Has Surestay Hotel By Best Western ever operated a System Hotel?

According to Surestay Hotel By Best Western's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Surestay, Inc., the franchisor, has never operated a System Hotel. The FDD specifies that Surestay, Inc. has not operated a SureStay Collection by Best Western hotel, or any other type of business. This means that Surestay Hotel By Best Western focuses solely on franchising and does not manage or operate any of its own hotel locations.

This is a fairly common arrangement in the franchise industry, where the franchisor's primary role is to develop and support the franchise system, rather than directly competing with its franchisees through company-owned outlets. However, the parent company, Best Western International, Inc. has never operated a System Hotel, a hotel under a Membership Brand (although it does own one hotel under a Membership Brand and has a majority ownership interest in another hotel under a Membership Brand, each of which is operated by a third-party management company), a hotel under a Collection Mark or any other type of business.

For a prospective franchisee, this information indicates that Surestay Hotel By Best Western's expertise lies in franchising and brand management, rather than day-to-day hotel operations. Franchisees can expect support and guidance in running their hotels, but they should not expect the franchisor to have direct experience operating a Surestay Hotel By Best Western location. This also means that the success of the franchise system relies heavily on the success of its franchisees, making the selection and support of franchisees a critical aspect of Surestay Hotel By Best Western's business model.