Jasper Conran opened his first hotel in the heart of the Medina in Marrakech in Autumn 2016.
L’Hôtel Marrakech, a historic 19th Century Riad originally the central part of a Caidal palace, comprises five spacious suites surrounding a courtyard garden and swimming pool. This charming retreat combines delicious food, great comfort and service whilst capturing the elegance of hotels of the 1930s.
L’Hôtel Marrakech prides itself on its approach to serving delicious traditional Moroccan home cooking in the manner Italians would describe as ‘cucina della nonna’ (Grandmother’s cooking). The emphasis on dining at L’Hôtel is the use of fresh local produce, attentive service and comfortable relaxed surroundings.
At the centre of the culinary culture of Morocco is the tagine. Those served at L’Hôtel Marrakech are prepared in the traditional way, cooked slowly in earthenware pots, bringing out naturally bright flavours and delicate aromas. This method of slow cooking results in cuisine of great succulence and depth of flavour. Among the many types of tagines prepared at L’Hôtel Marrakech is chicken with prunes and almonds. The chicken is marinated in cumin which imparts warmth and richness. The dish is then gently spiced with ginger and cinnamon. Prunes and almonds are added to create a subtle sweetness that plays against the savoury and slightly bitter golden hued turmeric.
A wonderful array of fresh herbs, aromatics and spices, such as the legendary ‘Ras el Hanout’ blend found in Marrakech, impart their special and unique flavours upon the dishes prepared by our chef Bouchra. Other key ingredients in the kitchen’s larder are preserved lemons, with their unique taste, texture and aroma and locally sourced olives in every flavour, colour and size, cured and treated in many ways with an array of seasonings. An abundance of seasonal well-known local vegetables, sun-drenched tomatoes and lesser known varieties such as cardoons enable the kitchen to create delicious vegetarian dishes. One of the most famous being couscous with ‘Sept Legumes.’ Traditionally, courgettes, potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, turnips, cabbage and onions are used. The couscous is flavoured with fresh coriander, parsley, spiced with turmeric and cinnamon. Finally, an infusion of saffron gently perfumes this classic Moroccan dish which is served with the hot aromatic paste, harissa.
Dining for guests and non-residents*at L’Hôtel Marrakechis a truly memorable experience that celebrates the seductive nature of Moroccan cooking.
*Please note that all non-residents must book at least 24 hours in advance
THE DINING ROOM
L’Hôtel Marrakech’s dining room is open to non-residents as well as guests of the hotel for lunch and dinner. Tables are set with fine Egyptian cotton. Inviting armchairs and banquettes offer comfort and ease as fresh, vibrant salads and slowly cooked tagines are brought to the table, celebrating the finest seasonal ingredients. On warmer evenings, the dining room opens out on to the garden and on cooler nights a fire is lit.
ROOF TERRACE
With breath-taking views of the Atlas Mountains and planted with orange, fig and olive trees, jasmine, bougainvillea, honeysuckle and geraniums the roof terrace is the perfect place for guests of the hotel, and non-residents, to enjoy dinner, lunch or breakfast in the open air. Tables are set with crisp fine Irish linen under an open pergola trained with vines. Along with the famed Moroccan mint tea, other traditional teas can be taken here – sage and the heavily spiced blend, Khodanjal. Iced drinks made from seasonal fruits such as avocado, melon, lemon and peach can also be enjoyed on banquettes under the tranquil shade of the pergola hung with curtains, or amongst the perfumed roses, fig and orange trees which are in an intimate garden overlooking the courtyard.
PRIVATE DINING
L’Hôtel Marrakech is a warm and inviting setting for parties, family occasions and intimate weddings. We can accommodate 10 to 16 people seated either on the roof terrace under the vine covered pergola or the dining room which opens out onto the luscious courtyard garden.
THE KITCHEN
L’Hôtel Marrakech offers the best in Moroccan home cooking using fresh, seasonal local produce. Dishes prepared by our chef, Bouchra, capture the subtle aromas and colourful enchantment of Marrakech. Guests can enjoy a vibrant array of salads, fresh vegetables, slow cooked tagines, grilled meat and fish as well as the perfect steak and chips. To complete the meal, there are refreshing home-made sorbets, ice creams and fruits to choose from as well as traditional Moroccan desserts.
ABOUT
Jasper Conran, OBE, is a British designer. Having trained at Parson’s School of Design in New York, Jasper Conran produced his first womenswear collection in 1978 and was a founding member of the London Designer Collections – subsequently renamed London Fashion Week – and was awarded Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council in 1986. Jasper Conran continues to show his womenswear collection at London Fashion Week.
Jasper Conran has diversified from womenswear into menswear, fragrance, accessories, luggage, collections for the home, interiors and the performing arts. In 2008 Jasper Conran was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his Services to Retail.
Throughout his career, Jasper Conran has pursued his passion for the performing arts. He has created costumes and sets for thirteen ballet, opera and theatre productions. In 1991 Jasper Conran won a Lawrence Olivier Award for Costume Design for Jean Anouilh’s ‘The Rehearsal’.
In 2007 Jasper Conran was appointed trustee of the Wallace collection a position that he held for 8 years. Jasper Conran was appointed the Chairman and Creative Director of The Conran Shop in 2012 where he spent three years conceiving and implementing a strategy to reinvigorate and reposition the business.
Jasper Conran opened his first hotel in 2016, L’Hôtel Marrakech.
Contact details.
+44 (0) 207 384 0800
press@l-hotelmarrakech.com
Jenny Holland