Widow sues Moroccan five-star hotel for £500,000 after her recruitment boss husband died in spa fire while having a massage

Published: 09:13, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 09:15, 16 July 2026 The widow of a British recruitment boss who became trapped and died in a fire in the spa of a five-star hotel is seeking a six-figure compensation payout.  Anthony Barnes, 48, was staying at the Jaal Riad Resort in Marrakech in March 2023, as part of a three-night group holiday with colleagues.  The director and co-owner of recruitment company, The One Group, booked a massage in the luxury hotel's spa at 3pm on the first day of his stay.  Around an hour later, his co-workers, who were sunbathing by the pool, watched staff run towards the spa building, which had smoke rising from its domed roof.  Emergency services arrived at the scene, however struggled to enter the building, which was filled with thick, acrid smoke.  Mr Barnes, from Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, was wheeled out on a stretcher at around 5.30pm. He died later the same day, while a member of hotel staff also died in the fire. Mr Barnes's widow Rachel Barnes has now launched a legal battle against Hotel Des Idrissides, which trades as the Jaal Ryad, for more than £500,000 in damages.  Anthony Barnes, 48, became trapped and died in a fire in the spa of a five-star hotel in March 2023 Mr Barnes was staying at the Jaal Riad Resort (pictured) in Marrakech as part of a three-night group holiday with colleagues She is suing the resort over claims the fire was 'caused by the negligence' of the company, including an alleged lack of fire safety precautions and a delay in calling emergency services.  Hotel Des Idrissides defends the claim and denies Mr Barnes's death was 'caused by any negligence or breach of duty' on its part.  The hearing is yet to be heard. Mrs Barnes's barrister Matthew Chapman KC said in court documents that Mr Barnes was receiving a massage treatment when hotel employees became aware of the fire. He said that an inquest in the UK concluded in October last year that Mr Barnes's death was accidental after the spa became 'filled with thick, acrid smoke which affected visibility and hindered attempts to rescue him'. Mr Chapman said that the company was liable to Mrs Barnes for the 'negligent mismanagement of the hotel and its spa facilities', as it had exposed Mr Barnes to 'a foreseeable risk of harm and death'. He said that the company had failed to install or maintain fire and smoke alarm and evacuation lighting systems in the spa, to tell Mr Barnes about the fire, to ensure CCTV cameras were working, or to 'promptly' alert emergency services. The barrister also claimed that the spa was built from materials that were 'not appropriately fire resistant/retardant', and that there was an insufficient number of fire extinguishers, among other failings. Mr Barnes was the director and co-owner of recruitment company, The One Group He said that the 'facts of the accident speak for themselves', adding: 'Accidents of this kind do not usually occur when spa facilities are properly designed, constructed, installed, maintained and operated.' Alistair Mackenzie, for Hotel Des Idrissides, said that the fire began in the spa's sauna and that hotel employees raised the alarm and tried to fight it while attempting to evacuate guests, including Mr Barnes. He said that the building 'complied with the applicable regulations in Morocco for a facility of its kind'. He added: 'It is denied that the fire or the deceased's death were caused by the negligence or breach of duty of the defendant, its employees or agents.' Mr Mackenzie said that while smoke alarms were not fitted in the room Mr Barnes was in due to humidity levels, they were fitted in 'adjacent areas', which was not 'unreasonable or negligent', and that the hotel had a 'suitable' alarm system. He also said that emergency lighting was fitted, that the materials used were 'suitable and widely used in the construction of such facilities', that CCTV cameras operated in access routes to the room Mr Barnes was in, and there were 'multiple working fire extinguishers'. The barrister said that the documents setting out the claim failed 'to plead any case as to the manner in which any of the alleged acts or omissions… caused the deceased's death'.