How does a Ramada franchise move from inquiry to opening?
Ramada Worldwide Inc. does not disclose one universal inquiry-to-opening duration. The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document instead sets format-specific contractual windows: a conversion normally must finish its pre-opening work within 90 days after the Franchise Agreement’s Effective Date unless its Property Improvement Plan states another date, while new construction has milestone deadlines extending to 30 months.
The applicant identifies the proposed hotel in the Franchise Application. Ramada reviews the applicant and site together and may require an applicant-funded feasibility study from an approved firm.
Application approval supports an award for that site. It does not create territory rights, approve a lease or construction, or authorize use of the marks.
What must a Ramada applicant disclose and qualify for?
The Franchise Application collects entity, hotel-experience, property, room-count, ownership, manager, and supporting information. Before signing, every individual with at least 10% ultimate beneficial ownership must be identified.
The application authorizes financial, character, reputation, credit, and reference checks. The 2026 FDD publishes no universal net-worth, liquidity, credit-score, education, citizenship, or years-of-experience minimum.
The owner need not manage personally, but an absent owner must retain a manager or management company with significant training and experience managing similar lodging facilities. Ramada may require an approved third-party manager when ownership lacks significant hotel-management experience or receives a Development Incentive.
A $2,500 non-refundable Application Fee is due with the Franchise Application. Because it is a payment connected with the proposed franchise sale, the federal presale rule requires delivery of the FDD at least 14 calendar days before that payment. If the application is approved, the fee is credited toward the Initial Fee due at signing; rejection does not produce a refund.
What are the actual stages from inquiry to opening authorization?
Action: Identify new construction, conversion, or acquisition of an existing Ramada and describe the proposed site and hotel.
Actor: Applicant.
Blocker: Ramada cannot conduct its site-specific review without a defined property or location.
Action: Review the FDD, Franchise Agreement, state addenda, Guaranty, Schedule D, and technology documents before payment or signing.
Timing: Count 14 calendar days beginning the day after delivery; signing or payment may occur on day 15.
Blocker: A unilateral material agreement change requires seven additional calendar days before signing.
Action: Provide ownership, experience, property, manager, and supporting information; authorize checks; pay the Application Fee.
Actor: Applicant and relevant owners.
Next dependency: Ramada must receive a complete package before its review estimate applies.
Action: Ramada evaluates the applicant and location and may require an approved market feasibility study.
Timing: Typically 30–60 days after complete submission; no contractual completion time is stated.
Outcome: Ramada awards or declines the franchise for that site; rejection forfeits the Application Fee.
Action: Confirm the location and any Protected Territory, execute the agreement, Guaranty and schedules, and pay the Initial Fee.
Actor: Ramada, franchisee entity, guarantors, and certain spouses where applicable.
Blocker: Site approval is not lease approval, exclusivity, or opening authorization.
Action: Supply ownership or lease evidence. A conversion or transfer follows its attached Property Improvement Plan; new construction follows the Milestone Schedule.
Timing: Site-control proof is due in 30 days for an existing facility or 90 days for new construction.
Blocker: A missed format-specific deadline.
Action: Obtain plans, permits, contractors, approved products, insurance, signage, FF&E, PMS, network connectivity, Wyndham Gateway, inventory, and staff.
Actor: Franchisee and third parties; Ramada reviews brand compliance.
Blocker: Lender, landlord, government, contractor, supplier, or repeated plan-review delays.
Action: Finish PIP work or construction, deliver certifications, complete photography and systems, prepare staff, and pass inspections.
Actor: Franchisee completes the work; Ramada may inspect during and after it.
Blocker: Unfinished PIP items, failed inspection, incomplete certification, or missing systems.
Action: Ramada determines whether the facility may open using the Ramada marks and System.
Actor: Ramada authorizes; the franchisee opens only after authorization.
Consequence: Premature brand use can start royalty obligations, delay the Opening Date, and support contractual remedies.
How do conversion, new construction, and transfer paths differ?
Each path uses the Ramada Franchise Agreement but a different Schedule D. The applicable Schedule D controls site-control proof, improvement obligations, milestone dates, inspections, and the definition of the Opening Date.
| Path | Property document | Core pre-opening requirement | Opening window or trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion | PIP attached at signing | Begin renovation within 30 days; complete all “prior to opening” work | PIP date, otherwise 90 days from Effective Date |
| New construction | Milestone Schedule and approved plans | Meet site-control, plans, permitting, contractor, construction, and certification milestones | Written authorization after completion; outer deadline 30 months |
| Transfer | Assignment documents and transfer PIP | Assume specified obligations; complete required improvements, sometimes while operating | Usually Effective Date unless Ramada requires closure first |
Ramada awards a franchise only for the approved location, but the Franchise Agreement does not provide an exclusive territory. A Protected Territory may be negotiated before signing, may be limited to the location itself, and must be read with Ramada’s reserved rights in Franchise Agreement §2.
What deadlines govern a new-construction Ramada?
The following chart compares milestones measured from the same event: the Franchise Agreement’s Effective Date. It shows contractual deadlines, not expected construction durations or a promise that permits, financing, labor, or materials will be available.
Ramada’s plan review tests compliance with System Standards, not structural, engineering, code, or legal compliance. The franchisee must allow 10 days for each Ramada plan-review cycle, while architects, engineers, contractors, and government authorities remain responsible for their own work and approvals. The official Wyndham new-hotel development page describes available design and construction support, but that assistance is not a construction guarantee.
What must be in place before Ramada can authorize opening?
A conversion must complete every PIP item marked “prior to opening” unless Ramada grants a written exception. New construction must pass the completion inspection and deliver the properly completed post-construction accessibility certification before authorization.
Ramada provides standards, supplier information, plan review, inspections, and specified support. The franchisee must arrange financing, real estate, professionals, permits, installation, inventory, staffing, and local compliance; each can delay authorization.
Which training must occur before or around opening?
New-construction franchisees must participate in Opening Training. Ramada may also require it for a conversion with an architectural PIP. The on-site program occurs from two weeks before to 60 days after the Opening Date and lasts one day for up to 50 rooms, up to three days for 51–200 rooms, or up to five days for more than 200 rooms.
The general manager must successfully complete the approximately 34-hour Hospitality Management Program no later than 90 days after the Opening Date. Human Trafficking Prevention and Count on Us training also have post-opening completion requirements. These programs are contractual training obligations, but their disclosed deadlines show that not every named training course is a condition that must finish before the hotel’s first authorized day.
Who controls each part of the Ramada opening process?
Complete application, ownership disclosures, guaranties, and supporting documents.
Secure site control, financing, professionals, permits, construction, insurance, systems, staff, and supplies.
Meet PIP or Milestone Schedule deadlines and request opening authorization.
Review the applicant and site and award or decline the franchise.
Set System Standards, approve brand plans, identify approved suppliers, and provide specified support.
Inspect readiness and decide whether to authorize use of the Ramada marks and System.
Landlord and lender approve real-estate and financing arrangements.
Architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers, and technology vendors perform contracted work.
Government authorities issue permits, licenses, inspections, and code approvals on local timelines.
What can terminate or delay the opening?
A conversion’s missed improvement deadline may lead to termination if the breach continues five days after written notice, subject to applicable law. A new-construction Schedule D permits termination for missed milestones, and failure to deliver a properly completed accessibility certification can delay opening or support termination under the agreement.
An extension is discretionary, not automatic. Ramada may charge a $10,000 non-refundable extension fee, generally due within 10 days after the Opening Date. Verify every project-specific deadline, cure, fee, and condition in the final Schedule D.
Before signing, compare the final Franchise Agreement, state addenda, PIP or Milestone Schedule, Guaranty, manager requirements, incentive documents, lease obligations, financing conditions, and local permit path. This process summary is not legal, lending, tax, construction, zoning, or real-estate advice.
Item 20 and Exhibits E-1 and E-2 list current and former franchisees. Comparable operators can verify actual application, PIP, plan-review, technology, inspection, and authorization timing, but their experiences are not contractual promises.
Which public sources should a buyer use for cross-checking?
The 2026 Ramada FDD and attached agreements control contractual claims in this article. No franchise-controlled public copy of that FDD was identified, so FDD citations are provided by year, Item, agreement, and page rather than linked to a third-party copy.
What is the verified Ramada opening path?
The verified path is: select a format and site; receive and review the FDD; submit the Franchise Application and ownership documents; pass applicant-and-site review; negotiate any Protected Territory; sign the Franchise Agreement and related documents; secure site control; execute the PIP or new-construction Milestone Schedule; complete design, permits, construction or renovation, technology, insurance, staffing, suppliers, and inspections; then obtain Ramada’s written opening authorization.
No single all-format total is official. The central applicant-controlled dependency is a complete application followed by timely site control and PIP or milestone performance. The principal external dependencies are Ramada’s reviews and authorization plus lender, landlord, professional, supplier, and government approvals. The decisive contract check is the final Schedule D: it sets the project-specific deadline, any cure path, and whether an extension is discretionary.