On some days during the three years it took to restore Marrakech’s undisputed grandedame hotel, more than 1,000 craftsmen were at work on the site. Parisian designer Jacques Garcia, entrusted with returning the 1923 property to its former glory, sought out the city’s most talented painters and wood carvers. The craftsmen he chose laid millions of hand-cut tiles, pieced together wood-marquetry walls, carved ornate designs into plaster columns and forged hundreds of handmade lanterns. Thanks to them, the palace is once again a vibrant celebration of the city’s past, present and future, displaying Moroccan style, complete with intricate patterns and arabesques based on Berber and Arab-Andalusian traditions.