Hotel franchise fees › Best Western
Best Western Franchise Fees 2025: Royalty, Marketing and Initial Fee
Best Western is a midscale brand from BWH Hotels. Here is what it charges to join and to stay in the system, where the numbers come from, and how they compare with similar brands.
Best Western fees at a glance
| Initial fee | Entrance fee: $4,000 evaluation fee + $45,000 affiliation fee (50 rooms or less) + $200/room above 50 (up to 1,000 rooms) |
|---|---|
| Royalty | Monthly fees 5% of property room revenue (3.5% for qualifying legacy ownership); plus annual dues scaled by room count (amount not found) |
| Marketing or program fee | 2.10% marketing & technology fee + advertising assessment $16.39/room/month |
| Royalty plus marketing | Not shown as a single figure (see note) |
| Franchisor | BWH Hotels |
| Segment | Midscale |
| Disclosure year | 2025 |
Note: Best Western International is a nonprofit membership association; one FDD covers BW, BW Plus, BW Premier, Executive Residency, @Home, Vib, GLo and Aiden. 2024 FDD advertising assessment was $15.74/room/month.
Source: From a franchise research site quoting the brand’s Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD summary). Source 1 · Source 2
How Best Western compares
We don’t show a single headline percentage for Best Western, because its fees aren’t two simple percentages of rooms revenue; see the note above. Compare the royalty and marketing lines directly with the midscale brands below.
| Midscale brand | Franchisor | Royalty | Marketing | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| avid hotels | IHG | 5% | 3% (Services Contribution) | 8% |
| Red Lion Hotels / Red Lion Inn & Suites | Sonesta | 5% of GRR | 3% of GRR | 8% |
| AmericInn by Wyndham | Wyndham | 5% of gross revenues | 3.25% (2% marketing plus 1.25% reservation fee) | 8.25% |
| Garner | IHG | 5.5% | 3% (Services Contribution) | 8.5% |
| Ramada by Wyndham | Wyndham | 5% | 3.5% (2% marketing plus 1.5% reservation fee) | 8.5% |
| Baymont by Wyndham | Wyndham | 5% | 3.5% (System Assessment Fee) | 8.5% |
| Sonesta Essential | Sonesta | 5% | 3.5% (Brand Promotion Fee; can rise to 4.5%) | 8.5% |
| Quality Inn | Choice Hotels | 5.25% | 3.5% (Marketing and Reservation Fee) | 8.75% |
| Clarion | Choice Hotels | 5.5% | 3.25% (Marketing and Reservation Fee) | 8.75% |
| Clarion Pointe | Choice Hotels | 5.5% | 3.25% (Marketing and Reservation Fee) | 8.75% |
What the headline number leaves out
Royalty and marketing are only the start. Most brands also charge for reservations and distribution, loyalty-program assessments on member stays, required technology and property-management systems, training and quality assurance. Brands also negotiate: ramp-up royalty discounts, key money and conversion incentives are common. Ask BWH Hotels for its estimate of total fees as a share of rooms revenue, and read Items 5 and 6 of the current FDD before you sign. Our analysis of what owners really pay a brand puts the typical all-in bill at 10% to 13% of rooms revenue.
Other BWH Hotels brands
Best Western Plus · Best Western Premier · Vib · GLo · Aiden · Executive Residency by Best Western · @HOME by Best Western · SureStay Hotel · SureStay Plus · SureStay Studio · SureStay Collection · BW Premier Collection · BW Signature Collection · WorldHotels (all collections)
Keep going
- Compare franchise fees for all 164 brands
- Price per key, cap rate and OTA cost calculators
- Hotels for sale across the U.S.
- 2026 hotel sales tracker
The Hotelier Times is a publisher, not a franchise adviser. Fees change; confirm every figure in the brand’s current Franchise Disclosure Document. Spot an error? Email nathan@hoteliertimes.com.