Is Radisson RED or Undergraduate by Hilton cheaper to open?

Radisson RED costs $7,050,440–$41,791,390 and Undergraduate by Hilton costs $10,613,284–$36,628,981 to open (FDD Item 7). Radisson RED has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Radisson RED or Undergraduate by Hilton?

FranchiseVerdict grades Radisson RED D and Undergraduate by Hilton C, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Radisson RED vs Undergraduate by Hilton

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Radisson RED and Undergraduate by Hilton are lodging franchises. Radisson RED requires an investment of $7.1M – $41.8M while Undergraduate by Hilton requires $10.6M – $36.6M. Neither Radisson RED nor Undergraduate by Hilton makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD — a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule — so the two cannot be compared on disclosed unit revenue. FranchiseVerdict rates Radisson RED D (Below average) and Undergraduate by Hilton C (Average).

Metric	Radisson RED	Undergraduate by Hilton
Verdict Grade	DBelow average	CAverage
Investment Range	$7.1M – $41.8M	$10.6M – $36.6M
Franchise Fee	$75K	$100K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ANo Item 19 representation	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	Limited data	N/A
Total Units	2	0
Unit Growth (YoY)	+1 units	N/A
Year Began Franchising	2014	2026
FDD Year	2022	2026