Meryanne Loum-Martin

Meryanne Loum-Martin, an award-winning Parisian lawyer, graduated from the University of Paris Law School and became a member of the Paris Bar. Within a year of being sworn in, she won the prestigious Prix des Secrétaires de la Conférence du Stage and represented the Paris Bar in international debate competitions. With a Senegalese father and a West-Indian mother, she was educated in France and had traveled, explored, worked, and lived on four continents by the age of thirty.

In December 1985, she came to Marrakech and immediately recognized the untapped potential of the destination. Four weeks later, she began her first development project, pioneering a cutting-edge approach to high-end tourism. This led to Harper's and Queen's 2002 award for “The Best Private Villa in the World.”

Her passion for developing opportunities rooted in cultural heritage, design, and conservation—leveraged by the highest international standards—has been extensively featured in international magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, French Vogue, Italian Vogue, British Vogue, German Vogue, Condé Nast Traveller, Elle Décor, Coté Sud, The New York Times, Town & Country, and others. These accomplishments established her as a pioneering figure in boutique hospitality in Marrakech.

As The Wall Street Journal Europe wrote in 2002, "Mrs. Loum-Martin was the first one to create a new type of tourism that appeals to affluent Western society. She has contributed enormously to the style of Marrakesh."

In 1999, she opened Ryad Tamsna, an innovative cultural concept store in the Medina. In 2001, it was featured on the front cover of Departures with the caption: “The Essence of Chic.”

In 2001, she created Jnane Tamsna, a cultural boutique hotel that supports The Global Diversity Foundation. This endeavor was highlighted in a New York Times feature. Her interests span hospitality, design, green development, and art. She has served on the board of the Marrakech Art Biennale, founded by Vanessa Branson (the dynamic sister of Sir Richard Branson), and on the board of The Observatoire de la Palmeraie, the conservation arm of the Foundation King Mohammed VI for Environment Conservation.

She is likely the only person to have received prestigious awards in two vastly different fields: law and design.

Meryanne Loum-Martin is also the only foreign female and the only Black person commissioned by the 310-year-old German company Meissen to design a collection for their iconic porcelain brand. Her book, Inside Marrakech, published by Rizzoli NY, makes her the first African author in the international luxury lifestyle design genre. The book has become a reference in global design circles.

Currently, she is launching The Diaspora Salon, a yearly gathering of Black excellence across all Afro-descendant diasporas, aiming to break down silos and foster unity to create wealth and opportunities collectively. She is also developing a new concept for an international boutique hotel brand rooted in cultural experience

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