Waldorf Astoria Makes Morocco Debut With Rabat Property
The brand’s first Morocco property brings Alain Ducasse and nearly 7,000 works of art to the capital.
Photos: Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria
Morocco has been building toward this moment for a while. The country drew 18 million tourists in 2025; the Grand Theatre of Rabat just opened; high-speed rail now connects the capital to Casablanca and Tangier; and the government is pushing hard toward 20 million visitors by 2030. But what Rabat has been missing is a hotel that matches the ambition.
That changes this week with the opening of Waldorf Astoria Rabat-Salé inside the city’s Mohammed VI Tower—Morocco’s tallest building—at the point where the Bouregreg River meets the Atlantic.
The property is intimate by Waldorf standards, with just 55 rooms and suites, with interiors that lean into a celestial concept—planetarium-inspired clocks, star-named venues, motifs drawn from Moroccan astronomical heritage. Marbles and intricate tilework keep things grounded, and a private art collection of nearly 7,000 works, one of the largest in North Africa, is on display.
Alain Ducasse anchors the hotel’s signature restaurant, Aldabaran (named for the brightest star in Taurus), with a menu featuring dishes like line-caught sea bass with artichokes and radicchio, roasted lamb saddle with vegetable caponata, and Tropézienne scented with orange blossom. Brasserie Magnolia handles Mediterranean fare under Moroccan chef Lahcen Hafid, while a pan-Asian bar and coffee bar are forthcoming.
The spa features a traditional hammam, an Iyashi detox dome, a heated quartz sand table, and an ocean-facing infinity pool. The hotel is set just minutes from Rabat-Salé International Airport, within walking distance of UNESCO-listed medinas, and connected by rail to the rest of the country.
Bookings are now live.
