Franopolis
    CIvsSH

    Franchise opportunities compared

    Comfort Inn vs Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal 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.

    CIComfort Inn2026 FDDSHSonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Comfort Inn

    $822,951 – $18,328,875

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    $1,507,607 – $155,360,099

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Comfort Inn

    Not available

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Comfort Inn

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 24

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Comfort Inn and Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta 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 Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta: 8). 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 Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    $1,507,607 – $155,360,099
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

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

    Comfort Inn

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

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    5%
    Royalty percentage of gross rooms revenue
    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 Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    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 Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    18
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 77
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Comfort Inn

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

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    −3
    Calculated: 21 at end of 2023 → 18 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

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

    Comfort Inn

    1981
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

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

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta

    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
    SHSonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — SHR Company - Owned Hotels one full years
    $176
    other SHR Company - Owned Hotels one full years ADR
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — SHR Company - Owned Hotels three full years
    $172
    other SHR Company - Owned Hotels three full years ADR
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — SHR Franchised Hotels three full years
    69.2 index
    other SHR Franchised Hotels three full years
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 74
    +5 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 Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Comfort Inn or Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta?
    Comfort Inn: $822,951 – $18,328,875 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta: $1,507,607 – $155,360,099 (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 Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta royalties compare?
    Comfort Inn: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33); Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta: 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 Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta?
    Comfort Inn: 1,643 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 95); Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta: 18 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 77). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Comfort Inn and Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Comfort Inn has reviewed Item 19 figures for 5 location groups; Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta has reviewed Item 19 figures for 8 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

    SH

    Full Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta report

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

    Compare Comfort Inn with

    Compare Sonesta Hotels and Resorts Royal Sonesta with

    Add a third brand

    Compare up to four side by side

    Explore by brand

    Filter every published report

    FDD glossary

    Plain-language meaning of each Item