Book tip of the week: La Mamounia x Assouline

The essence of a place in words and pictures
© Assouline
© Assouline
28. September 2025

 | Editorial team

The legendary La Mamounia palace hotel in Marrakesh has been considered the epitome of sophistication and Moroccan art de vivre for over a century. In collaboration with Assouline Publishing, an extraordinary book dedicated to this iconic place has been published.

Through stories, anecdotes, and personal snapshots, author Laurence Benaïm unfolds the fascinating history of the hotel  –from its opening in 1923 to the present day. Accompanied by impressive imagery, the result is a vivid portrait that showcases the architecture, culture, and close connection between the hotel and its city, Marrakech.

INFO
La Mamounia x Assouline
Author: Laurence Benaïm
Publisher: Assouline
208 pages
ISBN: 9781649804280
Price: €120

“The most beautiful place in the world”

More than just a chronicle, this publication is a tribute to the people who shape La Mamounia: guests from all over the world, passionate employees, and the city itself. The result is an invitation to immerse yourself in the special atmosphere of a place that Prime Minister Winston Churchill once called “the most beautiful in the world.”

Our conclusion

A must-have for lovers of architecture, cultural history, and luxury travel – and a coffee table book that captures the essence of a unique hotel.

Available since September 8, 2025, in the La Mamounia boutique and online.

A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît!
Copyright for the featured images used:
© Assouline

Book tip: Lasagna, Moussaka, and Co. – Happiness in Layers

Ilse Fischer's “Lasagna, Moussaka, and Co.” is a culinary journey through Europe in casserole form

Casseroles are underestimated. They are often considered cozy, filling, a little old-fashioned—but they are actually culinary narrative forms. This is exactly where Ilse Fischer comes in. Lasagne, Moussaka und Co.: Das Glück in Schichten (Lasagna, Moussaka and Co.: Happiness in Layers) is not just another “lasagna book,” but a collection of cultural identities, layered in dough, vegetables, sauces, and memories.

What sets this book apart from classic recipe collections is its focus on the principle of layering. Fischer shows that whether it’s Italian vincigrassi, Greek pastitsio, Alsatian baeckeoffe, or Savoyard tartiflette, ingredients are layered, interwoven, and combined in the oven to create something greater than the sum of its parts throughout Europe. It’s about more than technique. It’s about origin, climate, availability, and food culture.

INFO:
Lasagne, Moussaka and Co. – Happiness in Layers
Author: Ilse Fischer
Illustrations: Gudy Steinmill-Hommel
Publisher: Christian Verlag GmbH
Publication date: November 2025
Length: 256 pages
Binding: Hardcover
Language: German
ISBN: 978-3-9895101-6-6

How price acceptance actually arises

Why guests are happy to pay the price for menus, rooms, and non-alcoholic alternatives when quality and character match

Price has long been more than just the result of a calculation. It is a signal. For attitude, for standards, for credibility. Guests read prices as a silent message about what a business stands for and how consistently it lives up to its promise of quality. Today, guests no longer pay for the cheapest option, but for the most harmonious one. For an offer where price, product, and atmosphere form a coherent whole.

Highballs, Deep Cuts & Vienna's New Underground

How Salon Paradise at The Hoxton is reinventing the night—and why Vienna's most exciting cultural space is emerging beneath it.

Vienna has many bars. But only a few places that truly create their own world. Salon Paradise is exactly that: not a nightclub, but a state of mind. A dimly lit basement bar where conversations become deeper, drinks taste clearer, and music doesn’t accompany, but leads. After the summer break, Vienna’s most iconic underground bar returns to The Hoxton, Vienna on November 22—with a new tempo, a new sound, and a sharpened attitude. The rebellious soul remains, but it now beats with greater focus.

quick & dirty
La Mamounia x Assouline © Assouline
Book tip of the week: La Mamounia x Assouline

The legendary La Mamounia palace hotel in Marrakesh has been considered the epitome of sophistication and Moroccan art de vivre for over a century. In collaboration with Assouline Publishing, an extraordinary book dedicated to this iconic place has been published.

Through stories, anecdotes, and personal snapshots, author Laurence Benaïm unfolds the fascinating history of the hotel  –from its opening in 1923 to the present day. Accompanied by impressive imagery, the result is a vivid portrait that showcases the architecture, culture, and close connection between the hotel and its city, Marrakech.

INFO
La Mamounia x Assouline
Author: Laurence Benaïm
Publisher: Assouline
208 pages
ISBN: 9781649804280
Price: €120