Marrakech – Aleph Hospitality, the largest independent hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa, has opened a regional office in Casablanca and appointed Abdellah Essonni as Regional Vice President for North Africa. The company announced the move on March 31, describing it as a key step in its broader regional expansion strategy.
The Casablanca office will serve as Aleph Hospitality’s operational hub for North Africa. It is one of four new regional offices the Dubai-headquartered company plans to open in 2026. The others are in Abidjan, Cape Town, and Nairobi. The company said it intends to add further resources to the Moroccan team over the course of the year.
Essonni is no stranger to Morocco’s hospitality landscape
Essonni brings more than 35 years of experience in hospitality management, development, and asset management spanning four continents.
He most recently served as Strategic Advisor at HSP, a London-based network of hospitality consultants. Before that, he held the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for hospitality asset management at the Saudi Hospitality Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, from 2022 to 2024.
His career also includes five years as Chief Hospitality Officer at Maad International in Jeddah, where he oversaw the delivery of 4,400 rooms under IHG’s voco brand in Makkah.
He served as CEO of Abjar Hotels International in Dubai, the hospitality arm of the Almulla Group, which owns properties including the Ritz-Carlton Dubai and Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers. Earlier in his career, he held executive roles with Hyatt, Jumeirah, Four Seasons, Kempinski, and Disney across cities including New York, Rabat, Riyadh, and Baku.
He previously served as Managing Director of asset management at Actif Invest, the first hospitality investment fund in North Africa, under the Casablanca-based FinanceCom holding. He holds a CPD certification in general management from Cornell University and studied at the Institut Supérieur International de Tourisme de Tanger.
“It’s an exciting time to take on this opportunity,” Essonni said. “Aleph Hospitality’s portfolio is growing at an impressive pace, and the opening of the office in Casablanca marks an important milestone in strengthening our presence in the region.”
The model Aleph Hospitality operates under is gaining traction across the region
The appointment comes as Aleph Hospitality deepens its footprint in Morocco. In November 2024, the company entered the Moroccan market by signing management agreements for two luxury properties: the 93-room Marchica Lagoon Resort in Nador and the 72-suite Michlifen Resort & Golf in Ifrane.
Both are five-star independent resorts. Michlifen features a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course at 1,650 meters altitude in the Middle Atlas Mountains.
Founded in 2015 by industry veteran Bani Haddad, Aleph Hospitality currently manages over 50 hotels representing more than 7,000 rooms across 23 countries and 39 cities.
The company works with hotel owners either on a franchise basis for branded properties or as a white-label operator for independent hotels. Its partners include Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor, Best Western, Rotana, Wyndham, and Onomo.
Aleph Hospitality’s growth accelerated sharply in 2025. In September of that year, it took over management of 26 ONOMO-branded hotels across 14 African countries, effectively doubling its portfolio. It has since set a target of managing 100 hotels by 2029.
The company won the Leading Hotel Management Company award at the Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2025 by Hotel & Catering Middle East.
Third-party hotel management separates property ownership from day-to-day operations. Under this structure, a hotel owner retains ownership of the asset and can still carry an international brand through a franchise agreement. But instead of the brand running the hotel directly, the owner appoints an independent management company to handle operations.
This gives owners greater control over their properties, shorter and more flexible contract terms, and clearer visibility over operational performance. It also allows them to switch operators during repositioning or property sales without losing the brand.
For owners with multiple properties under different brands, a single third-party operator simplifies reporting and benchmarking across the portfolio.
The model is well established in the United States and Europe. In the Middle East and Africa, where management agreements with global brands have traditionally dominated, it is now expanding as owners seek more commercially flexible arrangements.
Morocco’s hospitality sector provides a strong context for the expansion
Aleph Hospitality’s expansion into Morocco comes at a time of strong structural momentum in the country’s hospitality sector.
The country recorded a record 19.8 million tourist arrivals in 2025, a 14% increase over 2024 and well above the government’s original target of 17.5 million for 2026. Tourism revenue reached MAD 138 billion ($13.8 billion), up 21% year-on-year, surpassing the government’s 2026 roadmap target of MAD 120 billion a full year ahead of schedule.
In the first quarter of 2026 alone, Morocco welcomed 4.3 million tourists, a 7% rise, while travel receipts hit MAD 31 billion, up 24% compared to the same period in 2025. The sector now supports approximately 894,000 direct jobs and contributes around 10% to the country’s GDP.
The government has backed this momentum with a $600 million tourism roadmap for 2023-2026. It includes the Cap Hospitality program, which finances the modernization of 25,000 existing hotel rooms through a MAD 4 billion mechanism.
Separately, Morocco is preparing a $4 billion investment drive to increase hotel capacity by 20%, adding 25,000 new rooms across 700 projects.
Around 75% of those projects will be funded by Moroccan investors. International hotel brands are expected to manage at least 15% of the new capacity. The push is directly tied to Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Morocco’s ambitions extend well beyond these figures. The country aims to attract 26 million tourists and generate approximately MAD 200 billion ($20 billion) in annual revenue by the end of the decade.
Major international chains are already responding to the opportunity. Hilton plans to more than double its Morocco footprint with 15 new hotels. Accor has expanded its three-decade partnership with Risma. Virgin Limited Edition announced plans for a 37-suite luxury property near Marrakech.
Airport capacity is set to rise from 38 million to 80 million passengers by 2030. High-speed rail expansion from Kenitra through Casablanca to Marrakech is already under construction, with completion targeted for 2030.
For Aleph Hospitality, Morocco fits squarely into its model of working directly with hotel owners to provide tailored management solutions.
The company offers services at every stage of development, from site and brand selection to pre-opening support and day-to-day operations. Its asset-light franchise model gives owners greater control, operational visibility, and contractual flexibility compared to traditional direct management by global brands.
The third-party hotel management model remains relatively new in the region. But Aleph’s decade-long track record and expanding portfolio suggest it is gaining traction. Over 60% of the company’s existing hotel owners have entrusted additional properties to its management. The company now employs more than 3,500 people across its hotel portfolio and 15 at its Dubai head office.
With Essonni now leading from Casablanca, Aleph Hospitality is positioning itself to capture a larger share of Morocco’s fast-growing hospitality market at a time when international and domestic demand continues to rise.
