How do I organise accommodation for a large group in Morocco?

For a large group, the single nicest thing you can do is book a whole riad on exclusive use. A traditional Moroccan riad is a courtyard house, typically five to eight bedrooms around a central patio with a rooftop terrace — which means a group of ten or twelve can effectively take over a beautiful private home, with one address, one host, one breakfast table and a shared courtyard to gather in. I have placed family reunions and friend groups into whole riads countless times, and it consistently beats a sterile hotel: the staff cook for your group, the terrace becomes your living room, and nobody is scattered down anonymous corridors.

The detail that catches groups out is bed configuration, so nail it early. Riad rooms vary enormously — some are king doubles, some twins, a few are triples with a daybed — and a "sleeps twelve" riad might only do that in a specific mix of couples and singles. I always get the exact room-by-room layout in writing and map real names onto real beds before confirming, because discovering on arrival that three single friends are expected to share one double is exactly the kind of avoidable misery that sours a group trip. Send me the rooming preferences and I reconcile them against what each riad can actually deliver.

When the group is bigger than one riad holds — say fifteen to twenty-five — you have two good routes. The first is to block-book a cluster of rooms in a single hotel, which gives you scale, a pool, and easy logistics, at the cost of some of that intimate riad charm. The second, which I often prefer for groups who want character, is to split across two neighbouring riads on the same medina lane or square, so you keep the boutique feel and proximity while doubling the capacity. Either way, book it as one coordinated reservation so the whole group genuinely stays together.

Two practical things to lock in writing, every time. First, exclusivity: if you want the whole riad to yourselves with no other guests, that has to be explicitly agreed and usually carries a minimum spend — do not assume it. Second, the deposit and cancellation terms for a group booking, which are stricter than for a single room because the property is turning away other business. I handle these contracts so the organiser is not personally exposed, but the principle holds whoever books it: get exclusivity, beds and terms confirmed in writing well ahead, and group accommodation becomes the easiest part of the trip rather than the most stressful.