What must Even Hotels comply with regarding the Next-Gen Payments Solution?

According to Even Hotels' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisee (referred to as 'Hotel' in the document) must comply with the terms and conditions outlined in Attachment 1 (Third Party Terms – FreedomPay) and Attachment 2 (Third Party Terms – HPFS). These attachments are collectively known as the "Third Party Terms."

This means that as part of using the Next-Gen Payments Solution, Even Hotels franchisees are bound by legal agreements not only with IHG, the franchisor, but also with FreedomPay and HPFS, which are third-party providers involved in the payment processing system. These Third Party Terms likely cover aspects such as data security, system usage, and liability.

Specifically, Even Hotels acknowledges that FreedomPay is the provider of the payment gateway services. The franchisee is responsible for procuring and maintaining all necessary hardware, software, data communication, and connectivity to connect to the FreedomPay system. Compliance with the FreedomPay P2PE Instruction Manual (PIM) is required for delivery of PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption Secure Switching, and failure to comply with the PIM may result in disallowance of benefits and potential charges from IHG for mitigation efforts.