The Creation of Les Borjs de la Kasbah

In 2002, Anglo-French couple Mike and Francoise Bruce-Mitford, after a career as tour operators in Britain, discovered, and fell in love with, a small riad which they decided to refurbish and let as a guest house. A couple of years later, for reasons too complicated to detail here!, a rather more ambitious project took shape, namely, the creation of a small boutique hotel, or hotel de charme – Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakech.

What we have today is, essentially, a newly-constructed ensemble on the site of seven earlier properties. Virtually all the original walls of mud and stone have been rebuilt to modern construction standards but the volumes of the original four patios have been respected. Created entirely by local craftsmen, the hotel has been designed to reflect the traditional architectural style of a Moroccan riad in which geometric symmetry, intricate plaster decoration, wrought ironwork, colourful floor tiles (bejmat) and tadelakt wall coatings (polished lime-based plaster tinted in warm shades) feature prominently.

Redevelopment work began in March 2004 and Les Borjs de la Kasbah opened its doors officially in December 2006, the final phase reaching completion in July 2007 with the opening of the Leisure Area, housing the pool, poolside bar and spa.

Les Borjs de la Kasbah is tribute to the talent of a young Moroccan architect, Moulay Hicham Charai, whose interpretation of the owners' vision has resulted in a successful marriage between traditional and modern. Moulay Hicham was also required to oversee the entire project from drawing board to official opening. The hotel today is run by Tom Bruce-Mitford, son of the founders, and his Moroccan wife, Nora, together with an experienced, local team of 24 staff.

 [Luxury Riad Medina Marrakech - Riad de luxe Marrakech - Boutique hotel Medina Marrakech].