Knights Inn

What Knights Inn does

Knights Inn is an economy hotel brand founded in 1974 and currently operated as a franchise network under parent company Sonesta, with over 150 properties across the United States and Canada. The brand targets budget-conscious travelers — including road trippers, families, military personnel, seniors, and Auto Club members — seeking clean, no-frills accommodations at competitive nightly rates with essential amenities such as free Wi-Fi, free parking at most properties, continental breakfast at select locations, pet-friendly options, and 24-hour front desk service at certain hotels. Knights Inn does not own or operate its hotels directly; instead, independent property owners pay franchise fees to operate under the Knights Inn banner and receive corporate infrastructure, marketing, and reservations support from Sonesta.

The underlying technology stack is conventional for the segment: a brand website (knightsinn.com) providing location search with distance/radius filtering, room-type and availability lookups, and direct booking integration; a centralized phone reservation line (855-644-4870 / 85-KNIGHTS-0) for offline bookings; and a standard property management system at each franchisee. The website meets WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards and is responsive across devices. No proprietary AI/ML, proprietary booking engine, or differentiated platform architecture is disclosed in the source materials.

Revenue mechanics flow from two streams: (1) franchise and licensing fees paid by independent property owners to operate under the Knights Inn brand, with franchise sales and onboarding handled by Sonesta's Development team, and (2) central-reservation and direct-booking revenue from the website and call center. Pricing is dynamic and location-dependent (not publicly posted), supplemented by a segmented discount layer — 15% military discount, senior rates for ages 55+, and up to 10% Auto Club member discount. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, augmented by franchise development outreach to recruit new property owners into the network.

Name

Knights Inn

Legal name

Knights Inn Hotels

Website

https://knightsinn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Knights Inn is a 1974-founded North American economy hotel franchise brand operating 150+ properties across the US and Canada under parent company Sonesta, serving budget-conscious travelers with standardized rooms, online booking, and targeted military, senior, and Auto Club discounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economy Hotels

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011)

akta.pro primary industry

Franchised/Chain Motels (THAGAFAM)

Keywords

• Economy hotel chain
• Budget motel rooms
• Hotel franchise program
• Discounted lodging stays
• Online hotel booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Parsippany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hotel Room Bookings: Knights Inn generates revenue through room bookings at its 150+ economy hotel properties across the US and Canada. Properties offer various room types including King, Queen, and double bed configurations at budget-friendly price points.
2. Franchise Fees: Knights Inn operates under a franchise model, with property owners paying franchise fees to operate under the Knights Inn brand. Franchise inquiries are directed to [email protected].

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Knights Inn is an economy hotel brand that sells overnight accommodations at 150+ franchised properties across the United States and Canada. The core offering consists of budget-priced guest rooms (King, Queen, double bed configurations) with essential amenities such as free Wi-Fi, free parking at many properties, and continental breakfast at select properties. Distribution is handled through direct website bookings, phone reservations, and a franchise licensing program managed by parent company Sonesta.

Product overview

Knights Inn is an economy hotel brand operating under Sonesta Hotels, offering budget-friendly accommodations across 150+ properties in the United States and Canada. The core offering consists of standardized economy hotel rooms with essential amenities including free Wi-Fi, parking, continental breakfast, comfortable beds, and convenient amenities such as microwaves, mini-fridges, and flat-screen TVs. The brand's online booking platform enables direct reservations, while its deals program offers specialized discounts for military personnel, seniors, and Auto Club members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Knights Inn Economy Hotel Stays

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rodeway Inn (Choice Hotels): Rodeway Inn is Choice Hotels' lower-priced economy motel franchise, targeting the same cost-sensitive traveler as Knights Inn with similar roadside locations and pared-down amenities.
• Motel 6: Operated by G6 Hospitality, Motel 6 is the most direct competitor to Knights Inn: an economy motel chain with hundreds of franchised/company-owned properties across the U.S. and Canada, targeting the same budget-traveler segment with similar amenity positioning.
• Days Inn by Wyndham: Days Inn is a Wyndham economy-motel brand with thousands of franchised properties, directly overlapping Knights Inn in the U.S. and Canada budget-lodging segment with comparable amenity and pricing tiers.
• Travelodge by Wyndham: Travelodge is a Wyndham-franchised economy motel brand with strong North American roadside coverage, overlapping Knights Inn on budget pricing, amenity scope, and franchise-based operating model.
• Red Roof Inn: Red Roof is a U.S. economy lodging chain (franchised and corporate-owned) targeting budget road-trippers and families, comparable to Knights Inn in price tier, amenity set, and roadside distribution model.
• Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels): Econo Lodge is Choice Hotels' economy-motel franchise brand with hundreds of U.S./Canada properties, directly competing with Knights Inn in the franchised, value-tier roadside lodging category.
• Super 8 by Wyndham: Super 8 is one of the largest economy motel brands in North America, franchised by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. It competes head-to-head with Knights Inn on price point, roadside locations, and the value-conscious traveler demographic.
• Howard Johnson by Wyndham: Howard Johnson's economy hotels are franchised by Wyndham across North America, comparable to Knights Inn in franchised business model and budget traveler target segment.
• Americas Best Value Inn: Americas Best Value Inn is an economy motel franchise system with broad U.S. coverage, directly competing with Knights Inn on franchised roadside lodging and budget-friendly rates.

Broad incumbents

• Sonesta (parent): Sonesta International Hotels is Knights Inn's parent company and a broader hospitality group operating multiple hotel brands across upscale, upscale extended-stay, and economy tiers, providing corporate infrastructure for Knights Inn's franchise operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/knightsinnjohns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knights-inn-motel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Knights Inn