Marriott has completed its acquisition of the City Express brand portfolio from Hoteles City Express.
The deal marks Marriott’s entry into the affordable midscale segment with City Express by Marriott becoming the group’s 31st brand.
The City Express brand portfolio consists of five sub-brands: City Express, City Express Plus, City Express Suites, City Express Junior, and City Centro.
In the coming months, the City Premios loyalty program is expected to be retired as it is integrated into the Marriott Bonvoy platform.
“We are thrilled to expand our portfolio into the fast-growing affordable midscale segment,” said Leeny Oberg, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Development, Marriott International. “Our goal is to be everywhere our guests
want us to be, with the right property in the right location at
the right price point. The City Express brand acquisition is an
important first step as we enter this attractive segment, allowing
us to provide a wider range of choices to our guests, as well as
more growth opportunities for our owners and franchisees.”
Marriott has a strong track record of growing regional brands, and a successful history of leveraging the company’s global development engine and revenue systems to expand into new markets.
“With this brand acquisition, we have significantly grown our presence in the Caribbean and Latin America, particularly in secondary and tertiary markets, making us the largest hotel company in the region,” said Brian King, President, Caribbean and Latin America (CALA), Marriott International. “We see meaningful opportunity to further expand the City Express brand in the CALA region as well as in other locations.”
The existing City Express hotel portfolio, consisting of approximately 150 properties, is now part of Marriott’s franchise system.
The properties include urban, suburban and extended stay offerings in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Chile, and enjoy exceptional brand recognition among Latin American travelers.
The transaction has increased Marriott’s presence in the CALA region by approximately 45 percent, to over 480 properties across 37 countries.
“The opportunity this transaction represents for our customers and City Premios and Marriott Bonvoy members is significant,” said Diana Plazas, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, CALA, Marriott International. “But what is equally exciting is the opportunity to introduce new customers to our broader portfolio of brands through City Express offerings. We look forward to welcoming new guests to the entire Marriott Bonvoy portfolio.”
