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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Comfort Inn vs Sonesta ES Suites

    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 FDDSonesta ES Suites2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Comfort Inn

    $822,951 – $18,328,875

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Sonesta ES Suites

    $981,907 – $26,400,813

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Comfort Inn

    Not available

    Sonesta ES Suites

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Comfort Inn

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33

    Sonesta ES Suites

    5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 24

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Comfort Inn and Sonesta ES Suites disclose 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, Sonesta ES Suites: 12). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Comfort Inn

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

    Sonesta ES Suites

    $981,907 – $26,400,813
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Comfort Inn

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

    Sonesta ES Suites

    5%
    Royalty 5% — 5%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 24
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Comfort Inn

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

    Sonesta ES Suites

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Comfort Inn

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

    Sonesta ES Suites

    73
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 76
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Comfort Inn

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

    Sonesta ES Suites

    −14
    Calculated: 87 at end of 2023 → 73 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Comfort Inn

    1981
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Sonesta ES Suites

    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
    Sonesta ES Suites
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-Owned Hotels open at least three full years
    49.1 percent
    other Company-Owned Hotels three full years Occupancy
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-Owned Hotels open at least one full years
    $122
    other Company-Owned Hotels one full years ADR
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Hotels open at least one full years
    $95
    other Franchised Hotels one full years ADR
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72
    +9 more groups in the full report

    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 Sonesta ES Suites: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Comfort Inn or Sonesta ES Suites?
    Comfort Inn: $822,951 – $18,328,875 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Sonesta ES Suites: $981,907 – $26,400,813 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Comfort Inn. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    How do Comfort Inn and Sonesta ES Suites royalties compare?
    Comfort Inn: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33); Sonesta ES Suites: 5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 24). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Which has more locations, Comfort Inn or Sonesta ES Suites?
    Comfort Inn: 1,643 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 95); Sonesta ES Suites: 73 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 76). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Comfort Inn and Sonesta ES Suites disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Comfort Inn has reviewed Item 19 figures for 5 location groups; Sonesta ES Suites has reviewed Item 19 figures for 12 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

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    Full Comfort Inn report

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

    Full Sonesta ES Suites report

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

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