Graduate by HiltonFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Graduate by Hilton franchise does not disclose total investment in its current FDD, including a $100K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $19.0M
- 49th pct Lodging
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 2nd pct Lodging
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 4th pct Lodging
- Units
- 33
- 26th 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
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
15 legal cases disclosed in the FDD. Read Item 3 before signing.
Bottom line
- Total investment $19.0M including a $100K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 58/100.
- 15 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
- 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
- CEO experience
- 2013 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 7930 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 1100, McLean, Virginia 22102
- Auditor
- Cherry Bekaert LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.5B
- vs $1.6B prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Franchisees develop and operate upscale, boutique-style hotels under the Graduate by Hilton brand, typically 100-150 rooms targeting millennial and Gen-X travelers. Daily operations include guest services, housekeeping, food/beverage management, and revenue optimization, with significant compliance exposure to franchisor software systems and guest fee disclosure policies that have been subject to legal challenge.
- CEO
- Christopher J. Nassetta
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2007
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 26
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 24 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Application Fee | $100K | $100K | |
| Property Improvement Plan | $0 | $10K | |
| Market Study | — | — | |
| Environmental Assessment | — | — | |
| Real Property | — | — | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $11.6M | $68.3M | |
| Designer & Engineering Fees | $466K | $2.7M | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $2.2M | $7.8M | |
| Inventory & Operating Equipment | $1.5M | $2.5M | |
| Signage | $64K | $165K | |
| Computer Hardware and Software Systems | $107K | $262K | |
| Guest Internet Access System | $72K | $105K | |
| Connected Room System | $35K | $42K | |
| Delphi Sales and Events System | $990 | $41K | |
| Required Pre-Opening Training | $5K | $15K | |
| ADA Consultant Fee | $6K | $15K | |
| Construction/Renovation Extension Fee | $0 | $10K | |
| Insurance | — | — | |
| Organizational Expense | $75K | $318K | |
| Permits & Licenses | $175K | $1.0M | |
| Total initial investment | $19.0M | $93.7M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $19.0M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $1.0M – $1.4M
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $100K – $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 |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| 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 Graduate by Hilton Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 33
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +3.1%
- Net unit change last year
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Transfer rate
- 3.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 13 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
Graduate by Hilton presents CAUTION-to-HIGH RISK due to massive capital requirements without financial transparency, stagnant unit growth, active litigation around revenue practices, and unprotected territory in a competitive upscale hotel segment.
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: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 58 / 100 rating
- 01MEDExtremely high capital investment ($18.9M+) with no disclosed average revenue or net income—impossible to calculate ROI
- 02MEDMinimal system growth (3.1% YoY) with only 33 units suggests weak franchise model appeal and limited brand momentum
- 03MINORMultiple pending antitrust lawsuits regarding revenue management software and data sharing create operational and financial liability exposure
- 04HIGHHistory of concluded litigation over deceptive guest fee practices and franchise termination disputes indicates systemic franchisee-franchisor conflict
- 05MINORNo protected territory despite massive investment and 23-year commitment creates risk of same-brand cannibalization
- 06MINOR5% royalty on gross rooms revenue (not net) is punitive during low-occupancy periods and reduces franchisee flexibility
- 07MINORAbsence of Item 19 financial performance disclosure prevents validation of unit economics and profitability claims
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 | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 15 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 103 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 1 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and at franchisor location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- OnQ
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: OnQ
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Graduate by Hilton · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What do Graduate by Hilton franchise owners earn?
Graduate 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 Graduate by Hilton's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Graduate 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 Graduate by Hilton franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Graduate by Hilton has 33 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Graduate by Hilton a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Graduate by Hilton as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 58 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.
For franchisors
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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.