What sections of the Even Hotels License Agreement address the owner's participation/management/staffing obligations?
Even_Hotels Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ffice, or any court with respect to any copyright.
The obligations of Holiday and you under the License to protect their respective rights to use the abovereferenced copyrights parallel those described in Item 13 of this disclosure document pertaining to the Marks.
ITEM 15
OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE LICENSED BUSINESS
Whether you are an individual, corporation, partnership or other entity, Holiday requires you to retain and exercise direct management control over the Hotel's business at all times unless otherwise approved by Holiday. However, Holiday does not require that you participate personally in the direct operation of the Hotel. Regardless of whether you or a third party management company operate your Hotel, both a duly qualified and experienced General Manager and Director of Sales employed by you or your management company must each work exclusively for your EVEN® Hotel at all times, and if you own more than one EVEN® Hotel or other hotels, you must have a separate, qualified General Manager and Director of Sales for each hotel. Holiday may include conditions in your License requiring you to hire a duly qualified and experienced (i) management company acceptable to Holiday or (ii) a General Manager or Director of Sales with at least two years prior experience in such position at a hotel operated under any of Holiday's upscale brands or at a hotel in a similar brand segment as the Hotel, as defined by Smith Travel Research, Inc. You must obtain Holiday's written consent before entering into any lease, management agreement or other similar arrangement for the operation of the hotel or any part of the hotel with any entity. Holiday may require that any management company you hire have experience in managing hotels similar to EVEN® Hotels.
If Holiday requires that you hire a management company to operate your hotel, it may require that you hire this company or person within a specific period of time either after signing your License or before the date your hotel opens in the Brand System. You must notify Holiday in the designated timeframe before hiring or changing your management company for any reason. These conditions would be determined by Holiday and contained in your License.
Source: Item 9 — LICENSEE'S OBLIGATIONS (FDD pages 68–69)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Even Hotels' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 15, titled "Obligation to Participate in the Actual Operation of the Licensed Business," details the franchisee's obligations regarding participation, management, and staffing. While Even Hotels does not require the franchisee to personally participate in the direct operation of the hotel, they must retain direct management control over the hotel's business.
Even Hotels requires franchisees to employ a qualified and experienced General Manager and Director of Sales who work exclusively for the Even Hotel. If a franchisee owns multiple Even Hotels, a separate General Manager and Director of Sales is required for each location. The franchisor may also require franchisees to hire a management company, General Manager, or Director of Sales with a specific level of experience, potentially including experience with upscale brands or similar hotel segments. The franchisee must obtain written consent from Even Hotels before entering into any management agreement.
The franchisee has the autonomy to hire a General Manager and all staff members without advance approval from Even Hotels, although the license may specify required experience levels. The General Manager, department heads, and staff, including Directors of Sales, must attend Even Hotels' training programs. The franchisee or their management company serves as the sole employer of the hotel's employees, responsible for all employment decisions, and Even Hotels does not control employment policies.