Amadeus
on to dismiss the latest complaint was fully briefed as of January 6, 2026, and is pending with the court. MII intends to defend vigorously against plaintiffs’ claims. 2. Segal v. Amadeus IT Group, S.
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
City Express by Marriott
LodgingSoftware purchasing at City Express by Marriott is controlled at the corporate level, with key decision-makers including Chairman David S. Marriott and CEO Anthony Capuano. The brand mandates a suite of EMPOWER systems and Marriott proprietary platforms across all 11 franchised locations. For vendors, this is a small but tightly integrated target where compliance with Marriott’s global standards is non-negotiable.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
11
11 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
10.5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1.5%
national + local
Initial fee
$75K
per unit
Investment range
$2.80M–$4.99M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
12%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
CoStar
into a settlement pursuant to which Marriott agreed, and the parties filed a stipulated dismissal of the lawsuit, fully resolving the case. C. Other Pending Actions 1. Portillo v. CoSTAR Group, Inc.,
OpenTable
e allowances if certain volume thresholds are met. In 2025, we and our affiliates received $130,000 as a result of this arrangement. We and our affiliates have an arrangement with OpenTable Inc. (“Ope
Sabre
y rebates, commissions, and markups are subject to change. We and our affiliates pay Sabre Inc. (“Sabre”) a fee for each transaction that is delivered from travel agencies through Sabre’s global distr
STR
rous hotel companies, including MII, Hilton, Hyatt, and others. The lawsuit alleges the unlawful sharing of information in violation of U.S. antitrust laws, focusing on the use of STR reports at luxur
TripAdvisor
nd paid ads in search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing), AI engines (such as Google, OpenAI, Anthropic), through advertising networks and direct referral partners (such as TripAdvisor, Google
Twitter
rry Group plc. since October 2019, and Procter & Gamble since August 2020. She previously served as a director of AT&T Inc. until April 2022, WGL Holdings, Inc. from 1999 to 2018, Twitter, Inc. from M
Yahoo
riodically. 8 Through the Transaction-Based Media Program, we develop advertising materials and pay third parties to place listings and paid ads in search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing), AI
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
23 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 6 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We have independent access to the system databases at your hotel.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
At Franchisor’s request, for each full or partial month after the Opening Date, Franchisee will prepare and deliver to Franchisor an operating statement containing the information required by Franchisor, including Gross Revenues and Gross Room Sales for such month.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We and our affiliates pay Sabre Inc. (“Sabre”) a fee for each transaction that is delivered from travel agencies through Sabre’s global distribution system.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right, at our option, to revoke any approval if the source or the item fails to meet our then-current standards and specifications.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
11250060Item 8
The total amount of revenue that we and our affiliates received in 2025 as a result of franchisees’ required purchases, including any unrestricted rebates that we retained and did not distribute, and other fees or payments that we charged for providing procurement services on behalf of franchisees or otherwise…
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Suppliers may pay to MIP Americas various fees and commissions.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
46Item 8
(ii) 46% to 60% of the total cost of purchases and leases you will incur to operate a typical City Express by Marriott hotel2 on an annual basis.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must comply with all rules and regulations promulgated by the credit card companies and associations, including current PCI data security standards and our PCI compliance standards.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesItem 11
We may provide, and you must participate in (at your cost), sales and marketing programs and activities that are not funded by the Marketing Fund, such as email marketing, internet search engine marketing, transaction-based paid media programs, sales lead referrals and bookings, cooperative advertising programs…
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 6
You must also allow us to conduct on-site visits, at your expense.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may change the standards at any time.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
The franchise agreement will permit you to operate one hotel of a specific size at a specific site selected by you and approved by us.
Marketing
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must conduct an opening advertising and marketing campaign that complies with our standards (Franchise Agreement – Exhibit C (New Development) – Section 5; Exhibit C (Conversion) – Section 6).
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 11
You are required to participate in any other guest loyalty program or special marketing program we create for Company Brand Hotels (or any subset thereof applicable to your hotel system) and honor all program rules and policies.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
As described in Items 5 and 7, you must purchase an initial package of FF&E and OS&E from our designated procurement vendor, presently Marriott Design & Construction Services, Inc.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must also use our preferred providers in connection with processing credit cards, including authorizations and settlements.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
We will require franchisees to submit payments due to us, our affiliates, and certain approved vendors such as travel intermediaries via ACH (Automated Clearing House) bank transfer or other methods of electronic funds transfer.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 11
We may provide, and you must participate in (at your cost), sales and marketing programs and activities that are not funded by the Marketing Fund, such as email marketing, internet search engine marketing, transaction-based paid media programs, sales lead referrals and bookings, cooperative advertising programs…
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee will ensure that suitable qualified individuals are employed at the Hotel sufficient to staff the Hotel.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
If you choose to implement a POS, you must use the POS that we designate.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may access the information contained in the Electronic Systems and Franchisee will take all actions reasonably necessary to provide such access.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may require additional training programs and courses when systems and operating standards change.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
During years in which we hold an educational General Managers Conference, the general manager of your hotel will be required to attend.
The filing answers no to 5 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
The vendor opportunity at City Express by Marriott
City Express by Marriott operates 11 franchised lodging locations in the US, with no company-owned units disclosed in the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. For software vendors, this is a compact target—every property runs on a tightly prescribed Marriott technology stack, and adding a new solution means clearing corporate-level gatekeepers. The brand’s 10.5% royalty rate and 20-year initial term signal a long-horizon, brand-controlled operating model where franchisees have limited autonomy over technology choices.
The addressable market is small by unit count, but the Marriott affiliation means any vendor who wins approval here may find pathways into the broader Marriott portfolio. The key is understanding that City Express by Marriott is not a standalone buyer; it is an extension of Marriott’s global standards ecosystem.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD identifies David S. Marriott as Chairman of the Board and Anthony Capuano as Director, Chief Executive Officer, and President. Additional directors include Isabella D. Goren, Deborah Marriott Harrison, and Frederick A. Henderson. While the FDD does not name a CIO or VP of Technology, software purchasing authority for a Marriott-branded chain almost certainly sits with corporate brand standards and IT teams rather than individual franchisees. Vendors should prepare to engage at the headquarters level in Maryland, where compliance with Marriott’s Property Network Standard (GPNS) and other global requirements will be a threshold question.
Mandated and current tech stack
City Express by Marriott mandates a specific set of systems. The EMPOWER Sales (ARM) hotel user licenses are required, along with the EMPOWER: Guest Experiences Reservations Add-On License and EMPOWER: Guest Experiences software (GxP). The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program is also mandated, tying the brand into Marriott’s central reservation and guest recognition infrastructure. Additionally, the brand requires Marriott’s Property Network Standard (GPNS), MCN, and a Property Management System (PMS), though the specific PMS vendor is not named in the available data. A Global Sales Agent group booking program rounds out the mandated tech landscape.
For vendors, this means any new software must integrate with or operate alongside EMPOWER and Marriott’s proprietary platforms. There is no room for standalone, non-compliant tools.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The 2026 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the formal supplier designation process—whether designated, approved, or open—is not publicly specified. Similarly, no Item 17 renewal extract is available, leaving contract renewal windows and franchisee re-commitment cycles unclear. With a 20-year initial term, the franchise agreement structure suggests long periods between formal renewal events, but Marriott’s brand standards can evolve independently of franchise agreement cycles. Vendors should monitor Marriott’s corporate technology roadmap and any brand-wide system migrations for entry points.
How to read the City Express by Marriott FDD
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for legal and operational detail on this brand. It is filed with state franchise regulators and available for review below. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11 (franchisor’s obligations) for mandated technology, Item 1 for executive leadership, and Item 8 for procurement restrictions—though in this case, the procurement extract is absent. Always cross-reference Marriott’s global brand standards documentation, as City Express by Marriott operates within that larger framework. For a ranked target list of franchise systems aligned with your software category, FranCloud can help prioritize your outreach.
Questions vendors ask
City Express by Marriott, answered from the filing
The 2026 FDD lists David S. Marriott (Chairman) and Anthony Capuano (CEO & President) among top leadership. Technology decisions likely route through corporate IT and brand standards teams.
The brand mandates EMPOWER Sales (ARM), EMPOWER Guest Experiences Reservations Add-On, EMPOWER Guest Experiences software (GxP), Marriott Bonvoy, GPNS, MCN, and a Property Management System (PMS).
There are 11 total units, all franchised. Company-owned unit counts are not disclosed in the 2026 FDD.
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated vs. approved supplier model is not publicly specified. Assume corporate-controlled, standards-driven purchasing.
No Item 17 renewal extract is provided. With a 20-year initial term and no disclosed renewal schedule, contract windows are opaque. Monitor Marriott’s brand-wide tech refresh cycles.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review it directly in the embedded PDF viewer below for full legal and technical disclosures.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment City Express by Marriott files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
102 operators run 102 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit102
Top states by locations
| TX | 13 |
|---|---|
| VA | 9 |
| CA | 9 |
| FL | 8 |
| GA | 6 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind City Express by Marriott
strategic_multibrand of Marriott.
Sibling brands
Related Lodging brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.