Sonesta’s brands here are all hotel franchises. Each is franchised on its own terms, under its own agreement, so the cost to open, the fees and the record of each brand differ, even where the parent company is the same.
Brands owned by Sonesta
| Brand | Cost to open | Franchise fee | Royalty | Locations | 3-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights InnHotel | $189K–$2.07M | $17,500 | Per-room fee; $1,800 monthly minimum | 127 | −33 (−21%) |
| Sonesta ES SuitesHotel | $16.5M–$26.4M | $65,000 | 5% of gross rooms revenue | 73 | −21 (−22%) |
| Sonesta Simply SuitesHotel | $14M–$19.2M | $50,000 | 5% of gross rooms revenue | 67 | +5 (+8%) |
| Red Lion Inn & SuitesHotel | $17.1M–$23.6M | $40,000 | 5% of room revenue | 60 | +2 (+3%) |
| Signature InnHotel | $202K–$769K | $20,000 | Per-room fee; $2,520 monthly minimum | 14 | +9 |
| MOD Collection by SonestaHotel | $1.5M–$23.5M | $75,000 | 5% of gross rooms revenue | 7 | +7 |
Change is in US locations, franchised and company-owned, over the three latest years in each brand’s filing. A dash means the brand’s counts aren’t usable.
Size and growth
Together these brands have 348 US locations, 93% of them run by franchisees. Across the brands, the total fell by 31 locations (−8%), from 2023 to 2025.
Grew the most
Shrank the most
- Sonesta ES Suites−22%
- Knights Inn−21%
Brands that started the three years with at least 10 locations.
Fees and royalties across the brands
Franchise fees run from $18K to $75K across these brands, with a typical $45K. No brand charges one rate on all sales: each royalty is tiered, ranged, charged on part of revenue or comes with a minimum, so compare the terms in the table. On top of that, the marketing fund ranges from 3% to 3.5% of sales.
A shared parent can mean shared suppliers, systems and support staff, but it rarely means shared terms: compare the agreements brand by brand, and ask whether owning one brand gets you anything when you buy another.
Sales per location and who runs it
Of these brands, 3 share earnings figures, but none as a yearly sales figure per location. None requires the owner to run it day to day; a trained manager can.
| Brand | Sales per location | Marketing fund | Who runs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knights Inn | Not shared | Other terms | A trained manager can run it |
| Sonesta ES Suites | Other figures | 3.5% of sales | A trained manager can run it |
| Sonesta Simply Suites | Other figures | – | Owner needn't take part |
| Red Lion Inn & Suites | Not shared | 3% of sales | Owner needn't take part |
| Signature Inn | Other figures | Other terms | A trained manager can run it |
| MOD Collection by Sonesta | Not shared | – | Owner needn't take part |