AutoClerkAutoClerk
Mandatoryroducts or services to our franchisees. On or about July 31, 2019, our parent, Best Western International, acquired all of the outstanding shares of AutoClerk, Inc. (“AutoClerk”). AutoClerk is now the
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
SureStay by Best Western
LodgingSureStay by Best Western runs 218 franchised hotels under an affiliate PMS mandate: every property must license AutoClerk's Atlas PMS and buy IoT hardware from AutoClerk, SureStay's own affiliate, and must obtain the Canary Guest Management System. That relationship, plus an approved-supplier list for other purchases, keeps most software decisions close to headquarters rather than at the individual hotel level.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
218
218 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-1.802%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
4%
of gross sales
Ad fund
4%
national + local
Initial fee
$35K
per unit
Investment range
$5.35M–$8.27M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
3 years
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.
Canary TechnologiesCanary Technologies
o license the Hotel’s Property Management System (“PMS”) (currently AutoClerk Atlas PMS) from our affiliate, AutoClerk. When you obtain the required PMS, you will also receive the Canary Guest Managem
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
17 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 12 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 PMS.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
“Reports” mean daily, monthly, quarterly and annual operating statements, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and other financial and non-financial reports we require.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Our affiliate, AutoClerk, received approximately $331,571 in revenue during 2025 from selling required items to franchisees of System Hotels.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right, in our business judgment, to enter into exclusive purchasing arrangements for particular products or services and to require that you purchase products or services from approved suppliers or distributors in the future.
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 our parent, Best Western International, in 2025 in 40 SureStay, Inc. 2026 FDD ACTIVE 717011866v4 connection with required and discretionary purchases by franchisees of System Hotels and our affiliates’ licensees and franchisees…
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.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
notify the telephone company and all listing agencies and directory publishers including Internet domain name granting authorities, Internet service providers, global distribution systems, and web search engines of the termination or expiration of your right to use the Marks and any telephone number, any classified…
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
participate in and pay all charges in connection with all required System guest complaint resolution programs, which programs may include chargebacks to the Hotel for guest refunds or credits and all required System quality assurance programs, such as guest comment cards, customer surveys and mystery shopper programs.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
We will administer a quality assurance program for the System that may include requiring you to complete a pre-activation checklist prior to opening and our conducting pre-opening and periodic assessments and audits (at least once every twelve (12) months on an unannounced basis) of the Hotel to ensure compliance…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 17
we can change the Standards, the Manual and other materials.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
You may not register, own, maintain or use any Sites that relate to the SureStay System or the Hotel, that include the Marks, or have an independent booking engine.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
participate in and pay all charges in connection with all required loyalty or frequency programs;
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
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.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall allow us to automatically debit Hotel’s bank account each month in the amount owing us.
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 PMS.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
However, we may charge you a fee for additional training provided to your General Manager or other employees.
The filing answers no to 5 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?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
- Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?Franchise agreement
The vendor opportunity at SureStay by Best Western
SureStay by Best Western operates 218 hotels in the US, all franchised, with no company-owned locations. Franchised outlets fell 1.8% year over year. The 2026 FDD carries no Item 19 financial performance representation, and royalty runs at 4% of Gross Rooms Revenue over a 15-year initial term. The franchisor's parent is Best Western International, and it also licenses SureStay Collection by Best Western hotels under a separate disclosure document, giving a vendor who lands here a path into the wider Best Western family.
Who controls software purchasing
Item 2 names directors Rebecca Driggs, Stephen Wahrlich, Viral Patel, Rajesh Patel and Santosh Khanjee, with Lawrence M. Cuculic as President. The operator base is heavily single-unit: of 253 mapped operators, only one runs more than one hotel. With operators this fragmented, the binding technology decisions sit with the franchisor, not with individual hotel owners.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
The FDD requires every hotel to license AutoClerk's Atlas property management system from AutoClerk, SureStay's affiliate, under a Software as a Service Agreement, with a $1,500 installation fee. Hotels are also required to purchase IoT hardware from AutoClerk that connects the PMS to other guest and hotel service systems. A "Two-Way" system connecting the PMS to SureStay's own hotel system carries a further $1,500 installation fee and a $41 monthly maintenance fee. A hotel that wants to route guest-room telephone calls through the PMS is required to license call-accounting software for about $40 a month. Hotels must also obtain the Canary Guest Management System, even with a PMS waiver, and implement the Hotel Managed Security Service (HMSS).
Procurement, renewals, and timing
SureStay runs an approved-supplier list: franchisees buy designated items from approved suppliers and may propose an alternate supplier for approval. SureStay and AutoClerk are the only approved suppliers for certain PMS-related installation, maintenance and licensing, and SureStay is the only approved supplier of the distribution photographs required under Item 6. Hotels must also obtain Green Key Global certification within six months of opening, and SureStay reserves the right to enter exclusive purchasing arrangements for other products or services in the future. Franchise agreements run 15-year initial terms and renew automatically for successive 15-year terms unless either party gives 12 months' written notice — a useful marker for when PMS and software contracts come up for renewal.
How to read the SureStay by Best Western FDD
The embedded PDF viewer below holds SureStay by Best Western's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 11 covers the AutoClerk PMS and Computer System requirements in full; Item 8 covers the supplier rules. Talk to FranCloud for a ranked target list of hotel brands with the tightest technology mandates.
Questions vendors ask
SureStay by Best Western, answered from the filing
Item 2 names directors including Rebecca Driggs, Stephen Wahrlich and Viral Patel, with Lawrence M. Cuculic as President. With 253 mapped operators and only one running more than one hotel, technology purchasing sits at the franchisor level, not the individual property.
The FDD requires every hotel to license AutoClerk's Atlas PMS and buy IoT hardware from AutoClerk, SureStay's affiliate. Hotels must also obtain the Canary Guest Management System and implement the Hotel Managed Security Service (HMSS).
218 hotels, all franchised and none company-owned, make up the system, with 39 of them in California at the end of 2025.
An approved-supplier list. Franchisees buy designated items from suppliers SureStay approves, including AutoClerk for PMS installation, maintenance and licensing, and franchisees may propose an alternate supplier for approval.
Franchise agreements run 15-year initial terms and renew automatically for successive 15-year terms unless either side gives 12 months' written notice, which marks when PMS and software contracts are likeliest to be revisited.
The embedded viewer below holds SureStay by Best Western's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 11 covers the AutoClerk PMS and Computer System requirements; Item 8 covers the supplier rules.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
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We’ll email you the moment SureStay by Best Western files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
253 operators run 254 mapped locations. 1 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit252
2–9 units1
Top states by locations
| TX | 18 |
|---|---|
| CA | 13 |
| NY | 8 |
| AZ | 6 |
| PA | 6 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind SureStay by Best Western
strategic_multibrand of Best Western.
Sibling brands
Related Lodging brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.