent before arrival. Guests who booked direct tell you how it went on our page of reviews from direct guests.

What happens after your first message

You write with your dates and the number of guests. Éric answers himself, in under 10 minutes for 90% of requests, and always with a written quote within 24 hours: the rooms, the total price, what is included and the cancellation terms. If the quote suits you, a 30% deposit confirms it and your written confirmation follows. Before you travel, the same conversation is where you tell us your flight time, a diet or an occasion. On arrival, someone is waiting at the door, the balance is paid on site, and, when availability allows, your room may be upgraded. That is what Hosted, Not Booked means in practice.

Frequently Asked Questions