Hampton Inn vs Best Western franchise USA 2026: is the $16.2M investment gap worth it?
Best Western is 19.4× cheaper to get into — $881K vs $17M (about $16.2M less). Hampton Inn runs the bigger network at 2390 vs 16 outlets. Best Western takes less off the top (5% royalty vs 6%).
01 What actually matters
Numbers that separate them on a 5-year horizon — not the franchise-development pitch.
Hampton Inn has 149.4× more outlets than Best Western (2390 vs 16) — more brand recognition and supplier scale, but also denser intra-brand competition in saturated markets.
On pure entry capital, Best Western is 19.4× cheaper than Hampton Inn — $881K vs $17M. That gap compounds over a 5-year horizon because build-out, equipment, opening inventory and the additional funds in FDD Item 7 all scale with format size.
Hampton Inn charges 6% royalty on revenue — recurring, uncapped, and deducted before your own margin is calculated. Factor it into every pro-forma.
02 The numbers, visualised
Primary format per brand, from FDD Item 7. A brand's smaller express or non-traditional formats can cost materially less.
Initial investment (FDD Item 7)
Total initial investment, low end of each brand's FDD Item 7 range for its primary format. Several US brands also run smaller express, non-traditional or conversion formats at materially lower investment — check the brand page for the full Item 7 table.
Network scale — total outlets
Total US outlets from FDD Item 20. Bigger networks mean more brand recognition and supplier scale; smaller ones mean less intra-brand competition in your trade area.
Customer ratings
Which brand's outlets are rated higher by customers, aggregated across locations. Exact star rating and review volume are in Brand Health.
Direction only — the underlying rating & review count are Pro data.
03 Side-by-side
Straight from each brand’s FDD. Green badge marks the more favourable value for a typical first-time operator.
| Metric | Hampton Inn | Best Western |
|---|---|---|
| Initial investment (Item 7) | $17M | $881K ↓ Lower |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 6% | 5% ↓ Lower |
| Gross margin | — | — |
| Min space (sq ft) | — | — |
| Total US outlets (Item 20) | 2390 ↑ Bigger | 16 |
| Franchise fee (Item 5) | $100K | $25K ↓ Lower |
| Additional funds | — | — |
Not sure if Hampton Inn or Best Western actually fits *you*?
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04 Explore these brands in depth
Same data plus the full FDD breakdown, fee load, contract fairness and SBA lending picture — free on every brand page.
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05 Frequently asked
Wrapped in FAQPage JSON-LD for SERP rich-result eligibility.
How many Tourism & Hospitality franchise brands are available in the US?
FRANticc's database lists 2 brands matching this comparison with verified investment data, store counts, and format details. Several more are covered across our full directory. Every figure is traced to the brand's Franchise Disclosure Document.
Do these Tourism & Hospitality franchises offer territorial rights?
Territory is FDD Item 12, and it is where Tourism & Hospitality franchisors differ most. Some grant a protected radius or a defined trade area; many grant no exclusivity at all and reserve the right to open company units, non-traditional locations or e-commerce channels inside your area. Read Item 12 word for word — "protected territory" and "exclusive territory" are not the same thing — then ask existing franchisees whether the brand has honoured it.
What is the best Tourism & Hospitality franchise in the US in 2026?
Among the 2 brands FRANticc compares, the top options by network size are Hampton Inn, Best Western (Hampton Inn: 2390 stores, Best Western: 16 stores). The lowest investment entry is Best Western from $881K. "Best" depends on your capital, your market and how hands-on you plan to be — this page gives you the data for all three dimensions.
How do Tourism & Hospitality franchises pay out — revenue share or fixed margin?
US Tourism & Hospitality franchisors almost always take a percentage of gross sales, not a share of profit — so the fee is due whether or not the unit is profitable. FDD Item 6 lists the full stack: royalty (commonly 4–8%), a national advertising fund (1–4%), technology fees, and often a local-marketing minimum. Add them together before modelling take-home; the headline royalty is rarely the whole load.