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In August 2023, I wrote about Marriott completing the acquisition of City Express. The Latin-American hotel chain had 150 hotels in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica. In October, Marriott announced that it was bringing this brand to the United States and Canada. This expansion marked the hotelier’s entry into the affordable midscale transient segment in the region and in March Marriott announced that the first location was open in Duluth, GA. Now, Marriott is planning a big expansion into Brazil with 30 planned properties and seven of them signed for development. These will open in Brazil’s Northeast region over the next 15 years.
Earlier this year, Marriott unveiled plans to launch City Express by Marriott in Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Peru. City Express by Marriott has over 60 projects in the pipeline and it looks like this brand is just getting started. Marriott plans to add more than 750 guest rooms across key high-growth destinations with the planned opening of City Express by Marriott properties in Ipojuca’s Suape Industrial Port Complex and Porto de Galinhas, set to open by 2028. Future hotels are also planned for Natal and Fortaleza. Further openings are expected by 2029 in Cabo de Santo Agostinho and the surrounding area.
Previously referred to as Project Mid-T by Marriott, this brand is part of the company’s focus on strengthening its presence in the affordable midscale segment and being able to offer lodging options at every budget. The City Express by Marriott brand is designed to be conversion-friendly. Hotel owners will not need to invest as much or be held to strict brand standards when opening under this flag. City Express by Marriott will also give owners the opportunity to take advantage of Marriott’s powerful sales, distribution, and marketing engines as well as its loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy®.
City Express by Marriott is meant to appeal to both business and leisure travelers. Each property offers high-speed internet access and a complimentary breakfast. Guests will also have access to 24-hour markets, pet-friendly spaces, and on-site fitness facilities.
The biggest drawback of this brand might be its earnings and benefits in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. Like all other properties, guests will have the ability to earn and redeem miles. City Express by Marriott hotels will earn 5x points per $1 spent and one night towards elite status for every two stayed. This is essentially half of what members earn at other Marriott brands and an unfortunate way to disincentivize guests.
Bojan Kumer, Regional Vice President of Development for Marriott International in CALA, said:
These new hotel signings are a testament to the trust our owners and franchisees place in Marriott International and the strength of our world-class brands. Brazil is a key growth market for us, and we continue to see opportunities to further diversify our portfolio in the country. We’re especially excited about expanding in the affordable midscale segment with City Express by Marriott.”
Anthony’s Take: I like that Marriott is quickly growing this segment, but the benefits and credit towards elite status are seriously lacking.
(Image Credits: Marriott.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
