• Moroccan entrepreneur Hicham Benyebdri co-founded hospitality technology start-up Userguest in 2018 to help hotels increase direct bookings.

• Userguest provides advertising campaign management and website personalisation tools designed to reduce hotels’ dependence on third-party booking platforms.

• Benyebdri previously worked at Expedia and co-founded digital agency Swell Hotel Marketing before launching Userguest.

Moroccan entrepreneur Hicham Benyebdri has positioned himself in that market through Userguest, a hospitality technology start-up that he co-founded in 2018 alongside Ahmed Chami and Assil Bernossi. The company helps hotels increase direct bookings through their own websites.

Userguest developed a platform designed to help hotels attract more travellers to their websites and reduce dependence on third-party booking platforms. The company focuses on two key challenges for hotel operators: attracting visitors with booking intent and converting those visitors into customers.

The company’s first solution centres on managing advertising campaigns for hotels. Userguest handles the creation, launch and optimisation of campaigns across multiple digital platforms. The approach aims to help hotels reach travellers who are more likely to book directly through official hotel websites.

The company’s second solution focuses on improving the online experience of hotel website visitors. Userguest displays personalised messages based on users’ behaviour or preferences. For example, the platform can highlight specific offers or encourage visitors to complete immediate bookings.

Hicham Benyebdri launched other ventures before founding Userguest. In 2015, he co-founded Swell Hotel Marketing, a digital agency dedicated exclusively to the hospitality industry. He served as the company’s chief executive until 2019. Benyebdri graduated from Université du Québec à Montréal in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in commerce and administration.

He also earned a master’s degree in international marketing from London South Bank University in 2010. He began his private-sector career in 2011 as a paid media analyst at Greenlight, a British agency later acquired by Brave Bison. Between 2012 and 2015, he worked as partner marketing manager at U.S. travel company Expedia.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum