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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Choice Hotels International vs City Express by Marriott

    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.

    Choice Hotels International2026 FDDCity Express by Marriott2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Choice Hotels International

    $9,490,495 – $55,271,100

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 49

    City Express by Marriott

    $2,760,810

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 54

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Choice Hotels International

    Not available

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Choice Hotels International

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Only Choice Hotels International has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Choice Hotels International

    $9,490,495 – $55,271,100
    Total initial investment excluding real estate — lower estimate
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 49

    City Express by Marriott

    $2,760,810
    Total estimated initial investment — $2,760,810–$4,901,610
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 54
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Choice Hotels International

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    City Express by Marriott

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

    Choice Hotels International

    6%
    Royalty Fee: percent of preceding month's Gross Room Revenues, payable monthly
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33

    City Express by Marriott

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

    Choice Hotels International

    10%
    Maximum Choice Accelerate fee for consumed stays resulting from international paid and meta advertising — 10%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 35

    City Express by Marriott

    10.5%
    General bundled fee — 10.5% of gross room sales incl. 1.5% Marketing Fund — 10.5%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 36

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Choice Hotels International

    46
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Choice Hotels International

    −6
    Calculated: 52 at end of 2023 → 46 at end of 2025

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    Only one year reported
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Choice Hotels International

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    City Express by Marriott

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

    Choice Hotels International

    1941
    From a verified franchisor listing

    City Express by Marriott

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

    Choice Hotels International

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Choice Hotels International
    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
    City Express by Marriott

    Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

    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.

    Choice Hotels International vs City Express by Marriott: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Choice Hotels International or City Express by Marriott?
    Choice Hotels International: $9,490,495 – $55,271,100 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 49); City Express by Marriott: $2,760,810 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 54). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for City Express by Marriott. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Do Choice Hotels International and City Express by Marriott disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Choice Hotels International has reviewed Item 19 figures for 2 location groups; City Express by Marriott makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. 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 Choice Hotels International report

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

    Full City Express by Marriott report

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

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    FDD glossary

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