How does a Candlewood Suites franchise move from inquiry to opening?
A new Candlewood Suites hotel must generally open within 24 months after the License date unless Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC grants a written extension. The route is application and approval, License execution, site and design approvals, construction or a property-specific PIP, systems and training, inspection, and written opening authorization. Conversions, changes of ownership, and re-licensings follow project-specific Attachment “B” dates rather than one universal duration.
What must the applicant submit and qualify for?
The 2026 FDD publishes no universal credit-score minimum, general net-worth minimum, or requirement that every applicant already own a hotel. Holiday evaluates the licensee, owners, guarantors, management plan, financial capacity, character, financing, site, and hotel experience. The Application authorizes credit, reference, background, and sanctions checks; complete information does not compel approval.
Item 5 sets the application payment at $500 per guest suite, with a $60,000 minimum. Rejection or withdrawal before approval permits a refund less a $15,000 evaluation fee; after approval, the payment is non-refundable. Reconcile the completed Application Letter, approval notice, and Item 5 before payment.
The form License contains a representation tied to an FTC disclosure exemption—five years in business and $7,348,000 in net worth for the licensee group. It should not be treated as a general advertised qualification threshold. Verify whether that representation is included and applicable in the transaction-specific License.
Source: 2026 FDD, Items 5, 10 and 15; Exhibit A pp. 1–12; License paragraph 13.P. The FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide confirms the calendar-day trigger and covered agreement or payment.
What are the actual opening stages?
The sequence separates applicant action, IHG approval, and third-party completion. Parallel work does not guarantee site acceptance, financing, permits, construction completion, or authorization.
Define the property path
- Action:
- Identify New Development, Conversion, Change of Ownership, or Re-Licensing and describe the proposed hotel and site.
- Actor:
- Applicant, with IHG development review.
- Blocker:
- An unsuitable project, incomplete site data, or unavailable brand opportunity can stop progression.
Receive and review the FDD
- Action:
- Sign the FDD receipt and review the License, guaranty, Attachment “B,” technology schedule, and ancillary agreements.
- Actor:
- Applicant.
- Timing:
- Allow the full federal 14-calendar-day period before a binding agreement or covered payment; IHG’s application instructions also place the application submission after that period.
Submit the complete application
- Action:
- Deliver the Application Letter, ownership and financial records, résumés, management plan, project financing, site information, and payment.
- Actor:
- Applicant and guarantors.
- Blocker:
- Missing documents, adverse background findings, weak financing, or changes not promptly disclosed.
Obtain approval and execute contracts
- Action:
- Satisfy any approval conditions and execute the site-specific License Agreement, Guaranty, Attachment “A,” Attachment “B,” and required participation agreements.
- Actor:
- Applicant and Holiday Hospitality Franchising, LLC.
- Next dependency:
- Approval is distinct from contract execution and does not itself authorize construction or opening.
Finalize site control and management
- Action:
- Document possession, lease or ownership, approved hotel location, ownership chart, management company or general manager, and project-specific milestone dates.
- Actor:
- Franchisee, landlord, lender, and IHG.
- Blocker:
- IHG may reject site or management arrangements; local land-use approval remains a third-party matter.
Clear design or PIP gates
- Action:
- For a new build, complete Design Immersion, preliminary and final plans, ADA plan certification, construction schedule, and plan approvals. For an existing property, complete the property-specific PIP or deficiency plan.
- Actor:
- Franchisee, approved architect and designers, IHG reviewers.
- Blocker:
- Construction cannot begin before required final-plan approval and certification.
Build, renovate, and install systems
- Action:
- Complete the Work, submit progress reports, secure permits, install approved FF&E, signs, life-safety systems, PMS, payments, connectivity, and required technology.
- Actor:
- Franchisee, contractor, suppliers, service providers, and government authorities.
- Blocker:
- Unapproved substitutions, permit delays, missed milestones, or incomplete technology configuration.
Hire and certify the operating team
- Action:
- Employ the general manager and department managers, complete required position-based certification, conduct Key Programs training, and prepare the opening marketing campaign.
- Actor:
- Franchisee as employer; IHG or approved trainers provide designated programs.
- Blocker:
- Required managers or staff have not successfully completed applicable training.
Pass readiness review and receive authorization
- Action:
- Deliver insurance, occupancy and operating permits, post-work ADA certification, fire/life-safety evidence, completion notice, and a ready hotel for inspection.
- Actor:
- Franchisee, architect, safety professional, authorities, and IHG.
- Next dependency:
- The hotel may use the Candlewood Suites Brand System only after IHG issues written opening authorization and establishes the Opening Date.
Source: 2026 FDD, Items 9 and 11, pp. 57 and 62–68; Franchise Application; License paragraph 13.J and Attachments “A”–“D.” See IHG’s hotel-development overview; the License controls the scope of assistance.
Does every Candlewood Suites project follow the same buildout process?
No. The application form recognizes four principal paths, but the site-specific License remains the governing one-hotel agreement. The FDD does not disclose a standard Area Development Agreement or a multi-unit development schedule for opening several Candlewood Suites hotels.
| Path | Pre-opening work document | Timing basis | Decisive gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Development | New-development Attachment “B,” approved Preliminary Plans, Final Plans, FF&E and life-safety submissions | 24-month License-date opening deadline plus completed Attachment “A” calendar dates | Final-plan approval before construction; written authorization before Brand System operation |
| Conversion | Property Improvement Plan attached as Attachment “B” | Property-specific plan, interim, completion, and opening dates | PIP work, certifications, training, inspection, and authorization |
| Change of Ownership | New application and License; property-specific upgrades or deficiency list | Transaction-specific Attachment “A” and “B” dates | New owner approval, guaranty, required upgrades, and written authorization |
| Re-Licensing | Property-specific Attachment “B” work and deficiency requirements | No universal total disclosed | Completion of required work and IHG opening approval |
A conversion, change of ownership, or re-licensing should not be planned from the new-development 24-month figure. Its PIP or deficiency list, signed Attachment “A,” and Attachment “B” supply the actual property deadlines and completion conditions.
Source: 2026 Candlewood Suites FDD, Item 11 pp. 62–64; Item 17; Exhibit A; License Attachment “B.” IHG’s official development site separately explains the distinction between new-build and conversion project types.
Which disclosed milestones control a new-development schedule?
Item 11 provides three comparable milestones measured from the License date. They are contractual submission and opening points, not a forecast of how quickly IHG, a lender, an architect, a contractor, or a government authority will finish its work.
Months after the License date; 24 months equals the full chart width.
Source: 2026 Candlewood Suites FDD, Item 11 p. 63; License Attachment “A,” Item 9, pp. A-3–A-4. Construction completion is separately summarized as due within 18 months after construction starts, so it is not plotted against the License-date denominator.
Each approval answers a different question; none automatically supplies the next approval.
Source: 2026 Candlewood Suites FDD, Items 11 and 12; License paragraphs 1.A, 2, 13.J and Attachment “B.” For accessibility context, see the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design; the franchisee and its qualified professionals remain responsible for applicable law.
The standard License grants the right to use the Candlewood Suites Brand System only at the approved hotel. It does not usually create an exclusive territory. A specially granted protected area must be found in the transaction documents; site review also does not represent a finding of commercial viability.
Who must be trained and operationally ready?
The franchisee hires the hotel workforce. The General Manager and the entire hotel staff must attend Key Programs Pre-Opening training at the property, while designated managers must complete the position-specific training and certification that applies to their roles. The General Manager and front-office staff also need IHG Concerto access and required web training.
| Program | Disclosed duration | Attendee or dependency | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key Programs New Hotel Opening | Up to 15 days plus 24 hours OJT | General Manager and entire hotel staff | Hotel |
| PMS training | 12–28 days plus 12–28 days OJT | Relevant operating users; system implementation | Hotel |
| General Manager Program | 5 days | Every General Manager; satisfactory completion | Hotel, Atlanta, or virtual |
| Front Office Manager Program | 4 days | Applicable front-office leader | Hotel, Atlanta, regional, or virtual |
| Executive Housekeeper—IHG Way of Clean 5S | 1 day or 3 virtual sessions | Applicable housekeeping leader | Atlanta, regional, or virtual |
Franchisee controls
Hiring, wages, staffing levels, travel, trainee availability, technology hardware, approved suppliers, operating permits, insurance, and completion of the Work.
IHG controls
Application approval, Brand System standards, plan and product acceptance, required training programs, inspection findings, conditional-opening terms, and written opening authorization.
Third parties control
Financing, landlord consent, professional certifications, construction delivery, utility service, product lead times, certificates of occupancy, and other government approvals.
Source: 2026 Candlewood Suites FDD, Item 11 pp. 64–68; Item 15; License paragraphs 3.A, 4.A and 9.H; Master Technology Services Schedule. The public IHG process overview describes opening guidance and hiring/training tools, but the FDD and signed agreements control required attendance and completion.
What must be complete before the hotel can open under the brand?
Construction completion and training completion are necessary but do not independently authorize opening. For a new development, Attachment “B” requires IHG’s advance written acceptance of the hotel, installed systems and FF&E, staffing and training, and the supporting documents below. IHG then grants written approval and establishes the Opening Date.
IHG may permit a conditional opening with unfinished “Additional Work,” but that is not an extension right or automatic waiver. The written authorization sets completion dates; failure to finish the remaining work on time is a License default.
Source: 2026 Candlewood Suites License Attachment “B,” pp. B-3–B-4; License paragraph 13.J; FDD Item 11 p. 64.
Which missed deadlines can materially change the opening process?
The transaction-specific Attachment “A” and Attachment “B” dates are more important than a generic project schedule. Extensions require written IHG approval and can add review, resubmission, travel, and inspection costs; approval is not automatic.
A requested construction-start extension longer than six months but no more than twelve months must accompany a $10,000 extension payment; a request longer than twelve months requires half of the then-current standard minimum application payment and may require Final Plan resubmission. These are request conditions, not guaranteed extension rights. Failure to perform the Work or meet Attachment “A” and “B” milestones can be a material breach, and pre-opening termination can trigger contractual liquidated damages.
Source: 2026 Candlewood Suites License paragraph 13.J and New Development Attachment “B,” pp. B-1–B-4; FDD Items 6, 11 and 17.
What should a buyer verify before treating the hotel as ready to open?
Verify the completed Attachment “A” location, ownership chart, plan dates, Ground Break date, and Opening Deadline. For an existing hotel, verify each PIP or deficiency-list line and authorization condition. Confirm the License management condition, guarantors, technology agreements, insurance specifications, and local permit and occupancy sequence.
Item 20 lists current and former franchisees. Interviews can test plan-review, PIP, system-ordering, training, inspection, and conditional-work timing in comparable projects. They do not replace the agreements, but can expose dependencies involving financing, government approvals, construction, furnishing, and training.
Verified synthesis: Candlewood Suites uses a site-specific License path: disclosure and application, IHG approval and contracting, approved site and management structure, design or PIP completion, construction or renovation, required systems and training, certifications and inspection, then written opening authorization. The 24-month total is an official new-development deadline, not an opening forecast; other formats use property-specific dates. The principal applicant-controlled dependency is timely completion of the Work and readiness package. The principal external dependency is coordinated approval by IHG, lenders, professionals, contractors, suppliers, and government authorities. The decisive unresolved item is the completed Attachment “A” and Attachment “B” schedule for the specific hotel.