How to Optimise Your Airbnb Pricing in Marrakech in 2025

The majority of Airbnb property owners in Marrakech leave money on the table every single month. Not through carelessness, but through unfamiliarity with dynamic pricing — the most powerful lever available to maximise revenue without investing further in the property itself.

In this article we will explain exactly how the Marrakech rental market works, when prices rise, when they fall, and how to benefit from those movements in a systematic way.

Understanding Marrakech Seasonality

Marrakech does not have one high season: it has several, and they overlap in complex ways.

The primary high season runs from October through December. The weather is ideal — mild days around 22°C, cool evenings — and European travellers arrive in force before the Christmas and New Year holidays. Occupancy rates for a well-managed riad in the Medina reach 80 to 90% in November. Nightly rates for a well-positioned two-to-three-bedroom riad can exceed 2,500 MAD without any resistance.

The second high season covers February and March. This is the period of early spring travel, long weekends around French school holidays, and a growing flow of Nordic and British tourists. A decent apartment in Guéliz can command 900 to 1,200 MAD per night, versus 650 MAD during quieter periods.

Summer is the absolute low season. July and August, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40°C during the day, see demand collapse by 40 to 50%. This is the period when a flat year-round rate costs you precious bookings: a guest hesitating between your riad at 1,800 MAD and a competitor at 950 MAD will choose the competitor, even if the quality difference is real.

The baseline rule: your price should vary by a factor of two to three between low season and high season to accurately reflect genuine market demand.

Event-Based Pricing: The Golden Dates

Marrakech hosts events that create sharp, highly profitable demand spikes. An owner who ignores them can leave 5,000 to 15,000 MAD on the table over a single weekend.

The Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM), each December, attracts 70,000 visitors and hundreds of international industry professionals. Well-situated properties in the Medina or Guéliz can display prices 60 to 80% above the rates they would normally charge. Block these dates at the start of the year and schedule an automatic price increase.

The Marrakech Marathon, in January, generates 10,000 participants and their accompanying guests. Hotels are saturated and travellers turn to short-term rentals. Same pattern: anticipate, raise your prices by 40 to 60%.

Marrakech Fashion Week (spring and autumn), still unknown to some property owners, attracts a high-spending clientele. Premium apartments and riads can triple their normal rate.

Ramadan deserves particular attention: international tourists decline during the first ten days, then Eid creates a sharp reverse flow of Moroccan travellers and diaspora visitors. Adjust your minimum stays and your pricing accordingly.

Calculating Your Base Rate Correctly

Your base rate must be anchored in the reality of the local market, not in what you would like to earn.

The comparables method: identify five properties similar to yours (same neighbourhood, comparable number of bedrooms, similar amenities) and check their rates over the next 30 days. Your base rate should sit within the bottom 15% of that range. Why? Because a property priced slightly below the average generates more bookings, more reviews, and improves your algorithmic ranking — which, in turn, allows you to raise prices later.

Market reference rates for Marrakech (2025):

• Studio / 1 bedroom, Guéliz: 500–800 MAD/night
• 2 bedrooms, Guéliz or Hivernage: 800–1,400 MAD/night
• 2-bedroom riad, Medina: 1,200–2,000 MAD/night
• 3–4 bedroom riad, Medina: 1,800–3,500 MAD/night
• Palmeraie villa, 3+ bedrooms: 2,500–6,000 MAD/night

These ranges are wide because quality varies enormously. A property with beautiful photos, 50+ positive reviews, and Superhost status can position itself in the top third. A new listing starts in the bottom third.

Minimum Stays: An Underestimated Variable

The general rule: the slower the season, the more you should reduce your minimum stay.

A three-night minimum in high season is perfectly justified — guests make longer trips and you avoid the operational costs of frequent changeovers. But imposing a three-night minimum in July means cutting yourself off from all weekend bookings and business travel, which make up the bulk of summer demand.

Our recommendation by period:

• October–December: 3-night minimum, 4 nights over the holiday period
• January–March: 2–3 nights depending on the week
• April–June: 2 nights
• July–September: 1–2 nights depending on the days
• Event weekends: 3-night minimum as standard

The Gap-Filling Strategy

One of the most neglected revenue opportunities is filling the "gaps" in your calendar. A four-night stay that ends on a Wednesday, followed by a five-night stay beginning on a Friday, leaves a two-night void (Thursday–Friday). Those two empty nights will not fill themselves at your standard rate.

The solution: create an automatic discount rule for windows of one to three nights sandwiched between existing bookings. A discount of 20 to 30% on these isolated nights generates more revenue than an empty property — fixed costs (water, electricity, maintenance) remain the same whether a night is occupied or not.

On a property managed by Maison Labyad, this single strategy generates on average 8 to 12% additional annual revenue.

Last-Minute Discounts: When and How Much

Many property owners refuse last-minute discounts on principle, fearing they will "devalue" their listing. This is a mistake.

An empty night has zero value — it can never be recovered. A night at 70% of your normal rate still generates positive revenue after deducting variable costs (cleaning, electricity, consumables).

The 72-hour rule: if your night is not booked within 72 hours of the check-in date, apply an automatic discount of 15 to 25%. If it remains unbooked within 24 hours, move to 30–40%.

This approach does not undermine your premium image: last-minute travellers are a distinct segment from your advance planners. They do not occupy the same market and do not compare your last-minute rate to your standard rate.

Monitoring Competitors Continuously

Pricing is not an exercise you carry out once a year. The Marrakech market moves — new riads open, others close, hotels adjust their rates. A property that is not monitoring its positioning gradually drifts out of the market.

At Maison Labyad, our algorithm scans 200+ comparable properties from our database daily. It detects when a competitor lowers their prices (a potential signal of weak demand) or raises them (a signal of strong demand), and automatically adjusts the rates of our properties accordingly.

For a property owner managing their listing independently, the alternative is a monthly audit: spend 30 minutes on Airbnb analysing your five main competitors, note their prices over the next three weeks, and adjust your calendar if you consistently find yourself 30% or more above them.

Conclusion: Pricing Is a System, Not an Instinct

Most revenue losses among Airbnb property owners in Marrakech do not stem from a poor property or bad photographs — they come from rigid pricing that fails to adapt to actual market conditions.

Implementing a dynamic pricing system means establishing clear rules, testing them over 60 to 90 days, measuring the results, and adjusting. It is not an exact science, but it is a discipline. And that discipline is worth, on average, 25 to 40% additional annual revenue for a well-managed property in Marrakech.

If you want to know exactly where you stand and what you are leaving on the table, our free audit analyses your current pricing, compares it to the market, and delivers a personalised action plan within 48 hours.