What aspects of online presence are covered by the Brand Standards for Sonesta Simply Suites franchisees?
Sonesta_Simply_Suites Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
nline Presence that we may require and may establish any other Online Presence that we authorize.
Your use of all Online Presence shall be subject to the Brand Standards as we may implement during the term of your Franchise Agreement. You must adhere to our Online Presence guidelines and procedures, which include but are not limited to: appropriate content, relevance, behavior related to communications, frequency and responsiveness to communications, etiquette, naming conventions and use of the Network Marks and posting messages or commentary on third party websites. We must approve your social media pages and they shall be linked to any Network Brand social media pages we designate. We have the right to require you to remove your social media page(s) if you fail to comply with our guidelines and procedures.
We will own the rights to each Online Presence. At our request, you must grant us access to each Online Presence and take whatever action we request to prove that we own each Online Presence or help us obtain exclusive administrative rights in such Online Presence.
Upon the expiration or termination of the Franchise Agreement, you must irrevocably assign and transfer to us (or to our designee) all of your right, title and interest in any domain name listings and registrations and other Online Presence which contain any references to the Network Marks or any of the Network Brands, and must notify the applicable domain name registrar(s) or other third party of the termination of your right to use any domain name or Online Presence associated with the Network Marks or any of the Network Brands, and will authorize and instruct the cancellation or transfer of the Online Presence to us (or our designee), as directed by us. You also must delete all references to the Network Marks and any of the Network Brands from any other Online Presence you own, maintain, or operate beyond the expiration or termination of the Franchise Agreement.
Loyalty Program
We and our affiliates may administer and manage loyalty programs that will provide participating guests of your Hotel with certain rewards or benefits when staying at your Hotel. Such loyalty programs may apply specifically for Brand Hotels or to any or all Network Hotels. Currently, Brand Hotels participate in our loyalty program referred to as "Sonesta Travel Pass." We charge Brand Hotel franchisees a loyalty program fee for your participation in the Sonesta
Travel Pass program in the amount of 2.5% of your Hotel's Qualified Revenue (see Item 6 above) garnered through guests participating in the Sonesta Travel Pass program; company-owned and company-managed Brand Hotels may pay the loyalty program fee at a different rate, and not all franchised Network Hotels pay a uniform loyalty program fee.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 48–60)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Sonesta Simply Suites FDD, the Brand Standards cover several aspects of a franchisee's online presence. These include appropriate content, relevance, behavior related to communications, frequency and responsiveness to communications, etiquette, naming conventions, and the use of Network Marks, as well as posting messages or commentary on third-party websites. Sonesta Simply Suites must approve a franchisee's social media pages, and these pages must link to any Network Brand social media pages that Sonesta Simply Suites designates.
The FDD specifies that franchisees may not register, own, maintain, or use any domain name, homepage, electronic address, website, email address, social media account, username, screen name, or other online presence relating to Network Hotels or their Hotel or that includes the Network Marks, except as approved in advance by Sonesta Simply Suites. Franchisees may not list the details or contact information of their Hotel on any vanity or other independent websites or other Online Presence, including any OTAs, without prior approval.
Sonesta Simply Suites retains ownership of the rights to each Online Presence. Upon the expiration or termination of the Franchise Agreement, franchisees must irrevocably assign and transfer to Sonesta Simply Suites all rights and interests in any domain name listings and registrations and other Online Presence which contain any references to the Network Marks or any of the Network Brands. Franchisees must also delete all references to the Network Marks and any of the Network Brands from any other Online Presence they own, maintain, or operate beyond the expiration or termination of the Franchise Agreement.