Hotel franchise fees › Best Western Premier
Best Western Premier Franchise Fees 2025: Royalty, Marketing and Initial Fee
Best Western Premier is an upscale 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 Premier 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 | Upscale |
| 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 Premier compares
We don’t show a single headline percentage for Best Western Premier, because its fees aren’t two simple percentages of rooms revenue; see the note above. Compare the royalty and marketing lines directly with the upscale brands below.
| Upscale brand | Franchisor | Royalty | Marketing | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crowne Plaza | IHG | 5% | 3% (Services Contribution) | 8% |
| voco | IHG | 5% | 3.5% (Sales and Marketing Services Contribution) | 8.5% |
| EVEN Hotels | IHG | 5% | 3.5% (Sales and Marketing Services Contribution) | 8.5% |
| Hyatt Place | Hyatt | 5% | 3.5% (Commercial Services Fee) | 8.5% |
| Sonesta Hotels, Resorts & Cruises | Sonesta | 5% of GRR | 3.5% of GRR | 8.5% |
| The Royal Sonesta | Sonesta | 5% of GRR | 3.5% of GRR | 8.5% |
| Sonesta Select | Sonesta | 5% | 3.5% (Brand Promotion Fee; can rise to 4.5%) | 8.5% |
| DoubleTree by Hilton | Hilton | 5% | 4% | 9% |
| Cambria Hotels | Choice Hotels | 6% | 3% (Marketing and Reservation Fee) | 9% |
| Radisson | Choice Hotels | 6% | 3% (Marketing and Reservation Fee) | 9% |
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 · Best Western Plus · 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)
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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.