Who determines the appropriate fee for a Best Western membership application?

500.7 A. All Applicants for new Membership, including those made by or on behalf of prospective purchasers or transferees of lodging facilities for which current Memberships are held, shall remit a non-refundable evaluation fee with their applications. The amount of the evaluation fee shall be established by the Board from time to time to defray, in whole or in part, the administrative costs, including assessment costs, of evaluating such new Membership Applications.

Section 6. Fees and Dues

• (A) The Board shall establish Entrance Fees to be paid by Applicants. Such Entrance Fees may be changed by the Board from time to time, but cannot be waived. The exception to this limitation is the offering and acceptance of a Development Incentive.
• (B) The Board shall establish Annual Dues to be paid by Members eligible for continuing Memberships. Annual Dues shall be established by the Board during each fiscal year for the succeeding fiscal year.
• (C) The Board shall establish Monthly Fees designed to cover the cost of providing services to Members. Monthly Fees for Members approved by the Board on or after January 1, 2018, shall be as determined by the Board annually, prior to the following fiscal year; however, if a Member has or Members collectively have a minimum of a fifty percent (50%) financial ownership interest in the Applicant Best Western Property at the time of the Board's application approval, the Monthly Fees shall be three and one-half percent (3 ½%) of Property Room Revenue. For the purpose of an Applicant being eligible for a Monthly Fee of three and one-half percent (3 ½%) of Property Room Revenue, the Members or Members must have each and all been a Member as of July 1, 2016.
• (D) Annual Dues, Monthly Fees, and assessments may be increased by the Board no more often than once in each fiscal year. No such annual increase shall exceed the lesser of (1) five percent (5%), or (2) the rate of inflation for the previous year, as measured by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (all items for all urban areas), unless a majority of all Members vote to approve a greater increase in accordance with Article III, Section 5

500.59 Effective June 26, 2024, or as soon afterward as is practicable, Members shall purchase specific brands of the following operational supply and equipment (OSE) products from one of two distributors selected by Best Western: toilet paper, facial tissue, and disposable products, such as paper plates, paper bowls, cutlery, and similar disposable items. Best Western shall designate the specific brands and distributors, noting Best Western's Board of Directors shall have the authority to approve and to amend brands or distributors if it is in the best interests of the membership to do so (e.g., pricing and performance) and upon appropriate notice to the membership.

• 500.8 A. An Applicant granted conditional approval for a Property proposed for construction may apply for extensions of time related to the conditional approval so long as construction has not yet commenced. Extensions may be granted by Best Western in six (6) month increments. The total amount of time that may be allowed to begin construction shall be three (3) years from the date of conditional approval. Each such Applicant seeking an extension shall submit:
  • 1. Payment of a non-waivable extension fee, with the extension fee determined by the Board from time to time. The extension fee shall be nonrefundable as of the date that the extension period begins.

Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 108–413)