Should You Open or Buy a Super 8 Franchise in 2027?
A Super 8 franchise can make sense if you have the capital and hotel-operating appetite for an economy motel, but it is not a cheap or passive business, and the system has been shrinking. In the 2026 FDD summary on FDD Exchange, the initial fee is $25,000 (the greater of $25,000 or $250 per guest room), the royalty is 5.5% of gross room revenue, the marketing fee is 3%, and the estimated total investment runs from $285,156 to $7,141,542. The initial term is 20 years.
The brand is large but contracting. Wyndham's 10-K shows 1,471 Super 8 properties and 90,193 rooms worldwide at December 31, 2025, with 1,344 in the U.S. The 2026 FDD summary shows net unit changes of -49, -44 and -31 in 2023, 2024 and 2025. That does not make a single motel a bad deal, but it means you are buying into a mature, shrinking value brand, where your local market and your building matter more than the logo.
This page collects the published figures and says where they are missing. The numbers come from a third-party summary of the FDD and from Wyndham's SEC filing, not from the FDD itself, so read the real document and talk to a franchise attorney and a lender before you pay anything. This is not financial advice.
What it costs to open or buy a Super 8
The figures below are from the 2026 FDD summary on FDD Exchange and Entrepreneur's franchise profile. Both summarize Wyndham's disclosure document rather than reproduce it. Wyndham's own development page lists no fees or investment figures and says a disclosure document is available by contacting Wyndham at its Parsippany, NJ address, so confirm every number in the FDD you are handed.
- Initial franchise fee (2026 FDD summary)$25,000, or $250 per guest room if greater
- Application fee$2,500, credited toward the Initial Fee
- Total estimated initial investment (2026 FDD summary)$285,156 to $7,141,542
- Prior-year total investment (2025 FDD)$281,046 to $6,929,131
- Relicense fee for renewals and transfersThe greater of $25,000 or $250 per room
- TrainingHospitality Management Program of about 34 hours, $2,250 tuition ($1,400 for additional attendees), plus opening training fees of $750 to $3,750
- Net worth and cash requirementsNot listed by Entrepreneur; check the FDD itself
The range is so wide because it spans very different projects. The 2025 FDD summary says its low end is a 100-room conversion and its high end is a 65-room new-construction hotel, excluding land. Land, if you do not already own it, is a separate and often decisive cost. Entrepreneur also lists a veterans incentive of 50% off application and franchise fees and up to $4,000 per room in development incentives; confirm whether it is current.
Ongoing fees: royalty and marketing
The 2026 FDD summary lists a royalty of 5.5% of Gross Room Revenue (GRR) and a 3% marketing fee, shown as an Ad / Brand Fund and as a 3% System Assessment Fee. Together that is 8.5% of room revenue before property taxes, payroll, utilities, insurance, loyalty and technology charges, which the summary also lists. Wyndham's 10-K describes its direct franchisees more generally as paying a royalty of approximately 5% of gross room revenue and a marketing and reservation fee of 2% to 4% of gross room revenue, so the brand-specific FDD is the figure that matters.
The initial term is 20 years and Entrepreneur lists the agreement as renewable. A long term cuts both ways: it gives you stability, and it ties you to Wyndham's standards, renovation requirements and fees for two decades.
How big is Super 8, and which way is it heading?
- Super 8 properties worldwide, Dec. 31, 2025 (Wyndham 10-K)1,471 (1,344 in the U.S., 113 in Canada)
- Super 8 rooms worldwide, Dec. 31, 202590,193 (80,837 in the U.S.)
- Global full-year RevPAR, 2025$39.32
- Net change in outlets (2026 FDD summary)-49 in 2023, -44 in 2024, -31 in 2025
- Pipeline at year-end 202551 signed but not open; 30 new outlets projected for 2026
These counts come from Wyndham's FY2025 10-K and the 2026 FDD summary. The U.S. count of 1,344 matches the FDD summary's total outlets at the end of 2025, down from 1,468 at the start of 2023. Super 8 is an Economy brand, and the 10-K excludes rooms under the Super 8 master license in China from reported system size.
The shrinkage has not been explained by these sources, so do not assume a cause. Ask Wyndham in Item 20 of the FDD how many outlets were terminated, not renewed or transferred, and call franchisees who left.
What the FDD does and does not tell you about earnings
The 2026 FDD summary says the FDD makes a limited Financial Performance Representation under Item 19. The 2025 FDD summary says that earlier version covered 557 qualified chain facilities out of 1,375 total U.S. facilities, and reported 2024 ADR, occupancy, RevPAR and RevPAR Index. That is revenue-side data, not profit. It does not tell you what an owner takes home after debt service, so build your own pro forma for the specific property.
Entrepreneur lists absentee ownership as not allowed, part-time operation as not possible and exclusive territories as none. Treat that listing cautiously: it is marked as last updated in December 2022 and its unit count conflicts with its own text.
Pros and cons
- Pro: a known national brand. Super 8 has franchised since 1976 per Entrepreneur and sits inside Wyndham, a public company with its own SEC reporting.
- Pro: conversion is allowed. The investment range starts from a conversion of an existing building, which can cost far less than new construction.
- Pro: a low headline fee. The $25,000 initial fee is small next to the total investment; the building is the cost.
- Con: a shrinking system. Net unit declines in each of the last three years reported in the FDD summary.
- Con: ongoing fees of 8.5% of room revenue before technology, loyalty and other charges, on a brand with a full-year RevPAR of $39.32.
- Con: a very large capital range. The top of the range is above $7,000,000, and financing is third party per Entrepreneur.
- Con: a 20-year term. Hard to exit; the FDD summary lists a relicense fee on renewals and transfers.
How to evaluate a Super 8 offer
- Read the whole FDD. Especially Item 3 (litigation), Item 5 (fees), Item 6 (other fees), Item 7 (investment), Item 19 (earnings claims) and Item 20 (outlet turnover). These are what third-party summaries cannot replace.
- Call former franchisees. Item 20 lists contact details for franchisees who left in the last fiscal year.
- Check the state record. Some states publish franchise registrations and FDDs, for example Wisconsin DFI, California DFPI and Minnesota CARDS. We could not confirm a current Super 8 filing in those databases, so search them yourself.
- Model the specific property. Use your own market occupancy and rate, not the brand average, and include the renovation the brand will require.
- Get a franchise attorney and a lender. Before you sign anything or pay an application fee.
Alternatives to consider
Wyndham's development page places Super 8 under Value Brands alongside Microtel, Days Inn, Howard Johnson and Travelodge, so compare those, and other franchisors' economy brands, on fee, investment, unit growth and Item 19 data before choosing. An independent motel avoids the royalty but also the reservation system.
Questions people ask
How much does a Super 8 franchise cost?
The 2026 FDD summary lists a $25,000 initial fee (or $250 per guest room if greater) and an estimated total investment of $285,156 to $7,141,542. The real cost depends on conversion versus new construction and on land.
What are the Super 8 royalty and marketing fees?
The 2026 FDD summary lists a 5.5% royalty and a 3% marketing fee, both on Gross Room Revenue. Other charges, such as technology and loyalty fees, also apply per the FDD, so read Item 6.
How many Super 8 hotels are there?
Wyndham's 10-K shows 1,471 Super 8 properties and 90,193 rooms at December 31, 2025, including 1,344 properties in the U.S.
Is the Super 8 system growing?
Not according to the FDD summary: net changes of -49, -44 and -31 outlets in 2023, 2024 and 2025, with 51 signed but not open and 30 new outlets projected for 2026.
Does Super 8 publish what owners earn?
The FDD includes a limited Financial Performance Representation in Item 19 covering metrics such as ADR, occupancy and RevPAR. It is not a profit figure, and we could not read the FDD itself.
Can I run a Super 8 as an absentee owner?
Entrepreneur lists absentee ownership as not allowed, but that listing is dated and the exact rule is in the franchise agreement. Ask Wyndham directly.
Sources
- FDD Exchange: Super 8 2026 FDD summary · Fees, investment range, unit changes, pipeline, term, training
- FDD Exchange: Super 8 2025 FDD summary · Prior-year investment range and Item 19 scope
- Entrepreneur: Super 8 by Wyndham · Fee and royalty listing, veterans incentive, ownership rules (dated)
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Form 10-K, FY2025 (SEC) · Super 8 properties, rooms, RevPAR, general franchise fee ranges
- Wyndham development: Super 8 · Brand placement and how to request the FDD
Figures were read from the linked pages on October 28, 2026 and come from a third-party summary of the FDD, Entrepreneur and Wyndham's SEC filing, not from the FDD itself. We could not open the FDD or a state franchise database for Super 8. This is not financial advice; read the FDD and talk to a franchise attorney.
Top photo: Mx. Granger / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons