For Even Hotels, who is responsible for procuring and maintaining the hardware, software, and data communication required to connect to the System?
Even_Hotels Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
PIM Compliance: Hotel shall be responsible for procuring and maintaining, at its sole cost, all hardware, software and data communication and connectivity required to connect to the FreedomPay system and services (the "FreedomPay Solution").
Delivery of PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption Secure Switching is subject to Hotel's compliance with the FreedomPay P2PE Instruction Manual (the "PIM") and Hotel's acknowledgement of such compliance in the form set forth on Exhibit 1 to Attachment 1 (PIM Acknowledgement) to this Attachment.
In the event Hotel does not comply with any obligation under the PIM, IHG may, but shall not be obligated, to perform any such obligation or otherwise mitigate such non-compliance, in which event IHG may charge Hotel reasonable fees to compensate IHG for such mitigation, including, without limitation, charging the then current list price for the applicable IHG services.
Further, a failure to comply with the PIM or the requirements of Section 3 below will result in the disallowance of the benefits to Hotel described in the PIM.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 99–438)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Even Hotels' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisee (referred to as "Hotel") is responsible for procuring and maintaining the hardware, software, and data communication and connectivity required to connect to the FreedomPay system and services, at their sole cost. FreedomPay is the provider of the payment gateway services for the Next-Gen Payments Solution. Even Hotels processes the onboarding, administers payments, and facilitates support, but FreedomPay provides the payment gateway services. The franchisee accesses a hosted environment configured for IHG and cannot customize it for individual needs. Payments, service requests, and other interactions with FreedomPay are routed through IHG.
The franchisee must comply with the FreedomPay P2PE Instruction Manual (PIM). Failure to comply with PIM obligations may result in IHG performing the obligations and charging the franchisee reasonable fees to compensate for the mitigation, including the then-current list price for applicable IHG services. Non-compliance with the PIM or other requirements will result in the disallowance of benefits described in the PIM.
This means that as an Even Hotels franchisee, you will bear the financial burden of setting up and maintaining the technology infrastructure required to process payments through the FreedomPay system. You must also adhere to FreedomPay's PIM to ensure secure payment processing. Failure to do so could result in additional costs imposed by IHG or loss of benefits.