Organization and Description of Business

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Organization and Description of Business

Organization and Description of Business

1. Organization and Description of Business

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Maryland on June 28, 2004 in anticipation of an initial public offering of common stock, which was consummated on October 26, 2004. The Company elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for federal income tax purposes, commencing with its taxable year ended on December 31, 2004. The Company, through its 100% controlling interest in Sunstone Hotel Partnership, LLC (the “Operating Partnership”), of which the Company is the sole managing member, and the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership, including Sunstone Hotel TRS Lessee, Inc. (the “TRS Lessee”) and its subsidiaries, is currently engaged in acquiring, owning, asset managing and renovating or repositioning hotel properties, and may also selectively sell hotels that no longer fit its stated strategy.

As a REIT, certain tax laws limit the amount of “non-qualifying” income the Company can earn, including income derived directly from the operation of hotels. The Company leases all of its hotels to its TRS Lessee, which in turn enters into long-term management agreements with third parties to manage the operations of the Company’s hotels, in transactions that are intended to generate qualifying income.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had interests in 17 hotels (the “17 Hotels”), currently held for investment. The Company’s third-party managers included the following:

	Number of Hotels
Subsidiaries of Marriott International, Inc. or Marriott Hotel Services, Inc. (collectively, “Marriott”)	6
Crestline Hotels & Resorts	2
Highgate Hotels L.P. and an affiliate	2
Hilton Worldwide	2
Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Inc.	2
Davidson Hotels & Resorts	1
Hyatt Corporation	1
Singh Hospitality, LLC	1
Total hotels owned as of December 31, 2020	17

The novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, along with federal, state and local government mandates have disrupted and are expected to continue to disrupt the Company’s business. In the United States, individuals are being encouraged to practice social distancing, are restricted from gathering in groups, and in some areas, either have been or are subject to mandatory shelter-in-place orders, which have restricted or prohibited social gatherings, travel and non-essential activities outside of their homes.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company temporarily suspended operations at 14 of the 17 Hotels during 2020, 12 of which have since resumed operations:

Hotel	Suspension Date	Resumption Date
Oceans Edge Resort & Marina	March 22, 2020	June 4, 2020
Embassy Suites Chicago	April 1, 2020	July 1, 2020
Marriott Boston Long Wharf	March 12, 2020	July 7, 2020
Hilton New Orleans St. Charles	March 28, 2020	July 13, 2020
Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile	April 6, 2020	July 13, 2020
JW Marriott New Orleans	March 28, 2020	July 14, 2020
Hilton San Diego Bayfront	March 23, 2020	August 11, 2020
Renaissance Washington DC	March 26, 2020	August 24, 2020
Hyatt Regency San Francisco	March 22, 2020	October 1, 2020
Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®	March 20, 2020	October 1, 2020
The Bidwell Marriott Portland	March 27, 2020	October 5, 2020
Wailea Beach Resort	March 25, 2020	November 1, 2020
Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile	March 27, 2020
Renaissance Westchester	April 4, 2020

The Company is unable to predict when any of its remaining hotels with temporarily suspended operations will resume their operations, or if those hotels that have resumed operations will be temporarily suspended again. The extent of the effects of the pandemic on the Company’s business and the hotel industry at large, however, will ultimately depend on future developments,

including, but not limited to, the duration and severity of the pandemic, how quickly and successfully effective vaccines and therapies are distributed and administered, as well as the length of time it takes for demand and pricing to return and normal economic and operating conditions to resume.