Best Western franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Best Western franchise takes $6,130,275 – $12,658,075 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $64,200 – $127,550. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 2.1%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Best Western franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $64,200 | $127,550 | $64,200 to $127,550 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $6,130,275 | $12,658,075 | $6,130,275 to $12,658,075 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $6,130,275 | $12,658,075 | $6,130,275 to $12,658,075 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Best Western's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 2.1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
See the full Best Western cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Best Western's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Best Western's disclosed cost sits against the Lodging & Leisure category:
- Minimum startup cost of $6,130,275 — about in line with the Lodging & Leisure median of $6,130,275.
- Initial franchise fee of $64,200 — about in line with the Lodging & Leisure median of $63,600.
Category medians are computed from the Lodging & Leisure brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Lodging & Leisure franchises
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How Best Western's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2017–2021: began the window at 1,821 units; 240 units opened, 92 closed, ending at 1,878 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Best Western or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Best Western for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Best Western is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Best Western grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Best Western can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Best Western franchise
Best Western is a lodging & leisure franchisor with 1,878 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2017 and 2021, it began the window at 1,821 units; its filings record 240 unit openings and 92 closures, ending at 1,878 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only).
Disclosure filings report 13 franchise-related lawsuits. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
The franchised business being offered is a membership and the right to construct, or convert an existing hotel to, a hotel that utilizes the "Best Western", "Best Western Plus", "Best Western Premier", "Executive Residency by Best Western", "@Home by Best WesternSM", "GLo" or "Aiden" name, as well as Best Western's proprietary system. (Cover page cite: "This Franchise Disclosure Document offers a membership in Best Western International, Inc. and the right to construct, or convert an existing hotel to, a hotel that utilizes the "Best Western", "Best Western Plus", "Best Western Premier", "Executive Residency by Best Western", "@Home by Best WesternSM", "GLo" or "Aiden" name, as well as Best Western's proprietary system.")
Best Western franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Best Western franchise cost?
- $6,130,275 – $12,658,075 all-in to open, per Best Western's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Best Western units are there?
- 1,878 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Best Western's units held up?
- 96.5% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).