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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Comfort Inn vs The James

    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 FDDThe James2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Comfort Inn

    $822,951 – $18,328,875

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    The James

    $3,165,107 – $158,220,099

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Comfort Inn

    Not available

    The James

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Comfort Inn

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33

    The James

    5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 24

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Comfort Inn and The James disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Only Comfort Inn has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Comfort Inn

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

    The James

    $3,165,107 – $158,220,099
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    The James

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

    Comfort Inn

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

    The James

    5%
    General Royalty — 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

    The James

    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

    The James

    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

    The James

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

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    The James

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

    Comfort Inn

    1981
    From a verified franchisor listing

    The James

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

    Comfort Inn

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    The James

    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
    The James

    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.

    Comfort Inn vs The James: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Comfort Inn or The James?
    Comfort Inn: $822,951 – $18,328,875 (2026 FDD · Item 7); The James: $3,165,107 – $158,220,099 (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 The James royalties compare?
    Comfort Inn: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 33); The James: 5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 24). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Do Comfort Inn and The James disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Comfort Inn has reviewed Item 19 figures for 5 location groups; The James 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

    CI

    Full Comfort Inn report

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

    Full The James report

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

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