Hotel of the Week: Sir Richard Branson’s Restored Morocco Retreat Celebrates Berber Culture

Kasbah Tamadot, a five-star property in the High Atlas Mountains, rebounds from a devastating earthquake with a revived main building, six new riads, a new restaurant, and a rejuvenated sense of community

March 14, 2025

Self-made British billionaire Sir Richard Branson built his empire on bold ideas, starting with Virgin Records in the 1970s, then Virgin Mobile, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Galactic, and Virgin Limited Edition—a global hospitality group of nine retreats in the British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Spain, Kenya, and Switzerland.

Famed for his adventurous spirit, the 74-year-old rarely opts for the ordinary. In 1998, while planning a hot-air balloon circumnavigation, Branson visited Morocco with his parents, Ted and Eve. On the trip, Eve visited Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains for the first time and discovered a valley that led to a beautiful old riad that she urged her son to buy on the promise that she will devote herself to improving the lives of Berber families in the surrounding villages.

After purchasing the property from an Italian antiques dealer (along with the dealer’s warehouse of antiques), Branson spent two years restoring the site, opening it in 2005 as Kasbah Tamadot. Marking Branson’s debut in the hotel world, Kasbah Tamadot, near Asni, quickly became one of Morocco’s most sought-after and majestic retreats that showcases the best of Berber hospitality and Moroccan design.

The library. Photo: Virgin Limited Edition

In September 2023, a catastrophic 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco’s Al Haouz region (which included Asni), bringing devastation to the region and parts of the hotel. The Eve Branson Foundation (EBF), a charitable association named after Branson’s mother, who passed away in 2021, has worked in partnership with the hotel since its beginning, and the organization raised well over $1 million as part of an Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund to assist the many Berber communities affected.

“The hotel is synonymous with the High Atlas Mountains and its surrounding Berber communities, and the EBF has allowed the local communities to repair and rebuild,” David Redouane Assabbab, general manager of Kasbah Tamadot, tells Galerie.

The courtyard. Photo: Virgin Limited Edition

Branson and his team spent the last year fully restoring Kasbah Tamadot’s damaged main building. During construction, the team added six new riads and a second restaurant, called Asayss. Like all of Branson’s experiential hotels, Kasbah Tamadot connects visitors to both the local community and the land. Here, nearly all of the hotel’s staff are Moroccan, and specifically from the local Berber villages, while the textiles and art are made by Moroccan artisans.

Ask anyone who visits Kasbah Tamadot, and they will tell you of its magic, found in the warm hospitality of the staff, the ethereal common spaces, Berber-style tents, views of Mount Toubkal, and traditionally designed bedrooms and riads. Guests can choose from three-bedroom riads, sumptuous tents, or traditional rooms and suites. All accommodations feature handcrafted furnishings made by the local Berber community in collaboration with the EBF.

The pool. Photo: Virgin Limited Edition

Branson strives to immerse guests in local culture and tradition, both on property and off. Kasbah Tamadot offers the finest Moroccan cuisine at its two restaurants, Kanoun and Asayss, which both use fresh ingredients from the kitchen’s very own garden. Regional fare is also represented in the dishes served at a rooftop and pool terrace.

Tantalizing amenities include grass tennis courts, the Asounfou Spa with a Moroccan hammam, and chef-led cooking lessons that teach guests how to make some of the hotel’s most popular dishes. Experiences off property allows for a deeper immersion into the scenic landscape, with breathtaking hiking treks past rivers, eucalyptus and olive groves, forests, and views of Mount Toubkal.

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