Curio Collection by HiltonFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Curio Collection by Hilton franchise does not disclose total investment in its current FDD, including a $85K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $4.0M
- 32nd pct Lodging
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 2nd pct Lodging
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 4th pct Lodging
- Units
- 67
- 30th pct Lodging
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Lodging · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Lodging avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 67 to 48 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $4.0M including a $85K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 68/100.
- System growing at 39.6% CAGR over 3 years with 67 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Hilton Franchise Holding LLC
- Parent company
- Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Christopher J. Nassetta
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 7930 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 1100, McLean, Virginia 22102 USA
- Auditor
- Cherry Bekaert LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $883.3M
- vs $1.2B prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Curio Collection franchisees own and operate upscale, boutique hotels (typically 100-300 rooms) under Hilton's management brand. Day-to-day operations include managing guest services, housekeeping, food & beverage, front desk staff, and ensuring brand compliance with Hilton's standards, while paying 5% royalty on gross room revenue and adhering to strict operational requirements.
- CEO
- Christopher J. Nassetta
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2007
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 32
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $4.0M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $1.3M – $1.8M
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $85K – $150K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Rooms Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $15K |
| Transfer fee | $150K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Lodging averages
How Curio Collection by Hilton Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 67
- Opened
- 5
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.5%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +8.1%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +39.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Transfer rate
- 3.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 1.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 1.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 37 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 contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Curio Collection presents moderate-to-high risk due to missing financial transparency (no Item 19), active multi-category litigation, slow unit growth, and unprotected territory—unsuitable for franchisees requiring clear return projections.
Litigation (Item 3)
Pending: (1) State of Nebraska v. Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc. - alleged violations of Nebraska Consumer Protection Act and Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act regarding mandatory guest fee disclosures (trial scheduled 2023); (2) Destin Platinum LLC v. Hampton Inns Franchise LLC - breach of contract claim for franchise termination (not yet served). Concluded: (1) Hilton Franchise Holding LLC v. Portland Hotel Ownership - breach of contract and promissory note action settled July 28, 2022 with mutual dismissal and general releases; (2) San Pedro Inn, LP v. Hilton Franchise Holding LLC - wrongful termination under New Jersey Franchise Practices Act settled September 25, 2020 with franchise termination April 28, 2021 and no damages paid. Partially documented: (3) Kathleen Soule v. Hilton Worldwide, Inc. - class action (text truncated).
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Cherry Bekaert LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 68 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo financial performance disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI validation and creates opacity on average unit economics
- 02HIGHActive litigation across multiple categories (consumer protection, ADA compliance, trade secrets) suggests systemic operational and legal vulnerabilities
- 03HIGHModest unit growth of 8.1% YoY in a 67-unit system indicates slower expansion than premium hotel franchises; no going concern statement raises sustainability questions
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other Curio properties within same market
- 05MEDHigh capital requirement ($3.98M+) paired with 5% royalty and undisclosed profitability creates significant downside risk
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 23 years |
|---|---|
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 0 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 8 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Pending: (1) State of Nebraska v. Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc. - alleged violations of Nebraska Consumer Protection Act and Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act regarding mandatory guest fee disclosures (trial scheduled 2023); (2) Destin Platinum LLC v. Hampton Inns Franchise LLC - breach of contract claim for franchise termination (not yet served). Concluded: (1) Hilton Franchise Holding LLC v. Portland Hotel Ownership - breach of contract and promissory note action settled July 28, 2022 with mutual dismissal and general releases; (2) San Pedro Inn, LP v. Hilton Franchise Holding LLC - wrongful termination under New Jersey Franchise Practices Act settled September 25, 2020 with franchise termination April 28, 2021 and no damages paid. Partially documented: (3) Kathleen Soule v. Hilton Worldwide, Inc. - class action (text truncated).
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 159 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 1 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- OnQ
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: OnQ
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
58 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Curio Collection by Hilton · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What do Curio Collection by Hilton franchise owners earn?
Curio Collection by Hilton does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Curio Collection by Hilton's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Curio Collection by Hilton (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Curio Collection by Hilton franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Curio Collection by Hilton has 67 total units in the United States, including 67 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Curio Collection by Hilton a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Curio Collection by Hilton as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 68 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.