| As General Manager of
the Hilton Rabat, a world-class leisure and business
hotel situated among eight acres of botanical splendor,
Jean Faivre has succeeded in making a name both for
the property he has managed, and for himself. During
his recently completed three year tenure, he managed
the most extensive renovation in the hotel’s
30 year history. After $15 million and two-and-a-half
years, the finished product reflects the effort invested,
with the décor modern, yet distinctly Moroccan
in flavor. The Hilton Rabat has been awarded five
star luxury status, which puts it on the same level
with La Mamounia in Marrakech and Palais Jamais in
Fes, according to Faivre. It is the only hotel property
with such a designation in Rabat.
Understandably proud of his work at the Hilton, Faivre
credited the personal warmth of his staff, along with
the 20 plus year work history of most of his employees,
as the true touchstone for measuring the property’s
success. Of course, all of the friendliness in the
world could not have prevented the drastic drop in
bookings that the Hilton Rabat experienced along with
the rest of the travel and leisure industry after
September 11, 2001. The seemingly endless series of
international crises that followed only served to
worsen the situation. The Hilton was hit even harder
than some, as it has long been known as a conference
center, second in capacity only to Marrakech. The
hotel boasts large meeting rooms, capable of holding
1200 people. In the year 2001, the hotel racked up
eighteen thousand convention-related room nights,
but Faivre’s 2003 projections barely reach ten
thousand rooms.
Before the attacks of September 2001, the hotel counted
on American visitors for a significant percentage
of its yearly revenue. American Jews, for example,
visited Morocco frequently to see the Jewish quarter
in Rabat, and then continued on to Essouria in the
south. The nearby Royal Dar Es-Salaam golf course,
designed by Robert Trent Jones, plays host to the
world-renowned Hassan II tournament in November each
year. In the past, this event attracted as many as
200 to 300 American golfers, almost all of whom made
the Hilton Rabat their home while in Morocco. Another
boon to the Hilton was the shooting of the Ridley
Scott film, “Black Hawk Down,” in nearby
Sale in ___(will get year). Scott and his crew made
the Hilton Rabat their base of operations while in
Morocco, and provided the Hilton with 140 American
customers per day during the duration of the filming.
Hilton believes in Morocco and the country’s
future as a major tourist destination, according to
Faivre. That optimism is being made tangible through
the company’s commitment to two new ventures
in the country. A 220 room “Five Star Luxury”
property at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Airport is
being built to coincide with the expansion of that
facility. Marrakech will see the arrival of a Hilton
property when work begins at a site near the Palmierie
in the near future. (Faivre did not give dates for
the project, but said discussions were ongoing.)
Nearly two years after the devastating attacks on
New York and Washington, Morocco is in the early stages
of a concerted campaign to reclaim its friends from
the past and to woo those who have yet to experience
the wonders and delights of Morocco, back to the Kingdom.
Faivre commented that “whether there are six
million by 2010 or ten million by 2012, the key is
to get as many new visitors to Morocco as possible
as quickly as can be managed.”
Americans need to be taught that Morocco is a beacon
of tolerance in a neighborhood not known for that
too-rare human trait. Faivre revealed that the outbreak
of the second Palestinian intifadah in September of
2000, prompted King Mohammed VI to call for an interfaith
dialogue. It was held under the soaring roofline of
the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Pierre in downtown
Rabat. The powerful event was attended by Catholics,
Protestants, Jews and Muslims, from throughout the
country. The attendees packed the cathedral. They
demonstrated to the world and to themselves that Morocco
is a special place that has always been and will continue
to be welcoming to visitors from around the world.
The successful completion of a real Open Skies plan
will be the criterion for judging the ultimate success
or failure of the government’s ambitious plans
for tourism in the Kingdom, according to Faivre. Even
if 15 million people are ready to visit Morocco tomorrow,
without the needed transport capacity, no amount of
positive publicity will help. Faivre added that this
capacity is not being provided by the code-share agreements
Royal Air Maroc (RAM) enjoys with Delta Airlines,
Air France, Iberia, Gulf Air, and Tunis Air. International
carriers must be given free access to Moroccan routes
in order for Morocco to reach the tourism goals it
has set for itself.
Using a real-world example to dramatize the situation,
Faivre explained that Rabat is served by only one
daily Paris-Rabat flight. If you take a plane’s
capacity of between 160 and 200 passengers and then
compare that figure to the total number of hotel rooms
in Rabat, the problem becomes obvious.
Even so, Favre is confident that Morocco’s
proximity to Europe coupled with the completion
of the Tangier Port and Free Trade Zone in 2008,
will bring more visitors to Morocco in the future.
As for the Americans, with the proper investment
in time and money, many of them will discover (or
rediscover) the magic that is Morocco.
Newly arrived Hilton Rabat General Manager Olivier
de Kermel, is determined to maintain the continuity
of the Hilton brand. He credits his predecessor,
Jean Faivre, with setting a standard that he intends
to not only preserve, but build upon.
Coming from the Hilton in Strasbourg, France, which
he managed for seven years, one of de Kermel’s
first priorities at the Hilton Rabat is the creation
of a first-rate spa. It should prove to be quite
popular, according to de Kermel, adding that he
has already convinced the company to make the investment.
With adequate space and good employees, he is excited
about the spa’s potential.
When asked about the impact of the May 16 terrorist
attacks in Casablanca on room bookings, de Kermel
explained that because this was a single event,
as opposed to a prolonged campaign, the fallout
has been minimal. He added that the terrorists struck
the economic capital of the country and not tourist
spots such as Rabat or Marrakech, again lessening
the impact on tourism.
de Kermel agrees with his predecessor on the critical
need for a bonafide open skies plan to be instituted.
There is no other way to increase the number of
tourists coming to Morocco to the level envisioned
by the government. While “10 million by 2010”
may be a bit ambitious, he argues that without big
goals, nothing can be achieved.
With travel to the Far East severely impacted as
a result of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS),
and to the Middle East because of war in Iraq and
the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, de Kermel
offered up Morocco as a haven of security for the
harried traveler. He stressed that even with the
terrible events of May 16, the safety of visitors
to Morocco is beyond dispute. Because of the natural
beauty of the country, the warmth of its people,
the great food and the perfectly predictable weather,
de Kermel made it clear that Morocco has every right
to become a major tourist destination.
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