The more than 100,000 members of Royal Holiday can take advantage of easy accommodations at more than 180 destinations around the world, including the Sheraton Casablanca in Casablanca, Morocco. Members can book a studio room at the hotel, located in the heart of the city, for as few as 39,000 credits per week.
Made famous by the Hollywood film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca occupies about 149 square miles on the northwest coast of Morocco. The city is the biggest in Morocco and is home to 3.8 million people. In real life, it bears little resemblance to the city portrayed in the film, which was shot in a studio in Hollywood.
But the city nevertheless contains a number of landmarks and a beauty all its own. The Hassan II Mosque, which reaches 689 feet in height and is one of the world’s largest, offers a beautiful example of Moroccan architecture. The Maarif district combines trendy establishments with luxury shops, and the city’s souks offer a mixture of goods from teapots to slippers.
The streets still bear the mark of the French colonists who developed Casablanca from a small village and port into a symbol of their dominance as well. Boulevard Mohamed V, the city’s major thoroughfare, features the work of master craftsmen brought in by the French to transform the city into a work of architectural grandeur. The medina, where the city existed before the French came, offers a more eclectic but nevertheless charming experience as well, with architecture that includes an old fortress built by the Portuguese that now serves as a restaurant.
Overall, Casablanca offers Royal Holiday members a unique traveling experience – from its fish markets to its mosques to its discos, the city has earned a reputation for authenticity. For travelers who want to see the real Morocco, Casablanca may be just the ticket.
