DESIGN : TAJ PALACE MARRAKECH
The hotel features four outdoor courtyards , styled as Moroccan riads , with four couches surrounded by four pools and large foliage .
Already a film set before opening , Taj Palace Marrakech ’ s oversized spaces and stunning colors elicit royal wows .
by NATHAN GREENHALGH , ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The design of the 161-room Taj Palace Marrakech is truly on a Hollywood scale . The new-build hotel ’ s Indian , Moorish and Moroccan influences are expressed with richly colored interiors of red , green , yellow and purple , large spaces and an impressive entrance .
Located in the Palmeraie area about 7 mi ( 11 km ) from the historic Medina district , Taj Palace Marrakech softopened November 1 , 2012 , after seven years in development , during which time it served as a filming location in 2009 for “ Sex and the City 2 .”
“ The hotel ’ s design aesthetic is meticulously crafted with a vivid blend of Moroccan , Indian and Moorish themes ,” says General Manager Yves Wencker . “ This is where the maharajah meets the pasha .”
Chief architect and lead interior designer , Stuart Church , says Taj Palace Marrakech ’ s location prompted him to create a destination within a destination . “ The arrival experience in itself is very particular with this 1,970-ft ( 600-m ) driveway , which gives an impressive perspective of the hotel with the mountains behind and ensures a ‘ wow ’ effect on the guest ,” Church says . “ Building such a huge pool allows the buildings to reflect off of it in a mirror effect , which creates a sense of life where all the guests can enjoy the facilities together but still feel privacy .”
Church says oversized spaces — the entry-level guestrooms are 860 sq ft ( 80 sq m ) — as well as natural light and tadelakt , the soft lime plaster coating that is the traditional coating of Moroccan palaces , unite the guestrooms . “ All the rooms and suites are exactly the same except for the varied color of the tadelakt and the view ,” Church says .
Wencker adds that what primarily attracted Tata Group subsidiary Indian Hotels Co ., Mumbai , to open its first Palace-designated property outside India was the hotel ’ s exceptional architecture . The hotel was initially to be operated by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , but the arrangement fell out with the hotel ’ s owner Jaouad Kadiri , a Moroccan billionaire and owner of JK Hotels . Kadiri invested € 100 million ( US $ 133 million ) in developing the hotel .
Wencker says occupancy is expected to be between 40 % and 45 % during the first six months of operation with an ADR of € 270 ( US $ 360 ) ahead of its grand opening this spring , after which room rates will start at € 450 ( US $ 600 ).
30 HOTELS March 2013 www . hotelsmag . com