AmadeusAmadeus
and other internet reservations sites (such as online travel agencies). Our CRS provides a data link to our franchised properties as well as to travel reservation systems such as Amadeus, Galileo, SAB
From the filings
+2.878% units YoYHQ-led decisions
MainStay
LodgingSoftware purchasing at MainStay is controlled at the corporate level, led by executives including Chief Financial Officer Scott E. Oaksmith and EVP of Operations Dominic E. Dragisich. The brand mandates a specific, narrow tech stack featuring choiceADVANTAGE, ChoiceConnect, and Shift4 Payments. The addressable market consists of 143 franchised lodging locations, all operated by single-unit owners.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
143
143 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+2.878%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2.5%
national + local
Initial fee
$300
per unit
Investment range
$9.61M–$17.64M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
—
from the filing
Item 19
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.
8.5%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
GalileoTravelport
r internet reservations sites (such as online travel agencies). Our CRS provides a data link to our franchised properties as well as to travel reservation systems such as Amadeus, Galileo, SABRE and W
SabreSabre
t reservations sites (such as online travel agencies). Our CRS provides a data link to our franchised properties as well as to travel reservation systems such as Amadeus, Galileo, SABRE and Worldspan
Shift4Shift4
tem is only available from Shift4 Payments, a Nevada corporation, with a business address at 1491 Center Crossing Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89144. You will make payments directly to Shift4. Shift4 is a
SkyTouchSkyTouch
subsidiary of Choice. As of December 31, 2025, there were approximately 1,388 Choice franchised hotels operating in these various countries. In 2013, we established a subsidiary, SkyTouch Solutions, L
TripAdvisorTripAdvisor
uires that you allow Choice to publish and/or retain your ResConnect program number on digital channels designated by Choice such as, but not limited to, Choicehotels.com, Google, Tripadvisor, and Bin
WorldspanTravelport
ions sites (such as online travel agencies). Our CRS provides a data link to our franchised properties as well as to travel reservation systems such as Amadeus, Galileo, SABRE and Worldspan that facil
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
21 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 9 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 the choiceADVANTAGE® property management system and will use the information and data to identify trends, as well as to perform statistical analysis for improvement of the brand standards, as well as the overall Choice franchise system.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesItem 9
On or before the 5th day of each calendar month, you shall submit to us a profit and loss statement (in such form and detail as we may require, which may include submitting such data via a third party platform or vendor that we may designate) reflecting the computation of all amounts then due under Section 4 of this…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 9
We reserve the right to require you to purchase any or all approved products or services solely from us or our designated affiliate, and who may profit from such purchases.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 20
As of the date of this Disclosure Document, there is a brand-specific franchise advisory council for MAINSTAY SUITES.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
The Company generates revenue from qualified vendors.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 9
If you desire to purchase designated products or services from a party other than a Qualified Vendor, you must submit to us a written request to approve the proposed supplier, together with such information as we may reasonably require.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You also acknowledge and agree that you are obligated to comply with all information security and data privacy standards and requirements contained in the Rules and Regulations and all applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and standards relating to information security and data privacy, including, without…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
We will administer a quality assurance program that may include periodic visits to your hotel (by us or our authorized representatives) and/or guest satisfaction surveys to evaluate your compliance with your franchise agreement and the Rules and Regulations.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may periodically revise, add to or update brand standards and other requirements by issuing revisions to the Rules and Regulations and other manuals that we may publish.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
We must approve the site you select.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 13
You may not participate in any website or other electronic media (including social media) that markets goods and services under the Choice Marks unless it is first approved in writing by us.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Participate in and honor the terms of any loyalty, discount or promotional program and pay all applicable fees or charges associated with such programs
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 9
You must also purchase all products and services that we designate in the Rules and Regulations solely from suppliers (including manufacturers, distributors and other sources) approved by us (collectively, “Qualified Vendors”)
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
You must also purchase all products and services that we designate in the Rules and Regulations solely from suppliers (including manufacturers, distributors and other sources) approved by us (collectively, “Qualified Vendors”), which demonstrate, to our continuing reasonable satisfaction, the ability to meet our…
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 9
You are required to pay all amounts due to us and/or our affiliates by electronic fund transfer, pre-authorized auto-draft arrangement (“EFT”), or such other method as we may specify from time to time.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
Participate in and honor the terms of any loyalty, discount or promotional program and pay all applicable fees or charges associated with such programs (including any room discounts, rewards programs, frequent traveler programs, photographic or virtual tour programs or gift card programs that are applicable to the…
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
However, you must have a certified General Manager at your hotel.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
The required EMV software for processing credit card payments through choiceADVANTAGE ® property management system is only available from Shift4 Payments, a Nevada corporation, with a business address at 1491 Center Crossing Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89144.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
You acknowledge and agree that we and you each own the rights in and to any data captured by the Property Management System or Reservation System (“Guest Data”) and that we may use Guest Data in any reasonable manner that we determine.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to charge you a tuition fee for these additional training programs as established by us from time to time.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 6
One owner must attend our annual convention.
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Item 11
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Franchise agreement
- 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 regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at MainStay
MainStay presents a concentrated, 143-unit opportunity for software vendors targeting the lodging sector. The brand is entirely franchised, with no company-owned locations, meaning every unit is a potential software customer operating under a strict HQ mandate. Year-over-year unit growth sits at 2.878%, indicating slow but steady expansion. The operator footprint is exclusively single-unit owners; all 12 mapped operators run just one location each, with top states including Nebraska, Texas, Illinois, Louisiana, and Georgia. This fragmented ownership structure means HQ-level mandates are the critical path to adoption—individual franchisees have no multi-unit leverage to deviate from corporate standards.
Who controls software purchasing
Technology purchasing authority rests with MainStay's corporate leadership. The FDD lists Patrick S. Pacious as Director, President, and CEO, but the most direct buying influences for software are likely Dominic E. Dragisich, Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Global Brand Officer, and Scott E. Oaksmith, the Chief Financial Officer. Dragisich's operational purview covers the tools franchisees use daily, while Oaksmith controls the budget. For any software pitch, these are the personas you need to reach. The brand appears independently owned, with no parent company on file, so decisions are made within this leadership group without a larger corporate hierarchy to navigate.
Mandated and current tech stack
MainStay's technology environment is defined by a tight set of mandated and recommended systems. The FDD explicitly mandates three platforms: choiceADVANTAGE, ChoiceConnect, and Shift4 Payments. These are non-negotiable for franchisees. Additionally, the brand lists SkyTouch Technology and ChoiceNow as current tech in use, though their mandated status is not confirmed in the extract. For a vendor, this means any new software must either integrate with this existing stack or replace a component that is not strictly mandated. The presence of Shift4 Payments as a mandated payment processor is a particularly hard constraint for any fintech or POS-adjacent solution.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The available FDD extract does not detail MainStay's procurement model under Item 8, nor does it provide renewal or re-purchase signals under Item 17. This lack of disclosure means vendors must do their own discovery on whether the brand uses a designated supplier model, an approved supplier list, or an open procurement process. The initial franchise term is 20 years, which suggests long technology lifecycles and potentially infrequent, large-scale RFP events. Vendors should not expect easy, franchisee-level displacement of mandated systems; the path in is through HQ relationship-building and demonstrating clear ROI that justifies a stack-wide change.
How to read the MainStay FDD
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for understanding MainStay's legal and operational requirements. It contains the full Item 11 technology mandates, Item 1 executive roster, and Item 20 unit growth tables referenced in this analysis. The document is filed with state franchise regulators and is available in the embedded viewer below. Reviewing the complete FDD is essential for validating the scope of any mandate and identifying additional procurement signals not captured in this summary. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help prioritize your outreach.
Questions vendors ask
MainStay, answered from the filing
The C-suite controls purchasing. Key executives include CFO Scott E. Oaksmith and EVP of Operations Dominic E. Dragisich, who oversee financial and operational technology decisions for the 143-unit system.
The 2026 FDD mandates choiceADVANTAGE, ChoiceConnect, and Shift4 Payments. SkyTouch Technology and ChoiceNow are also named as current tech systems in use across the franchise system.
There are 143 total units, all of which are franchised. The brand reported a 2.878% year-over-year unit growth. No company-owned locations are disclosed in the FDD.
The specific procurement model is not detailed in the available FDD extract. Vendors should investigate whether the mandated systems operate under a designated or approved supplier framework.
Renewal and contract window signals are not disclosed in the FDD extract. With a 20-year initial term, vendors should monitor for any public announcements regarding technology RFPs or stack changes.
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below for detailed legal and operational disclosures.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment MainStay files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
12 operators run 12 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit12
Top states by locations
| NE | 2 |
|---|---|
| TX | 1 |
| IL | 1 |
| LA | 1 |
| GA | 1 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind MainStay
strategic_multibrand of Choice Hotels.
Sibling brands
Related Lodging brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.