You know that time is precious to me, which is why I decided to structure this monthly letter as follows: a retrospective on the past month, an encounter with a creative mind, a taste sensation, a reflection to open up new horizons, an enlightening read, and a place where the values of hospitality are those that I love and cherish. TOMO is not just a newsletter. It is a companion that transforms readers’ time into something precious and unexpected.
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#12
Pioneer of time,
sower of emotions
March, 12 2026
Dear readers,
I decided to take a small step aside for this letter and share a very personal emotion I experienced a few weeks ago.
It was a Sunday evening in Montmartre, and one of my closest friends had invited me to dinner. As I glanced at the table, I noticed these rather large place cards resting on our plates. Once the ten or so guests had taken their seats, our hostess invited us to open them. The place cards were in fact large envelopes containing a letter from someone who loves us and had something they wished to say.
She suggested we take a moment of silence so that each of us could quietly read, in our own thoughts, the letter written by the person she had taken the care to contact. It was a moment of deep emotion, with tears gently rolling down our cheeks. We were all quite speechless — both at the surprise and at the affection from those who had taken the time to put their feelings into words on paper. Everything about it was beautifully simple, and yet profoundly moving.
I have always loved creating little surprises for those around me and staging moments that bring people together. That dinner was a wonderful reminder that time passes far too quickly, and that we should never hesitate to tell the people who matter that we love them. It is so easy to recreate and it feels like pure magic.
Warmly,
Thierry
Today, I would like to tell you about the perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, whom I first met more than twenty years ago. At the time, I was working on the Romaneira project in Portugal and needed someone who understood both the world of beauty and skincare, as well as that of interior fragrances. I never once thought in terms of “olfactory marketing”, as it is often described today. I simply wanted to engage all five senses of our guests, and one quickly realises that touch and smell are often the ones most neglected.
When it comes to touch, I paid particular attention at Dar Ahlam to ensuring that light switches, fabrics and taps all offered a true tactile experience. As for scent, I imagined it as a series of small stones scattered along the path of a stay: the fragrance that welcomes you in the traditional entrance hall, your first encounter with the kasbah, which you then rediscover in your room, and once again on the last day before departure.
Many of our members still speak to me about the linen water or the candle that is only ever lit in the desert. What I appreciate most about Olivia, beyond her extraordinary talent, is the way she places herself at the service of a place in order to elevate it. The fragrance never overpowers the natural scent of the surroundings. There is nothing worse than hotels whose olfactory signature is so strong that the only option is to turn around and leave if you do not wish to feel assaulted (and I am certain you can think of just as many examples as I can…).
I love starting my day with a square of chocolate. A day that begins this way can only be gentle and positive, even in the face of the troubling news of the world. I always keep a bar close at hand — it’s a bit like a smile or a hug. With Easter approaching, I thought I would share a few of my favourite chocolatiers in Paris.
> Jean-Charles Rochoux, rue d’Assas (6e).
Not widely publicised, he is an absolutely remarkable artisan who has remained deeply rooted in tradition while adding his own creativity and touch of eccentricity. Everything he makes is wonderful, and in my view he produces the finest chocolate bars in Paris. At weekends, he sometimes offers bars topped with fresh fruit, coated in chocolate (with a very short shelf life). The strawberry one is utterly irresistible. Enjoy it as soon as the season begins.
> Plaq, rue du Nil (2e).
I love absolutely everything about this place: the chocolate flan pâtissier if you are lucky enough to try it, their phenomenal summer ice creams, and the biscuits of the moment (coated in chocolate), which are pure indulgence. The best way to enjoy it is to sit on the little bench in the shop with a hot chocolate and a small treat, watching the world go by.
> William Artigue, rue Yves Toudic (10e).
I discovered him quite recently and he completely pushes the boundaries of indulgence — it goes far beyond that, really. The most extraordinary creations are his sharing bites: crisp and melting at once, with almond praline, caramel, hazelnuts, dark or milk chocolate. He also makes a marzipan filled with candied lemon paste, coated in dark chocolate. Truly addictive.
> Yannick Alléno, rue du Champ de Mars (7e).
When I want to offer a slightly surprising gift, I often choose the chocolate vanilla pods from his chocolaterie. Each trompe-l’œil contains the equivalent of a real Tahitian vanilla pod. The flavour is incredibly powerful when you bite into it, with a light and velvety texture that makes you want to return to it again and again.
I often find myself smiling when I hear the expression “luxury hotel”. There must be dozens of possible definitions, but for me the real question is rather what one is actually looking for when booking a room. In a world where many brands are now in the hands of financiers, it feels important to stand up for the idea that hospitality should not be reduced to a mere marker of consumption or social success. To me, it means listening to one’s guests, trying to understand them, and adapting the way a place operates according to what they are seeking. What have they come for? A meeting? A discovery? A moment of disconnection? With the multitude of places that exist today, the challenge is to find the one that truly resonates with one’s intentions and desires.
At Dar Ahlam, for instance, we sometimes welcome travellers who are touring Morocco and see the House of Dreams simply as a stop along the road between the desert and Marrakech. These are, in a way, casting mistakes — guests who have not quite grasped our approach or our universe. With us, every moment of a stay is an opportunity to surprise the other. The check-out and the bill at the moment of departure? There is nothing particularly joyful about that. So we imagined what we call the “ceremony of wonders”, during which we unfold an imaginary map symbolising our guests’ journey with us. I will not reveal the backstage of these special moments (there are many others), but it is our way of preserving the enchanted interlude we try to create.
Human beings are the only species that puts poison on food so that others will not eat it… only to ingest it themselves afterwards. To me, nothing illustrates more clearly the urgency of acting. It is imperative that we take matters back into our own hands and return to things that are simple, healthy and natural.
In this spirit, I have been closely following the work of Climavore. This research platform explores how we should feed ourselves at a time when human activity is blurring the boundaries between the seasons. It is a call to rethink a failing food system and to move beyond the traditional categories of carnivorous, omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan diets, while also addressing the impact of intensive practices. This resonates deeply with what we are doing at Dar Ahlam with our Food Lab: seeking solutions to the challenges that climate poses in our palm grove in the middle of the desert. We work with whatever the land gives us and have decided to dedicate 10% of our garden to other living beings rather than to our own consumption. Instead of protecting our tomatoes from their “intruders”, we plant sorghum nearby for the birds. They are happy this way and so are we.
I recently came across a rather striking image: the district of Jimbocho (Tokyo), where more than 150 bookshops are concentrated along just two avenues. Surely one of the best antidotes to Amazon because here you are almost certain to find what you are looking for, simply by relying on human service and expertise.
In the same spirit, I can hardly believe it has taken twelve letters for me to speak to you about such a special place as the Morioka Shoten bookshop. Located in the Ginza district, it has the remarkable distinction of selling just one book each week. A meticulous form of curation that invites a certain restraint in a world where the range of choices seems ever more excessive. I like the idea that things are sometimes done not purely for money, but for the beauty of the gesture — out of conviction, from the desire to share an emotion, or simply from curiosity to broaden one’s horizons. We sometimes focus a little too much on contemporary authors, or on those we already know well. And yet it can be a real pleasure to return to great classics, or to discover writers from cultures different from our own, allowing us to question our perspectives. My relationship with reading has evolved, and I believe it should not necessarily be only a moment of relaxation or entertainment, but also a time for work, for discomfort, and for reflection.
Eight years ago, I was approached by the owner of Copenhagen’s oldest club, who was keen to add a few rooms within the venue itself. In the end, the project proved too complicated from a construction point of view and it never came to fruition. But during those scouting trips for 700,000 Heures, I discovered the Central Hotel & Café, in the Vesterbro district, which at the time was undergoing a remarkable transformation.
It is a charming little house with a coffee shop on the ground floor and a single room above. The entire space is lined with wood panelling, giving the impression of being inside a boat or train cabin. Ordinarily, I rather dislike the expression “to feel at home” (because if one wants to be at home, one might as well not pay for a hotel room), but this hotel is surely the exception that proves the rule. You feel as though you are staying with a passionate friend who has thoughtfully considered how best to please you and make you feel comfortable. A return to the very roots of hospitality with a delicious cup of coffee to match.
To follow everything happening around my projects:
> A creative workshop at Dar Ahlam, from 12 to 15 June, organised by the agency El Camino Travel. This gathering will bring together around ten professionals from the travel industry (DMCs, hoteliers, consultants, as well as data and branding experts) to reflect collectively on the evolution of travel experiences. Through a series of working sessions and informal discussions, several themes will be explored: experiential design as a strategy, regeneration as a concrete practice, and the creative design of a complete guest journey. If you would like to learn more, please feel free to send me a message : contact@thierryteyssier.com
Photo 3pm – Think : Cyrille George Jerusalmi – Dar Ahlam