El Fenn opened in the middle of the Medina, on the edge of the city’s medina, with six jewel-toned rooms and bougainvillea plumes. The rooftop was a party-like atmosphere. It became a part of the Red City’s fabric, with walls of vibrant colors, sofas made of velvet and Berber fabrics, Moorish arches and orange trees.
Like the best hotels, it has moved—and expanded—with the times. Vanessa Branson is the co-owner of the Marrakech biennale, a certified Marocophile and founder of the Marrakech riads. She has slowly bought up crumbling riads in the neighborhood to create an amazing labyrinth with 13 interconnected buildings and 41 rooms decorated in pinks, mustards and acid yellows. Others have hand-stitched leather floors, carved wood ceilings and zellige tiled walls. Pop art and contemporary installations are also featured. A series of sun-dappled courts lead to an annex with wood carvings that reference traditional Arabic motifs.
I recently stayed behind an ornate, cedar-paneled door in one of their “cozy rooms”. The Moroccan artist Abdelmalek Berhiss has painted a modern dot picture on the traditional tadelakt walls. Above the bed, a mother-of-pearl chandelier with iridescent finish is hung. The use of local artisans, natural materials, and upcycled furnishings makes it nearly impossible to distinguish between old and new. The open-air, guest-only Colonnade Café is dotted with olive trees; its modern spiral staircase, which connects the ground-floor boutique with the sprawling spruced-up rooftop, is a monument to Marrakech’s contemporary mood. mood. Marrakech’s old magic is evident in the pool, sunbeds, and splashes of color on the roof. —Chloe Sachdev
