AutoClerk
Mandatoryweinstiege 2-14, 60549 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. WH does not provide products or services to our Members. On or about July 31, 2019, we acquired all of the outstanding shares of AutoClerk, Inc. (“Au
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Best Western
LodgingSoftware purchasing at Best Western is driven by a franchisor mandate model, with the Board of Directors and HQ-level technology leadership controlling the core tech stack. The system already mandates specific platforms including AutoClerk Atlas PMS and Onity for property management and access control. With 1,748 franchised locations and only 2 company-owned units, vendors face a near-total franchisee addressable market governed by strict HQ technology standards.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
1,750
1,748 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-2.597%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
3.5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2.1%
national + local
Initial fee
—
per unit
Investment range
$581K–$32.50M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
5.6%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
2 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Canary Technologies
Mandatoryaining program. Property Management System (“PMS”) Installation Fee New System Hotels are required to use the AutoClerk Atlas PMS from our affiliate, AutoClerk, which includes the Canary Guest Managem
Onity
face) Telephone System $35,000 Secure Printing (Public Space) $6,000 Guest Wireless Solution (WIFI) (Gateway, $23,000 Switches, UPS, Cabling, etc.) Electronic Door Locking System (Onity $30,000 prefer
Xola
mark “SureStay Plus” from 2018 to 2026 and using the mark “Vīb” from 2018 to 2025. B-W International Licensing Mexico, S.A. de C.V. has a principal business address located at Av. Xola No. 535 Int. 40
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
16 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 13 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to the information that will be generated by or stored in the Computer System.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We and AutoClerk are the only approved suppliers of certain PMS-related installation, maintenance and licensing, and you will be required to make payments to us/AutoClerk for those services.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
There is currently a Sales Advisory Committee (SAC), a Marketing Advisory Committee (MAC) and a Reservations Technology Advisory Committee (ResTech) composed of current Members that provide advice on sales, marketing and technology matters.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Designated suppliers did, however, make payments (i.e., commissions and rebates) to us in 2025 in connection with required and discretionary purchases by Members and our and our affiliates’ licensees and franchisees operating under other hotel brands (collectively referred to as “BW Hotel Operators”).
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
40Item 8
Collectively, the purchases and leases described above are approximately 75% - 85% of your overall purchases and leases in establishing a System Hotel and approximately 40% - 50% of your overall purchases and leases in operating a hotel operating under the Best Western Identifying Marks.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may charge you or the supplier a reasonable fee for the evaluation, or require the supplier to participate in a brand marketing or rebate program, and will decide within a reasonable time (no more than 120 days).
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you would like to purchase any items you are required to purchase from approved suppliers from any supplier or distributor we have not yet approved, you must submit to us a written request for approval of the proposed supplier or distributor.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
Administer a quality assurance program for System Hotels that may include conducting periodic inspections and audits (at least once every 12 months upon at least 24 hours’ notice) of the Property to ensure compliance with our operating standards.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
References to the Manuals include the “Standards”, which include all standards, specifications, requirements, criteria, and policies that have been and are in the future developed and compiled by us in our sole business judgment
Marketing
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
There are regional advertising cooperatives defined by region in which you are required to participate.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
We may require you to purchase products or services from us or another supplier we designate and/or with our prior approval and/or according to our specifications.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You are currently required to purchase from approved suppliers initial and, from time to time, additional and/or replacement: (i) signage from suppliers we designate and other signage from approved suppliers who meet our criteria, (ii) linens, terry products, and bath amenities (e.g., soaps, shampoos, conditioners…
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You agree to allow us to automatically debit your bank account each month in the amount owing us and you agree to electronic monthly statements.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to the information that will be generated by or stored in the Computer System.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
However, we may in the future designate other required ongoing training programs or refresher training programs for your General Manager and/or other employees and may charge you a fee for those programs.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 6
Charge for one Annual Attendance and payable Convention registration per upon statement year, whether or not receipt. attended.
The filing answers no to 5 questions
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
- Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?Item 11
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 11
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Best Western
Best Western operates 1,750 total units, with 1,748 franchised and only 2 company-owned locations. This near-total franchisee composition means software vendors must navigate a landscape where HQ mandates the core technology stack, but the end users are individual franchisees. The system experienced a -2.597% year-over-year unit decline, signaling potential consolidation or churn that could open doors for vendors offering efficiency or cost-reduction tools. Average unit volume is not disclosed in the most recent FDD, but the royalty rate sits at 3.5% on a 20-year initial term. For a vendor, the addressable market is effectively all 1,748 franchised properties, each bound by HQ technology requirements.
Who controls software purchasing
The Board of Directors holds the decision-making power for technology mandates. The 2026 FDD lists Viral Patel as Chairman and District III Director, Rajesh Patel as Vice-Chairman and District IV Director, and Santosh Khanjee as Secretary-Treasurer and District V Director. District I and II Directors are Rebecca Driggs and Stephen Wahrlich, respectively. While no dedicated CIO or VP of Technology is named in the filing, the board-level governance structure indicates that strategic software decisions—especially those involving mandated systems—are made at this executive tier. Vendors should target the internal technology platform leadership and board members when positioning new solutions, as franchisee-level discretion appears limited by the mandated stack.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2026 FDD Item 11 disclosures reveal a tightly controlled technology environment. Best Western mandates AutoClerk Atlas as the property management system across all properties. The reservation service is also mandated and operated internally by Best Western, alongside a proprietary internal technology platform. Additional mandated systems include the BWI Two-Way System for data exchange, an eConcierge System for guest services, GMS for global management functions, an IoT System for connected device management, and Onity for electronic locking and access control. This stack leaves little room for alternative PMS or access-control vendors, but gaps may exist in areas like revenue management, guest engagement, or operational analytics that sit outside the mandated core.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Procurement specifics are not extracted from Item 8 in the most recent FDD, leaving the designated-supplier versus approved-vendor framework unclear. However, the extensive list of mandated systems strongly implies a centralized, HQ-controlled procurement model rather than an open market for franchisees. The Membership Agreement includes an automatic renewal provision for successive 10-year terms, with a 12-month non-renewal notice requirement. This long-term contractual structure means vendor switching opportunities may cluster around renewal windows or system-wide technology refresh cycles. The recent unit contraction of -2.597% could also prompt HQ to reevaluate technology costs and performance, creating openings for vendors who can demonstrate ROI against the existing mandated stack.
How to read the Best Western FDD
The 2026 FDD provides the definitive source for understanding Best Western’s technology mandates, executive structure, and contractual terms. Item 1 lists the board members who govern technology decisions. Item 11 details every mandated system, from AutoClerk Atlas PMS to Onity access control. Item 17 outlines the 10-year automatic renewal terms that dictate contract windows. No parent company is on file, indicating Best Western operates independently. The operator footprint is not mapped in our corpus, meaning individual franchisee ownership data is unavailable. For vendors building a target account list, the embedded FDD viewer below offers the full regulatory filing for deeper analysis. When you need a ranked list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help prioritize your outreach.
Questions vendors ask
Best Western, answered from the filing
The Board of Directors, including Chairman Viral Patel and Vice-Chairman Rajesh Patel, governs technology mandates. The internal technology platform team and operations leadership drive vendor selection for mandated systems like the PMS and IoT infrastructure.
The 2026 FDD mandates AutoClerk Atlas PMS, the Best Western reservation service, its internal technology platform, BWI Two-Way System, eConcierge System, GMS, an IoT System, and Onity for access control.
Best Western has 1,750 total units, of which 1,748 are franchised and 2 are company-owned. This lodging segment footprint represents a large, nearly uniform franchisee base for software vendors.
Procurement details are not disclosed in the most recent FDD. The heavy mandate of specific systems suggests a designated-supplier or approved-vendor model controlled at the HQ level rather than an open procurement process.
The Membership Agreement auto-renews for successive 10-year terms unless a 12-month non-renewal notice is given. With a -2.597% unit decline, vendors should monitor renewal cycles and potential tech consolidation initiatives.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below for detailed Item 11 technology disclosures and Item 1 executive listings.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
1,907 operators run 1,907 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit1,907
Top states by locations
| CA | 256 |
|---|---|
| TX | 229 |
| FL | 86 |
| NY | 65 |
| OR | 61 |
Related Lodging brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.