Review: Knockoff Marriott Hotel In Aden, Yemen 🇾🇪😅
- Konrad Tillman
- Jun 13
- 4 min read
Intro
I tend to think I have done a lot of interesting sh*t over my travels around the world, but staying at a knockoff Marriott might take the cake. Genuinely, every night when I would arrive back at the hotel, I would just laugh about the fact that they were using the name, but what is Marriott going to do? Sue them?
Anyways, throughout my 3 days in Aden, I stayed at the knockoff Marriott, which happens to be the second nicest hotel in the city. Honestly, it's much better than I expected, and was very pleasant, and most importantly: very safe. At 50$ per night, and close by to the airport, what more could you want?
So safe that I accidentally left my door open for 6 hours one day with my laptop and camera out in full view. When I came back, nothing was touched. Wow.
The Gorgeous Lobby
Arriving from the airport onboard Air Djibouti, I was grabbing my luggage from the car when I saw the real, authentic, 100% guarantee Marriott symbol.
100% legitimate, guarantee. Same with the security check at the front...
As my guide did all of the check-in and formalities, I took a quick browse around a chic-looking lobby. There are plenty of couches to take a short rest on during the mid-exploration days, as well as smoking tables off to the side.
Rooms
You have two choices when heading upstairs: wait for the elevator, which takes an eternity, ot take the stairs, which lead right on up to the rooms. As I'm 23, the stairs will suffice here 😅.
All jokes aside, here, where the hotel really shines, is the rooms that they offer. Not going to lie, the actual bedroom might be nicer than most run-of-the-mill Marriott properties. Genuinely, there were throw pillows on the bed, Netflix on the flatscreen television, and bottles of water placed near the bed.
While the plug was a British plug in the room, I was pleased to find that the hotel had left a converter next to the bed. Talk about service!
Every day, my room received housekeeping, and I would go to sleep every night with fresh sheets.
Now, the bedroom looks like it could have been at an airport hotel somewhere in the Midwest of America, but the bathroom is where you realize that you are still in a country undergoing a humanitarian crisis, tragically.
You can say goodbye to hot water, not that it's a huge issue due to the outrageous heat in Yemen during the summer, as the most you will get is lukewarm. I would also suggest using bottled water to brush your teeth, just to err on the side of caution...
Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised.
Other Amenities/Dining
You know, oftentimes from an outside lens, we view countries as not having this, and not having that. So, when I logged in to the wifi in an attempt to get some work done, I was starstruck to see Starlink (see what I did there 😅) everywhere. The wifi was fine, and I was able to watch Harry Potter one night.
In terms of other amenities, you get what you pay for. Down the road at the nicest hotel in Aden (I forget the name), they have a swimming pool (which is for men only somehow), and a full-scale gym, but the Marriott only has a restaurant, pretty much.
Keep in mind a few things:
Breakfast is included in your rate of 50$ per night, and features a full buffet, as well as unlimited instant coffee.
The hours of opening vary, especially on the weekends (Friday and Saturday), due to prayer hours. Everything is closed, including Aden Mall.
Lunch and dinner are à la carte and feature the likes of chicken and lamb, along with local dishes. Each dish is about 3-4 USD, and not too bad.
Lastly, and most importantly, please don't be picky. Yemen is undergoing a huge humanitarian crisis, and it might not have all of the ingredients for your perfect burger. As an example, a traveler I followed mentioned that they ran out of regular-sized buns for a burger, and had to use two small ones. Be compassionate and go with the flow.
Lastly, I am not going to make a whole section about this, but I found the service to be very friendly. I don't speak a lot of Arabic, and the people working here didn't speak a lot of English, but they were patient and kind towards me. Yemeni hospitality is some of the best in the world, and it shows here.
Final Thoughts
During my time in Aden, Yemen, I had a fantastic stay at the only REAL Marriott hotel in the world (the actual chain is fake 😉). Okay, jokes aside, for 50 USD per night, what more could you want? Room service, a comfortable bed, friendly staff, and a beautiful lobby. Next time I come back to Aden, I will be staying here in a heartbeat.
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