The verdict in three sentences
For a group of 4 riads and 2 hotels totalling 180 rooms in Marrakech, a custom PMS costs 400,000 to 900,000 MAD excluding VAT (about 37,000 to 83,000 EUR) in 2026, versus 8 to 15 EUR per room per month for a market licence, or about 190,000 to 350,000 MAD a year. Licence savings alone do not justify the software; direct booking does: bringing OTA commissions from 18% to 11% of revenue is worth millions of dirhams a year. The right choice depends on your ability to run a unified booking engine and guest CRM across all six properties, the model many Dubai hotel groups have already adopted.
Market licence or custom PMS: the numbers
Cloud PMS products cover a single property well. A mixed group of riads and hotels often hits three limits: consolidated reporting, whole-riad rentals and cross-property loyalty.
| Criterion | Licensed cloud PMS | Kolonell custom PMS |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 30,000 to 80,000 MAD setup | 400,000 to 900,000 MAD |
| Annual cost (180 rooms) | 8 to 15 EUR per room per month, i.e. 190,000 to 350,000 MAD | 60,000 to 120,000 MAD maintenance and hosting |
| 5-year cumulative cost | 980,000 to 1,830,000 MAD | 700,000 to 1,500,000 MAD |
| Group consolidated view | Often a paid add-on | Native |
| Whole-riad rental (entire house or per room) | Manual workaround | Native |
| Single guest profile across 6 properties | Limited | Yes, group CRM |
| Group-specific changes | Vendor roadmap | On demand |
Under 80 rooms, a licence remains the rational choice. Above 150 rooms spread across several properties, custom becomes competitive over 5 years, before even counting the commission gain.
Modules and 2026 budget
| Module | Key function | Indicative budget (MAD excl. VAT) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core PMS | Room chart, check-in and check-out, folios, housekeeping, multi-property | 120,000 to 250,000 | 8 weeks |
| Channel manager | Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb connection, availability and rate sync | 70,000 to 150,000 | 5 weeks |
| Direct booking engine | Group website, CMI and international card payment, member offers | 80,000 to 180,000 | 5 weeks |
| CRM and loyalty | Single profile, history, cross-property points programme | 50,000 to 120,000 | 4 weeks |
| Revenue management | Dynamic rates based on occupancy and events | 40,000 to 100,000 | 4 weeks |
| Reporting and accounting | RevPAR, ADR per property, accounting export, tourist tax | 40,000 to 100,000 | 3 weeks |
| Total | 400,000 to 900,000 | 5 to 7 months |
A hybrid approach also works: keep a licensed PMS for operations and build the booking engine, CRM and group reporting custom, for 200,000 to 400,000 MAD.
OTA commissions: where the money hides
OTAs take 15 to 22% per booking. A Marrakech group often depends on these channels for 70% of bookings. A direct engine combined with CRM brings part of repeat and local guests back to the website.
| Indicator | Before | After 12 months (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Share of bookings via OTA | 70% | 45% |
| OTA commissions as % of room revenue | 18% | 11% |
| Share of direct bookings | 15% | 38% |
| Guests returning to the group | 8% | 15% |
| Group monthly close time | 4 days | 1 day |
| Overbookings per year | 25 | Fewer than 3 |
Mini case study
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Youssef, CIO of a group of 4 riads and 2 hotels in Marrakech, oversees room revenue of 38,000,000 MAD a year. OTA commissions represent 18%, or 6,840,000 MAD. At 11%, they drop to 4,180,000 MAD: 2,660,000 MAD saved every year (about 245,000 EUR). Subtracting direct acquisition costs (Google and Meta campaigns, about 600,000 MAD a year) leaves a net gain of about 2,060,000 MAD. For a 700,000 MAD custom PMS, the investment is covered in just over four months of full operation.
FAQ
Is the channel manager connected to the major OTAs?
Yes, through official APIs or a certified connector. Availability syncs in seconds, bringing overbookings below 3 a year.
Which payment methods does the direct booking engine accept?
The engine accepts Moroccan cards via CMI and international cards via a provider such as Stripe. Fees are around 1.5 to 3% depending on the card, versus 15 to 22% OTA commission.
How long does migration from our current PMS take?
Migrating future bookings, guest profiles and rates takes 2 to 3 weeks. Cutover happens property by property, preferably in low season.
Does the software handle Moroccan tourist tax?
Yes, the tax is calculated per night and per property category, then exported for filing. Settings follow current municipal rates.
Can we start with the booking engine alone?
Yes, it is often the best first phase: 80,000 to 180,000 MAD, in 5 weeks, connected to your existing PMS.
Let's scope your project. For a group of 3 to 10 properties, we scope the PMS, channel manager and direct engine, with a budget of 400,000 to 900,000 MAD or a hybrid approach from 200,000 MAD. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
