Tru by Hilton franchise
2023 filing · March 30, 2023GrowingShares sales figures
Tru by Hilton at a glance
A Hilton midscale hotel brand with compact rooms and a large shared lobby, built for value-minded travelers. At the end of 2022 there were 231 Tru by Hilton locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Industry
- Hotel
- Franchisor
- Hilton Franchise Holding LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- McLean, Virginia
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $11.7M–$17.2M
- New 98-room hotel, excluding land
- Franchise fee
- $100,000
- For a new or converted hotel.
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross rooms revenue, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 4% of gross rooms revenue as a monthly program fee covering marketing, reservations and other system services
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 231
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 231
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- +116
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
- States
- 42
- Most in Texas, Florida and South Carolina
From Hilton Franchise Holding LLC’s 2023 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 116; 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
Tru by Hilton among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Tru by Hilton | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $14,412,008 | Costs more than 98% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $100,000 | Higher than 98% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 231 | More than 88% of franchises |
How much a Tru by Hilton franchise costs
Opening new 98-room hotel, excluding land costs an estimated $11,663,473 to $17,160,542. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Hilton Franchise Holding LLC, 2023 filing, page 39
Tru by Hilton franchise fee
The franchise fee is $100,000, For a new or converted hotel.. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Hilton Franchise Holding LLC, 2023 filing, page 22
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross rooms revenue, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 4% of gross rooms revenue as a monthly program fee covering marketing, reservations and other system services. |
| Permitted Transfer Processing Fee | Currently, $5,500. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Hilton Franchise Holding LLC, 2023 filing, page 26
Other fees as filed, from page 31. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Tru by Hilton publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Hilton Franchise Holding LLC, 2023 filing, page 81
SBA loans to Tru by Hilton franchisees
Lenders approved 40 SBA-backed loans for Tru by Hilton franchisees from 2017 to 2026, $151.5M in all: 7 7(a) loans and 33 504 loans. All 7 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 33 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, 2022 / 2020–2022. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Tru by Hilton | Typical hotel brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +9% / +101% | +2.1% / +9.7% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 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 Tru by Hilton compares
Of the 116 hotel franchises on this site, Tru by Hilton is the 68th cheapest to open and the 27th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Tru by Hilton | Typical hotel brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $11.7M | $9.44M | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $17.2M | $21.3M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $100K | $54K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 231 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 177 (+62) | 0 | +62 | 0 |
| 2021 | 212 (+35) | 0 | +35 | 0 |
| 2022 | 231 (+19) | 0 | +19 | 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: Hilton Franchise Holding LLC, 2023 filing, pages 84–85
Where Tru by Hilton locations are
At the end of 2022, Tru by Hilton had franchised locations in 42 states. The most are in Texas, Florida and South Carolina.
- Texas35
- Florida17
- South Carolina14
- Virginia13
- Georgia12
- North Carolina12
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Texas | 35 |
| Florida | 17 |
| South Carolina | 14 |
| Virginia | 13 |
| Georgia | 12 |
| North Carolina | 12 |
| Ohio | 11 |
| Tennessee | 11 |
| Michigan | 8 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 |
All 42 states
Source: Hilton Franchise Holding LLC, 2023 filing, page 86
Who owns Tru by Hilton?
Tru by Hilton franchises are sold by Hilton Franchise Holding LLC. It is a subsidiary of Hilton Domestic Operating Company.
Tru by Hilton is one of the 15 Hilton brands here. Hilton Worldwide Holdings is a public company based in McLean, Virginia. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange as HLT.
From Hilton Franchise Holding LLC’s 2023 filing, page 9; SEC.
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 18–22. |
|---|---|
| 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: Hilton Franchise Holding LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on pages 18–22, bankruptcy on page 22
Tru by Hilton filings
The figures on this page come from Hilton Franchise Holding LLC’s 2023 filing, issued March 30, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | March 30, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other hotel franchises
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Other brands from Hilton: Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Home2 Suites by Hilton and 6 more. See all 15 in the finder