0:00:02 > 0:00:05All over the world, there are remarkable hotels,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08born of bold vision and daring endeavour.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Oh, my goodness. Look at that!
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Whether it's an epic structure housing a sky park
0:00:15 > 0:00:17the length of the Eiffel Tower...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20This is definitely the biggest space I've ever been inside.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25..or a glass box perched in the cloud forest...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- Look at that view!- Wow!
0:00:29 > 0:00:33They're all products of innovation, creativity and hard graft.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36The people running these hotels
0:00:36 > 0:00:39strive to create the perfect sanctuary.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44But what does it take to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences
0:00:44 > 0:00:46in stunning locations?
0:00:46 > 0:00:48To build a hotel in a place like this,
0:00:48 > 0:00:49everybody thinks I'm crazy!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55In total, we have about 160,000 pieces of uniform.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57- BELL CHIMES - Oh, my word!
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I'm a restaurant writer, newspaper columnist and critic -
0:01:01 > 0:01:03I have opinions on just about everything.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05What a mad place to build a hotel!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09I feel like Scott of the Antarctic, and it did not end well for him.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13And I'm a chef who's worked at the top end of the hospitality industry
0:01:13 > 0:01:14for well over 20 years.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16How many opportunities do you get
0:01:16 > 0:01:19to cook breakfast with elephants and giraffes?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25We'll travel to amazing hotels in every corner of the world...
0:01:25 > 0:01:27..to spend time getting to know the people
0:01:27 > 0:01:29working away behind the scenes.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31When did you last have a full night's sleep?
0:01:31 > 0:01:32I don't remember.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34- Really?- Yes.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36What motivates you to work so hard?
0:01:36 > 0:01:39The kids. I will sacrifice everything for them.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Join us as we venture inside...
0:01:47 > 0:01:50..the world's most extraordinary hotels.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58CALL TO PRAYER
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Marrakech is one of the most beguiling cities in North Africa.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Once the capital of an Arab empire
0:02:13 > 0:02:16that stretched across the Mediterranean to Spain,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19for many centuries it was used by Moroccan kings
0:02:19 > 0:02:21to showcase their culture to the world.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27And that's a tradition that today's king, Mohammed VI, wants to revive
0:02:27 > 0:02:31with the luxurious hotel he has built, Royal Mansour.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35We represent the kingdom.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38You are staying in the showcase of the kingdom.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41The man tasked with implementing the royal vision
0:02:41 > 0:02:44is managing director Jean-Claude Messant.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Ambition is very simple here,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49and it's very easy to explain to the staff the ambition.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52It's to be number one.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53For the next few days,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55we're joining Jean-Claude and his staff
0:02:55 > 0:02:58to find out how they deliver their ambition
0:02:58 > 0:03:00and whether it succeeds.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Good morning. A very warm welcome.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05And with Monica in her office clothes,
0:03:05 > 0:03:06I'm feeling a little bit underdressed.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Welcome to sunny Marrakech and Royal Mansour.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17This is a hotel where staff can outnumber guests by ten to one.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23We'll be looked after by our very own butler, Mohammed.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26You're very welcome to Royal Mansour.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29I will be pleased to be your butler during your stay.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- Thank you. - You're our butler, just for us?
0:03:32 > 0:03:33Yes, sir.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Just a stone's throw away from the teeming heart of the city,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Royal Mansour is a peaceful haven.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It's made up of 53 separate residences known as riads.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53The traditional Moroccan riad is designed for privacy.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Facing inwards to a central courtyard,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57it therefore suits the needs of the presidents, diplomats
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and A-listers who can afford to stay here,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04spending between £1,000 and a staggering £35,000 per night.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Welcome to your riad, Mr Coren.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Look at this. It's amazing.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12- Is this all mine?- Yes, sir.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15'All £3,000 per night's worth of it.'
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- The living room. - This is so beautiful.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27- This is the guest room, sir. - Very nice.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29The first room, madam.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33I've never had so much space to myself before.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37'To understand the levels of service expected of them,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40'Royal Mansour staff are given a guest experience.'
0:04:42 > 0:04:44So, Mohammed, you said you've stayed in a riad like this?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46- I did, madam.- How did you find that?
0:04:46 > 0:04:52They escorted me from my house to the hotel in the hotel's car,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55welcomed me in the main entrance,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59the same welcome they would do for any of the guests.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02I still remember that feeling I got.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- Being special.- Nobody can explain it, unless you try it,
0:05:06 > 0:05:07unless you live it yourself.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Guests Victoria and Antoine are accustomed to exclusive hotels,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22but this is their first experience of the Royal Mansour.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25The Royal Mansour allows a sense of wonder.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28There is a grandeur to walking through the doors
0:05:28 > 0:05:32and feeling like you're entering somewhere magical.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34But what's interesting about this hotel
0:05:34 > 0:05:37is how the magic is created.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40And for that, we have to go behind the scenes.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45So, Mr Coren, welcome to the undergrounds.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46You can call me Giles now.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51As part of its drive for absolute privacy,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53the Royal Mansour has taken the palace tradition
0:05:53 > 0:05:55of upstairs/downstairs
0:05:55 > 0:05:57and rolled it out on a monumental scale.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02It's like Downton Abbey meets Aladdin
0:06:02 > 0:06:04with a bit of James Bond for good measure.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07There's a car.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Can we go in one of those?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12'No wonder they need those golf carts.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15'There are more than 1,000 metres of tunnels here,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18'mirroring the plan of the hotel above.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22'It's here that the 500 staff go about their duties.
0:06:22 > 0:06:28'Laundering and pressing 300 staff uniforms every single day.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32'Cutting and arranging the weekly delivery of 7,000 fresh roses.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36'And all this for just 53 riads.'
0:06:36 > 0:06:39- Is it a problem with staff getting lost?- Yes, of course.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Do people quite often order breakfast
0:06:41 > 0:06:43and then the guy just disappears for hours
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and they phone down and go...?
0:06:45 > 0:06:46For the new ones, it happens sometimes.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Every riad has a private service entrance
0:06:52 > 0:06:53on each of its three floors.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57This allows staff to appear as if by magic
0:06:57 > 0:06:59wherever they're required,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02enabling the utmost discretion for butlers like Mohammed
0:07:02 > 0:07:04and his new apprentice.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- OK. So, this way?- Yes.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Easy to get lost.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13'My first lesson from Mohammed
0:07:13 > 0:07:15'presents a bit of a challenge for me -
0:07:15 > 0:07:18'learning how to treat people like VIPs.'
0:07:18 > 0:07:20So, you have to respect some protocols.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22For example, you have to respect the distance.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- At least you leave...- A special distance?- A special distance.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27So when you say, "Bonsoir, monsieur. Je suis Mohammed..."
0:07:27 > 0:07:30You don't enter his area.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- You don't stand this close? - One metre 60.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33- Really?- Yes.- One metre 60.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- This's about...- One metre 60. - And this is OK.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- Now you can speak to him. - Really?- Yes.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43You don't have to speak toxic words. For example, we never say no.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- You never say no?- We never say no.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49He would ask, for example, for something which we don't have.
0:07:49 > 0:07:56You don't say no, but you explain that we have something else instead.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58So, if he says, "I'd like some caviar",
0:07:58 > 0:08:01you can say, "Excellent choice.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04"We actually have Pringles." THEY LAUGH
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- Something like that. That... - Sort of thing.- ..sort of thing.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16'I don't think I'm quite ready to be let loose
0:08:16 > 0:08:18'on Mohammed's VIP guests,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20'but having found out that they've left their riad,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24'he's sneaked me in to show me how he prepares it for their return.'
0:08:24 > 0:08:27We don't walk across the patio.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31- OK.- We walk around the, um...
0:08:31 > 0:08:33The edge of the carpet but not on the carpet.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- Yes, not on the carpet.- OK.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43You can just...
0:08:43 > 0:08:44Oh, we can't use that.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47I'm really sorry. I would...
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Is it a special...?
0:08:49 > 0:08:52- Because it's prepared by... - Oh, I see.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55It's already prepared by the housekeeping. We can't...
0:08:55 > 0:08:59- We can't destroy...- Yeah, we cannot ruin what the others have done.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02OK. Sorry.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07That's so weird. I was... Sorry.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09I was totally expecting to come out into the sunshine
0:09:09 > 0:09:10of a beautiful courtyard.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12I'd completely forgotten that
0:09:12 > 0:09:14we were just appearing in the underground warren again.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16That's so strange.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Giles isn't the only one who has to dress in a uniform
0:09:19 > 0:09:21inspired by Moroccan tradition.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Ta-da!
0:09:24 > 0:09:26'I'm joining the housekeeping team,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29'reporting to executive housekeeper Laurence Jaspard.'
0:09:29 > 0:09:34- What do you think?- It's beautiful. You look like a room attendant.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- A room attendant? - You are the perfect one.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39And then, from what I know, you speak French as well?
0:09:39 > 0:09:40- Yes.- Tres bien.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Laurence began her career at the Paris Ritz
0:09:44 > 0:09:47and has worked at some of the world's most exclusive hotels.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49She has responsibility
0:09:49 > 0:09:52for maintaining the Royal Mansour's exacting standards.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59At Royal Mansour, everything is about elegance and beauty.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Laurence leads a team of 44 room attendants.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Quietly and discreetly,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09they have elevated housekeeping into an art form.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12From wiping perfumed essential oil on drawers...
0:10:12 > 0:10:15When the guests open, it smells good.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16..and even telephones...
0:10:18 > 0:10:21..to brushing unique palm patterns into velvet chairs
0:10:21 > 0:10:23or combing the fringes of rugs.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28It has to be perfect and we work hard for this.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Every little detail is extremely important.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I've been given the task of preparing a riad
0:10:36 > 0:10:38to get a sense of the level of detail required.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41So, in your room,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43we have more this style of
0:10:43 > 0:10:44- putting the cushion like this.- Yes.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45And we give it more like this.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48In here, it's this shape,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50and then we need really
0:10:50 > 0:10:52to find the right match, the right colour.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55So, today we'll remove all of them.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56You remove all of them?
0:10:56 > 0:10:59- Just for you.- Oh, yay! I'm lucky.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Cos then you have to put them back.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04'To maintain a sense of magic,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07'the housekeeping team aim for invisibility.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10'Tipped off by butlers when their guests have left the riad,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13'they slip in using the service tunnels, cleaning,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16'rearranging and refreshing.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18'And it's not just in the morning.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20'It could be several times a day.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22'The slightest deviation from perfection,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24'an unplumped or wonky cushion, say,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27'will be fixed for the guests on their return.'
0:11:27 > 0:11:31- It's not easy to make them stand on the corner.- I know.
0:11:31 > 0:11:32Do you maybe need some help?
0:11:32 > 0:11:34No!
0:11:34 > 0:11:36- Yes. - THEY LAUGH
0:11:37 > 0:11:42'I'll need some help with this too, showing love to curtains.'
0:11:42 > 0:11:45The curtains here are extremely, extremely nice,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48as you can see, so we have to put them like...
0:11:48 > 0:11:49we need to show them.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- Making pleats.- Exactly.- Yes.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Well, I've never caressed a drape before!
0:12:22 > 0:12:25So much more to tying a drape back...
0:12:25 > 0:12:27SHE CHUCKLES
0:12:27 > 0:12:30..than, you know, one would presume.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34'There are 350 pairs of curtains in Royal Mansour,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37'and each one gets the same level of personal attention.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42'That's 350 instances of untangling, pleating and, of course, caressing,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44'every single day.'
0:12:44 > 0:12:46I think it's a really, really good start.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Tomorrow, it will be perfect.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'Uh, I think I might be busy doing something else tomorrow.'
0:13:02 > 0:13:05'There's something a little disorientating
0:13:05 > 0:13:07'about waking up upstairs as Mr Coren
0:13:07 > 0:13:10'and being treated like a king by my butler...'
0:13:10 > 0:13:12- Thank you.- You're welcome, sir.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15'..knowing that the day ahead will be spent downstairs
0:13:15 > 0:13:16'as Giles the worker.'
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Mr Coren, you will be spending some time with Akram,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- the chauffeur.- Jolly good.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Aha! Excellent.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Your outfit for today, sir.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28That looks fine. Could you give it a little press, perhaps?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- Just give it a little press. - Immediately, sir.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33- Thank you very much.- You're welcome.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37'Royal Mansour luxury begins when guests are met at the airport
0:13:37 > 0:13:40'by one of the hotel's chauffeurs.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42'First impressions count,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46'so this is a key front line role for me to experience.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48'As well as another awesome uniform.'
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- It really suits you, sir.- Does it?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- Can I adjust your buttons, sir? - Yeah, sure.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55The ladies do love a chauffeur.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- They do, sir.- They love a uniform, they love a car.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Yes, and your little beard, sir.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- HE LAUGHS My LITTLE beard?!- Yes.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Oh, dear. And we're out of the magic kingdom, aren't we?
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Into the service area.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14- Yes, sir.- The dream is over.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19In the nerve centre of the magic kingdom,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I've arranged to meet manager Jean-Claude
0:14:22 > 0:14:25to find out what drew him to the Royal Mansour.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- Bonjour.- Bonjour. Good morning.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31'Jean-Claude has managed some of the world's finest hotels,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34'including the St James's Hotel in London,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38'Hotel de Crillon in Paris and Hotel Metropol in Monaco.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40'No sooner have I sat down, it becomes clear
0:14:40 > 0:14:42'he's very much in demand.'
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I always seem to notice you somewhere in the hotel,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47whether I notice you disappearing in the lobby,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50I see you passing in the restaurant,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52You seem to be everywhere at the same time.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54It's important to be visible.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56You need to be seen.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- Some people... - PHONE RINGS
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Ah, it's my phone. Sorry.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Sorry, we have to go.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Come with me.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- Rush, rush.- You need to rush?
0:15:20 > 0:15:22'I'm starting to understand -
0:15:22 > 0:15:26'here Jean-Claude has an almost diplomatic role.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28'He's never more than a phone call away
0:15:28 > 0:15:30'from a royal or official duty.'
0:15:30 > 0:15:33'It's a job where we meet extraordinary people.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36'You know, we're looking after the top 100 of this world.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'A guest could walk in, could be someone important.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40'Could be a head of state.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'And you have to be there and to be at the front.'
0:15:43 > 0:15:46He's got to be fit.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49He's just sprinted down the stairs from up there.
0:15:49 > 0:15:50I could do the same,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53but I'd like to see him do it in six-inch heels.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Sorry. False alarm. 20 minutes.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00SHE LAUGHS
0:16:00 > 0:16:05'It's a seven-days-a-week job, it's a 24-hours-a-day job.'
0:16:05 > 0:16:07I couldn't work in a bank
0:16:07 > 0:16:11or I couldn't work in a place where everything shut down at five o'clock
0:16:11 > 0:16:12and you go home.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15So, if you were starting your day at 7, 7.30,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18when will you see your pillow again?
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Depending on the day, it could be any time between 11pm and 2am.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24- Depends on the day.- Yeah.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I come from a middle-class background.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32I was a very happy boy. And I did my national service in France.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35I was the butler of the French prime minister
0:16:35 > 0:16:37and I discovered a new world.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38With him, I was travelling.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41I went to the Pope in Italy, to the Vatican.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43I mean, I entered a new life.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47I managed some great hotels worldwide,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and when this one came about...
0:16:51 > 0:16:53..it was a job you just could not refuse.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Perhaps part of the appeal was the seemingly limitless budget
0:16:57 > 0:16:59that Jean-Claude has to play with.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05Take the hotel's fleet
0:17:05 > 0:17:08of ten chauffeur-driven luxury vehicles,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11including two custom-built Bentleys.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14As the first hotel representative to meet guests,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16the chauffeurs are ambassadors.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20All are highly trained and must speak Arabic, French and English.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24To understand the chauffeur's role
0:17:24 > 0:17:26and the strict protocols that govern it,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I'm spending this morning with Akram,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31one of the Royal Mansour's most experienced chauffeurs.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- Hi.- Hi.- Mr Coren, let me introduce you.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38- Akram.- Hi, Akram.- Hi. - Call me Giles.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42'There must be over £1 million worth of cars down here.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45'No wonder Akram takes such good care of them.'
0:17:45 > 0:17:49So, that's so people can clean their hands and then if they...?
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- No, no. It's for the car.- If they...
0:17:52 > 0:17:55That is specially to clean the car. It's for the cleaning.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57But if they come where their hands are clean
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and they haven't wiped their hands and they go like that...
0:18:00 > 0:18:04So, that's why always you use the cloths.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06- Even if my hands are really clean? - Yes.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10- This is always to clean. - HE CHUCKLES
0:18:10 > 0:18:12I need you at home to just follow me around my house.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15How do we shut the boot if we're not allowed to touch it?
0:18:15 > 0:18:17OK, so then we can...
0:18:19 > 0:18:22That's amazing. So then you can close it without touching it?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Oh, my goodness!
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Akram has reluctantly allowed me to get behind the wheel.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33But as with the butlering,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37I'm having to unlearn behaviour I've become accustomed to.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40After all, there could be a VIP in the back seat.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42OK.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52There's also the fine art of permissible conversation.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20ENGINE REVS Oh, listen to that baby growl!
0:19:24 > 0:19:27'I'm desperate to get beyond the hotel grounds,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30'but Akram doesn't think I'm quite ready
0:19:30 > 0:19:31'for the mean streets of Marrakech.'
0:19:31 > 0:19:32Ooh!
0:19:32 > 0:19:34'Or is it Marrakech that isn't ready for me?'
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Can I slide over the top, you know, like the Dukes Of Hazzard? No.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43'Anyway, just beyond the hotel walls is the Medina,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45'and it's a very different place.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51'It's a reminder that one of the world's most luxurious hotels
0:19:51 > 0:19:54'is in a developing country.'
0:19:54 > 0:19:55There's a lot of horses and donkeys.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58There's people on mopeds with no respect for the rules at all.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01The roundabouts seem to be make it up as you go along.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04He talks about "sangfroid". We'll see it in action.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Given that the national income per head
0:20:15 > 0:20:17is 14 times lower than in the UK,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20it's not surprising we're attracting attention.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23This car alone is worth 60 times more
0:20:23 > 0:20:25than a year's wages for most Moroccans.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Graham Norton?
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Come on!
0:20:57 > 0:20:59What about those terrible people off TOWIE?
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Of course, Akram would never tell me how his mystery VIP guests feel
0:21:08 > 0:21:11seeing the real Marrakech from the window of a Bentley,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14but the contrast is certainly a stark one.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22I think from a morning of chauffeuring around Marrakech
0:21:22 > 0:21:26in a champagne-coloured Bentley with wonderful Akram,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29the thing that I've learnt is the job of the chauffeur here
0:21:29 > 0:21:31is very much like the job of everyone else.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35It's to keep you closeted and quiet and calm
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and well watered and air-conditioned
0:21:37 > 0:21:39in a position where you can see Morocco
0:21:39 > 0:21:40and you're aware that you're in Morocco,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43but you can't touch it and it can't touch you.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45And while it's a very beautiful thing,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49it is very slightly frustrating when I find myself back here,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52closeted again, in what is essentially a giant Bentley
0:21:52 > 0:21:54with a view of Marrakech.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Being closeted to this extent might work for the guests of a king,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04royalty and presidents, A-list stars
0:22:04 > 0:22:05or captains of industry,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08but that's not necessarily what all the hotel's guests want.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12One of my favourite things when I travel is to speak to other guests.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Um, that's where I make my friends, in public environments.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20But this hotel tends to have you inside your riad.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21Although we are within the city walls
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and the city's just a few metres away,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26I feel like I'm supposed to be in my riad.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32I feel you have a very great service when you're inside of your area,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35but there is no social life, if I can say,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38when you get out of the room and you want to go to the bar.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43All of the ingredients are here. The place and the setting are here.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47The service is here. It's just, we're waiting for the vibe.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50The truth is that no amount of beauty and luxury
0:22:50 > 0:22:53can make you feel truly comfortable.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56RELAXING MUSIC PLAYS
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Back in my riad, I'm finding that the privacy can be a bit isolating.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And even if I were to venture out to the beautiful chic bar, say,
0:23:13 > 0:23:18or the ornate library, the chances are I wouldn't see another soul.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26But this problem isn't lost on the hotel management.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Yes, we have a very beautiful hotel but that's not sufficient.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35It's how do we make one of the most beautiful hotels in the world
0:23:35 > 0:23:38one of the best hotels in the world?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Well, with access to royal funds
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and many years of international luxury experience,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Jean-Claude has a vision.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48In an extravagant bid to soften the image of the hotel
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and change its atmosphere,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53the Royal Mansour is undergoing a transformation.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58A new, more prominent entrance is being created
0:23:58 > 0:24:02by opening a gate in the 12th-century city walls.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Try doing that if you're not the King.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10But the centrepiece is Le Jardin - a new one-and-a-half-hectare garden
0:24:10 > 0:24:12that has been eight months in the making.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17There's a new 30-metre pool surrounded by glassy,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19outward-looking pavilions.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23And adjacent to these, an open and informal pool bar and restaurant.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27It's a radical change from the existing hotel.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30But one thing it has in common
0:24:30 > 0:24:33is the aim to create a brand-new space
0:24:33 > 0:24:36that feels well established.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Over the past ten days, we've planted 25,000 bedding plants.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45I don't know how we did it, but we did it.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Outside of the main gates...- Uh-huh?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50..could you add more bedding plants there?
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I would like to do it today and tomorrow.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57- Good luck!- OK. Thank you.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Morocco's fabulous gardens, with their olive and palm trees,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04take hundreds of years to mature,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06but Mother Nature's work can be speeded up
0:25:06 > 0:25:09in the magical world of the Royal Mansour
0:25:09 > 0:25:12thanks to the depth of the owner's pockets.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15We actually got from all around Morocco
0:25:15 > 0:25:20nearly 500 trees like those beautiful olive trees, palm trees.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Those olive trees, on average,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26are anything between 600 to 800 years old.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29What makes this even more impressive
0:25:29 > 0:25:33is that they're all planted above a brand-new network of tunnels.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Welcome to the underground world.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It contains everything from pool filtration,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42power supplies and offices, to classrooms for staff training.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48With most of the palm trees above weighing over half a tonne,
0:25:48 > 0:25:53the tunnels are engineered to take their weight and allow them to grow.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56There seems to be no limit to the scale,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58ambition and cost of the project,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02but one luxury they don't have is time.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Do we have pressure? Yes. Deadline is six working days.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Pressure is on, but we'll manage.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Jean-Claude's calmness under pressure
0:26:11 > 0:26:14is all the more extraordinary given the nature of his deadline.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18A UN climate change conference is coming to Marrakech,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22and the Royal Mansour has been asked to host six heads of state.
0:26:24 > 0:26:25By the time they arrive,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27all construction work has to be finished,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and the pool, bar and restaurant must be open.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34We have a lot of people working on site.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39When on a normal project we should be with 50 people,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43we have 350 people or 400 people working.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47We're working seven days a week. We're working 24 hours a day.
0:26:47 > 0:26:53Guest number one will arrive at ten o'clock next Friday.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14After my time with housekeeping,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17I understand how important the riads are
0:27:17 > 0:27:19in delivering the royal vision -
0:27:19 > 0:27:24a luxurious, discreet experience that showcases the best of Morocco.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26But how does the hotel's dining experience
0:27:26 > 0:27:28deliver that vision?
0:27:29 > 0:27:32There are two fine-dining restaurants -
0:27:32 > 0:27:34one French, the other Moroccan.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37They're serviced by a team of male and female waiting staff,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41managed and regularly trained by 24-year-old Julien.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45We are doing training like a simulation,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50where each head waiter and waiters try to take an order
0:27:50 > 0:27:52and welcome the guest.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:27:56 > 0:27:58'We have to be perfect every time.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01'This kind of clientele, they expect a perfect service.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05'They pay the price for this quality of service,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08'so they expect it, so they are really challenging.'
0:28:08 > 0:28:10We teach how to take an order.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13We teach how to explain these to a guest,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and we also teach how to have a good attitude
0:28:16 > 0:28:17in front of the guest.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:28:20 > 0:28:23'Of course, prices are like three Michelin star in Paris
0:28:23 > 0:28:26'because we have the quality of three Michelin star.'
0:28:26 > 0:28:28To bring that quality to Marrakech,
0:28:28 > 0:28:32the kitchens are run by French chef Jerome Videau.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37And the mastermind of the menu is three-Michelin-starred
0:28:37 > 0:28:40culinary superstar chef Yannick Alleno.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42He regularly flies in from Paris.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:28:46 > 0:28:53My role here is to train the people and to train them to the excellency.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57The level has to be at the top.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01In trying to combine Moroccan tradition
0:29:01 > 0:29:04with the highest international standards,
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Yannick had plenty of homework to do when creating the menu.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13It's a huge country with a lot of regional tastes,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15so I had to understand that.
0:29:16 > 0:29:17Take the dish I'm making -
0:29:17 > 0:29:21an amuse-bouche of beetroot jelly topped with orange segments
0:29:21 > 0:29:23finely wrapped in beetroot.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25High-end and distinctively Moroccan.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Beetroot and orange are two flavours
0:29:29 > 0:29:32that they're used to using in their cooking here in Morocco,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35but this is a refinement of that wonderful cuisine.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49In fact, there are more women in this kitchen than I've been used to.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Moroccan cuisine was created by women,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01who traditionally stayed at home, but as the country has modernised,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03more women have entered the workplace
0:30:03 > 0:30:06and its restaurant culture has blossomed.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09And it makes sense to have a Moroccan restaurant
0:30:09 > 0:30:13with the women, the chefs here, that know how to make it properly.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16As the hotel is a showcase for a modern kingdom,
0:30:16 > 0:30:21giving opportunities to local women like Dalila and Fatima is a win-win.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33The saffron Fatima and I are using in this chicken dish
0:30:33 > 0:30:37is one of the most highly-prized ingredients for any chef.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41And this being the Royal Mansour, it has to be Moroccan.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45So, it's an early start for me
0:30:45 > 0:30:48because I want to find out where it comes from.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51I'm heading to the fertile Ourika Valley
0:30:51 > 0:30:52with head chef Jerome Videau.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57We've come to the farm that supplies the Royal Mansour with saffron.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59The owner is Dr Lakbabi.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02THEY SPEAK FRENCH
0:31:08 > 0:31:12Once again, I'm happy again to see so many women of all ages at work.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35THEY SING IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:31:35 > 0:31:38The women are racing against the sun.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40They have to complete their picking before it gets too high,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42so I'd better get stuck in and help.
0:31:44 > 0:31:45My fellow pickers are Berbers,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49descendants of the pre-Arab population of Morocco.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54They're paid 100 dirhams, or about £8, for the day.
0:31:54 > 0:31:59It's not much but, in this area, every dirham counts.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Madame here is 90 years old. She's picking faster than me.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06She's making me look really bad. Right. I'm going to catch up.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04THEY CONTINUE SINGING
0:33:04 > 0:33:06I'm loving this. Really am.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09You know, for any chef,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13or a lover of food, to have this opportunity...
0:33:13 > 0:33:14Listen to that!
0:33:14 > 0:33:17..and to see it and to really...
0:33:17 > 0:33:18SHE SNIFFS
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Oh, this is heaven.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23With the sun up and the flowers picked,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26we're off to a shady spot to separate the saffron stigmas
0:33:26 > 0:33:27from the rest of the flowers.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32The finished product sells for £8 per gram,
0:33:32 > 0:33:33even in Morocco,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36making it literally worth its weight in gold.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39It's labour-intensive.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42For one gram of saffron...
0:33:42 > 0:33:47200 of these for one gram.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50You can see why it's so expensive.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54But you have the Royal Mansour Hotel,
0:33:54 > 0:33:59who can afford to buy this saffron in abundance.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02As long as the hotel is there,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06it's actually a bit of a support network, you know.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09It's actually providing the jobs for these amazing people.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21In Le Jardin, the new garden development,
0:34:21 > 0:34:23there's a final push ahead of the opening.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27The pool has been filled and filtered
0:34:27 > 0:34:29and the last of the trees are being planted.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34The finishing touches are being given to the pavilions
0:34:34 > 0:34:37and to the new alfresco bar and restaurant.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39But architecture alone
0:34:39 > 0:34:42won't transform the atmosphere of the Royal Mansour.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45For that, the staff need to change their attitude and approach.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Restaurant manager Julien is overseeing the retraining.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:34:53 > 0:34:55We have a lot of team members.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57They have been here for over six years now,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01and they have a really strict sense of protocol.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05And it was perfect for the French fine-dining restaurants,
0:35:05 > 0:35:09but with this place we have to make them more relaxed, you know?
0:35:10 > 0:35:12To help create the more relaxed vibe,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14jackets and ties have been ditched
0:35:14 > 0:35:16in favour of polo shirts, chinos and loafers.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21We wanted a different kind of service,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23so we have to train the team
0:35:23 > 0:35:25to keep the quality but to change the attitude.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27It's really new for us, you know.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30With a lot of people around the swimming pool
0:35:30 > 0:35:32and the restaurant, I hope to create this...
0:35:32 > 0:35:33You know, how do you say?
0:35:33 > 0:35:36..the beating heart of the Royal Mansour, you know?
0:35:36 > 0:35:38But we need time, of course.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42In a rare moment away from the hotel,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45manager Jean-Claude is headed for the hills.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Well, the Atlas Mountains, to be precise.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50He's been invited to sample a restaurant
0:35:50 > 0:35:51for guest excursions,
0:35:51 > 0:35:53and he's brought me along for the ride.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55You see the snow on the mountains?
0:35:55 > 0:35:59On the other side you have a ski resort.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Some of the butlers, actually, were brought up here,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08either in Imlil or in Asni.
0:36:08 > 0:36:15Those villages now are only filled with kids, women, grandparents.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19All the men have gone to town to work.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Let's go.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31That's my favourite place.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33I come with my guide Hamid,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36and we get dropped here and then we cycle
0:36:36 > 0:36:38all the way back down to Marrakech.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40It's fantastic.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42So, you like to get away from luxury, then,
0:36:42 > 0:36:43in your private life?
0:36:43 > 0:36:48If I have the choice between Michelin three-star lunch...
0:36:49 > 0:36:54..and a very rustic picnic, simple lunch,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57I'll go for the rustic one.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59You know, it's so luxurious at the Royal Mansour.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01I wonder if the guests need to be brought out
0:37:01 > 0:37:03and shown a bit of real life.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Interesting pattern within the guests.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09On day one on arrival, they don't want to leave the hotel.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14Day two, that's when they go out and visit Marrakech itself.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19And then day three, they want to get out of Marrakech,
0:37:19 > 0:37:23they want to see proper Morocco, so we will take them here.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25You see, we just follow this road
0:37:25 > 0:37:28and we will end up in that village over there.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Despite economic progress,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Morocco's rural areas still suffer from high unemployment,
0:37:35 > 0:37:36poverty and illiteracy,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39something Jean-Claude is all too aware of.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43You know, I've run hotels in Paris and in London,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46and it's a completely different ballgame, you know.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47You run the hotel,
0:37:47 > 0:37:49you go home or your staff will go home, and that's it.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51- You forget about it.- Mm-hm.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Here, you have a complete social responsibility.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57Often, the salary will give them,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00that salary provides for the full family -
0:38:00 > 0:38:03for the kids, parents, grandparents.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- In villages out here, presumably? - Exactly.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Our lunch stop, the Kasbah Du Toubkal,
0:38:10 > 0:38:14is managed by local Berber people and offers traditional cuisine.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18It doesn't promise luxury,
0:38:18 > 0:38:20but a rustic experience could be just the ticket
0:38:20 > 0:38:23after a few days at the Royal Mansour.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26If you brought your guests out here, would they be happy eating this?
0:38:26 > 0:38:27Would this be too rustic, or...?
0:38:27 > 0:38:31I think there'd be very happy to come here.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36It's not too far, convenient, great view, good food, nice people.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38- No wine.- No wine.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41But, I mean, otherwise, we've done pretty well.
0:38:41 > 0:38:42We've got as far as the mint tea
0:38:42 > 0:38:45when a call from the Royal Palace comes in.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47PHONE RINGS
0:38:47 > 0:38:50HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:38:56 > 0:38:58I need to go. I've just been called in.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02- Oh, so sorry. - So, see you later.- OK, fair enough.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03Thanks for a good day.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Well, that was nice while it lasted.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09That's basically as long as you're going to get with Jean-Claude.
0:39:09 > 0:39:10We hadn't had dessert yet,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13but he got a phone call from the owner,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15who is unexpectedly coming in for lunch.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17And when I say the owner, it's actually "Mrs Owner" -
0:39:17 > 0:39:20possibly even more of a panic than "Mr Owner" -
0:39:20 > 0:39:22has arrived for lunch at the Royal Mansour,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25and she can't possibly be served without him being there,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27so he's run off to see to it that she is served
0:39:27 > 0:39:29in the way in which he thinks is fitting.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32And that's just how it rolls with the Royal Mansour.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37And there won't be many more opportunities
0:39:37 > 0:39:40for a tete-a-tete with Jean-Claude.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43The Royal Mansour is gearing up for a succession of VIP arrivals
0:39:43 > 0:39:45for the impending UN conference.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50During a quick break in the canteen, where lunch is free for staff,
0:39:50 > 0:39:55Mohammed explains where he gets his incredible work ethic from.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58When I was young, my mother used to teach me to keep myself clean,
0:39:58 > 0:40:00keep my place clean,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03and I used to take care of my sisters and the brothers.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06- When your mother went out to work? - Yes.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08And so you took care of them and you cleaned the whole house?
0:40:08 > 0:40:12- Yes.- At what age? - Six years old, five.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Five or six years old you cleaned the whole house?
0:40:14 > 0:40:16Yeah, because I used to do that before I went to school,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19and then I went to school at the age of seven.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21- PHONE RINGS - Mohammed.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22Oui.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Someone needs his socks folded.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33Possibly just his shoes polished or a biscuit put into his mouth
0:40:33 > 0:40:35because he's too busy to do it himself.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38- Giles...- Mm-hm?
0:40:38 > 0:40:39- Have to go?- Yeah, we've got to go.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Although it looks perfectly tranquil above ground,
0:40:42 > 0:40:44the hotel is at its busiest.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47The Royal Mansour is at full occupancy,
0:40:47 > 0:40:49meaning Mohammed has very little downtime.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51That's a very fast walk you've got there.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53Yes, we have to hurry up.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Right now, he's been asked to prepare a riad for an arrival.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58- Shall we take the polythene off? - Yes, please.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01We've only just started when Mohammed receives another call.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Oui.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09We were just about to prepare the white riad for the guest.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11We had the minibar trolley all ready.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13A call's just come through
0:41:13 > 0:41:15that Mohammed forgot to clean the chimney.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- I don't feel we're exactly dressed for chimney cleaning.- Giles...- Yeah?
0:41:23 > 0:41:26I think I'm in trouble. I forgot to clean the chimney.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29- I heard on the phone. Shall we go and do it?- Please.
0:41:29 > 0:41:30Even in emergencies like this,
0:41:30 > 0:41:33it's important to remember the protocols.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37For a butler, there's to be no walking on the carpet.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44So, this chimney is not going to clean itself.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54- Would you like to do it? - Yeah, of course.- Please.
0:41:54 > 0:41:55Absolutely.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57No, sweep it...
0:41:57 > 0:42:00- Oh, the other way?- Yes.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04- Let me just do some...some finishing.- What?
0:42:04 > 0:42:06- You're going to finish it off?- Yes.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08He's not happy with the job I've done.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Just got to finish it off.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16- Do you ever rest?- Yes, I do, when I can.- You do?- When I can.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19When did you last have a full night's sleep?
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- I don't remember.- Really?- Yes.
0:42:22 > 0:42:28For this week, I have two or three to four hours' sleep.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Really? Why?
0:42:30 > 0:42:32What do people need in the middle of the night?
0:42:32 > 0:42:33Why are you so busy?
0:42:33 > 0:42:35There is one thing you need to know.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38Even after the guests go to bed,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41there is still some work to do before I go.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46Do you think your work ever suffers because you're too tired?
0:42:46 > 0:42:48No, actually, I enjoy it.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Does it remind you of when you were a child
0:42:50 > 0:42:52and your mother wanted you to clean the house?
0:42:52 > 0:42:54I always remember these feelings.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56When I see my mother,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58I was always telling her,
0:42:58 > 0:43:02"When I will be older, I will work and bring you money."
0:43:02 > 0:43:04And is that why you work so hard?
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Well, I work so hard because I have to work so hard,
0:43:07 > 0:43:09everyone has to work so hard.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16BIRDS CHIRP
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Well, I'm exhausted after just a few hours
0:43:19 > 0:43:21of, frankly, only really tailing Mohammed,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23and I can't imagine what it would be like.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25The man has not slept for three weeks, properly.
0:43:25 > 0:43:26He has two hours' sleep, three hours' sleep
0:43:26 > 0:43:29because people want their laundry done at three in the morning
0:43:29 > 0:43:31or they've run out of Haribos or need their fire lit.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34It was a bit of a mystery to me about why Mohammed would want to do that,
0:43:34 > 0:43:38but then you see he took a genuine pride in keeping his home clean
0:43:38 > 0:43:40cos his mum had to go at the crack of dawn
0:43:40 > 0:43:43to go and get water, his dad was out working, you know.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46That was the thing that sort of made him, was the hard work.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49I hope the squillionaire plutocrats he's working for
0:43:49 > 0:43:53appreciate that when he waits on them hand and foot.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59I've been impressed with the dedication of all the staff.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01For me, this is particularly evident
0:44:01 > 0:44:04among the chefs in the Moroccan kitchen.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08Today, I'm joining chefs Fatima and Dalila
0:44:08 > 0:44:10on a shopping expedition to the souk.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14It's where Moroccan housewives buy their spices
0:44:14 > 0:44:16and, as the hotel appreciates, they know best.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31Moroccan cuisine is famous for its use of spices.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34This stems back hundreds of years to Morocco's position
0:44:34 > 0:44:38on the spice route from Asia to the Middle East and Europe.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46The Moroccans' favourite spices add flavour and colour,
0:44:46 > 0:44:48rather than heat,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51and include cumin, turmeric, dried ginger and paprika.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54They also use dried herbs and flowers.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57Traditionally, spice shop owners
0:44:57 > 0:44:59would have their own mix of spices called the ras el hanout,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02meaning the head of the shop - the best in stock.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05And what's amazing is, so I take it and the monsieur
0:45:05 > 0:45:10is going to grind me fresh ras el hanout powder ready to go.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14'The secret blend can combine all manner of spices.'
0:45:14 > 0:45:16SHE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:45:18 > 0:45:20Today, ras el hanout is the common name
0:45:20 > 0:45:23for the quintessentially Moroccan blend.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Look what I got!
0:45:27 > 0:45:29I'm so happy.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32Fresh ras el hanout. It's still warm.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37It's just a short walk back to the hotel.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39Dalila and Fatima are going to show me
0:45:39 > 0:45:42how the Royal Mansour has elevated a housewives' favourite,
0:45:42 > 0:45:46pigeon pastilla, into an upmarket signature dish.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Oui.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53'It's a savoury pie using filo pastry
0:45:53 > 0:45:56'and more butter than I could possibly imagine.'
0:45:56 > 0:46:02I have never used this much butter in one dish.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05'Dalila's been stewing the wood pigeon
0:46:05 > 0:46:09'with our ras el hanout spices, and, of course, saffron.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13'Moroccan cuisine combines flavour in a very distinctive way,
0:46:13 > 0:46:15'so inside the filo pastry case
0:46:15 > 0:46:18'dry spiced scrambled egg is combined
0:46:18 > 0:46:20'with our gamey pigeon meat,
0:46:20 > 0:46:23'followed by a layer of ground spiced almonds.'
0:46:23 > 0:46:25I mean, my senses have just been set on fire
0:46:25 > 0:46:28with the spices that are going into this dish.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32More butter. Yes, very good.
0:46:32 > 0:46:33'Why bother with the brush?
0:46:33 > 0:46:36'Let's just pour it in and use our hands.'
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Oh, my word!
0:46:38 > 0:46:40'Even after baking,
0:46:40 > 0:46:42'the distinctiveness of Moroccan cuisine
0:46:42 > 0:46:44'is very apparent.
0:46:44 > 0:46:45'They certainly have a sweet tooth.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47'Look at the amount of icing sugar
0:46:47 > 0:46:50'being dusted on what is, essentially, a savoury dish.'
0:46:50 > 0:46:51I've had to film it because
0:46:51 > 0:46:54people won't believe how much sugar has gone into this pastilla.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59I can't wait to try it. Giles is missing out.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04THEY SPEAK FRENCH
0:47:17 > 0:47:18Mm...!
0:47:18 > 0:47:20That is incredible.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25I'm very honoured to be taught by the masters
0:47:25 > 0:47:28of pastilla here in this very kitchen.
0:47:28 > 0:47:29And this is how they eat it.
0:47:29 > 0:47:30The whole family sit down
0:47:30 > 0:47:33and everyone gets in with their hands,
0:47:33 > 0:47:36and you just take a bit of the pastilla and drink your tea with it.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39What a wonderful way to enjoy such a dish.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47Since Mohammed told me about his upbringing,
0:47:47 > 0:47:48I'm beginning to understand what gives him
0:47:48 > 0:47:50his incredible motivation,
0:47:50 > 0:47:54and now I have a chance to see where he grew up.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57He's invited me to join him on his day off
0:47:57 > 0:47:59at his family's Berber village home
0:47:59 > 0:48:01around an hour's drive from Marrakech.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05But first, I need to stop off in a nearby town to buy a gift.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14- And this is 200?- Yes. - THEY SPEAK FRENCH
0:48:14 > 0:48:16Perfect. It might look like quite a strange present
0:48:16 > 0:48:18to take round to someone's house for dinner,
0:48:18 > 0:48:20a massive piece of meat, but I've asked around
0:48:20 > 0:48:22and people said that's the thing Mohammed's family
0:48:22 > 0:48:24would like the best.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26So I've gone for side of lamb, a leg and most of the ribcage.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29The more I think about it, the more I think, "What a great present."
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Instead of a rubbish old bottle of wine, flowers or stinky chocolate,
0:48:32 > 0:48:35imagine a side of meat with the organs still attached.
0:48:35 > 0:48:36Excellent present.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Like many hotel staff, Mohammed moved to Marrakech for work,
0:48:40 > 0:48:44but he always tries to return to his home village on a day off.
0:48:45 > 0:48:46It's Mohammed in civvies.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49- Hi.- Hi.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53- How are you?- I'm all right. - Welcome.- Thank you very much.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55You look different now. You look happier.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57Because I'm visiting my family.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01And this is the village where you were born?
0:49:01 > 0:49:03Yes, this is the village.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05'And the house, it turns out.'
0:49:20 > 0:49:22Mohammed is the eldest of 11 children,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25some of whom still live in the family home.
0:49:25 > 0:49:30His father is 88 years old and spent his working life as a farm labourer.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33- My father.- Hello.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38Conversation will be limited as most of his family speak only Berber.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41Mohammed speaks Berber, Arabic, French and English.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48GILES SPEAKS FRENCH
0:49:51 > 0:49:53- He's saying thank you. - You're very welcome, indeed.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57What an amazing view.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01Although this old house looks superficially unchanged,
0:50:01 > 0:50:05there are plenty of signs that Mohammed's family enjoy a better lifestyle
0:50:05 > 0:50:07than the one he grew up with.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12And his mother no longer has to make the daily trek for water.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16They are now connected to the mains and to electricity.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20It's clear who's behind these improved circumstances.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23This is a luxury life for my family now,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26comparing it to what it used to be.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28I will tell you,
0:50:28 > 0:50:33there were days where we had old bread.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Dried bread.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41But my mother used to keep, when there is a piece of that left,
0:50:41 > 0:50:45she doesn't throw it, she will keep it.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47She will save it for the future.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50When there is nothing to eat, she will bring that bread.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55We'll soak it in water and we'll eat it.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57And they don't have to do that now?
0:50:57 > 0:51:00No. No.
0:51:03 > 0:51:04- Thanks to you.- Thanks to God.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06- Thanks to God.- To Allah.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Do they know where you work now?
0:51:11 > 0:51:14- They do.- Have they seen pictures? Have they seen photographs?
0:51:14 > 0:51:17I have showed them pictures, but I am sure they don't remember.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19It's just interesting because at the hotel
0:51:19 > 0:51:23they think it's such a big deal, and your parents don't care.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25They don't care about sophisticated life.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27They care about their children.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31What I am worried about is we go back to the hotel
0:51:31 > 0:51:34and I can't have you waiting on me hand and foot,
0:51:34 > 0:51:36I can't have you serving me.
0:51:36 > 0:51:37Why not?
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Because that sort of...
0:51:40 > 0:51:42that skin is broken between where we...
0:51:42 > 0:51:44You know, we're real people and...
0:51:44 > 0:51:47Listen to me, there is a saying in Arabic.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49HE SPEAKS ARABIC
0:51:49 > 0:51:52The master of the people is the one who is serving them,
0:51:52 > 0:51:54is the one who serves them.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58So I never feel any shame. I never feel any inferiority...
0:51:58 > 0:52:02- No, no, no. - ..to serve or do any kind of work.
0:52:11 > 0:52:12I have left them still eating.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16It was an amazing thing to see the house that he was born in,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19the 100-year-old house that his father inherited from his father.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21An amazing lack of resent.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24He doesn't care the hotel keeps him away, Mohammed,
0:52:24 > 0:52:25and then he gets back so infrequently,
0:52:25 > 0:52:27but when he is, he's still happy.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29He harbours no ill will, the idea of service...
0:52:29 > 0:52:32His parents couldn't care less where he works. They don't know.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35I asked them, they couldn't even remember the name of the hotel.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38It seems to me that, for them, this is old Morocco
0:52:38 > 0:52:42and that's their life and he goes from here to new Morocco in the city
0:52:42 > 0:52:44and he works and he provides for them with a better life.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48He is the deuxieme pere, the second father for the kids.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51He looks after everyone. It's all thanks to the hotel.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54As I head back to the city,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57it is with the real sense of there being two Moroccos.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07And with the arrival of the UN conference on climate change,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11it is the new Morocco that is being shown off to the world.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15Nearly 200 nations have sent representatives for negotiations.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20It's exactly the kind of showcase to the world
0:53:20 > 0:53:22that the hotel tries to embody.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26With the Royal Mansour hosting six heads of state,
0:53:26 > 0:53:30finishing the construction on time for Le Jardin to open was crucial.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45This hotel was lacking possibly a little bit of emotion.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48I'm sure the garden and the pool
0:53:48 > 0:53:50will help us tremendously to give that extra bit
0:53:50 > 0:53:52we were possibly lacking.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59Now you have spaces, you have this magnificent garden.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02It has to grow a bit, but maybe in six months,
0:54:02 > 0:54:03one year, it is going to be perfect.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06But we needed some breath,
0:54:06 > 0:54:11to breathe some fresh air, so now I think we have got it.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17Manager Jean-Claude has invited all the hotel's 500 staff,
0:54:17 > 0:54:21many of whom spend most of their time underground, to a launch party.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25They are celebrating a new chapter
0:54:25 > 0:54:28in the hotel's life and a new approach to service.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00The pressure was on to open this week on time for this
0:55:00 > 0:55:01big global conference.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05The first very important guest is arriving today
0:55:05 > 0:55:08and for the next few days it's going to be crammed
0:55:08 > 0:55:13with heads of state, presidents,
0:55:13 > 0:55:18so it was important to be open today, and we have made it.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27No stress.
0:55:27 > 0:55:28Oh, a little bit of stress.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49It looks like it's time for us to make ourselves scarce.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51CHAMPAGNE CORK POPS
0:55:51 > 0:55:53So we're beginning a gentle transition
0:55:53 > 0:55:57back into butler-free life by serving our own champagne.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00At least we're drinking!
0:56:04 > 0:56:07This for me has been, you know,
0:56:07 > 0:56:10an extraordinary experience, it really has.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14You know what it's felt most like to me as an overall experience?
0:56:14 > 0:56:17It's as if I was a sort of distant, distant, distant
0:56:17 > 0:56:19relative of the king of some crazy land
0:56:19 > 0:56:21and he invited me to come and stay
0:56:21 > 0:56:23and I got here and there was nobody here.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26And I was allowed to run around the giant imperial palace
0:56:26 > 0:56:27all on my own.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30It is quite amazing, you know, knowing that underneath all this
0:56:30 > 0:56:32there's 500 people working away
0:56:32 > 0:56:36to make it run, and the fact that when we walk around the riad,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39if there's room service, or a housekeeper around,
0:56:39 > 0:56:40as soon as they hear you, they disappear.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Is that a flaw or is that a benefit?
0:56:42 > 0:56:43This is the place...
0:56:43 > 0:56:46You know, by royal decree, this place was built for the king.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48So this is what a king wants,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51to never have to look a servant in the eye
0:56:51 > 0:56:52and they walk away backwards and...
0:56:52 > 0:56:55Then, when you have people like us, would we want that?
0:56:55 > 0:56:57Would we want the silence and emptiness?
0:56:57 > 0:57:01Maybe not, but the global political elite descending on this place
0:57:01 > 0:57:02certainly do.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06And if the new garden can bring that missing vibe,
0:57:06 > 0:57:08that beating heart,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11then the Royal Mansour will finally have completed its transition
0:57:11 > 0:57:15from palace annexe to international super hotel.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18But there's one great thing which
0:57:18 > 0:57:21I've really appreciated about being here
0:57:21 > 0:57:23and my time with the staff,
0:57:23 > 0:57:25is the detail.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29If this was your house, would you light all these candles?
0:57:29 > 0:57:30Yes, I would.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Well, actually, no. My butler would!
0:57:32 > 0:57:35Your butler would light all the candles.