Marriott Acquires City Express Hotels in Latin America
Marriott International will soon add a new brand to its portfolio: city express, Headquartered in Mexico, it will be Marriott’s 31st hotel brand.
Let’s see what this means for Marriott’s portfolio and what we can expect when the deal closes later this year or early 2023.
Marriott acquires City Express brand portfolio
Hoteles City Express is a chain of budget to mid-range hotels in 75 cities in Mexico and three other countries in Latin America. City Express has a total of 152 hotels currently operating under the following sub-brands:
- city express
- City Express Plus
- City Express Suite
- City Express Junior
- city center
The City Express hotel chain has grown rapidly since its inception in 2002. Each brand caters to a slightly different audience, including urban hotels, suburban hotels and hotels set up for longer stays.
City Express is designed to fit into the popular and affordable mid-range segment, while being modern and efficient.
It remains to be seen how each hotel will be renamed, but we can expect them to receive the “Marriott” moniker soon after the deal closes. After that, we expect all City Express hotels to be added to Marriott’s website and app, and those hotels can be booked using cash and Marriott Bonvoy Points like most of Marriott’s existing 30 brands .
The acquisition of City Express will also make Marriott the largest hotel company in the Caribbean and Latin America, remembering that Marriott is already the largest hotel company in the world.
City Express Trail
Needless to say, the acquisition was primarily aimed at expanding Marriott’s presence in the region. The City Express would be a more comfortable place to sleep in a well-located location in the smaller Mexican metropolis where Marriott currently doesn’t have substantial coverage.
City Express has hotels in the following cities, all of which will be new additions to Marriott’s global footprint:
- Chiapas
- Colima
- Durango
- Hidalgo
- Michoacan
- tamaulipas
- Tlaxcala
- zacatecas
City Express also has multiple hotels in Costa Rica, Colombia and Chile, although Marriott has opened hotels in those destinations.
Travelers to smaller cities in Mexico that previously did not have a Marriott-branded hotel will now have the opportunity to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points, as well as accrue elite qualifying nights.
Mattress Treadmill?
“Running the Mattress” is the sole purpose of booking a hotel in order to reach the next elite level to accumulate nights.
While not always worth it, it can be beneficial if you are only a few nights away from Marriott Platinum Elite or Titanium Elite status and book additional hotel stays to reach your next elite status The incremental benefits of tiers will outweigh the costs.
Marriott Bonvoy members looking to run mattresses at low paid hotel rates will have the lowest cash rates of any Marriott hotel with City Express.
Of course, you probably wouldn’t want to travel to a small town in central Mexico just to start a mattress run, so you’ll be happy to hear that Mexico City’s hotel prices are also very attractive.
Sure, City Express hotel rates may go up slightly after the deal, but they should still be fairly reasonable if you need a few cheap nights in a pinch.
in conclusion
Marriott and Hoteles City Express have reached an agreement to acquire the City Express brand portfolio, which will make “City Express by Marriott” the 31st brand under the world’s largest hotel chain.
While not a luxury brand by any means, City Express should be a comfortable place to rest during your Latin American travels. Additionally, upcoming acquisitions provide additional opportunities to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points in cities not previously served by Marriott.
What’s more, if you’re after a higher level of elite status, City Express can also book mattresses at very affordable cash rates for cheap elite qualifying nights.
