Franchise opportunities compared

    Sheraton Hotels & Resorts 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.

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Sonesta ES Suites 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 (Sheraton Hotels & Resorts: 4, Sonesta ES Suites: 12). Different groups are not directly comparable.
    DisclosureSheraton Hotels & ResortsSonesta ES Suites
    Financial commitment
    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)
    $83,776,490 – $136,115,890
    ers/ Employees/ Marriott Total Range (excludes costs identified as not determinable) — 83776490
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 64
    $981,907 – $26,400,813
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)
    —
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 55
    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)
    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    5%
    Royalty 5% — 5%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 24
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)
    1%
    CRN qualifying convention/resort hotels Marketing Fund — 1% of gross room sales included in Program Services Contribution — 1%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 57
    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee
    System scale & health
    Total outlets (Item 20)
    165
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 123
    73
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 76
    Net outlet change (Item 20)
    −3
    Calculated: 168 at end of 2023 → 165 at end of 2025
    −14
    Calculated: 87 at end of 2023 → 73 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)
    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Performance (Item 19)
    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — STR Included franchised Sheraton hotels
    $173
    other ADR · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 117
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 1-Year Comp franchised Sheraton hotels
    45 percent
    other he 1-Year Comp Hotels ranged from 29.2% to 96.7%, with a median OCC of 64.9%. 58 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 118
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Included franchised Sheraton hotels; reservations
    70.1 percent
    other rom the Reservations Channels, and the median contribution to room night revenue was · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 119
    +1 more groups in the full report
    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.

    Sheraton Hotels & Resorts vs Sonesta ES Suites: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts or Sonesta ES Suites?
    Sheraton Hotels & Resorts: $83,776,490 – $136,115,890 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 64); 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, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts or Sonesta ES Suites?
    Sheraton Hotels & Resorts: 165 (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 Sheraton Hotels & Resorts and Sonesta ES Suites disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has reviewed Item 19 figures for 4 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