The short answer
Usually a hotel, or a riad with a ground-floor room you have confirmed in writing. Riads are often reached on foot down narrow lanes and have steep stairs and no lift. Hotels in Gueliz, Hivernage and the Palmeraie more often have lifts, step-free access and cars pulling up at the entrance.
In more detail
A riad is a traditional house built around a courtyard. Its rooms are reached by narrow staircases, often steep and open-sided, and lifts are rare. Cars cannot reach most medina doors, so even arrival means walking the last stretch, sometimes a few minutes through the lanes, with a porter wheeling the bags.
A hotel is the format you know: a reception desk, more rooms, usually a pool and a lift. Taxis and cars pull up at the entrance, and step-free options are more common. The trade-off is atmosphere: you will be outside the old city and drive in for the souks.
If you want the riad experience, ask very specific questions before you pay: is there a ground-floor room, are there steps between the street door and that room, how far is the nearest point a car can reach, and is the bathroom step-free. Many riads have a ground-floor room and will hold it.
A popular compromise is to split the stay: a couple of nights in an accessible hotel, with day visits to the medina by car to the nearest gate. Tell us your needs and we will suggest places that fit.
Good to know
- Get the ground-floor room confirmed in writing.
- Ask how far the nearest car drop-off is from the door.
- Ask whether the bathroom has a step or a tub.