Franchise comparison
Head-to-head comparison of the IMPT carbon-neutral hotel franchise model against Choice Hotels. All numbers below are sourced from Choice Hotels's most recent franchise disclosure document and public franchise pages. Updated 2026-05-20.
Choice Hotels International franchises 7,400+ hotels across 16 brands (Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Cambria, Sleep Inn, Ascend Collection, Radisson Americas after 2022 acquisition). FDD updated 2024. Comparison is for a typical Comfort Inn franchise in the US — Choice's mid-market workhorse.
| IMPT | Choice Hotels | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $0 | $50,000 initial fee per Comfort Inn (varies by brand $25-90K) |
| Royalty on gross revenue | 0% royalty (commission only on IMPT-generated bookings) | 5.5% of gross room revenue |
| Marketing levy | $0 | 3.85% marketing & reservation fee |
| Capex / PIP requirements | $0 (no property-standard compliance) | Mandatory PIP (Property Improvement Plan) at brand-conversion + every 5-7 yrs; typical $500K-2M |
| Term | 3 years initial, auto-renewing | 20-year initial franchise term |
| Early-exit penalty | 12-month notice, no fees | Liquidated damages = 24 months of average royalty + marketing if early termination |
| ESG credential | 1 tonne UN-verified CO₂ retired on-chain per booking, booking-ID-tied, non-double-countable | Choice EnergyEdge programme; no per-stay verifiable retirement; no on-chain proof |
| Territory exclusivity | Full country (master) or region (regional) | Brand exclusivity within ~3-mile radius (varies) |
| Property ownership required? | No — territory operator role | Yes — typically |
| Revenue share to operator | 50% of IMPT margin (~6.5% of GMV) plus 50% across 7 other streams | N/A — fee model |
The IMPT franchise is not a hotel BRAND — it is a distribution and CO₂-credential layer. A Choice Hotels franchisee can simultaneously list their property on the IMPT network as a "Carbon-Neutral Stays" co-brand member, without violating Choice Hotels's brand-standard agreement (provided the Choice Hotels logo and brand-standards remain primary). This is how many of IMPT's existing co-brand members operate — they keep their existing major-brand franchise relationships and add IMPT as a complementary credential.
The IMPT FRANCHISE (territory ownership) is different from being an IMPT co-brand member (hotel listing). The franchise opportunity is for OPERATORS to own the IMPT relationship in a country — not for individual hotels.