Franchise opportunities compared

    City Express by Marriott vs Classico Collection By Sonesta

    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.

    Initial investment · Item 7

    City Express by Marriott

    $2,760,810

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 54

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    $1,872,128 – $122,413,134

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 26

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Classico Collection By Sonesta discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Only neither brand has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    City Express by Marriott

    $2,760,810
    Total estimated initial investment — $2,760,810–$4,901,610
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 54

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    $1,872,128 – $122,413,134
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

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

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    5%
    Monthly royalty percentage of gross rooms revenue
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 26
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    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

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    1
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 73
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    Only one year reported

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    +0
    Calculated: 1 at end of 2023 → 1 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

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

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

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

    City Express by Marriott

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    City Express by Marriott

    Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

    Classico Collection By Sonesta

    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.

    City Express by Marriott vs Classico Collection By Sonesta: common questions

    Which costs less to open, City Express by Marriott or Classico Collection By Sonesta?
    City Express by Marriott: $2,760,810 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 54); Classico Collection By Sonesta: $1,872,128 – $122,413,134 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Classico Collection By Sonesta. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Do City Express by Marriott and Classico Collection By Sonesta disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    City Express by Marriott makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Classico Collection By Sonesta 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

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