DENVER—RLH Corporation has launched franchiseasy—an online application process with eight simple steps to the all-in fee of 4 percent of revenue. Through the new approach, the entire franchising process has been reimagined to appeal to owners of independent hotels or hotels that don’t fit a traditional franchise.
RLH Corporation aimed to make signing up for the Country Hearth brand as flexible and simple as possible by creating a designated website (franchiseasy.com) for hoteliers looking to operate as an independent or under the nationwide Country Hearth brand umbrella. As part of the agreement, RLH Corporation will collect a 4 percent of revenue fee from hotels in exchange for access to the company’s property management and reservations system and a distribution network that includes negotiated deals with online travel agents. The system fee includes the company’s CRS, PMS, and booking fees and is based on 4 percent of gross revenue, excluding taxes. (A complete statement of fees is available on the company’s franchise disclosure document at franchiseay.com).
Beyond the core features, owners select only the services they need, and choose whether to keep their independent hotel name, establish a new one, or use the company’s nationally recognized Country Hearth brand name and logo.
“Franchiseasy is designed to put hotel owners at ease,” said RLH Corporation Senior Vice President of Digital, Loyalty, and Partnerships Leslee Torres. “We are allowing them as much freedom and flexibility as they wish, from what’s included in the franchise agreement to whether they use the Country Hearth brand name or an unaffiliated name. Franchiseasy offers the best of both being part of a hotel company and staying independent.”
The franchiseasy process includes eight steps, which prospective hoteliers can complete on either mobile devices or desktop computers. There is a franchise disclosure document, a short application process, a menu option that allows hoteliers to pick and choose from a la carte services for their property, tools that allow them to build the kind of relationship they’re looking for from RLH Corporation, and an approval process.
Photo: RLH Corporation CEO Greg Mount discussed franchiseasy at the company’s 2017 Conference and Global Brand Showcase & Expo.
