We were greeted by the friendly owner - when I told him I had reservation, under the name Cameron, he stared blankly told me I must be mistaken, I couldn't possibly be Cameroun (French for Cameroonian, same pronunciation as my last name) because I wasn't black.
The jokes (and casual racism) of the owner aside, this place was okay but nothing more.
On the downside, pretty noisy, with windows that didn't properly close; a shower that was just in the middle of the bathroom, with the floor hardly lower, so the water went aaaaabsolutely everywhere; and prices that were not particularly cheap, by Moroccan standards, for 2-star level accomodation.
On the upside, a good breakfast; rooms were cheerily decorated; and a pretty convenient location...just in the medina, almost exactly halfway between the modern city centre and the mosque (walking distance to both), and near the Casa Port railway station (now a pretty minor one, but they're doing it up, I would expect a lot more train services there soon).
In sum, the sort of place that's okay for a short stay, but nothing more. And ultimately, I would recommend any travellers against anything other than a short stay in Casablanca. The place is a dump, especially in comparison to glory of Fez, Marrakech, Essouira, etc. The mosque is breathtaking, but that's it - the modern town is just like being in a slightly warmer version of a boring French city; the Medina is dingy, uninspiring, and not very historic. The 'La Corniche' district is more pleasant, but equally uninspiring. Casa may have gotten quite a reputation as a multicultural heartbeat in the postwar period, many thanks to the eponymous film...but it's quite untrue now.
Morocco is generally a very safe place, but in less than 24 hours in Casa we were targetted by a very skilled beggar/pick-pocket, whilst a taxi carrying my friends was attacked just near the hotel by a bunch of 15 youths with machetes, causing almost as much worry to my friends as damage to the taxi.
- Central Hotel Casablanca
- Hotel Central Casablanca
