By Razeen Gutta
When reports had emerged that football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the doors of his luxury hotel in Morocco to victims of the devastating earthquake, praise came pouring in.
However, the good news was short-lived, as a spokesperson for the Pestana CR7 hotel in marrakech has since confirmed that its rooms remain reserved for paying guests only.
The death toll of Friday’s devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake has risen to over 2,600, while hundreds of thousands of people have been made homeless in the country’s largest city.
Rumours first spread that the multi-millionaire Ronaldo was taking in refugees when a Spanish tourist told local media that they “found refuge” there on Saturday. However, the position has since been clarified by the hotel.
It soon emerged that no refugees will be receiving free refuge in any of the Pestana’s 147 luxury bedrooms.
A hotel spokesperson was quick to clarify to the newspaper Marca that the reports were false.
“This is false information. All the customers we have at the moment have made a reservation normally.
“We have received many requests to host people because the hotel was not affected by the earthquake. Many guests have arrived in the past day, but it is not accurate to say that we are hosting refugees and victims.”
If they do want to stay there, they will have to fork out a minimum of R3,500 according to the website of the hotel, which was voted the best new hotel in Africa at the World Travel Awards in 2022.
Pictured above: Ronaldo’s Marrakech hotel
Image source: @joshua_ubeku
