How are franchise revenues for Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential recognized?
Sonesta_Select_Sonesta_Essential Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
for credit losses, useful lives of long-lived assets, valuation of intangible assets and goodwill, and impairment of long-lived assets.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue is generally recognized as services are provided. Revenues are primarily derived from franchise contracts with thirdparty hotel owners, as well as from individual hotel guests and corporate patrons at our owned and leased hotels. The majority of compensation received for our performance obligations is variable or fixed consideration from our franchise contracts or fixed transactional guest consideration through our owned and leased hotels. We recognize the variable fees as the services to which they relate are delivered. In certain circumstances, we defer consideration and recognize consideration over time as the related performance obligations are satisfied.
Franchised hotels revenue
- We identified the following services as one performance obligation in connection with our franchise contracts: Intellectual Property (IP) licenses grant a non-exclusive, limited revocable license to the Sonesta RL Hotels
Franchising Inc. ("SRLHF") trademarks and hotel names. Manual and Training Services provide operational assistance unique to the SRLHF brands, business model and
standards. Reservation Services are provided through direct or indirect system access. Marketing Services and Arrangements benefit the overall hotel network and include brand promotions, direct guest marketing, brand name marketing and various other programs targeted at advertising to guests.
The performance obligation related to franchise revenues is delivered over time. While the underlying services may vary from day to day, the nature of the promises are the same each day, which is recognized in the month the service is provided, and the property owner can independently benefit from each day's services. Franchise fees for midscale agreements are typically based on the sales or usage of the underlying hotel, with the exception of fixed upfront fees that usually represent an insignificant portion of the transaction price. Franchise fees for economy agreements are typically fixed fee for royalties and marketing based on the room count of the hotel.
Franchise revenues represent fees earned in connection with the licensing of one of our brands, usually under long-term contracts with the property owner, and include the following:
⢠Franchise fees are royalties generally based on a percentage of a hotel's monthly gross room revenue or a fixed monthly fee based on room count. These fees are typically billed and collected monthly, and revenue is generally recognized at the same time the fees are billed.
Source: Item 21 ā FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (FDD page 84)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 FDD, Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential primarily recognizes revenue as services are provided, mainly from franchise contracts with third-party hotel owners and from guests at owned or leased hotels. The compensation is variable or fixed consideration from franchise contracts or fixed transactional guest consideration through owned and leased hotels. Variable fees are recognized as the related services are delivered, and in some cases, consideration is deferred and recognized over time as performance obligations are met.
Franchise revenues come from licensing the brand, typically under long-term contracts. These revenues include franchise fees (royalties based on a percentage of the hotel's monthly gross room revenue or a fixed monthly fee based on room count), system, reservation, and marketing fees, and other fees for services like revenue management and quality assurance inspections. Royalties are usually billed and recognized monthly. System, reservation, and marketing fees are based on the underlying hotel's sales or usage and are recognized on a gross basis as billed.
Any incentives paid to hotel owners for entering franchise contracts are capitalized and amortized to reduce revenues over the contract's length. Similarly, application fees are capitalized and amortized to revenues over the contract term. Commissions or direct costs for acquiring or modifying contracts are recorded as contract acquisition costs and amortized as a reduction of franchise and other fees over the contract's life. For economy agreements, franchise fees are typically a fixed fee for royalties and marketing based on the hotel's room count.