Skift Take
Marriott’s newest hotel brand in the U.S. targets the “affordable midscale” segment. Expect the hotel equivalent of flying economy but getting a free checked bag and extra legroom, with the hotel group’s most no-frills, functional brand yet.
Marriott International said on Tuesday that it was introducing a hotel brand — City Express by Marriott — to the U.S. and Canada, marking its foray into the “affordable midscale” category in these countries.
The world’s largest hotelier had teased this new brand in the U.S. and Canada in May, describing it as Project Mid-T. Marriott bought the City Express brand in Mexico in May 2023, and has since been running properties under the City Express by Marriott brand in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Marriott had wanted to name its newest North American hotel brand City Express back in May, instead of calling it temporarily Project Mid-T.
However, rival hotel group IHG petitioned the U.S. trademark and patent office to cancel the proposed trademark for City Express by Marriott. IHG argued that the name was just a little too close to its own popular hotel brand, Holiday Inn Express, for comfort. Marriott has resolved that issue.
Key Points
- City Express has grown strongly in the Caribbean and Latin America, increasing Marriott’s footprint by 45%.
- Marriott hasn’t said how many deals it has signed for the new brand in the U.S. and Canada since May.
- Still, Diana Plazas-Trowbridge, senior VP and global brand leader for select brands, cited “tremendous interest” in a press statement. She anticipates signed agreements and possible hotel openings in the U.S. and Canada “within months.”
- The hotel giant said the new brand primarily aims at developers converting existing hotels rather than new construction.
A Brand Aimed at the Middle Class
Marriott’s new brand is the latest example of hotel groups catering to the midscale segment. This tier falls in the middle of a spectrum between upscale and luxury brands on the one side and economy and premium economy brands on the other.
Last year, Marriott debuted the Four Points Express by Sheraton as a midscale brand in Europe and StudioRes as a midscale extended-stay brand in North America. Last year, IHG launched its Garner midscale conversion brand, Hilton launched its Spark midscale conversion brand, and Hyatt launched Hyatt Studios, an “upper-midscale” conversion brand.
The move echoes one of Skift’s Megatrends for this year — hotel groups are developing more brands that serve budget-minded, middle-class guests with limited services but a consistent delivery of essentials.
