App Hoteles City Express

By 2018, Hoteles City Express was Mexico's fastest-growing homegrown hotel chain in the limited-service segment, with 150+ properties across Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Costa Rica, focused on business travelers. Their guest profile—busy executives, short stays, high frequency, need for quick booking—made mobile the most strategic channel ahead.

The challenge was twofold: the hotel industry was under pressure from OTAs (Booking, Expedia, Hoteles.com) taking significant commissions per booking, and City Express had a solid loyalty program (City Premios) whose members deserved a proprietary digital experience matching their on-site service. The goal was building a direct mobile channel to reclaim bookings, strengthen member relationships, and operate with the efficiency that defines the brand.

• OTA dependency.A significant share of bookings came through third parties, eroding margin per night and limiting brand control over guest relationships.
• Insufficient mobile experience.The responsive website worked, but lacked the speed and frictionless experience a business traveler needs to book from an Uber, airport, or between meetings.
• Underutilized loyalty program.City Premios had no native channel for members to check points, redeem stays, and enjoy real-time benefits.
• Distributed operations.With 150+ properties and constant growth, any solution had to scale without adding operational burden to each hotel.

We designed, built, and provided five years of ongoing maintenance for the Hoteles City Express app on iOS and Android, positioned as the chain's primary direct booking channel. The solution integrated:

• Native booking engine with real-time availability and inventory across the entire hotel network.
• City Premios integration, allowing members to check balance, redeem nights with City Premios Rate, and earn automatically.
• Exclusive App Rate with 5% discount off public rates (launched September 2021).
• Geolocation and express booking to resolve 'hotels near me' in under three taps.
• Full stay management from the app: confirmation, modification, free cancellation, and billing.
• UX/UI design aligned to City Express identity: clean, direct, focused on completing the booking.
• Ongoing maintenance and evolution 2018–2023: new versions, iOS/Android support, local payment integration, and performance optimization.

• The app became one of the chain's main direct booking channels, reducing OTA dependency and improving margin per booked room.
• The App Rate drove effective migration: the 5% discount incentivized repeat guests to switch from third-party channels to the direct platform.
• Strong adoption of the loyalty program on mobile: City Premios members found the app the natural way to manage points and redemptions.
• Five years of uninterrupted operations, scaling alongside the chain's expansion.
• The product withstood and evolved during a critical period for the industry, including post-pandemic recovery.
• In 2023, when City Express was acquired by Marriott International, the platform had built an active user base and direct booking track record that served as a key digital asset in the transition to the Marriott Bonvoy ecosystem.