Throw in Internet, apps and e-mail -- all on a full-color tablet screen -- and e-readers suffer by comparison.

CNN: As tablets boom, e-readers feel the blast

On the other hand, if a franchisee insists he has to go above and beyond a brand standard to compete--say, by offering free broadband Internet service or extra pillows--Ledsinger has to know when to say okay. (Chains need to police the impulses to go up market, too, lest their other units suffer by comparison.) The warmth and fuzziness, he hopes, will trickle down.

FORBES: The Motelier