What standards must all Embassy Suites Sites containing the Marks adhere to?
Embassy_Suites Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You may not register, own, or maintain any internet domain names, World Wide Web or other electronic communications sites, including mobile applications (each, a "Site" and collectively, "Sites"), relating to the Network, the System, or your Hotel, or that include the Marks. The only Sites, or Site contractors, that you may use for your Hotel are those assigned or approved by us. You must obtain our prior written approval of any third-party Site in which your Hotel will be listed, any proposed links between the Site and any other Sites ("Linked Sites"), and any proposed modifications to all Sites and Linked Sites. All Sites containing any of the Marks and any Linked Sites must advertise, promote, and reflect on your Hotel and the System in a first-class, dignified manner. Our right to approve all materials is necessitated by the fact that those materials will include and be inextricably linked with the Marks. Any use of the Marks on the internet and any other computer network or electronic distribution system, including mobile applications, must conform to our requirements, including the content, identity, and graphics standards for all System Hotels. Given the changing nature of computer and communications technology, we have the right to withhold our approval, withdraw any prior approval, and to modify our requirements at any time.
You may not (without a legal license or other legal right) post on your Sites or disseminate in any form any material in which any third party has any direct or indirect ownership interest, including video clips, photographs, sound bites, copyrighted text, trademarks or service marks, or any other text or image in which any third party may claim intellectual property ownership interests. You must incorporate on your Sites any other information we require in the manner we consider necessary to protect our Marks.
When your Franchise Agreement expires or terminates, you must irrevocably assign and transfer to us or our designee all of your right, title and interest in any domain name listings and registrations that contain any references to our Marks, System or Brand, notify the applicable domain name registrars of the termination of your right to use any domain name or Sites associated with the Marks or the Brand, and authorize and instruct the cancellation or transfer of the domain name to us or our designee, as directed by us. You must also delete all references to our Marks or brands from any other Sites you own, maintain or operate after the expiration or termination of the Franchise Agreement. (Franchise Agreement, Section 9.5).
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 53–67)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Embassy Suites's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, all websites (referred to as "Sites") containing the brand's trademarks ("Marks") must adhere to specific standards set by the franchisor. These Sites must promote the hotel and the Embassy Suites system in a "first-class, dignified manner." This requirement extends to any third-party sites where the hotel is listed and any links to other websites.
Embassy Suites retains the right to approve all materials displayed on these Sites because they include and are linked to the brand's trademarks. The franchisor also has the authority to modify these requirements at any time, reflecting the evolving nature of computer and communications technology. Franchisees are prohibited from posting or disseminating material on their Sites that infringes on third-party intellectual property rights, such as video clips, copyrighted text, or trademarks, without proper legal authorization.
To protect its trademarks, Embassy Suites requires franchisees to incorporate specific information on their Sites as deemed necessary by the franchisor. Furthermore, upon termination or expiration of the franchise agreement, franchisees must transfer all rights to domain names and registrations containing the brand's trademarks to the franchisor. They must also remove all references to the brand from any other Sites they own or operate. These measures ensure that the Embassy Suites brand is consistently represented and protected across all online platforms.