Hospitality International

What Hospitality International does

Hospitality International, Inc., founded in 1982 and headquartered in Tucker, Georgia, operates the hihotels franchise platform for the economy-to-midscale U.S. and Canadian lodging segments. The company licenses five nationally recognized hotel brands — Scottish Inns, Red Carpet Inn, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns, and Passport Inn — to independent hotel owners and developers, with a network of 230+ properties across 30+ states and Canada and a reported 97% franchisee retention rate. The technology backbone is the Advanced SynXis Central Reservation System powered by Sabre Hospitality Solutions and Aven Hospitality, providing 24/7 live booking agents, connectivity to all major GDS and ADS channels, yield and revenue management tools, and a direct-to-consumer booking engine at stayhihotels.com; franchisees additionally access the hihub portal for training and operations resources.

The company monetizes primarily through one-time initial franchise fees, flat monthly royalty and marketing fees (combined minimum $750 per property), PMS setup and integration fees, and education/meeting fees. The HVS 2020 Hotel Franchise Fee Guide places hihotels at the lowest total franchise cost as a percentage of rooms revenue among economy brands (Scottish Inns 3.7%; Red Carpet Inn and Passport Inn 4.2%). Go-to-market is sales-led via four regional Franchise Development Directors, supplemented by an active AAHOA convention presence, regional mini-conventions, a referral program, and content marketing through a blog and hi5 newsletter. Customer relationships are managed through the Assurance & Marketing Program (AMP), which provides regional AMP Directors delivering onsite sales/marketing training, internet optimization, and quality assurance visits. Customer concentration is low: all franchisees are SMB owner-operators, with no single property or franchisee disclosed as material to revenue.

Name

Hospitality International

Legal name

Hospitality International, Inc.

Website

https://hifranchise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hospitality International is a private hotel franchisor operating the hihotels platform of five economy-to-midscale brands (Scottish Inns, Red Carpet Inn, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns, Passport Inn) for 230+ independent hotel owner-operators across 30+ U.S. states and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hotel Franchising

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (721110), Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Budget Hotel Chains & Franchises (THAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Franchised/Chain Motels (THAGAFAM), Business & Corporate Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAE), Urban & Downtown Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAA)

Keywords

• Economy hotel franchising
• Hotel franchise brands
• Franchise reservation technology
• Midscale lodging franchisor
• Independent hotel conversion

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucker

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Initial Franchise Fees: One-time application and initial franchise fees charged to new franchisees upon signing. These are among the lowest in the hospitality industry according to HVS data.
2. Monthly Royalty and Marketing Fees: Flat monthly fees (combined minimum $750) for royalty and marketing. The company emphasizes flat fees rather than percentage of revenue. Monthly Royalty & Marketing Fees Combined must be at least $750.
3. PMS Setup and Integration Fees: One-time PMS Setup Fee and monthly PMS Integration Fee for property management system connectivity.
4. Education and Meeting Fees: Fees associated with training programs, regional conventions, and educational resources provided to franchisees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hospitality International franchises independent hotel owners and developers under five hihotels brand banners (Scottish Inns, Red Carpet Inn, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns, Passport Inn). Franchisees receive brand identifiers, reservation access through the SynXis CRS, Aven property-management system, the hihub portal, quality assurance inspections, and ongoing operational support in exchange for franchise fees and royalties.

Product overview

Hospitality International operates hihotels, a hotel franchise platform offering five nationally recognized hotel brands spanning the economy to midscale segments: Scottish Inns (economy/midscale limited-service, fastest-growing brand), Red Carpet Inn (economy to mid-level limited/full-service), Master Hosts Inns (full-service resort properties), Downtowner Inns (downtown limited-service), and Passport Inn (budget/economy limited-service). The platform is unified by shared technology infrastructure — Advanced SynXis CRS powered by Sabre and Aven Hospitality — providing 24/7 reservation capabilities, GDS/ADS channel access, and revenue management tools. Franchisees access operations through the hihub portal, receive ongoing support via the Assurance & Marketing Program (AMP), and can offer guests the INNcentive Instant Rewards loyalty program. Consumer-facing bookings flow through stayhihotels.com. The company positions itself on lowest fees in the industry (verified by HVS) and franchise-friendly terms rather than technology differentiation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scottish Inns: Economy and midscale limited-service properties, the fastest-growing brand with more than 100 locations from coast to coast.
• Red Carpet Inn
• Master Hosts Inns
• Downtowner Inns
• Passport Inn

Products and services

• Scottish Inns franchise brand Economy-tier lodging brand franchised by Hospitality International under the hihotels family for independent hotel owners and developers in the U.S. economy segment.
• Red Carpet Inn franchise brand Economy/midscale lodging brand franchised by Hospitality International under the hihotels family for U.S. independent hotel owners and developers.
• Master Hosts Inns franchise brand Midscale lodging brand franchised by Hospitality International under the hihotels family for hotel owners and developers serving the midscale segment.
• Downtowner Inns franchise brand Economy lodging brand franchised by Hospitality International under the hihotels family for owners and operators targeting smaller and tertiary markets.
• Passport Inn franchise brand Economy lodging brand franchised by Hospitality International under the hihotels family for U.S. independent hotel owners and developers in the economy segment.
• SynXis Central Reservation System access Central reservation system access provided to franchisees via partnership with SynXis/Sabre, giving independent hihotels properties global reservation connectivity.
• Aven Hospitality property management system Property management technology access for franchisees, delivered via partnership with Aven Hospitality, integrated with the hihotels franchisee technology stack.
• hihub franchisee portal Proprietary online portal offered to franchisees that supports onboarding, training, benchmarking, and property-management assistance across the hihotels brand portfolio.
• stayhihotels.com consumer booking website Consumer-facing online booking website for the hihotels family of brands, providing direct reservations and brand information to travelers.
• Quality Assurance inspection program Standardized property-quality inspection program offered to franchisees (with complimentary inspections included) to ensure brand-standards compliance across the hihotels portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Franchisees achieve 15% RevPAR increase in first three years through CRS participation, translating to $92,000 additional annual revenue
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered growth and core.

• HoppergrowthChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2023Partnership announced May 2023 with Hopper Travel App to increase visibility of hihotels brands and provide additional revenue opportunities for franchisees through the Hopper platform.
• GetaroomgrowthChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 March 2022Partnership with Getaroom expands reach of properties through competitive rates via state-of-the-art hotel and lodging website and toll-free call center.
• Sabre Hospitality SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationSynXis Central Reservation System (CRS) powered by Sabre provides advanced booking technology, 24/7 live booking agents, analysis tools for revenue management, and connectivity to all major GDS and ADS channels. Partnership enables worldwide distribution and reservation yield management for franchise properties.
• Aven HospitalitycoreTechnology or IntegrationAven Hospitality powers the Advanced Guest Reservation System (AGRS) with modern booking engine, property management portal, and mobile-responsive consumer experience through stayhihotels.com.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Sabre Hospitality Solutions: Provider of SynXis CRS technology platform that powers hihotels' reservation and distribution backbone. Relevant as a critical technology infrastructure partner rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Magnuson Hotels: Privately held franchise platform converting independent hotels across economy and midscale tiers with low-cost conversion terms. Closely comparable to hihotels in franchise-friendly philosophy, fee structure emphasis, and independent-hotel target market.
• Budget Host Inn: Long-standing economy motel franchise network serving independent and small-chain operators with roadside lodging focus. Directly comparable to hihotels' Scottish Inns and Passport Inn budget/economy positioning.
• Vantage Hospitality: Hotel franchise company (now under Choice Hotels) known for low-fee economy and midscale brands including Americas Best Value Inn. Highly comparable in conversion-focused, fee-conscious franchise model targeting independent owners.
• Red Roof Inn: Economy hotel franchisor and operator with a focus on value-conscious travelers and limited-service properties. Competes for similar franchisee profiles and end-guest segments as hihotels' economy brands.
• G6 Hospitality (Motel 6 / Studio 6): Major economy lodging franchisor and operator behind Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands. Competes in the same economy segment and for the same budget-traveler guest base, though at substantially larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Choice Hotels International: Major multi-brand franchisor with deep economy and midscale portfolios (Quality Inn, Comfort, Rodeway Inn, Econo Lodge, Sleep Inn). Represents the dominant incumbent competing for the same franchise conversion pipeline that hihotels targets.
• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts: Largest hotel franchisor globally with extensive economy and midscale brands (Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson). Competes for conversions and franchisees across overlapping segments.
• Sonesta International Hotels: Multi-brand hotel company spanning economy through luxury franchised and managed properties, including legacy Americas Best Value Inn. Overlaps with hihotels in the economy/midscale franchise segment.
• Best Western Hotels & Resorts: Membership-based hotel referral and franchising organization spanning economy to midscale. Comparable in independent-hotel affiliation model and franchise-like structure across similar property types.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Stayhihotels

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hospitality International