What onboarding services does Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential provide?
Sonesta_Select_Sonesta_Essential Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
pectively)
Provide you with onboarding services. (Franchise Agreement, Section 3.B)
Provide your Hotel Representative with initial brand training in areas such as brand programs, marketing, sales, loyalty, and brand culture. You will then be responsible for training your own employees. (Franchise Agreement, Section 4.A)
Provide you with a copy of the Brand Manuals (currently, 190 pages for Sonesta Select and 182 pages for Sonesta Essential), which includes standards for the equipment, supplies, advertising materials and other products and services used to furnish and to provide services at your Hotel. If we make the Brand Manuals available electronically, you must monitor the intranet portal for updates. (Franchise Agreement, Section 4.H) The table of contents for each Brand Manual is attached as Exhibit I.
If you elect to obtain a Management Company (defined in Item 15), or at any time during the term of the Franchise Agreement change the Management Company, provide our consent to the Management Company and your agreement with the Management Company, which consent we may withhold for any reason. (Franchise Agreement, Section 8.D)
Provide you with a list of and specifications for equipment, supplies, advertising materials, inventory and other products and services we require you to use to operate your Hotel and a list of approved or recommended suppliers of these items. We do not deliver or install these items, except as provided below under the heading Computer Systems. (Franchise Agreement, Section 8.E)
Assign a project manager or onboarding specialist to you. (Conversion Rider and New Construction Rider, attached as Exhibit D-1 and Exhibit D-2 to the Franchise Agreement, respectively)
We may, but are not obligated to, assist you with establishing prices for products and services your Hotel sells.
In addition to the assistance described above, we may provide such additional assistance as we deem necessary or appropriate.
Operational Phase Obligations
During the operation of your Hotel, we will:
Provide required and optional training programs either virtually or in-person. (Franchise Agreement, Section 4.A)
Convene a Brand Conference (no less frequently than every 24 months) at which franchisees may network and participate in educational seminars. (Franchise Agreement, Section 4.B)
Periodically advise you, at our election, regarding the operation of your Hotel. (Franchise Agreement, Section 4.C)
Administer and manage a loyalty program, at our election. (Franchise Agreement, Section 4.D)
Provide you access to our IT and franchise services help desks. (Franchise Agreement, Section 4.F)
Provide you with the Third-Party Distribution Program, as long as that program remains in effect.
Source: Item 11 — **FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 52–64)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 FDD, Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential provides several onboarding services to new franchisees. These services include initial brand training for the Hotel Representative, covering areas like brand programs, marketing, sales, loyalty, and brand culture. This training is provided virtually, at the franchisee's hotel, or at another designated location, at Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential's discretion. The franchisee is then responsible for training their own employees. Additionally, Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential will assign a project manager or onboarding specialist to the new franchisee.
Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential also provides franchisees with a copy of the Brand Manuals, which include standards for equipment, supplies, advertising materials, and other products and services necessary for operating the hotel. The Brand Manuals contain 190 pages for Sonesta Select and 182 pages for Sonesta Essential. Franchisees are expected to monitor the intranet portal for any updates to these manuals if they are made available electronically.
In terms of technology, Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential offers assistance with computer systems. While they do not deliver or install equipment, they provide a list of required equipment, supplies, and approved suppliers. They also require franchisees to adopt a Property Management System (PMS) from an approved list to ensure compatibility with their systems. The PMS vendor provides ongoing support and training. If a franchisee requires assistance implementing these systems, they may be required to pay an IT Implementation Services Fee of up to $20,000, which includes travel and other expenses for Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential personnel.
Overall, Sonesta Select Sonesta Essential's onboarding focuses on initial training, providing brand standards and manuals, and offering support for technology implementation. Franchisees should be prepared to invest in the necessary systems and equipment and to take responsibility for training their own staff beyond the initial brand training provided to the Hotel Representative.