El Fenn Hotel - How Two Friends Built Marrakech's Most Theatrical Hotel

What started as a house-hunting expedition in 2002 has morphed into one of Morocco's most photographed properties. Howell James and Vanessa Branson thought they were buying a holiday home in Marrakech's ancient medina. Instead, they accidentally acquired a string of crumbling buildings that would become El Fenn – a maximalist fever dream that has attracted everyone from Madonna to contemporary art collectors seeking refuge from beige hotel rooms.

The story begins with a property sale gone wonderfully wrong. James, a former civil servant turned media executive, and Branson, sister of Richard and an established art gallerist, discovered too late that their "simple" riad purchase came with several neighboring properties thrown in for good measure. Rather than backing out, they doubled down, transforming what was essentially a DIY disaster into a 41-room boutique hotel that now sprawls across 13 interconnected riads.

Walking through El Fenn feels like tumbling down a rabbit hole painted in jewel tones. Fuchsia walls give way to mustard courtyards, teal archways frame marble pools, and every surface seems to have been touched by local artisans wielding centuries-old techniques.

The tadelakt lime plaster gleams under Moroccan sunlight, while hand-carved cedar wood mingles with mid-century modern furniture that wouldn't look out of place in a Palm Springs gallery.

Food here revolves around the social rhythms of Moroccan life, though filtered through an international lens. The ground-floor Colonnade Café keeps things traditionally Moroccan with tagines and mint tea.

The aesthetic springs from a genuine appreciation for Moroccan craftsmanship, layered with contemporary art from Branson's personal collection and pieces by artists including Antony Gormley.

The result is theatrical without tipping into theme park territory, helped by the fact that nothing stays static for long. Paintings migrate between rooms, fabrics get swapped seasonally, and furniture finds new homes across the maze-like property.

The hotel's expansion tells the story of modern Marrakech tourism. What began in 2004 with six rooms has grown organically, absorbing neighboring riads like a benevolent property virus. The latest addition, Colonel House, added ten more rooms in 2022, finally linking all the scattered buildings under one architectural umbrella.

El Fenn has always positioned itself as more than just accommodation. During its heyday as the Marrakech Biennale's unofficial headquarters, it hosted artists, writers, and cultural provocateurs who used the city as a creative playground. That spirit persists today, even as the biennale has ended and Marrakech's art scene has evolved.

The room categories range from "cosy" – hotel speak for "you'll become very familiar with your traveling companion" – to sprawling family suites that could house a small artist's commune.

The rooms themselves tell the story of El Fenn's evolution from accidental purchase to design statement. No two are identical – a deliberate choice that reflects the organic way the hotel has grown.

Large Rooms

Some occupy original palace chambers with soaring ceilings and ancient architectural details, while others have been carved from smaller spaces, creating intimate cocoons barely larger than a studio flat.

The newest additions in Colonel House showcase what happens when unlimited imagination meets unlimited budget. These ten rooms draw inspiration from Moroccan royal palaces, featuring hand-stitched camel leather floors that feel like walking on butter, and walls finished in rich, brecciated Agadir marble that catches light like semi-precious stones.

The bathrooms deserve their own architectural survey. High ceilings create cathedral-like spaces where simple acts like brushing teeth become theatrical performances. Showers hide behind curtains of shimmering zellij tiles, while brass lanterns cast dancing shadows that transform evening ablutions into exotic rituals. In some rooms, stained glass windows filter Moroccan sunlight into kaleidoscopic patterns that shift throughout the day.

Extra Large Rooms

Six-foot-wide beds dominate rooms painted in colors that would make a sunset jealous - pomegranate red, saffron yellow, chocolate brown. But it's the unexpected details that reveal El Fenn's personality. Some rooms feature copper bathtubs positioned directly in the bedroom - a design choice that prioritizes drama over conventional privacy.

Traditional craftsmanship anchors even the most contemporary spaces. Tadelakt lime plaster, applied by hand using techniques unchanged for centuries, creates walls that seem to glow from within.

Zellij tiles form intricate geometric patterns in bathrooms, while carved cedar wood ceilings hover overhead like architectural prayers.

Local artisans have hand-stitched everything from the Egyptian cotton bed linens to the vibrant rugs underfoot.

Some of the larger accommodations include private plunge pools, turning individual rooms into mini-resorts within the larger resort.

The spa occupies one of the five courtyards, offering a more subdued counterpoint to El Fenn's visual intensity - hammam treatments and massages using local products provide respite from the sensory overload.

Terrace & Bar

The crown jewel remains the 1,300-square-metre rooftop terrace, complete with a 20-metre pool and views of the Koutoubia mosque's minaret piercing the sky.

The rooftop restaurant serves everything from poolside burgers to saffron-marinated lobster.