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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Comfort Inn vs Holiday Inn Express

    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.

    CIComfort Inn2026 FDDHoliday Inn Express2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Comfort Inn

    $822,951 – $18,328,875

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Holiday Inn Express

    Not available

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Comfort Inn

    Not available

    Holiday Inn Express

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Comfort Inn

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33

    Holiday Inn Express

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Comfort Inn 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 (Comfort Inn: 5, Holiday Inn Express: 3). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Comfort Inn

    $822,951 – $18,328,875
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Holiday Inn Express

    Not available
    No reviewed Item 7 total
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Holiday Inn Express

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

    Comfort Inn

    6%
    Royalty fee rate
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33

    Holiday Inn Express

    6%
    Royalty fee
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Comfort Inn

    10%
    Choice Accelerate international advertising maximum — 10%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34

    Holiday Inn Express

    $10
    Initial marketing contribution to loyalty program
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 32

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Comfort Inn

    1,643
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 95

    Holiday Inn Express

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

    Comfort Inn

    −21
    Calculated: 1,664 at end of 2023 → 1,643 at end of 2025

    Holiday Inn Express

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

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Holiday Inn Express

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

    Comfort Inn

    1981
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Holiday Inn Express

    1991
    From a verified franchisor listing
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Holiday Inn Express

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    CIComfort Inn
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All COMFORT hotels open and operating in the United States as of December 31, 2…
    $108
    mean Table 1 COMFORT hotels, Performance Sample
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 91
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — COMFORT INN and COMFORT INN & SUITES hotels in the Table 2 Performance Sample,…
    58.5 percent
    mean Table 2 COMFORT INN and COMFORT INN & SUITES hotels, Performance Sample
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 91
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — COMFORT SUITES hotels in the Table 3 Performance Sample, franchised by Choice a…
    51 percent
    other Table 3 COMFORT SUITES hotels, Performance Sample
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 92
    +2 more groups in the full report
    Holiday Inn Express
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Holiday Inn Express Mature Hotels
    70.1 percent
    other Occupancy Rate
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 98
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Holiday Inn Express Mature Hotels
    100.1 percent
    other IHG One Rewards Room Nights Contribution range high
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 99
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Holiday Inn Express Mature Hotels
    2,340 units
    other US Holiday Inn Express hotels open as of Dec 31, 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 98

    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.

    Comfort Inn vs Holiday Inn Express: common questions

    How do Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express royalties compare?
    Comfort Inn: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33); Holiday Inn Express: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Do Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Comfort Inn has reviewed Item 19 figures for 5 location groups; Holiday Inn Express has reviewed Item 19 figures for 3 location groups. 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

    CI

    Full Comfort Inn report

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

    Full Holiday Inn Express report

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

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