Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening an Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) franchise takes $161,450 – $901,895 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $30,000 – $35,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $30,000 | $35,000 | $30,000 to $35,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $161,450 | $901,895 | $161,450 to $901,895 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $161,450 | $901,895 | $161,450 to $901,895 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels)'s filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
See the full Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels)'s cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels)'s disclosed cost sits against the Lodging & Leisure category:
- Minimum startup cost of $161,450 — about 97% below the Lodging & Leisure median of $6,130,275.
- Initial franchise fee of $30,000 — about 53% below the Lodging & Leisure median of $63,600.
Category medians are computed from the Lodging & Leisure brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Lodging & Leisure franchises
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How Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels)'s units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 797 units; 489 units opened, 530 closed, ending at 702 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) franchise
Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) is a lodging & leisure franchisor with 702 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 797 units; its filings record 489 unit openings and 530 closures, ending at 702 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Choice Hotels International, Inc..
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
The franchise offered in this disclosure document is for the rights to own and/or operate an ECONO LODGE or ECONO LODGE INN & SUITES ("ECONO LODGE") hotel business.
Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) franchise: quick answers
- How much does an Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) franchise cost?
- $161,450 – $901,895 all-in to open, per Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels)'s franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) units are there?
- 702 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels)'s units held up?
- 80.5% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).
- Is Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) SBA-eligible?
- Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) is flagged SBA-eligible in our dataset (as of 2026-05). Confirm current status on the SBA Franchise Directory before relying on it for financing.