Seems typical. InterContinental Hotels Group does the same thing for their Holiday Inn & Crowne Plaza brands. Hotel owners just sign up to be a Holiday Inn fr

Seems typical. InterContinental Hotels Group does the same thing for their Holiday Inn & Crowne Plaza brands. Hotel owners just sign up to be a Holiday Inn franchise and IHG reaps the franchise fees year after year. IHG controls every aspect of the hotel including pillows, bedding, promotions, even the exact greeting text staff are to use. However, IHG does fully own their top tier brand. Just like McDonalds restaurant franchise, restaurant owners are welcome to change their restaurant into something else though. The Four Season building owners turn their building into a Holiday Inn if they wanted to.