Four Seasons is to add a resort in Tangier, Morocco, developed with Royal Resort Cap Malabata, a development company backed by Bahrain-based GFH Bank. The two companies announced the project on 8 October.

Four Seasons Resort Tangier will sit in the Cap Malabata district on Morocco’s northern coast, overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar with views across to Spain. It will have 99 guest rooms and suites, including 27 standalone villas, and more than 260 metres of waterfront.

The resort

The architecture is by Arjitec and the interiors are by Goddard Littlefair. Planned facilities include four restaurants and bars, a spa and fitness centre, pool and waterfront areas, a children’s programme and indoor and outdoor event space.

The site is about 15 minutes from Tangier’s high-speed rail station and 45 minutes from Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport, according to the announcement.

The resort will be Four Seasons’ fourth property in Morocco, after Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca, Four Seasons Resort Marrakech and Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr.

The masterplan and its backer

Royal Resort Cap Malabata describes itself as a master-planned development of 1.10 million square metres on the Tangier coast. It says the scheme will deliver about 1,200 residential units, made up of villas and apartments, and is designed to host four hotels, along with a sports club, a convention centre, a spa and beach clubs. The developer also says the project has already created almost 15,000 jobs. THD has not verified that figure.

GFH Bank is licensed as an Islamic wholesale bank by the Central Bank of Bahrain and is headquartered in Manama.

Abdulwahed Al Kooheji, chief executive of Royal Resort Cap Malabata, said Tangier’s location, heritage and waterfront made it a suitable site for the project and that the resort would add to the city’s luxury hotel supply.

What is not disclosed

The announcement says the resort is “set to open” but gives no opening year and no construction timetable. It does not state the investment value, the type or length of the agreement between Four Seasons and the owner, or whether any of the masterplan’s residential units will carry the Four Seasons name. The other three hotels planned for the masterplan are not identified.

Four Seasons says it currently operates 140 hotels and resorts and 61 residential properties in 47 countries, with a global pipeline of more than 60 projects under planning or in development.

THD’s reading

The following points are THD analysis, not statements by Four Seasons, Royal Resort Cap Malabata or GFH.

  • Gulf capital is the enabler. A Bahraini bank is backing the owner, in a country where Four Seasons already has three properties. For developers elsewhere in North Africa, the pairing of a Gulf financial sponsor with a top-tier flag inside a residential masterplan is the model to study.
  • The hotel is small and the real estate is large. Ninety-nine keys against about 1,200 planned homes suggests the resort’s job is partly to set the price level for the residential units around it. The announcement does not say this, and it is silent on branded residences.
  • Three hotel slots remain open. The developer says the masterplan is designed for four hotels and has named one operator. Other operators and brands should expect further selection processes at the site.
  • No date means limited near-term supply impact. Without an opening year, existing Tangier owners cannot yet plan for the new luxury supply. Suppliers should watch for construction and fit-out tenders as the first firm sign of timing.