How much is a Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels) franchise? $1,351,345 – $36,586,945 to open, per its disclosure filings
$1,351,345 – $36,586,945
Opening a Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels) franchise takes $1,351,345 – $36,586,945 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $86,945 – $108,445. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 4%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels) cost table
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $86,945 | $108,445 | $86,945 to $108,445 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $1,351,345 | $36,586,945 | $1,351,345 to $36,586,945 | |
| 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) | $1,351,345 | $36,586,945 | $1,351,345 to $36,586,945 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels)'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 4% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
What's in that number — and what isn't
The $1,351,345 – $36,586,945 range is derived from Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels)'s filed initial-investment disclosure (FDD Item 7 class): build-out, equipment, and opening costs as the franchisor stated them. Your market's real estate, labor, and build-out prices can land you outside it.
Not in the opening number: the ongoing royalty of 5% on sales, the ad-fund contribution of up to 4%, and your operating losses while the unit ramps. Every figure marked "Not disclosed" above is a gap in the filings, not a zero.
How Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels)'s cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels)'s disclosed cost sits against the Lodging & Leisure category:
- Minimum startup cost of $1,351,345 — about 78% below the Lodging & Leisure median of $6,130,275.
- Initial franchise fee of $86,945 — about 1.4× 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
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels) 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 Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels) for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What is the Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels) franchise fee?
$86,945 – $108,445, one-time, per disclosure filings as of 2026-05.
What ongoing fees does Hotel RL (Red Lion Hotels) charge?
A royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 4%, per disclosure filings as of 2026-05.