Ascend Hotel Collection
Bottom line
- Total investment $188K – $11.8M including a $45K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 63/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 33 loans (below the industry average).
- 70 litigation matters disclosed in Item 3 — higher than typical. Review the summary for patterns (franchisor-initiated vs. franchisee-initiated).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one ASCEND HOTEL COLLECTION unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
1%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Franchisees develop and operate upscale hotel properties under the Ascend brand, managing daily guest services, housekeeping, front desk operations, and revenue optimization. Franchisees must comply with strict brand standards, participate in destination marketing programs (subject to pending litigation), and remit 5% royalties monthly based on gross room revenues regardless of profitability.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 34 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator — not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
HIGH RISK: Stagnant growth, pervasive litigation, high franchisor enforcement actions, and missing financial disclosures indicate a troubled system where franchisees face legal exposure and undisclosed profitability risks.
Score breakdown · what drove the 63 / 100 rating
- 01MINORMinimal system growth (1.7% YoY) with only 177 units suggests stagnation or contraction pressure
- 02MINORMultiple active class action lawsuits regarding destination marketing fees and discriminatory practices indicate systemic franchisor issues affecting profitability
- 03MINOR61 recovery actions initiated by franchisor in prior year suggests widespread franchisee defaults, payment disputes, or breach claims
- 04MINORNo Item 19 financial performance disclosure (Avg Revenue/Net Income not provided) prevents validation of unit economics
- 05MINORUnprotected territory exposes franchisees to direct brand competition and canibalization within same market
- 06MINORWide investment range ($187K–$11.8M) with unclear cost structure creates pricing opacity and unpredictable capital requirements
- 07MINOR5% royalty on gross room revenue (not net) penalizes franchisees during low-occupancy periods common in hospitality
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
100 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
ASCEND HOTEL COLLECTION · FDD (2024) PDF