Lohi Telegram / House of Friends: IZZA, Marrakesh
Before smartphones, navigating in a foreign city was a challenge. People would be folding and unfolding large paper maps, trying to find the point on the map that correlated with their physical reality, without attracting unwanted attention from those passing by.
I often think about this when walking in the narrow alleys of Marrakesh – how did anyone staying in the Medina ever find their hotel before the smartphone?
Perhaps they had a better sense of direction, stronger sense of adventure, or simply more time for mistakes and wrong turns than me.
Finding the location of IZZA is probably very difficult without a smartphone. It’s in a less touristy part of the Medina, so there are fewer travellers around to ask for guidance. But suddenly, when you’re on the verge of giving up, you find yourself standing right in front of it. From the outside, you would never guess its size or character.
It looks unassuming, even modest, but inside, three riads have been seamlessly interconnected, creating a sense of a labyrinth with different courtyards, lounges, and orange trees (the scent of oranges is synonymous with spring in Marrakesh).
IZZA’s identity is strongly intertwined with the owner’s interest in art, specifically the digital kind. The hotel’s collection boasts about 300 pieces of digital art by significant artists such as Dmitri Cherniak, Matt DesLauriers, and Refik Anadol, but also a few artworks of a more traditional nature. The hotel is used to promote and celebrate emerging artists, giving them space and helping them reach the next step in their development.
Before the building complex was a hotel, it was an authentic riad, and today the buildings are divided into Riad 1, Riad 2, and Riad 3, with the latter being newly constructed. To create the flowing space that characterises IZZA, a few buildings were torn down and new structures were put in their place.
It’s difficult to see the line between old and new, as they are all built according to the same principles and using the same traditional techniques, but Riad 3 has more space – and is thus better suited for the needs of a contemporary hotel – than the first two.
The architecture is decidedly Moroccan; Tadelakt is an organic, waterproof Moroccan surface plaster that for centuries was primarily used in bathrooms, sinks, and water vessels.
When Bill Willis moved to Marrakesh, he became fascinated with the tadelakt technique and began applying it also to other kinds of spaces, like living rooms, and this is why at IZZA, tadelakt is used throughout the hotel, as a kind of subtle homage. Most details are handcrafted, and it took many years for the team to complete the work, carefully considering how to create an aesthetic that is consistent without being boring or monotonous. The tadelakt is used throughout the hotel, but in different ways.
In Marrakesh’s more sophisticated circles, it’s assumed that you know of Bill Willis. For decades, he was a fixture on the social scene and an important force when it came to creating the “Marrakesh style” that later would become a valuable export commodity. Born in Tennessee and educated at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and briefly a resident of Rome (he once operated an antique shop near the Spanish Steps), he accompanied Talitha Getty and her husband John Paul Getty, Jr. on their honeymoon, travelling from Rome to Marrakesh.
Once in Morocco, Willis felt immediately at home and decided not to return. They bought a ramshackle rubble of a former royal palace (for only $10,000) in 1966, long before Marrakesh was the tourist attraction it is today.
The Gettys and Willis turned it into a place of breathtaking beauty, known as the Palais du Zahir (the Pleasure Palace).
Willis was mesmerized by how vibrant colours appear in Morocco, and he used this in his interior design projects, adding strong colours to people’s homes. In Marrakesh, he was a key figure for decades, and contributed in creating the myth of the city as a place of extravagant, hedonistic adventures.
At IZZA, the beautiful, colourful tiles are a reference to Willis’ aesthetic philosophy, but also the hotel bar, Bill’s Bar, is organized as a tribute to the designer. The photographs and letters on the bar’s walls also function as a kind of archive.
The bar is designed in a mid-century style – echoing Willis’s iconic design of Rick’s Café in the film Casablanca – with vintage furniture and handmade Moroccan lighting fixtures. Not far from the bar is the Tea Room, and on the first floor is a small library overlooking a courtyard, with books on art, design, and local history. The library has one of Bill Willis' original fireplaces – he was a huge fan of fireplaces and in his own home (which was not big) he had five or six.
Each of the three riads has a rooftop terrace, all interconnected with one another.
The tribute to Bill Willis came about by chance. In the process of buying properties, IZZA’s owner found an announcement of Bill Will’s house, Dar Noujoum (House of Stars). He went to visit and fell in love with the place, thus learning more and more about Willis and eventually, this interest began to influence the design of the hotel bar. When he bought the property, he found a suitcase with personal photos and letters by Willis (even one written to Talitha Getty).
This also explains the hotel’s theme – a house of friends – as this is what the hotel aspires to feel like.
This theme is translated into the guestrooms, which have all been named after people who have been important in shaping the Marrakesh culture, mainly known from the 1970s and 80s, such as Yves Saint Laurent and Talitha Getty.
The hotel has 14 rooms in total, including a private apartment, called IZZA, with its own kitchen. There is one larger suite (Yves) and two junior suites, Cristina (after Cristina Alaoui, photographer, friend of Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé and mother of artist Leila Alaoui) and Grace (after Grace Jones).
Each of the three riads has a rooftop terrace, all interconnected with one another. There is one private terrace, complete with a plunge pool, for the apartment. Bill Willis’ former private villa is visible from the roof, only a 15-minutes car ride from IZZA.
On your way to the rooftop terraces, with its bar and outdoor restaurant Noujoum, you’ll pass the gym (not a common occurrence in the often quite narrow riad hotels). The food deserves a special mention. Moroccan food is sometimes quite bland, but the hotel’s fusion cuisine, blending local traditions with Mediterranean influences, creates light and fresh dishes, inspired by local traditions but elevated to fit contemporary preferences.
The seasonal menu has been selected by British consultant chef, Paul Weaver, and suppliers include vendors in the souks, as well as local organic farms and the IZZA rooftop garden. The kitchen is run by Head Chef Ahmad El Hardoum who has worked in several well-known hotels and restaurants in Marrakesh, including Le Palais Paysan and, most recently, as Chef de Cuisine at El Fenn.
Morocco is in Africa and temperatures are accordingly, even in winter. After a long day in the museums and shops, it’s nice to be able to get back to the hotel and relax in the heated swimming pool (which took three years to complete!). Close to the pool is also the hotel shop, with a selection of items from local artisans and designers.
Here, you can also pick up two perfumes, both signatures of the hotel, designed by a French perfume expert based in Switzerland using only local ingredients.
One is Orange Blossom and the other is Figs Fruites, used in all guestrooms and throughout the hotel. If you enjoyed the ceramics in the restaurant, you’ll find them for sale here.
