L'Amphitrite Palace Hotel

L'Amphitrite Palace Hotel, Rabat

I just feel the need to share this with you. One response in Morocco that drives me nuts is « procedure .» Their response to me is always « C'est la procedure, madame. » The classic response for something truly stupid and useless (as far as I can tell)

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Here we are in the lobby not able to get into the hotel room. An hour has elapsed. I drove Xavier to Rabat which is 1 hr from Casablanca, 2 hours from our home in Dar Bouazza where his passport is.

Xavier has a room rented for a management training starting tomorrow that should last 2 days located in this truly beautiful, upscale, posh resort hotel located on the seaside in Rabat. As custom when you arrive at check-in, you show an ID. Xavier showed them his French National ID. « Sorry sir, we can't accept that. We need your passport. » Whoops.

One thing we have learned here in Morocco given crooked cops who stop you at routine road blocks and wallet snatchers, NEVER ballade around with your passport. We all have copies of our passports in our wallets. However, since we got back from France last night, Xavier left his wallet in the garment bag, upon which our lovely, high maintenance cat, Zoé, took a vengeance on and peed inside the garment bag soaking his wallet through, including ticket stubs for expenses and the photocopy of his passport. He left the photocopy out on the counter to dry.

So, here we are at the hotel, now drinking tea that will probably cost about 100 dhm, and still not able to get into the hotel room. Xavier called HR at Jacobs who sent the the hotel a faxed copy of his passport. Thank you sir, but that will not suffice. When you enter the country, inside your passport, there is a stamp from la Douane. We need a photocopy of this stamp. Without this photocopy, we cannot let you have the room.

So, does that mean, I have to drive 2 hrs back to Dar Bouazza, then 2 hours back, not including the hour drive I spent from Casablanca today, just to have a picture of this stamp? « Yes sir. »

So, I got kind of angry and started raising my voice a bit at the poor guy saying « what purpose does this procedure serve? The response in this country is always procedure. What counts is that you get paid. He's here standing in front of you, obviously he got into the country, that's the only proof you need. »

So, they have a scanned copy of Xavier's passport on the internet. They have a faxed copy of Xavier's passport, still nothing has advanced. Driss is driving around Dar Bouazza trying to find a fax machine for Xavier's passport. Unfortunately the stores are still closed in Dar Bouazza.

So, I called a friend who has a phone with a camera and internet access. Driss is now driving to her house with Xavier's passport in hand to take a photo of this necessary document and then email it to the hotel. I'm sure once this is through, they will say, « I'm sorry, we need the original. Or I'm sorry, I can't read the type in the picture. »

Maybe they don't like our faces? (Ils n'aiment pas notre geule) Maybe they want a bribe? My preference is to get the manager outside and rip his/her head off. I've raised my voice to 2 different people. No help. The head of HR for Jacobs came and tried to resolve the issue with all of her intelligence, class, grace and no conflict. Nope, nothing, no help. I'm never sure how I should react. Do I yell? I really dislike yelling at someone. Do I give them a real superiority complex and talk to them as though they are far beneath me? No, I don't like that either.

New development, the email address they gave us doesn't work.

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Conclusion

After about 3 hrs, me raising my voice and getting all red in the face at the stubborn woman in reservations, after all our efforts, faxes, emails, etc and to no avail as to what the hek they need...Xavier finally said, you know I've been waiting here 3 hours in your lobby not having access to my room....

The woman finally said « Ok, I will take full responsibility and finished the paperwork and gave Xavier a key to his room. » Then, she lectured him about traveling without his passport (as if she herself owns one.)

I left, when I got home about 1,5 hrs later, I scanned the part they needed into the computer and emailed it to the correct address including a heated letter of discontent. I never got a response.

When Xavier checked out yesterday, the same woman in reservations asked, « so will you come back and stay here again? » Xavier's response, who could guess is « Non. »

When I came home and told Najat of our horrible misadventure at a hotel that is actually a palace therefore it is so high in luxury it doesn't require any stars she explained it to me in plain french.

1 People in Rabat are racist

2 People in Rabat are afraid. The king lives there, so they will follow everything by the book since they are afraid of getting into trouble.

I feel that what took place is more number 2 than number one.