Is an Embassy Suites customer required to execute a separate license agreement with third-party software providers for Certified Third Party Software not licensed from HSS?

According to Embassy Suites's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees may be required to enter into separate license agreements with third-party software providers for Certified Third Party Software that is not licensed directly from HSS (presumably Hilton Software Services). This means that if Embassy Suites franchisees use certain software that isn't provided by HSS, they will need to establish a direct licensing relationship with the company that created the software. These agreements would be separate from the franchise agreement with Embassy Suites.

These separate license agreements will be governed by the specific terms and conditions set forth in those agreements, not the franchise agreement. Therefore, franchisees must carefully review these third-party agreements to understand their rights, obligations, and any restrictions on software usage.

This requirement is fairly common in franchising, as franchisors often integrate third-party software into their systems but do not necessarily act as the direct licensor for all software components. It is important for prospective Embassy Suites franchisees to determine which Certified Third Party Software they will need, whether it is licensed through HSS or directly from a third party, and to factor in the time and potential legal costs of reviewing and negotiating these separate license agreements.