27 SBA loans have financed Red Lion Inn & Suites locations since 2000, written by 20 different lenders across 8 states. Half were approved for $2.0M or less, the mix is a mix of 7(a) and 504, and 19% went to owners whose business was under two years old.
A lender that has already underwritten this brand knows the unit economics, the build-out costs, and the franchisor. That is worth more to you than a bigger bank starting from scratch.