About

Hoteles City Express is the leading and fastest-growing limited-service hotel chain in Mexico, in terms of the number of hotels, number of rooms, geographic presence, market share and revenues. Founded in 2002, Hoteles City Express specializes in offering high-quality, comfortable and safe lodging at affordable prices via a limited-service hotel chain geared mainly towards domestic business travellers. With 144 hotels located in Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile and Colombia, Hoteles City Express is a public company that operates five distinct brands: City Express, City Express Plus, City Express Suites, City Express Junior and City Centro, to serve different segments of its target market. The highly experienced in-house legal team is led by Dina Stella Moreno de la Rocha, general counsel, and consists of five senior lawyers and an assistant. The in-house lawyers each have a specific departmental focus: the corporate law and litigations manager is María Teresa Morales Núñez; the legal transactions manager is María José Ricalde Martínez; the contract manager Claudia Valencia Borbolla; and the liaison with the ethical committee and compliance officer is Martha Pérez Aguilar. The legal team was actively involved with the structuring of each project to open hotels in Costa Rica, Colombia and Chile, analysing and studying the implications of doing business in different countries, including fiscal matters, the incorporation of new subsidiaries, data protection matters, imports, service rendering and procuring local legal advisors. The legal team participated in obtaining financing for approximately US$60m, to ensure the development of 18 to 24 hotels per year for the 2018-2020 term. It negotiated the execution of a supply agreement with Eolic Energy for a fixed price, for an initial term of 10 years. The supply agreement covers the energy supply for 95% of wholly owned hotels, as well as co-investments and leased hotels. With this agreement, the company expects to save up to 25% of its energy expenses. In accordance with the sustainability strategy of the company, the energy will be produced by wind turbines in the state of Tamaulipas, resulting in 100% clean energy and the reduction of the company’s carbon footprint in approximately 90%. Moreno de la Rocha highlights that, ‘the company’s legal team is comprised by professional women, committed to the company and to each other to work as a team, despite the defined responsibilities that each one has. The team has experience and knowledge, therefore most corporate and financial transactions are carried out in-house, including the process of acquiring real estate, developing the future hotel, obtaining the corresponding credit, executing the franchise agreements, executing the construction agreements and continue to legally counsel the company from the opening of the hotel to its day-to-day operation’.