Riad El Fenn Marrakech

With 31 individually styled rooms and suites, three swimming pools, a 1,300 square metre roof terrace, a spa, 2 cocktail bars and shop – plus a family of resident tortoises – El Fenn is the perfect boutique hotel from which to discover the beauty of Marrakech.

El Fenn is all about a home from home experience and it springs from the fact that the two original owners didn’t plan on opening a hotel at all. In 2002, Howell James and Vanessa Branson were hunting for a holiday house in Marrakech.

At the end of a long day, the close friends walked into what was then a near derelict riad. By the time they left an hour later, they were on the way to owning not just one Marrakech home – but several.

Unknown to them, the main building (today centred on the courtyard that houses our reception) was being sold with a string of smaller properties – some with only one or two rooms.

It was only when Howell, a former permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office who has also held senior positions at the BBC and Christie’s, and Vanessa – an art collector, gallerist and patron – signed the sale papers that they realised just how much house they were getting.

They took a leap of faith and decided to open a small guesthouse.

CONTINUED EVOLUTION
Vanessa and Howell’s original vision was to use the large scale rooms as a backdrop for strong colours, the abundant artisan skills found in Morocco, deep baths, powerful showers, handmade beds, luxury linen, and delicious, simple food.

Mixed in would be serious contemporary art and striking mid-century modern furniture. El Fenn opened its doors in 2004 with six bedrooms, soon gained a cult following and expanded into neighbouring properties.

The next phase of El Fenn’s life came in 2011 with the start of a two-year a refurbishment that built on the original look and feel. In 2020, El Fenn also expanded into neighbouring riads with the addition of rooms, a new roof top pool and ground floor bar & private dining room.

With its trademark blend of cool and a distinct feeling of home-away-from-home, El Fenn now stretches across 12 interconnected riads and spans 2,700 sq meters of the Marrakech medina and boasts 31 rooms and suites, plus a 1,300 sq meter rooftop.

The hotel’s drama and decorative abundance has earned it a reputation as one of Marrakech’s most beautiful hotels – with Architectural Digest calling it ‘Instagram gold’ – and today we employ ninety staff.

It’s a constant process because nothing stays the same for too long at El Fenn. Paintings, colours, fabrics, furniture and spaces are constantly being repositioned, reinvigorated or reinvented so that each time you come back, you’ll find something new.

THE PRESENT
In 2018, El Fenn’s newest partners joined the team and a new era began. Painter turned designer Madeline Weinrib ran her eponymous textile brand for more than 20 years blending the beauty of traditional crafts with her own unique aesthetic.

She worked with artisans across the world: block printers in India, weavers in Uzbekistan and rug makers in Morocco. You can now find Madeline’s rugs in the Cristina Grajales gallery in New York.

Now, in addition to creating truly bespoke pieces for private clients in New York, Madeline is bringing her eye, aesthetic and experience to El Fenn.

She’s joined by her husband Graham Head, president and vice chairman of the iconic New York store abc carpet and home, who has spent the last 30 years scouring the world for rugs and textiles that have changed the home furnishing world.

A NEW ERA FOR TRAVEL
Despite all this growth and change, the core of El Fenn remains: connection and community – to other guests, our wonderful team and the rich culture of Morocco. This, we believe, is the future of travel.

THE PERFECT BLEND
We don’t claim to be perfect but we do aim to put these three values at the core of what we do by celebrating the beauty of Moroccan heritage and culture, acting responsibly within our local community and constantly evolving the way we work to minimise our environmental footprint. It’s important to us. And we know it’s important to you too.

THE ART
Art and culture are a key thread in the fabric of life at El Fenn. Our co-owner Vannessa Branson brought pieces from her own private art collection to hang in the hotel when it opened in 2004 and today works by contemporary artists including Fred Pollock & Antony Gormley hang throughout El Fenn in bedrooms & public spaces.

Elsewhere you’ll see photography, sculpture and painting as part of the rolling exhibitions we host several times a year. We were also the hub for the Marrakech Biennale during its six editions and continue to champion the vibrant community of Moroccan visual artists.

THE INTERIORS
We don’t do bland beige here at El Fenn. To really experience Marrakech is to be immersed in its colour, vibrancy and artisanal heritage and our interiors reflect this.

Think saturated colours, hand-crafted details and bedrooms filled with art & pieces of classic mid-century design. There’s something to see everywhere you look and we hope you leave feeling refreshed – and hopefully a little inspired.

AUTHENTICITY
Authenticity is the heartbeat of our hotel. Brick by brick, person by person, we honour the ancient traditions of Marrakech: whether that’s artisanal cedar wood and tadelakt lime plaster in our bedrooms, or food that draws on the rich traditions of Moroccan food.

What we hope is that by honouring the key elements of traditional life here, our guests can experience it with us through sight, smell, taste and touch.

COMMUNITY
However beautiful a hotel, however seamless, it’s the people that make it feel like a home. And for many of our guests, it’s the warmth, generosity and hospitality of the El Fenn team that’s the highlight of their stay.

Our staff of 90 is drawn from the local area and we’re proud that many of them have been with us for years. Just like a family, we work, eat, celebrate and support each other.

SUSTAINABILITY
Minimising our environmental impact in a country that faces challenges such as water scarcity is vital and we aim to operate as sustainably as possible. Four years ago, for instance, we installed a water filtration system that enabled us to eliminate single use plastic bottles and replace them with reusable glass.

Our bathroom products are made of local, natural ingredients and provided in large refillable containers. Our kitchen works seasonally and thoughtfully to minimise food wastage. We launder your laundry on request rather than refresh it automatically every day.

LOCATION
We are 15 minutes from Marrakech Menara airport and the easiest way to get to us is by booking a private transfer with us. Our driver will be holding a red sign with El Fenn written in white letters as you exit the arrivals hall.

Alternatively, you can take your own taxi but get ready to haggle. Ask to go to to Bab el Ksour – it’s pronounced Bab Lxor. It’s a large stone archway gate through which you enter the medina. Go through the gate, take the first street on the right and our main hotel entrance door is 5m down on the right.

If you’re not staying with us, then go to Bab el Ksour but don’t go through the gate. Look to the right and you’ll see the doors to El Fenn’s boutique. From there you can shop or go straight up to the roof terrace.

GETTING AROUND MARRAKECH
No cars are allowed in the medina so, depending on where you’re staying, it came mean a long walk to a taxi.

Unusually, we combine the best of bost worlds: we’re a few minutes walk from the souks and key sites like the Koutoubia Mosque but you can get into a taxi right outside the entrance to our boutique.

It means that mornings can be spent exploring the souks while the restaurants and shops found in the new town are easy to get to in the afternoons or evenings.

ANNEX TINY ROOM
Our annex is located a minute’s walk from the main hotel and has its own emerald-tiled courtyard with a private splash pool and a sitting room with open fire. Each room is small but perfectly formed with a tadelakt bath tub with overhead shower and separate toilet.

FAMILY SUITE
This three-bedroom self-contained house has a huge master bedroom with a freestanding silver bath, two smaller doubles and a lounge/dining area with an open fireplace as well as a private roof terrace with plunge pool.

EXTRA LARGE ROOM
These huge rooms are sumptuously styled with art, design classics and everything from a 23 carat gold leafed headboard in one, to a freestanding silver roll top bath in another. All have a large lounge area, fireplace and a separate large bathroom with bath, monsoon shower and toilet.

EAT, DRINK & RELAX
We’re open for meals, snacks & drinks every day. Non-residents are welcome to visit our rooftop restaurant where lunch and dinner are served daily, as well as our bar which serves cocktails, juices, light meals and tapas throughout the day and evening.

Both are open from midday until 10pm. You don’t need to reserve for the bar but if you’d like to eat in the restaurant please email. Downstairs, in-house guests also have the use of our colonnade bar which is open for drinks and food from 10am to 7pm.

RESTAURANT
El Fenn is a relaxed kind of place and so is our food. The emphasis is on local, seasonal plant-based food – with meat and fish available too.

Each dish is made with freshly harvested fruits and vegetables from local farms and markets, combined with the bright herbs, exotic spices and fragrant aromatics. It’s fresh, flavourful & packed full of goodness.

COLONNADE BAR
Our downstairs bar is reserved for in-house guests and open from 10am to 7pm each day. Enjoy drinks, juices & light meals against the stunning backdrop of a courtyard filled with tumbling vines & our beautiful marble-line swimming pool.

ROOFTOP BAR
Whether you want to lounge on a day bed in the sunshine, or watch the sun set over the Atlas Mountains, we’re open every day for fresh juices, cocktails and food – plus just enough buzz to make the nights come alive.

To access the roof top, use our boutique entrance on Rue Fatima Zahra before heading upstairs for drinks & food.

ENJOY PANORAMIC VIEWS
The roof terrace is El Fenn’s most popular spot. It’s 1,300 square metres, has a close-up view of the iconic Koutoubia Mosque as well as the rooftops of Marrakech and there’s a mass of daybeds and lounging areas to enjoy it all from.

There’s also a 30-foot marble bar and a team of mixologists on hand from midday until late if you’re in the mood for a drink.

DAYTIME
Our sunshine-drenched roof terrace is the kind of place you keep meaning to leave and never do. Maybe it’s the day beds or the endless blue skies. Whatever it is that keeps you here, all you have to decide is whether to curl up in a shady spot or make the most of the sun.

ALL WELCOME
Join us for lunch or dinner any day of the week – or just pop in for cocktails. High heels or trainers. Whatever works for you. There is no need to book to come to the roof terrace for drinks although we do have limited tables. So if you are a group of 8 or more contact us via email or phone so that we can make a space for you.

SUNSET
As evening falls over the rooftops of Marrakech and the sound of the evening call to prayer fills the sky, we light candles and mix cocktails while you relax. There might be a DJ, there’ll certainly be a buzz and the chances are the sunset over the palm trees and the city will be memorable.

NIGHT TIME
Marrakech nights are like no other. The scent of jasmine fills the air during the summer while winter woodsmoke drifts from our open fires during the colder nights. There are day beds and couches to relax on, the city is lit up below you and the bar is open late.

RELAX AND RESTORE
We’re one of the few hotels in the medina with a swimming pool – even better, we’ve got three. Soak up the sunshine beside our roof top pool which is set against the stunning backdrop of the Koutoubia mosque and rooftops of Marrakech, take a dip in the plunge pool or head downstairs to our lap and spa pools which are lined with carrara marble.

DIVE IN
We get more than 300 days of sunshine on average here in Marrakech so there’s plenty of time to enjoy our pools and terraces. Have a cocktail or bar snack as you lounge on day beds beside our 13m roof top pool and soak in sunshine – as well as the stunning backdrop of the Atlas Mountains.

For little ones, there’s also a 70cm deep plunge pool for them to enjoy. On the ground floor, our 12m lap pool is surrounded by jungle-like foliage and a pétanque lawn. There’s also our 8m spa pool which is heated all year round. Our swimming pools are for the use of hotel guests only and open all year round.

THE EL FENN SPA
Traditional beauty rituals are given a luxurious twist in the El Fenn spa. Relax in our hammam – or hot room – before having a body scrub or head to one of our candlelit treatment rooms for a facial or massage.

Our spa products contain natural ingredients ranging from the essences of rose, amber, jasmine and verveine to ghassoul clay and Argan oil – the super oil produced in Morocco.

SPA TREATMENTS
Enjoy some time to yourself and unwind in our tranquil spa. We offer a range of treatments and therapies, from deeply relaxing massages and intensely hydrating facials to the traditional Morrocan hammam.

SHOP LOCAL ARTISANS
If you like our style then we’ve curated some of our in-house products as well as all the best work by young, local designers who use age-old artisanal techniques to create fresh & modern pieces. Take a taxi to our front door & shop the El Fenn look before heading off into the souk.

INSIDE OUR BOUTIQUE
There’s a new energy in Marrakech that’s all about fusing traditional artisanal techniques with a modern aesthetic. We’ve brought the best of both together with an emphasis on fashion and interiors.

In store, you’ll find rugs, cushions, throws and ceramics as well as contemporary and vintage fashion, jewellery and books about style and design. We also stock international designers whose products have their heart in artisanal techniques.

CELEBRATE WITH US
We are one of the few large riads available for private exclusive hire in Marrakech. Between our courtyards and roof top, there are many different ways in which you can celebrate and every event we host is as unique and beautiful as El Fenn itself.

Think roses, candles and sunsets, all wrapped up in El Fenn style. Gnaoua music and snakes charmers are optional.

PARTY PLANNING
From the roof top to our courtyards, it’s up to you how you use our different spaces. Maybe you’ll have brunch or sunset cocktails on the terrace, dinner in one of our magical courtyards and dancing beside our candlelit pool.

However you want to celebrate, we’re here to create your bespoke event. Just add a group of friends, family or colleagues and we’ll do the rest.

EXCLUSIVELY YOURS
Think of El Fenn as your private home for the weekend. Dinner, dancing, DJs, BBQs or brunch, it’s all possible. To see more of the spaces you can use to celebrate, why not explore the unique character and design of El Fenn?

INTIMATE WEDDINGS
Some of our most special memories are of the weddings we’ve hosted here and the guests who leave as friends. We only hold a limited number each year and every one is unique thanks to our in-house team who’ll work with you on everything from menus to flowers and decoration to make sure your day is perfect.

Rooms: 31

Price: from 415 EUR per night

Source: www.el-fenn.com