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indicates the clear winner per row. Ties and missing data are not highlighted.
Lower is better for investment, liquid capital, franchise fee, royalty and ad-fund rates, SBA charge-off rate, and owner turnover.
Higher is better for disclosed revenue and owner earnings, verdict score, total units, net unit growth, and franchisee contacts. For the letter grade, A ranks highest.
A row is highlighted only when one brand clearly leads. Ties are never highlighted, and missing data never counts as a win. Some rows (earnings-metric type, loan counts, contract terms) are informational and have no winner.
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| Brand | Sonesta ES Suites Lodging 2026 FDD Remove | City Express by Marriott Lodging 2026 FDD Remove |
|---|---|---|
| Vitals | ||
FDD filing | FDD issued Mar 31, 2026 | FDD issued Mar 31, 2026 |
Investment range | $982K – $8.8M | $2.8M – $4.9M |
Liquid capital | $401K – $503K | $300K – $500K |
Franchise fee | $65K | $75K |
Royalty rate | 5.0% | 5.0% |
Ad fund rate | 3.5% | 1.5% |
| Performance | ||
Avg gross sales | Partial, no system average | No Item 19 representation |
Median gross sales | Not extracted | Not disclosed |
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below | Not extracted | Not disclosed |
Earnings metric | Not classified | Not classified |
| Risk | ||
Rating | CAverage | BAbove average |
Verdict score | 45 / 100 | 53 / 100 |
SBA charge-off rate | Limited · 12 loans | Not SBA-matched |
SBA loans on record | 12 | N/A |
| Scale | ||
Total units | 73 | 11 |
Net change (latest yr) | Not extracted | +10 |
Signed, not yet open | 3 (0.04 per open outlet) | Not extracted |
Turnover rate | 10.2% | 0.0% |
| Contract | ||
Initial term (years) | 20 | 20 |
Renewal term (years) | 20 | Not extracted |
Initial training (hrs) | 33 | 112 |
| Contacts | ||
Franchisee phones | 53 | 20 |
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