Instead of traveling to the Wyndham Hotel Group corporate office in Parsippany, N.J., to take part in orientation, new Knights Inn owners and general managers will be trained at their hotels, saving them money on training fees and travel expenses, said Rajiv Bhatia, Knights Inn senior vice president.

Property owners will also be able to purchase a modified version of the SoftHotel property management system called KnightLite at a cost nearly $4,000 less than the full version but featuring all basic functionality.

Conference attendees were introduced to a new short-form, reader-friendly version of the Knights Inn franchise agreement that addresses terms and franchisee/franchisor responsibilities. A new standards checklist brings the attention of new franchisees to operations areas that should have the greatest impact on their businesses.

"We are committed to making our Knights Inn brand value proposition compelling for current property owners and prospective franchisees," Bhatia said.  "This effort involves offering access to cost-effective and efficient resources."