About this Hotel THE HOTEL AnaYela, a gorgeous 300-year-old palace transformed into an opulent hotel, is the jewel of Marrakesh. After a full-scale restoration in 2007, the luminous two-suite and three-room city palace offers a lush indoor courtyard, a heated limestone pool, and a beguiling rooftop terrace overlooking Marrakesh's historic quarter. With so much mystique, it's no wonder guests report feeling as if they've stepped into a mirage. MADE BY ORIGINALS Andrea Bury and Bernd Kolb have a wealth of experience between them in the corporate world. Andrea Bury, who is deft in everything from PR to advertising, eventually formed her own company, Calliope, which has worked with companies such as Deutschebank and Volkswagen. Bernd Kolb founded Germany’s first Internet advertising portal in 1993 and the first German e-commerce platform in 1995. Together, with invaluable experience and a strong sense of teamwork, the couple founded a Think Tank in Marrakesh that later became AnaYela hotel, as well as the Club of Marrakesh where Bernd Kolb holds lectures on the environment. ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN The restoration of a beautiful 300-year-old city palace in Marrakesh was not a typical restoration: no electric tools were used and only traditional Moroccan craftsmanship was employed. With the vision of creating a “place of inspiration” in the middle of the Medina in Marrakesh, Andrea Bury and Bernd Kolb created a culturally sensitive boutique hotel with the help of over 100 artisans. AnaYela offers a heated limestone pool, an inviting courtyard, and a rooftop terrace with views over the city’s historic quarter. All the furniture, from the lamps to the tableware and everything in between, was designed by Bernd Kolb and Yannick Hervy, and finished by Moroccan artists.