What is the geographic scope of the territorial protection offered to The Standardx franchisees?
The_Standardx Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Illinois, at your Hotel, or at another operating Hyatt hotel. We offer optional brand standards training programs on an ongoing basis.
Item 12
TERRITORY
You must operate the Hotel only from a specific site that we first approve. Your rights under the Franchise Agreement are limited to operating the Hotel at the approved site. If all or a substantial portion of the Hotel is condemned or suffers a casualty requiring you to close all or a portion of the Hotel, you may relocate the Hotel to a location we approve.
Unless the Hotel is an operating Brand Hotel, we and you will agree on the boundaries of your "Area of Protection" before signing the Franchise Agreement. We typically define the Area of Protection's boundaries using geographic references (such as streets or rivers) or as a circle with the Hotel at its center. The Area of Protection's size will vary depending on the Hotel's size and location. It could be as small as a few blocks in densely-populated urban areas and up to about a 1- or 2-mile radius from the Hotel's entrance in less populated areas. We also will assign an "AOP Term" and list the AOP Term in the Franchise Agreement before we and you sign it. The AOP Term is the time period during which your rights in the Area of Protection will apply. The AOP Term begins on the effective date of the Franchise Agreement and typically ends from 1 to 5 years after the Hotel's opening date.
Subject to the one exception below, neither we nor any of our affiliates will open and operate during the AOP Term, nor authorize any other party to open and operate during the AOP Term, any other Brand Hotel the physical premises of which are located within the Area of Protection. One exception to this restriction is that, during the AOP Term, if we or any affiliate acquires ownership of or the right to operate, manage, franchise or license (regardless of the form of transaction) another group of at least 4 hotels, one or more of which hotels are located or are under contract or construction to be located in the Area of Protection, then we and our affiliates will have the unrestricted right to convert, or cause to be converted, the acquired hotel(s) within the Area of Protection from its (or their) original trade identity to operate under the Proprietary Marks and the Hotel System. We then may operate, or authorize any other party to operate, those hotel(s) as Brand Hotel(s), even if one or more of the other acquired hotels, whether operating within or outside the Area of Protection, are not converted to Brand Hotels.
If the Hotel is an operating Brand Hotel, you may not receive any Area of Protection or AOP Term when signing the Franchise Agreement. We will make the determination of whether to provide any Area of Protection based on the time during which the Hotel has operated under the "Hyatt" or "The StandardX" name and the market conditions under which the Hotel operates.
Your rights in the Area of Protection apply only during the AOP Term. Following the AOP Term, you will have no territorial rights or protection, whether within or outside the Area of Protection, and we and our affiliates may open and operate, and authorize any other parties to open and operate, other Brand Hotels the physical premises of which are located within the Area of Protection, including under franchise applications submitted and/or franchise agreements and other agreements signed during the AOP Term. Because we and others may establish and operate one or more Brand Hotels and other Hyatt Network Hotels within the Area of Protection after the AOP Term expires, and during the AOP Term under the exception above, you will not receive an exclusive territory. You may face competition from other franchisees, from outlets we own, or from other channels of distribution or competitive brands that we control.
Except for the limited exclusivity described above, your rights under the Franchise Agreement are nonexclusive in all respects, the Hotel has no territorial protection whatsoever, and we and our affiliates have the right without restriction to engage in all activities we and they desire (including concerning all types of lodging facilities) at any time and place, whether or not using the Proprietary Marks or any aspect of the Hotel System, and whether or not those activities compete with your Hotel. We and our affiliates may use or benefit from, among other things, common computer systems, administrative systems, reservation systems, purchasing systems, and
personnel and may provide some or all of the System Services to other Hyatt Network Hotels and other hotels, lodging facilities and other businesses, even if they compete with the Hotel. You will have no right to pursue any claims, demands, or damages as a result of these activities, whether under breach of contract, unfair competition, implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, divided loyalty, or other theories.
You have no options, rights of first refusal or similar rights to acquire additional franchises. Continuation of your territorial rights does not depend on your achieving a certain sales volume, market penetration or other contingency. We may not alter your Area of Protection or territorial rights during the AOP Term.
There are no restrictions on where you or other Brand Hotel operators (including us and our affiliates) may solicit customers or accept orders. We and our affiliates may use other channels of distribution, such as the Internet, catalog sales, telemarketing, or other direct marketing, to make sales in the Area of Protection under the Proprietary Marks and other trademarks without compensating you. You may use other channels of distribution, such as the Internet, catalog sales, telemarketing, or other direct marketing, to advertise and market the Hotel outside of the Area of Protection with our approval. Except for the CRS, you may not use the Internet or any other method to accept reservations for the Hotel.
Source: Item 12 — Territory (FDD pages 64–66)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to The Standardx's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the geographic scope of territorial protection offered to franchisees is limited and subject to several conditions. Unless the hotel is an already operating The Standardx, The Standardx and the franchisee will agree on an "Area of Protection" before signing the Franchise Agreement. This area is typically defined using geographic references or as a circle centered on the hotel. The size of this area varies depending on the hotel's size and location, ranging from a few blocks in urban areas to a 1- or 2-mile radius in less populated areas. The period during which these territorial rights apply is called the "AOP Term," which is typically between 1 to 5 years from the hotel's opening date.
However, this protection is not exclusive. The Standardx retains the right to open or authorize others to open other Brand Hotels within the Area of Protection under certain circumstances, such as acquiring a group of at least 4 hotels, one or more of which are in the Area of Protection. In this case, The Standardx has the right to convert the acquired hotels to The Standardx brand, even if other acquired hotels are not converted. After the AOP Term expires, the franchisee has no territorial rights, and The Standardx and its affiliates can operate or authorize others to operate other Brand Hotels within the Area of Protection.
Furthermore, The Standardx and its affiliates may use other channels of distribution, such as the Internet or direct marketing, to make sales within the Area of Protection without compensating the franchisee. The franchisee may also use these channels to market the hotel outside the Area of Protection with The Standardx's approval. The Franchise Agreement specifies that the franchisee's rights are nonexclusive, and The Standardx has the right to engage in any activities, including those that compete with the franchisee's hotel, at any time and place. The franchisee has no right to pursue claims or damages as a result of these activities.