Does the Crowne Plaza license grant exclusive areas or territories?
Crowne_Plaza Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
quirements in connection with any web sites you develop and maintain relating to your Hotel.
Other than as mentioned in this disclosure document, Holiday is not bound by the License or related agreements to provide supervision, assistance or services to you before opening or during operation of your Hotel.
ITEM 12
TERRITORY
Holiday does not typically grant licenses for exclusive areas or territories. The License will be for a specific site only and for the licensing of one hotel. The License applies to the location specified in the License and to no other location. You will not receive an exclusive territory. You may face competition from other licensees, from hotels that Holiday or its affiliates own, or from other channels of distribution or competitive brands that Holiday or its affiliates control.
You may not promote, implement or be responsible for any web site relating to your Hotel without Holiday's advance written approval. You may not register any of the Marks (defined in Item 13), as part of any domain name or Uniform Resource Locator ("URL"), and/or display or use any of the marks or other intellectual property rights related to the Brand System or to any of the other brands licensed by Holiday in connection with any web site, without Holiday's advance written approval. You must comply with all of Holiday's web site requirements in connection with any web sites you develop and maintain relating to your Hotel. The License does not otherwise limit the channels through which you may solicit customers for your Hotel.
The License does not limit Holiday's right or the rights of its parent, or any subsidiary or affiliate of Holiday, to use or license the Brand System or any part of the Brand System, or to engage in or license any business activity (including business activities referenced in Item 1, which sell similar products and services) or any other hotels (or any other hotel brands).
Source: Item 12 — Territory (FDD pages 81–82)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Crowne Plaza Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees generally do not receive exclusive territories. The license granted is for a specific site only, pertaining to the operation of a single hotel at the location specified in the license agreement.
This means that a Crowne Plaza franchisee may face competition from other licensees, hotels owned by Holiday or its affiliates, and other channels of distribution or competitive brands controlled by Holiday or its affiliates. The franchisee is not protected from such competition and will not have any exclusive rights to a particular area.
However, in special circumstances, Holiday may grant exclusive or protected areas in which another Crowne Plaza brand group Hotel will not be licensed. Even in these cases, the license remains specific to a single site and for one hotel only. Furthermore, franchisees may compete with other hotels operating under IHG Portfolio Brands in or near their area, and these other hotels may solicit reservations from the franchisee's area without any compensation to the franchisee.
Prospective franchisees should be aware that Holiday and its affiliates license numerous hotel brands and may continue to do so in the future. There is no mechanism for resolving conflicts that may arise between a franchisee's hotel and other hotels operating under Holiday's brands, and any resolution will be at the discretion of Holiday and its affiliates. This lack of territorial exclusivity and potential for competition from other brands under the same parent company is a significant factor to consider before investing in a Crowne Plaza franchise.