BBC’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby came to Kasbah Tamadot and the first episode of season 5 kicked off with our award-winning Moroccan retreat.
Known for going behind the scenes of the world’s most extraordinary hotels, this hugely popular international travel show features Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder this season, who joined the wonderful team at Kasbah Tamadot to learn first-hand, what it takes to deliver once-in-a-lifetime experiences in the Atlas Mountains. Together they both uncovered the beauty of the Berber culture, highlighting some of the heart-warming stories of its community and the depth of work that has gone into the surrounding villages that makes the hotel what it is today.
Sir Richard Branson also made a star appearance in the show alongside Rob and Monica, sharing why he bought the hotel, how much it means to him and how the Eve Branson Foundation which was set up by his late mother, has created opportunities for local people in the High Atlas Mountains to make a meaningful difference to their families and community.
We asked a few members of our team how they felt about the whole experience. This is what they had to say:
David Assabbab, General Manager
“It was such an honour to be part of the BBC’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby and we couldn’t have asked for an even better duo in Monica and Rob to join our team and get hands on in creating incredible experiences for our guests.
The show gave us the opportunity to showcase the hotel’s unique Berber hospitality and spectacular views of the Atlas Mountains. Our team were also thrilled to share their knowledge of Berber culture and traditions as well as the history of the hotel.
The BBC crew really worked hard to capture the essence of the hotel and gave our team the chance to be involved in the filming process, teaching them how to set up shots, work with actors and edit footage. Our team had a lot of fun during the shoots, especially because they got to meet celebrities and learn what goes into making a television show. Even our guests were very excited to have Monica, Rob and the crew there and were happy to help out or be a part of the show, which was greatly appreciated.
There are many special moments and different aspects of Berber culture that we filmed during the show and I was so excited to watch the whole episode.”
Mohammed Oussouka, Animal Keeper
“It was a great pleasure to have the BBC’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby crew join us in the Atlas Mountains. The whole experience was wonderful and really shows off the beauty of our culture. I was thrilled to take part in the show as were our guests, who were all particularly happy to meet Sir Richard Branson, Monica and Rob in person.
My personal favourite moment during the filming was trying to teach Rob how to grind coffee in my home in the traditional way. I am very happy that he’s learnt how to make the perfect cup of Moroccan coffee.”