Franchise opportunities compared
Candlewood Suites vs Choice Hotels International
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.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Choice Hotels International discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Candlewood Suites: 1, Choice Hotels International: 2). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure | CSCandlewood Suites |  Choice Hotels International |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $15,296,866 – $23,004,446 Total initial investment — $15,296,866–$23,004,446 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 51 | $52,725 – $55,271,100 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $5.50 Royalty — 5.5% of GSR 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 28 | 6% Royalty Fee: percent of preceding month's Gross Room Revenues, payable monthly 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $10 Initial marketing contribution to loyalty program — $10/approved suite 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 28 | $10 Maximum Choice Accelerate fee for consumed stays resulting from international paid and meta advertising 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 35 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 407 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 90 | 46 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | Not available Only one year reported | −6 Calculated: 52 at end of 2023 → 46 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 1995 From a verified franchisor listing | 1941 From a verified franchisor listing |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record 73.8 % other Mature Hotels average occupancy · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 87 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All qualifying franchised Radisson hotels 47.7 percent other All qualifying franchised Radisson hotels · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 78 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Qualifying franchised Radisson hotels with above-brand-average likelihood to re… 52.6 percent other Qualifying franchised Radisson hotels with above-brand-average likelihood to recommend · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 79 |
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.