The Hostelz.com Review
The Marrakech Hostel (formerly called the Malibu Hostel) is a bit of a hodgepodge of different rooms of different standards. The basic dorm rooms are small and cramped. Linen is provided and towels but that's about all. There are no free facilities and it has much more of a hotel vibe than a hostel one. The hostel has expensive pay internet kiosks for 12 cents per minute. There is no kitchen, laundry or common areas. There is not even an area to sit down anywhere in the building other than on your bed. They are, however, in the process of renovating and perhaps in the future there will be more hostel facilities. Hopefully they will also renovate the bathrooms that are a bit run down and lack essentials like a place to put your towel and clothes and have no toilet paper holders. The bathrooms also leave a bit to be desired in the cleanliness department. They don't clean the shared bathrooms everyday, no matter how big the hairballs get, how blocked the drains are or how slimy the floor gets. So they can get quite nasty.
The whole place could do with a bit of a spring clean. It is a little untidy and the general day to day cleaning seems ok when they do it, but it's questionable as to whether they change the sheets between every guest if they still look clean. It's not a horrible place and by New York City standards it's not too bad. Especially considering it's cheaper than most NYC hostels. But it's not fantastic either. Essentially it's a half decent place to crash and that's it. Oh, as long as you don't mind sharing your room with a mouse or two.
The staff are friendly. There are laundries near by and plenty of places to get food as it's a residential area. It feels quite safe around there too. It is quite far from most places tourists would want to see but New York is so big you would most likely have to get public transport around anyway. Due to the lack of common areas and facilities it would not be a good choice for someone hoping to meet people. Don't let the "daily maid service" sway your decision to stay here as all that means is that everyday they un-make your bed and fold up your bedding (but don't change it) and take your towel and don't replace it. When you leave expect to pay $2 if you want to store your bag there for the day after you check out.
This place is not too hard to find if you have a map and a little knowledge of how the streets are numbered in New York. It's on the Upper West Side and is on the corner of 103rd street and Broadway. From the Port Authority bus station take the subway to 103rd street station or take bus # M104 up Broadway. The subway is faster but the bus is more interesting. It can be hard to find the bus stop though and the "information" booths in the bus station are useless. They way to find the bus stop for the M104 from inside the bus station is to exit the 42nd street exit, turn right and walk to the corner (42nd and 8th) and the bus stop is on the diagonally opposite corner. Pay attention to the street numbers and get off the bus when you get to 103rd.
The whole place could do with a bit of a spring clean. It is a little untidy and the general day to day cleaning seems ok when they do it, but it's questionable as to whether they change the sheets between every guest if they still look clean. It's not a horrible place and by New York City standards it's not too bad. Especially considering it's cheaper than most NYC hostels. But it's not fantastic either. Essentially it's a half decent place to crash and that's it. Oh, as long as you don't mind sharing your room with a mouse or two.
The staff are friendly. There are laundries near by and plenty of places to get food as it's a residential area. It feels quite safe around there too. It is quite far from most places tourists would want to see but New York is so big you would most likely have to get public transport around anyway. Due to the lack of common areas and facilities it would not be a good choice for someone hoping to meet people. Don't let the "daily maid service" sway your decision to stay here as all that means is that everyday they un-make your bed and fold up your bedding (but don't change it) and take your towel and don't replace it. When you leave expect to pay $2 if you want to store your bag there for the day after you check out.
This place is not too hard to find if you have a map and a little knowledge of how the streets are numbered in New York. It's on the Upper West Side and is on the corner of 103rd street and Broadway. From the Port Authority bus station take the subway to 103rd street station or take bus # M104 up Broadway. The subway is faster but the bus is more interesting. It can be hard to find the bus stop though and the "information" booths in the bus station are useless. They way to find the bus stop for the M104 from inside the bus station is to exit the 42nd street exit, turn right and walk to the corner (42nd and 8th) and the bus stop is on the diagonally opposite corner. Pay attention to the street numbers and get off the bus when you get to 103rd.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
March 2006
Their Description
New York City, New York Hotels - Experience the pageantry, color, and welcoming allure of Morocco hotels - in one of New York Manhattan's trendiest emerging neighborhoods. Situated on the Manhattan, New York City Upper West Side, the Marrakech Hotel boasts a chic design, newly renovated NYC hotel accommodations, and a fantastic location in beautiful New York City, New York, all at an attractive price.
Finding an affordable New York City Upper West Side NYC hotel has never been easier! Step into our vibrant NYC hotel lobby, filled with ceramic tiling, authentic Moroccan lamps, and colorful ottomans and tables - ideal for relaxing by yourself or hanging out with friends. Spread out in comfortable, exotically designed NYC hotel guest rooms. And once you've unpacked, explore the wonders of the Big Apple. The NYC subway is directly outside the hotel, just a short ride to New York downtown attractions such as New York City Times Square and NYC Fifth Avenue.
Choose from our New York Hotels - Our stylish hotel in New York City showcases the vibrancy and allure of Morocco hotels in one of New York, New York hotels trendiest emerging neighborhoods. Adventurous travelers will love this unique hotel choice among New York Upper West Side hotels, in a captivating setting:
- Our NYC Hotel is located on New York Manhattan's Upper West Side, one of the city's trendiest neighborhoods
- Our unique and affordable hotel is situated near New York Central Park, Columbia University, and some of New York's most famous jazz bars
- The Hotel is within walking distance to countless attractions, stores, restaurants, and night spots
- Directly outside the hotel is No. 1 subway station
Finding an affordable New York City Upper West Side NYC hotel has never been easier! Step into our vibrant NYC hotel lobby, filled with ceramic tiling, authentic Moroccan lamps, and colorful ottomans and tables - ideal for relaxing by yourself or hanging out with friends. Spread out in comfortable, exotically designed NYC hotel guest rooms. And once you've unpacked, explore the wonders of the Big Apple. The NYC subway is directly outside the hotel, just a short ride to New York downtown attractions such as New York City Times Square and NYC Fifth Avenue.
Choose from our New York Hotels - Our stylish hotel in New York City showcases the vibrancy and allure of Morocco hotels in one of New York, New York hotels trendiest emerging neighborhoods. Adventurous travelers will love this unique hotel choice among New York Upper West Side hotels, in a captivating setting:
- Our NYC Hotel is located on New York Manhattan's Upper West Side, one of the city's trendiest neighborhoods
- Our unique and affordable hotel is situated near New York Central Park, Columbia University, and some of New York's most famous jazz bars
- The Hotel is within walking distance to countless attractions, stores, restaurants, and night spots
- Directly outside the hotel is No. 1 subway station
Marrakech Hotel NYC Details
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Marrakech Hotel NYC Reviews from the Web
location is not perfect, but very close to the red line (1) of New York Metro
— Customer review (2012-05-01)
Hostelbookers
The Marrakesh is unique and not just trying to be trendy. the staff are friendly and the vibe is relaxed and very international. The location is convenient if you want to be on the upper west side and there are many reasons to. Lots of interesting places to eat around, convenient to public transport and parks, safe neighborhood with character.
— James O'Hanlon (2012-04-28)
Hostelbookers
The hotel was well located in New York with the subway being right outside (15 mins to Times Square and cost $2). This hotel is more of a base for travellers but with some class added to it. You get free wireless in the lobby and if you're lucky it works in the room. If that doesn't work there's a Starbucks right below where you'll get some too. We stayed in a 4 bed quad room and the room was a little small, as was the bathroom but did the job for what we wanted.
— Customer review (2012-04-09)
Hostelbookers
The are of the location, the hospitality, and the beds.
— Alpha Serry (2012-02-28)
Hostelbookers
Clean, safe environment with everything that you need in the room.
— Customer review (2012-02-24)
Hostelbookers
It was close to the subway!! Right outside the door, and the staff friendly!
— Kyli Carpenter (2012-02-21)
Hostelbookers
I was impressed by my private room for the price I paid. what a bargain !! quiet, good location near red line subway, some nice restaurants and places to take breakfast.
Sure it's one of the best deal in NY !
— Pierre-Jean, France (2006-05-15)
Hostelsclub
The hostel is great and the position is excellent, exactly on the subway exit. The rooms are very clean and the staff is available to support you for any needing. The only negative point is that there is no elevator and there are a lot of stairs so if you have heavy luggages think about it.
— Franco, Italy (2005-11-23)
Hostelsclub
cheap hotel, but needs renovation. rooms are good!
— Rebekka, Norway (2005-11-16)
Hostelsclub
In a good location (subway outside to go downtown). Very clean just needed a common area and kitchen facilities. Matress just OK. Would stay there again.
— Matthew, Australia (2005-08-23)
Hostelsclub
Very clean, saffe area, good location.We loved New york!!
— Filippo, Italy (2005-06-04)
Hostelsclub
is not very near from all turistics attractions, but is situated near subways, restaurants and other usefull places.
— vania, Mexico (2005-05-31)
Hostelsclub
The room was very clean,the hostel is in excellent location, good staff i'll definitely return here....
— Sharyn, Australia (2005-05-30)
Hostelsclub
Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Not bad, not great either This was actually not too bad of a place. I had a bad impression of the place. However when I got there, I decided to stay. It seemed to have a bit more character than the hostel one block over, and the staff was real friendly. I stayed in a four-bed dorm room, and it was fine. There was only one bathroom on the floor, but it didn't seem to be a problem. — Sru , US (2007-06-25) This is the worst hotel we have ever stayed in! We arrived in mid-December and were put in an unheated room. When we complained, the front desk kept insisting that the heat was on. Finally, we were told nothing could be done because it was out of hours. We were given a couple of blankets. The following morning other people on our corridor said they had also had no heat. Two days later we were transferred to a smaller, more basic room on the pretext that the corridor was going to be painted. We spent the next seven nights in a tiny room with no closet, no hanging space, no drawers, no hairdryer, and no phone. We had to live out of our suitcases. We were directly under a heating or ventilation duct which made a loud noise and kept us awake all night. The water was often lukewarm, but on the day before Christmas it was ice cold. When we complained, we were told that there were boiler problems and that we were "about the fourth people" to complain. In the meantime another person was complaining that his room had no heat! All our complaints were met with rude indifference by the front desk staff. The bar was supposed to close at half past midnight but when we tried to order drinks at midnight one night, we were told disapprovingly that the bar was closed and that it was "very late." When we pointed out that closing time was half past midnight, we were informed that this depended on how many customers there were. When we checked out we requested a partial refund for the lack of heating and hot water. We were simply blanked out and told that no refund had been authorised. In summary, stay at this dump at your peril! — Melissa (2007-01-03) Not the nicest hostel in the world, the private rooms were very basic and a bit dark and dingy. As someone before me said, they have bedbugs, I had just spent the summer at camp in Virginia and thought that I wouldn't get bitten in NYC but I did. Also, when I booked the hostel it was under the name Marabou and the night we arrived it was raining really heavily, the tail end of a hurricane and here we were walking up and down in an unfamiliar place because we couldn't find our hotel. They hadn't notified me of the name change. After about 15 mins of walking in the pouring rain I had to go into a shop and ask where to go, that was when I was pointed to the Marrakech. It was also quite far out of the touristy part of the city, was about 8ish subway stops from times square. — Lynsay(from Scotland) (2006-10-07) I stayed at this bed bug infested hotel for a couple of nights a week for three weeks and could not figure out why I was getting a horrible rash until I had a severe allergic reaction. Come to find out that the bugs I thought were ticks were bed bugs and they were attacking me at night while I was sleeping!!!! I asked the hotel for my money back at the very least, and they were extremely rude! Considering I could have died from the allergic reaction I thought giving me my money back was the least they could do!!!! Well, I still have bumps AND SCARS !!!! I still havent received any money back,and not even an apology. Unless you like having blood sucking bed bugs attacking you in your sleep and having a severely burning itchy rash for weeks that is very unsightly, I would not go anywhere near this hotel. Oh yeah the 5 visits to the emergency room and dermatologist,so far, have not been fun either. Newvermind how much this has all cost. Way more than the price of the room!!!! The staff is also very inconsiderate and rude! Hopefully I did not bring any bed bugs back to my home. — JK (2006-05-29) I really do not recommend this hostel. I booked a reservation for a four bedroom, all female room and got a totally different room without any explanation. The rooms were really small, very dim, and the bathrooms were quite dirty. The one bathroom I had on my floor did not have a working toilet so I had to use one on another floor. The rooms did not smell very nice either. I didn't think the staff was very helpful or friendly. And though the location is nice and the hostel is extremely cheap, I would rather spend a little bit more money and go to a place with better, more reliable service. — Cindy (2006-05-03) I made a reservation over the phone a month in advance and it was lost in the system! So we arrived at about eight p.m. and I had a confirmation number and everything, but the girl at the desk said we weren't in the system, so after about twenty minutes of back-and-forth, she "accommodated" us in smaller rooms so that my party (five women, none familiar with NYC) had to split up. It was very aggravating after a long day of traveling. Also, there were no clean towels either day of our stay, although linens and towels were included in the price -- so we used bed sheets (clean but not absorbent!). I will not be coming back, and I will advise friends and colleagues to look elsewhere. — Marie (2006-04-30)