Who has control over the Franchise System Website for Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential?
Sonesta_Select_Sonesta_Essential Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
We maintain a website for the Brand Hotels and certain other Network Brands to advertise, market, and promote Brand Hotels and other applicable Network Hotels, the products and services that they offer and sell, or the franchise opportunity (the "Franchise System Website"). We will have sole discretion and control over the Franchise System Website (including design, contents, and continuation). In connection with the Franchise System Website, we may require you to: (i) provide us the information and materials we request to develop, update, and modify the Franchise System Website with reference to your Hotel information; and (ii) notify us whenever any information on the Franchise System Website is not accurate with respect to your Hotel. We will own all intellectual property and other rights in the Franchise System Website, including your webpage, and all information they contain (including the domain name or URL for your webpage, the log of "hits" by visitors, and any personal or business data that visitors supply). We also may discontinue the Franchise System Website, create a separate Franchise System Website for any one of the, or any combination of the, Network Brands, or consolidate the Franchise System Website with the website of any other brands we or our affiliates maintain, at any time.
Source: Item 11 — **FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 52–64)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential maintains a website to advertise and promote brand hotels. The document specifies that Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential has sole discretion and control over the Franchise System Website, including its design, content, and continuation. This means franchisees have no direct control over the website's appearance or information.
Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential may require franchisees to provide information and materials to develop, update, and modify the Franchise System Website with reference to their specific hotel. Franchisees must also notify Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential if any information on the website is inaccurate regarding their hotel.
Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential owns all intellectual property and other rights in the Franchise System Website, including the franchisee's webpage and all information contained within it. Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential also reserves the right to discontinue the Franchise System Website, create separate websites for any of the Network Brands, or consolidate the Franchise System Website with the website of any other brands they or their affiliates maintain, at any time. Franchisees are generally not permitted to maintain vanity or other independent online presences.