Its name alone is enough to seduce the traveler. Not to mention the architectural beauty of the building. Located opposite the United Nations Square and close to the old Medina, the Excelsior Hotel is built in the purest neo-Moorish spirit of the colonial era. Round arches and green tiles borrowed from the Moorish style make up the exterior of the building, while inside, you can still admire the traditional earthenware tiles, also typical of Moorish architecture.
One of Casablanca's most sought-after hotels, the Hôtel Excelsior was built between 1916 and 1918 by Hyppolite Joseph Delaporte, one of the most important architects of the era. It was one of the very first hotels to be built outside the walls of the old Medina. As Casablanca boomed, the hotel's brasserie became the go-to place for businessmen, whether residents of the Maison Blanche or just passing through. A focal point for newcomers to Morocco who had also come to try their luck, the Hôtel Excelsior was, in a way, a rear base for these aspiring entrepreneurs in search of adventure and fortune. The writer Claude Farrère evokes this period of excitement and dynamism in his novel Les Hommes nouveaux, noting that "the stock market, finance, and trade meetings took place exclusively in the four cafés surrounding it."
Famous figures have stayed at the Hotel Excelsior, including the famous French aviator and father of the famous Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The painter Jacques Majorelle held his first exhibition in Morocco, "First Moroccan Visions," in the hotel lobby.
