Meryanne Loum-Martin is a hotelier, cultural entrepreneur and author of “Inside Marrakech: enchanting homes and gardens” published by Rizzoli, New York.

A former lawyer in Paris, she has been an “off the beaten track” hotelier since the 1989 opening of her first property in Marrakech. Her multi-ethnic background and cosmopolitan life taught her the importance of using culture and identity to make an impactful difference. Harpers and Queens’ awarded her the “Best Private villa in the world” prize in 2000. She has been featured in various prestigious press publications.

She envisioned cultivating some of Africa’s greatest resources: exceptional craftsmanship, culture, history and traditional knowledge, and to integrate this intangible heritage with world-class design and green technologies towards innovative solutions to sustainable tourism. With thirty years of experience as a hospitality and design pioneer in Marrakech’s competitive luxury market, she is the founder and owner of Jnane Tamsna, a Marrakech luxury boutique hotel. Studying architecture at Paris’ École des Beaux-Arts before becoming a lawyer, she arrived in Morocco in 1985. She immediately identified the value in tapping this artisanal culture to distinguish her first real estate development, Dar Tamsna Villas. The Wall Street Journal named her “the first one to create a new type of tourism that appeals to affluent Western society” in Marrakech.

JNAN Hotels use luxury as a leveraging tool to do impact investment. With the intention of generating positive, measurable social and environmental impact whilst yielding a financial return, we innovate by associating this investment concept with luxury. In each of our destinations, our hotels carry beautiful interiors collections locally made and specially designed by and for us. We provide a global market whilst optimizing the artisans’ know how. We support small farmers and source local organic produces. We promote local cosmetics, soaps and bath products.