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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Ascend Collection vs Best Western

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    Ascend Collection2026 FDDBest Western2025 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Ascend Collection

    $410,650 – $26,096,815

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Best Western

    $577,215 – $32,493,745

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Ascend Collection

    Not available

    Best Western

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Ascend Collection

    Not available

    Best Western

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Ascend Collection figures come from its 2026 FDD and Best Western figures from its 2025 FDD, so the years differ.
    • Ascend Collection and Best Western disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Only Ascend Collection has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Ascend Collection

    $410,650 – $26,096,815
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Best Western

    $577,215 – $32,493,745
    2025 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Ascend Collection

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Best Western

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Ascend Collection

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Best Western

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Ascend Collection

    10%
    Choice Accelerate international marketing paid/meta advertising commission maximum — 10%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34

    Best Western

    $250
    OTA Marketing Fund Assessment
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 30

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Ascend Collection

    184
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 88

    Best Western

    2
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 93
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Ascend Collection

    +7
    Calculated: 177 at end of 2023 → 184 at end of 2025

    Best Western

    +0
    Calculated: 2 at end of 2022 → 2 at end of 2024
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Ascend Collection

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Best Western

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Ascend Collection

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Best Western

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Ascend Collection

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Best Western

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Ascend Collection
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — ASCEND hotels in the United States meeting the 12 Month Performance Sample defi…
    45.8 percent
    other Total Choice Proprietary Contribution
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 85
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — ASCEND hotels in the United States meeting the 24 Month Performance Sample defi…
    56 hotels
    other Choice Privileges Contribution
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 86
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — ASCEND hotels in the United States within the 12 Month Performance Sample whose…
    58.2 percent
    other Occupancy Rate
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 86
    +2 more groups in the full report
    Best Western

    No reviewed Item 19 figures

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    Ascend Collection vs Best Western: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Ascend Collection or Best Western?
    Ascend Collection: $410,650 – $26,096,815 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Best Western: $577,215 – $32,493,745 (2025 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Ascend Collection. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Ascend Collection or Best Western?
    Ascend Collection: 184 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 88); Best Western: 2 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 93). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Ascend Collection and Best Western disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Ascend Collection has reviewed Item 19 figures for 5 location groups; Best Western has no reviewed Item 19 figures on file. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full Ascend Collection report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Best Western report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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    FDD glossary

    Plain-language meaning of each Item