“More than just a stay, an experience to be lived”.
That sentence is a philosophy, quietly shaping a new hospitality model emerging from Morocco’s cities.
While much of the global short-stay market has drifted toward sameness, efficiency, and scale at all costs, StayHere is building something deliberately human: standardized serviced apartments rooted in kindness, culture, and consistency.
At the center of this vision is Mohamed Benzakour, a former professional athlete who traded stadium lights for city streets, returning to Morocco with a conviction that hospitality could be both world-class and deeply local.
From the Discipline of Sport to the Precision of Hospitality
Before StayHere existed, Benzakour’s life revolved around performance, pressure, and resilience. As a professional footballer, he learned early that excellence is trained for, repeated, and sustained under stress.
When he returned to Morocco, he carried that same discipline with him, but redirected it toward a different arena: urban hospitality.
Alongside Mohammed Lachgar, his co-founder and CMO, Benzakour launched StayHere Group in 2020 with a clear, almost counter-cultural ambition to build a Moroccan hospitality brand with soul.
A Clear Vision in a Crowded Market
StayHere’s timing was deliberate. As Morocco’s cities Casablanca, Rabat, and beyond absorbed growing flows of business travelers, diaspora visitors, and long-stay professionals, the gap became obvious.
Hotels offered services but little personal space and Short-let apartments offered space but inconsistent quality.
StayHere stepped into that gap with a simple, defensible playbook: professionally operated, thoughtfully designed serviced apartments in prime urban districts, delivered with hotel-grade consistency and local character.
Today, StayHere’s footprint is visible across Casablanca’s Palmier, Gauthier, and Maarif, as well as Rabat’s Agdal and Hay Riad neighbourhoods chosen for livability.
Kindness as an Operating System
What truly differentiates StayHere is intent.
The company’s vision states it plainly:
“We passionately believe that a world founded on kindness is the most beautiful of worlds.”
This belief informs everything from how spaces are designed, to how staff are trained, to how guests are welcomed.
StayHere’s assignment goes further:
to create spaces of kindness that propel guests forward and foster human flourishing.
In practice, that means apartments designed for rest and productivity, seamless check-ins, responsive service, and neighbourhoods that feel lived-in rather than transactional.
This is hospitality as care above consumption.
Building for Repeat Trust, Not One-Time Stays
StayHere has taken a pragmatic approach to growth. Rather than over-investing early in direct acquisition, the brand has leaned into partner-led distribution, with visible listings and strong reviews on platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, and Airbnb.
The consistency of service descriptions, amenity sets, and guest feedback across these platforms signals operational maturity, a detail corporate travelers and long-stay guests notice immediately.
As Morocco positions itself for AFCON 2025 and the 2030 World Cup, demand for reliable, apartment-style accommodation is only set to rise. StayHere is quietly positioning itself to become the default choice for business travelers who want more than a room but less friction than a private rental.
A Founder’s Philosophy Made Physical
For Benzakour, StayHere is a continuation of his philosophy.
The same values that defined his athletic career; discipline, resilience, attention to detail, and presence, now shape how StayHere operates. Hospitality, in this model, is above and beyond luxury signals and about showing up correctly, every time.
With Mohammed Lachgar shaping brand and storytelling as Co-Founder and CMO, StayHere balances operational rigour with emotional resonance, an increasingly rare combination in modern travel.
Why StayHere Matters
StayHere represents a broader shift in Moroccan entrepreneurship: founders building category-defining local brands, away from asset-light replicas of global models.
As events, business travel, and extended stays continue to rise, Morocco will need accommodation brands that understand its cities from the inside out. StayHere is doing exactly that one neighbourhood, one guest, one kind space at a time.
And in a market chasing scale, that focus on human flourishing may prove to be its strongest competitive edge.
