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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Residence Inn by Marriott 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.

    Residence Inn by Marriott2026 FDDSonesta ES Suites2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    $15,396,510 – $45,474,010

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Sonesta ES Suites

    $981,907 – $26,400,813

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    —

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 38

    Sonesta ES Suites

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    Not available

    Sonesta ES Suites

    5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 24

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Residence Inn by Marriott 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 (Residence Inn by Marriott: 6, Sonesta ES Suites: 12). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    $15,396,510 – $45,474,010
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    —
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 38

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    Sonesta ES Suites

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    820
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 123

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    +33
    Calculated: 787 at end of 2023 → 820 at end of 2025

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    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)

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Sonesta ES Suites

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

    Residence Inn by Marriott

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Sonesta ES Suites

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Residence Inn by Marriott
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — STR Included (at least two years)
    119.7 index
    other STR Included
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 117
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 1-Year Comp
    $127
    other 1-Year Comp
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 118
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — New Generation (ninth-generation-or-later design STR Included)
    86.7 percent
    other New Generation
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 118
    +3 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.

    Residence Inn by Marriott vs Sonesta ES Suites: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Residence Inn by Marriott or Sonesta ES Suites?
    Residence Inn by Marriott: $15,396,510 – $45,474,010 (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 Sonesta ES Suites. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Residence Inn by Marriott or Sonesta ES Suites?
    Residence Inn by Marriott: 820 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 123); 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 Residence Inn by Marriott and Sonesta ES Suites disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Residence Inn by Marriott has reviewed Item 19 figures for 6 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

    Keep researching

    Full Residence Inn by Marriott 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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