Franchise opportunities compared

    Signature Inn vs The James Branded

    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.
    • Signature Inn and The James Branded disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Only Signature Inn has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
    DisclosureSignature InnThe James Branded
    Financial commitment
    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)
    $201,559 – $7,129,164
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    $3,165,107 – $86,066,578
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)
    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)
    $42
    Royalty per Guest Room per month
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 25
    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)
    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee
    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee
    System scale & health
    Total outlets (Item 20)
    14
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 66
    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts
    Net outlet change (Item 20)
    +7
    Calculated: 7 at end of 2023 → 14 at end of 2025
    Not available
    Only one year reported
    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 — 1+fullyearsSignatureInnHotels
    $115
    other 1+year hotels ADR · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 63
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 3+fullyearsSignatureInnHotels
    $104
    other 3+year hotels ADR · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 63
    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.

    Signature Inn vs The James Branded: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Signature Inn or The James Branded?
    Signature Inn: $201,559 – $7,129,164 (2026 FDD · Item 7); The James Branded: $3,165,107 – $86,066,578 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Signature Inn. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Do Signature Inn and The James Branded disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Signature Inn has reviewed Item 19 figures for 2 location groups; The James Branded 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