Tru by Hilton franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Tru by Hilton franchise takes $12,767,064 – $18,572,795 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $239,441. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5.5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 4%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Tru by Hilton franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $239,441 | $239,441 | $239,441 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $12,767,064 | $18,572,795 | $12,767,064 to $18,572,795 | |
| 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) | $12,767,064 | $18,572,795 | $12,767,064 to $18,572,795 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Tru by Hilton's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5.5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 4% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 22 years |
See the full Tru by Hilton cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Tru by Hilton's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Tru by Hilton's disclosed cost sits against the Lodging & Leisure category:
- Minimum startup cost of $12,767,064 — about 2.1× the Lodging & Leisure median of $6,130,275.
- Initial franchise fee of $239,441 — about 3.8× 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
Free info kit — costs, fees, and unit track record. You choose who may follow up.
Figures look outdated? Report outdated info.
How Tru by Hilton's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2017–2022: began the window at 0 units; 168 units opened, 0 closed, ending at 231 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 Tru by Hilton 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 Tru by Hilton 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 Tru by Hilton 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 Tru by Hilton 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 Tru by Hilton 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 Tru by Hilton franchise
Tru by Hilton is a lodging & leisure franchisor with 231 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2017 and 2022, it began the window at 0 units; its filings record 168 unit openings and 0 closures, ending at 231 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Hilton Domestic Operating Company 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 franchised business being offered is Tru by Hilton, a distinctive, high-quality lodging service. The system includes the Brand and Marks, reservation service, advertising and marketing programs, training, standards for construction, furnishing, operation, appearance, and hotel service, plus hotel inspection and consulting programs.
Tru by Hilton franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Tru by Hilton franchise cost?
- $12,767,064 – $18,572,795 all-in to open, per Tru by Hilton's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Tru by Hilton units are there?
- 231 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Tru by Hilton's units held up?
- 100% 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).