About
Hi! We are Jemima Mann-Baha and Abdel Ali Baha owners of the Palais Amani.
Fourteen years ago we bought the former home of one of Fez’s most prominent families, which had laid abandoned and deteriorating in the heart of the Medina for over a quarter of a century. Four years of renovation restored the property into its old splendour and revealed many stories about family, heritage and legacy.
We love stories. My husband Abdel Ali was born in Fez and raised in France, grew up on stories of his country of origin. These stories fuelled his desire to return home. Writing is what makes me tick. Together we wanted to create a place where people can discover amazing stories for themselves. As experienced restaurateurs and passionate hosts, we decided to open a hotel that would lift the lid on the Moroccan way of life like no other property in Fez had done before.
Palais Amani has a rich history, apparent across the architecture of the property: from the Iraqi stained glass windows to the Moroccan tiling. It colours everything we offer: the ingredients at the Eden Restaurant and rooftop bar; the rituals and products we use at the Hammam; our storytelling evenings, courses in calligraphy and wine tasting. At our Fez Cooking School, you can learn all about Moroccan and Sephardic cuisine that you can recreate back at home.
We are now a 21-room, 50-staff, family-run property and pride ourselves on being the local choice. We are passionate about preserving the city’s heritage and giving back to the community:
We look forward to welcoming and sharing stories with you in Fez soon.
Jemima Mann Baha, Co Founder
Mission Statement
We believe that travel is more than discovering new places
it’s unearthing the stories that inspire us to live a little more compassionately, healthily and to listen to our inner spirit.
We help you do that by opening the door to a world that will restore, enrich and amaze you.
Commitment to Society
Employ local
In the 10 years we have been open, we pride ourselves on our local staff increase from 16 original members to the 50 we are today. All fully declared, we estimate their salaries alone maintain a local community of 500. Since starting work with us, 15 members have been able to buy their own homes.
Buy local
We source local or national products wherever possible, to reduce the carbon footprint to a minimum for our supplies. In the last ten years we have contributed over 1 million Euros to the local community in buying local.
Recycle & Give Back
Our tired bed linen is reused for making shopping bags, hand towels reused as cloths and cleaning supplies.
NO to single use plastic : Our pledge for this anniversary year, is to work on all possible ways to eliminate single use plastic.
- 2020 will see the arrival of a new water filtration system as part of our pledge to eliminate single use plastic from Palais Amani by the end of the year
- Sustainable drinking bottles for water instead of plastic bottles
- Packed lunch packaging is biodegradable
- Glass lidded plates to display biscuits
- Recycled bottle amenity dispensers installed
« Give back » bags left in rooms should you wish to lighten your luggage load, any unwanted clothes and shoes are given to local charities.
We support a number of local charities installing water, supplying education and working on the replanting of trees.
We have set up our own fund that allows our team to share the magic of travel, by funding their discovery of the world.
Amani sustainability
The Hummingbird Way.
During a major fire in the Amazon forest, all the animals were terrified, the hummingbird flew incessantly from lake to forest, each time carrying a few drops of water in her beak. The armadillo, watching her activity, shouted angrily, what do you think you are doing ? Do you really think you are going to put out the fire with your tiny contribution ? And without stopping, the hummingbird, called back, I am just doing my part.
This is very much the attitude we hold at the Palais Amani. Choosing not to use a plastic bag may not change the world, but where we can, we attempt to put our best self forward and to do our part.
