Holiday Inn Express Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $13.9M – $20.9M
- Disclosed sales
- not extracted
- SBA charge-off
- 3.2%
- on 129 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Holiday Inn Express franchise requires a total initial investment of $13.9M – $20.9M, including a $75K franchise fee. The 2026 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. SBA 7(a) loans show a 3.2% charge-off rate across 129 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: partial✓ Investment (Item 7)✗ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✗ Litigation (Item 3)✗ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored2 of 3 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $13.9M – $20.9M
- 52nd pct Lodging
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Projection
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 2,340
- 73rd pct Lodging
- SBA charge-off
- 3.2%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Lodging · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Lodging median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $13.9M – $20.9M including a $75K franchise fee.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 revenue figure is on file for this brand. We have not established what its FDD discloses.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 69/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 3.2% across 129 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +16 franchised outlets in the latest year (Item 20).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC
- Franchisor revenue
- $38.8M
- vs $39.4M prior year
Overview
About
A licensed midscale hotel operating under the Holiday Inn Express or Holiday Inn Express & Suites brand.
- FDD year
- 2026
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 95% above the typical lodging franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $75K | $75K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $13.8M | $20.8M |
| Total initial investment | $13.9M | $20.9M |
Source: Holiday Inn Express 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $13.9M – $20.9M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- N/A
- Cash you must have on hand
- Franchise fee
- $75K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- -n/d
- Ad fund
- -n/d
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Holiday Inn Express is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Holiday Inn Express unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, royalty rate, ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy, other operating costs and working capital, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
We have not established what this franchisor's Item 19 says. The FDD on file either has no locatable Item 19 or could not be read, so no figure is published here.
vs Lodging medians
How Holiday Inn Express Compares
Category median of published Lodging brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2,340
- Opened
- N/A
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 129
- Loan volume
- $232.1M
- Median loan
- $1.3M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 3.2%
- on 129 loans · rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 96.8%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 67
- Defaults
- 4
- Typical loan rate
- 5.5%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 7211
- Jobs supported
- 1,505
- 0.7 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 6%
- top lender's share
Vintage analysis
Holiday Inn Express charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Holiday Inn Express franchisees
Showing 3 of 67 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Holiday Inn Express from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 1.2%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 71%
- Avg interest rate
- 5.54%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $683K
- Lender concentration
- 6.2%
- Job velocity
- 0.7 per $100K
- Jobs supported
- 1,505
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 6% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | N/A | N/A | |
| 2 | 7 | N/A | N/A | |
| 3 | 6 | N/A | N/A | |
| 4 | 5 | N/A | N/A | |
| 5 | 5 | N/A | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXTexas | 28 | 1 | 3.6% |
| CACalifornia | 22 | 0 | 0.0% |
| OHOhio | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| AZArizona | 5 | 1 | 20.0% |
| GAGeorgia | 5 | 1 | 20.0% |
| NCNorth Carolina | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| OROregon | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FLFlorida | 4 | 1 | 33.3% |
| INIndiana | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| SCSouth Carolina | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 3.2% — 80% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Holiday Inn Express franchise?
The total investment to open a Holiday Inn Express franchise ranges from $13.9M – $20.9M, with an initial franchise fee of $75K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Holiday Inn Express franchise owners earn?
No average owner earnings figure for Holiday Inn Express is on file. Item 19 — where a franchisor may disclose what its outlets earn — is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and we have not established what this brand's FDD says. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Holiday Inn Express?
Holiday Inn Express is franchised by Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Holiday Inn Express FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Holiday Inn Express FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Holiday Inn Express's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Holiday Inn Express has a charge-off rate of 3.2% across 129 loans, meaning 3.2% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Holiday Inn Express franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Holiday Inn Express has 2,340 total units in the United States, including 2,340 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is Holiday Inn Express a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Holiday Inn Express as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 69 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Holiday Inn Express, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.