Earlier this summer, Marriott teased the launch of a new affordable hotel brand in the U.S. and Canada called Project Mid-T.
Now, the world’s largest hotel company has shared that Project Mid-T isn’t an entirely new brand but rather the U.S. and Canada expansion of City Express, a midscale hotel brand with locations across Latin America and the Caribbean that Marriott surprisingly acquired in 2023.
City Express by Marriott, as the hotel brand is now called, appeals to travelers looking for affordable, conveniently located hotel stays and developers and hotel owners looking for conversion opportunities or new builds that can harness the brand’s extensive loyalty program.
“We have been listening closely to our owners and franchisees to design a highly efficient operating model, and we are confident that City Express by Marriott will offer a strong value proposition for those looking to invest in a transient midscale product in the U.S. & Canada,” Noah Silverman, Marriott’s global development officer for the U.S. and Canada, said in a statement.
No City Express by Marriott hotels are currently signed in the U.S. or Canada, but Marriott expects to close on a handful of deals soon and have potential openings in the next few months.
For Marriott, expanding affordable, currently existing brands into new regions and countries is on trend.
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Last year, Marriott launched another affordable hotel brand, Four Points Express by Sheraton, that focuses on Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Just a few months later, Marriott expanded the chain to Japan.
At the time, Rajeev Menon, Marriott International’s president of the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China, said that “there’s a growing consumer demand for reliable-yet-affordable accommodation in the [Asia-Pacific] region,” which leaves room to wonder if City Express will also expand over the Pacific and beyond.
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