French hotelier redefines luxury travel with resorts that put the interests of indigenous host communities first
- From Morocco to Peru, empowering villagers who live around its resorts is a priority for 700,000 Heures Impact and its founder Thierry Teyssier
- They make regenerative travel a reality by asking guests to give to a community fund before booking, and by channelling money into local enterprises
Thierry Teyssier is a French hotelier who sells experiences rather than rooms.
Take Tizkmoudine, a new luxury destination within a 14th century Moroccan Berber community four hours south of Marrakech.
Only 150 families live around its palm-lined oasis, with the “hotel” occupying three restored stone houses.
The guest rooms are elegantly decorated with Moroccan crafts, with candles or lanterns for lighting and a gas stove for heat. There’s no front desk, no set check-in and no television, and there are no room keys.
Instead of a restaurant, the staff deliver custom meals in surprise locations any time you wish. Most of them are village residents who can also teach you to make traditional tafarnout bread or weave Berber baskets.
All this is emblematic of Teyssier’s avant-garde style, which he has refined in the 22 years since he opened Dar Ahlam, in Ouarzazate, Morocco.
