Candlewood Suites franchise
2025 filing · April 15, 2025GrowingShares sales figures
Candlewood Suites at a glance
An IHG midscale extended-stay hotel brand with studio and one-bedroom suites with full kitchens. At the end of 2024 there were 384 Candlewood Suites locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Industry
- Hotel
- Franchisor
- Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $14.2M–$21.4M
- Typical 120-suite hotel, excluding land
- Franchise fee
- $60,000
- $500 per guest suite, at least $50,000; $60,000 for a 120-suite hotel.
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- 5.5% of gross suites revenue, paid monthly
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 384
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 384
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- +28
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 46
- Most in Texas, Virginia and Florida
From Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC’s 2025 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 227; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Candlewood Suites among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Candlewood Suites | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $17,785,226 | Costs more than 98% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $60,000 | Higher than 88% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5.5% | Lower than 66% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 384 | More than 92% of franchises |
How much a Candlewood Suites franchise costs
Opening typical 120-suite hotel, excluding land costs an estimated $14,169,501 to $21,400,950. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are building construction ($11,957,000 to $18,044,000) and furniture, fixtures, and equipment ($1,181,000 to $1,535,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $60,000 | ||
| Property Improvement Plan (“PIP”) fee | $0 | $10,000 | |
| Building Construction | $11,957,000 | $18,044,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $1,181,000 | $1,535,000 | |
| Operating Supplies & Equipment | $269,500 | $350,400 | |
| Primary Identification Sign (including) | $37,000 | $64,000 | |
| Installation, freight, foundation and wiring) PMS Equipment; Software; Installation & Training; IHG Concerto™ Equipment; NGP Equipment; Software; Installation & Training | $24,000 | $29,000 | |
| Guest Internet Access – Hardware (IHG Connect) | $42,000 | ||
| Guest Internet Access –Bandwidth (IHG Connect) | $500 | ||
| Keycard System | $11,000 | $16,500 | |
| Guest In -Room Entertainment – Hardware, Maintenance, Guest Support, & Content (Platform hardware, Media Solutions or FTG (Optional)) | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Employee Safety Devices | $14,000 | $16,000 | |
| Public Access Computers | $5,400 | $7,700 | |
| Telephone Switch | $33,000 | ||
| CCTV Security | $9,000 | $15,000 | |
| Audio Visual & Music System | $25,000 | ||
| NextGen Payments | $251 | $400 | |
| Market Feasibility Study | $0 | $30,000 | |
| Preopening Support Fee to be invoiced within 60 days of License execution by Holiday | $6,500 | ||
| IHG University: Core Subscription (annual subscription) | $2,000 | ||
| Opening Date Extension Fee | $5,000 | ||
| Professional Fees | $359,000 | $812,000 | |
| Security Deposits | $2,600 | $26,250 | |
| Insurance | $38,500 | $137,500 | |
| Hotel Photography | $3,500 | $6,200 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $78,750 | $105,000 | |
| Total | $14,169,501 | $21,400,950 | |
Source: Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 53
Candlewood Suites franchise fee
The franchise fee is $60,000, $500 per guest suite, at least $50,000; $60,000 for a 120-suite hotel.. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 53
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross suites revenue, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Technology Services Fee | $17.40 per suite, per month. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 31
Other fees as filed, from page 32. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Candlewood Suites publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 92
SBA loans to Candlewood Suites franchisees
Lenders approved 121 SBA-backed loans for Candlewood Suites franchisees from 2005 to 2026, $369.1M in all: 45 7(a) loans and 76 504 loans. Of the 58 that have ended, 54 were paid in full and 4 were charged off (6.9%). The other 63 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Candlewood Suites | Typical hotel brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +3.8% / +7.9% | +2.1% / +9.7% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 1.4% | 3.1% / 14% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical hotel brand is the median of the 47 brands in hotel franchises with three years of counts.
How Candlewood Suites compares
Of the 116 hotel franchises on this site, Candlewood Suites is the 75th cheapest to open and the 16th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Candlewood Suites | Typical hotel brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $14.2M | $9.44M | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $21.4M | $21.3M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $60K | $54K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5.5% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 384 | 37 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 71 of 116 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 116 brands in hotel franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 363 (+7) | 0 | +9 | −2 |
| 2023 | 370 (+7) | 0 | +10 | −3 |
| 2024 | 384 (+14) | 0 | +14 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: hotel franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 96
Where Candlewood Suites locations are
At the end of 2024, Candlewood Suites had franchised locations in 46 states. The most are in Texas, Virginia and Florida.
- Texas71
- Virginia22
- Florida19
- Pennsylvania18
- Indiana15
- Georgia14
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Texas | 71 |
| Virginia | 22 |
| Florida | 19 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 |
| Indiana | 15 |
| Georgia | 14 |
| North Carolina | 14 |
| Tennessee | 14 |
| Alabama | 11 |
| Kansas | 11 |
All 46 states
Source: Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 98
Who owns Candlewood Suites?
Candlewood Suites franchises are sold by Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC.
From Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC’s 2025 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 16–28. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 16–28, bankruptcy on page 28
Candlewood Suites filings
The figures on this page come from Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC’s 2025 filing, issued April 15, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | April 15, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
