The first 5-star hotel in the Dades region of Morocco’s High Atlas
19 February 2024 saw the Grand Opening of Eden Boutique Hotel in the Dades Valley. Nestled in the mountains of Morocco’s High Atlas, and set in lovely terraced gardens, the hotel overlooks the famous “Monkey’s Fingers” rock formations and the lush green oasis below.
The culmination of a lifelong dream of two brothers born in a nearby village, Eden offers a level of luxury, service and cuisine never before seen in the south-east of Morocco. Morocco’s Minister of Tourism attended the Grand Opening and immediately issued its official 5-star certification.
Eden offers a level of luxury, service and cuisine
never before seen in the south-east of Morocco
Morocco’s Minister of Tourism attended the Grand Opening and immediately issued its official 5-star certification.
Other esteemed guests at the celebration included the Governor and Deputy Governor of the Province of Tinerhir. Renowned French landscape artist Guillaume Berthier, who advised on the garden design, and British photographer Michael Colley, whose fine art photographs decorate the hotel, were also welcomed. The audience was entertained by singer-songwriter Mohammed Mallal and his band. The event was broadcast on national channel Tamazight TV.
Owners Lahcen and Ismail Sabiri devoted seven years to the construction of Eden Boutique Hotel, conceiving all the architecture and interior design themselves: an extraordinary achievement. They brought in local craftsmen with traditional skills – from wrought iron to intricate woodwork and bespoke furnishings – to infuse the hotel not only with their expertise, but also with the artistry and culture of this Berber region. A central part of the brothers’ vision was to preserve these traditions and give them new life.
They brought in local craftsmen with traditional skills
– from wrought iron to intricate woodwork and bespoke furnishings
Far from the crowded hubs of Morocco’s Imperial Cities, Eden trains and employs people from mountain villages nearby, staff who would otherwise have little opportunity for skilled work. The core of the team developed their high level of hospitality service at the Sabiri’s previous riad in the Dades. In particular, head chef (and third brother) Mohammed Sabiri moved from there to Eden to continue and elevate the fine dining cuisine for which he had become renowned. These established staff are now sharing their expertise with a new generation of young people eager to be part of the Eden project.
Speakers at the Grand Opening paid tribute to this breadth of vision, from attracting a new high-end clientele to the region, to its artistic and cultural values and its sustainability for the local community. Other leaders from the region congratulated the hotel as an inspiration for the further development of high-quality tourism in the south-east of Morocco.