Last week, Choice Hotels International took its bid to acquire Wyndham Hotels & Resorts public, and Wyndham’s board of directors unanimously rejected the offer. 

Choice said franchisees specifically could see lower total cost of ownership and increased hotel profitability through the deal. 

Some experts, though, speculated that franchisees don’t stand to reap such benefits. 

The Asian American Hotel Owners Association, whose nearly 20,000 members own more than 60% of all hotels in the U.S., expressed “high concern” over the proposed deal in a release distributed shortly after Wyndham rejected Choice’s bid, with association President and CEO Laura Lee Blake pledging support for Wyndham’s rejection of the proposal.

In the release, AAHOA called on federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, to “do a thorough investigation to fully protect competition” in the economy and limited service segment of the hotel industry, which a majority of Choice and Wyndham hotels fall under. 

Blake sat down with Hotel Dive to share franchisees’ fears surrounding the merger — and what she believes Wyndham franchisees could lose if it goes through.

Check out the full interview here