Can Americas Best Value Inn increase the Guest Relations Fee?
Americas_Best_Value_Inn Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ethodology of inspections may change from year to year.
Note 8 – You will pay us a $25 Guest Relations Fee for every guest or other complaint we receive. If the issue raised is not resolved to our satisfaction within 48 hours of our communication to your Hotel, then the fee will be raised to $75. If it becomes necessary for us to resolve it, then the fee will be raised to $125 per issue, plus we will charge you the cost o
Source: Item 6 — OTHER FEES (FDD pages 24–32)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Americas Best Value Inn's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisor can charge a Guest Relations Fee for complaints received. The initial fee is $25 for every guest complaint. If the issue is not resolved within 48 hours after the hotel is notified, the fee increases to $75. Should Americas Best Value Inn need to resolve the issue themselves, the fee becomes $125 per issue, in addition to the cost of the resolution, such as a guest refund.
This fee structure incentivizes franchisees to promptly and effectively address guest complaints. The escalating fees encourage quick resolution at the hotel level, potentially preventing further intervention from the franchisor. This system aims to maintain guest satisfaction and protect the brand's reputation.
While the FDD specifies the amounts for the Guest Relations Fee at different stages of complaint resolution, it does not explicitly state whether Americas Best Value Inn can increase these specific fee amounts. However, other fees listed in the document include a statement that Americas Best Value Inn may periodically increase the fee by the Fee Adjustment. It is important to note that the Guest Relations Fee does not include this statement. A prospective franchisee should seek clarification from the franchisor regarding the possibility of increases to the Guest Relations Fee and under what conditions such increases might occur.