After a decade dark, Fes's grandest palace hotel is coming back. The Palais Jamai, a late 19th-century palace above the Fes medina, is scheduled to reopen in October 2026 as part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts' Legend Collection, the company announced on September 29.
The oldest pavilion was begun in 1879 as the residence of Muhammad Ibn al-'Arabi al-Jami'i, a Grand Vizier of Sultan Moulay Hassan. The palace was expanded in 1927 by architect Edmond Gourdain, purchased in 1929 by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique and converted into a hotel, and managed by Accor from 1998 as a Sofitel. It closed in 2014.
The Legend Collection, Preferred's soft brand for independent landmark hotels, now counts more than 125 properties. The Fes addition was announced as part of an 11-property expansion the company framed as a response to demand for destination-led luxury travel.
"Today's luxury traveler is not looking for one prescribed idea of the perfect hotel. They are seeking experiences that speak to their individual interests, whether that means reconnecting with nature, engaging with a destination's cultural heritage, discovering a new culinary perspective, or experiencing an iconic city from a more personal point of view," said Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO of Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
Preferred gives the opening as October 2026, with no exact date announced.
Photography: xiquinhosilva, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
