Shift4Shift4
Mandatoryvated. Currently, tokenization is available through Shift4. You will also be required to use our designated learning management system. Other than the hardware required to operate Shift4 and other sys
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Red Lion
LodgingSoftware purchasing at Red Lion is controlled at the corporate level, with Co-Presidents Keith Pierce and Jeffrey Leer, and CMO Christopher Trick, as key executive contacts listed in the 2026 FDD. The brand mandates a tightly integrated tech stack including a Property Management System, Revenue Management System, and Shift4 for payments across its 59 franchised locations. With only one company-owned unit, your addressable market is essentially the entire 60-property system.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
60
59 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
3%
national + local
Initial fee
$60K
per unit
Investment range
$732K–$23.63M
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.
8%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 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.
CventCvent
f up to $25,000 and ongoing maintenance costs of $874.58 per month for the cost of middleware software for distribution of online leads, Global Centralized RFPs, connection of the Cvent sourcing platf
Delphi (Amadeus Hospitality)Amadeus
m, those fees are paid to us. If you elect to participate in the Ignite Booking Program, you will be required to pay us $500 per calendar year (or $800 per year if integrated with Delphi Sales System)
Global PaymentsGlobal Payments
ryan held the following positions, each located in Atlanta, Georgia: Senior Vice President and Segment Chief Financial Officer, Americas, of EVO Payments (subsequently acquired by Global Payments) fro
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
24 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 5 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to establish and maintain at your own expense a bookkeeping, accounting, and recordkeeping system conforming to the requirements and formats we prescribe from time to time.
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 this information and data, and our access to this information and data is not contractually limited.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
On or before the 2nd business day of each month, (i) a report for the preceding month of all revenue generated at your Hotel, the Gross Rooms Revenue of your Hotel, room occupancy rates, reservation data and other information we require, and (ii) the profit and loss and cash flow statements and the balance sheet for…
How the franchisor buys
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 20
We have established a brand advisory board (the “Brand Advisory Board”) for hotels licensed under the Marks that is comprised of representatives (owners) of owned and franchised hotels in the Franchise System located in the United States and Canada.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
We may modify specifications for, and components of, the Computer System.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
16064070Item 8
During fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, SRLHF derived $16,064,070 (or 28.8% of SRLHF’s revenue of $55,755,149), from purchases of goods and services by franchisees and licensees of all Network Brands.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We may receive volume-based allowances from certain Approved Suppliers with whom we have negotiated contracts, generally as a percentage of net or gross sales made by franchisees or by Network Hotels we own or manage.
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?
15Item 8
We estimate that 15% to 20% of the required purchases and leases of goods and services used to establish a new Brand Hotel, 10% to 15% used to convert an existing hotel into a Brand Hotel, and 15% to 20% used to operate a Brand Hotel, are required to be purchased from an approved supplier or are subject to our…
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to purchase goods or services from an unapproved supplier, then you may submit a written request for us to approve the supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
cease using and disable or transfer to us or our designee all telephone numbers, Online Presences and other contact identifiers used to operate your Hotel
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must comply with all applicable laws, including laws related to data privacy and data security laws and regulations that may be applicable to your Hotel, including any requirements of the credit card processing industry, including PCI DSS and any successor standard, and the information that your Hotel collects…
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesItem 6
You must participate in all required quality assurance and guest satisfaction survey programs and maintain minimum performance standards and scores that we may establish as required by the Brand Standards.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 6
Your Hotel will be inspected a minimum of one time per year, and you will pay an initial inspection fee each year.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may change the Brand Manual periodically.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
You may not register, own, maintain or use any domain name, homepage, electronic address, website, email address, social media account, username, screen name, other online presence or presence on any electronic, virtual, or digital medium of any kind (collectively, the “Online Presence”), relating to Network Hotels…
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 11
You must participate in and honor all applicable loyalty, discount, or promotional programs, including paying associated fees, providing guest discounts, or offering rewards, and you must honor any room rate or discount quoted to a guest by us or our affiliates on your behalf at the time of reservation.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase the signage for your Hotel from an Approved Supplier.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
You hereby authorize us to debit your checking, savings, or other account automatically for the Royalty, Brand Promotion Fee, and other amounts due to us or our affiliates (the “EFT Authorization”).
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 11
You must participate in and honor all applicable loyalty, discount, or promotional programs, including paying associated fees, providing guest discounts, or offering rewards, and you must honor any room rate or discount quoted to a guest by us or our affiliates on your behalf at the time of reservation.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
(5) the requirement to participate in our revenue management for hire program and pay us our then current fees for such program for the first year following the Opening Date, and thereafter to either continue such participation or employ a full-time certified revenue manager (who meets the minimum qualifications we…
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
compliance with all Brand Standards is mandatory, and you agree at all times to operate and maintain your Hotel according to each Brand Standard, as we periodically modify and supplement them.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
Moreover, we may, as often as we deem appropriate (including daily), access the Computer System and retrieve all information relating to the operation of your Hotel.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
We may require your Hotel Representative(s) and you (or your Principal) to attend and complete to our satisfaction various training courses that we periodically choose to provide at the times and locations that we designate, including courses and programs provided by third parties we designate.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
You (or one of your owners) and your general manager (or a representative of your Management Company, if applicable) must attend the Brand Conference.
The filing answers no to 5 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?Item 8
- Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?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 regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Red Lion
Red Lion presents a compact but specific opportunity for software vendors. The system consists of 60 total units, 59 of which are franchised and a single unit that is company-owned. This means your addressable market is essentially the entire system, but the sale must be won at the corporate level. The brand operates in the lodging segment and is headquartered in Massachusetts. While average unit volume (AUV) is not disclosed in the 2026 FDD, the 5.0% royalty rate provides a baseline for understanding franchisee cost structures. Year-over-year unit growth is not available, suggesting a stable rather than rapidly expanding footprint.
Who controls software purchasing
Control is centralized. The 2026 FDD Item 1 lists Co-Presidents Keith Pierce and Jeffrey Leer as the top executives. For a software vendor, the most relevant contact is likely Christopher Trick, who holds the title of Chief Marketing and Performance Officer. His performance remit typically encompasses the technology that drives revenue and operations. Phillip Hugh, Chief Development Officer, and Lindsey Getz, Secretary, round out the named leadership. No parent company is on file, indicating Red Lion appears independently owned. The operator footprint is not mapped in our corpus, so we cannot report on multi-unit owner influence.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD is explicit about technology mandates. Franchisees are required to use a Central Reservation System (CRS), a Property Management System (PMS), a Revenue Management System (RMS), a meeting and event RFP system, and an RFP management system. For payments, Shift4 is mandated. The Sonesta booking engine is also a required system. While the specific vendors for the PMS, RMS, and CRS are not named in our extract, the mandate itself is a critical signal: any software that integrates with or replaces these core systems must be sold to HQ, not to individual franchisees.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Procurement signals are sparse. Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines designated or approved supplier programs, provided no extract in our data. This absence means the formal procurement path is not publicly defined, but the mandatory tech list strongly implies a top-down model. Contract renewal windows are equally opaque; the initial franchise term and Item 17 renewal conditions are not disclosed. Without term lengths or renewal dates, vendors cannot map a predictable refresh cycle and should instead focus on demonstrating immediate integration or efficiency gains to the marketing and performance leadership.
How to read the Red Lion FDD
The full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. For software vendors, the most valuable sections are Item 1, which confirms the executive team you need to contact, and Item 11, which lists every system a franchisee must buy. Cross-reference these mandates with your own integration capabilities to build a pitch that speaks directly to Red Lion's existing tech environment. When you're ready to prioritize franchise brands by tech fit and decision-maker accessibility, FranCloud can build a ranked target list for your sales team.
Questions vendors ask
Red Lion, answered from the filing
The 2026 FDD lists Co-Presidents Keith Pierce and Jeffrey Leer, and Chief Marketing and Performance Officer Christopher Trick. For tech sales, Trick's performance and marketing remit likely makes him a key buying center contact.
Red Lion mandates a Property Management System (PMS), Revenue Management System (RMS), Central Reservation System (CRS), a meeting and event RFP system, an RFP management system, Shift4 for payments, and the Sonesta booking engine.
The system has 60 total units: 59 are franchised and 1 is company-owned. This is a small, tightly controlled lodging chain, making a single-deal win potentially significant for a vendor.
The specific procurement model (designated vs. approved supplier) is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. However, the extensive list of mandated systems signals a strong HQ preference for controlling the tech stack.
The initial franchise term and renewal conditions are not disclosed in the 2026 FDD. Without term data, contract windows are difficult to predict, requiring direct outreach to gauge upcoming RFPs or tech refresh cycles.
The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. You can read the full document in the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze Item 11 tech mandates and Item 1 executive contacts directly.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Red Lion files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
66 operators run 70 mapped locations. 3 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit63
2–9 units3
Top states by locations
| WA | 17 |
|---|---|
| OR | 8 |
| CA | 5 |
| NV | 5 |
| IL | 4 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Red Lion
strategic_multibrand of Sonesta.
Sibling brands
Related Lodging brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.