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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, include the accounts of the Company, the Operating Partnership, the TRS Lessee, and their controlled subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. If the Company determines that it has an interest in a variable interest entity, the Company will consolidate the entity when it is determined to be the primary beneficiary of the entity.

The Company does not have any comprehensive income other than what is included in net income. If the Company has any comprehensive income in the future such that a statement of comprehensive income would be necessary, the Company will include such statement in one continuous consolidated statement of operations.

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date of issuance of these financial statements.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents includes cash on hand and in various bank accounts plus credit card receivables and all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less.

The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents and certain other financial instruments with various financial institutions. These financial institutions are located throughout the country and the Company’s policy is designed to limit exposure to any one institution. The Company performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of those financial institutions that are considered in the Company’s investment strategy. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company had amounts in banks that were in excess of federally insured amounts.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash is comprised of reserve accounts for debt service, interest reserves, seasonality reserves, capital replacements, ground leases, property taxes and hotel-generated cash that is held in an account for the benefit of a lender. These restricted funds are subject to disbursement approval based on in-place agreements and policies by certain of the Company’s lenders and/or hotel managers. In addition, restricted cash at December 31, 2020 includes $11.6 million held in escrow related to certain current and potential employee-related obligations in accordance with the assignment-in-lieu agreement between the Company and the mortgage holder of the Hilton Times Square (see Note 7). Restricted cash may also include earnest money received from a buyer or potential buyer of one of the Company’s hotels and held in escrow until either the sale is complete or subject to terms of the purchase and sale agreements.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable primarily represents receivables from hotel guests who occupy hotel rooms and utilize hotel services. Accounts receivable also includes, among other things, receivables from tenants who lease space in the Company’s hotels. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts sufficient to cover potential credit losses.

Acquisitions of Hotel Properties and Other Entities

Accounting for the acquisition of a hotel property or other entity requires an allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed in the transaction at their respective relative fair values for an asset acquisition or at their

estimated fair values for a business combination. The most difficult estimations of individual fair values are those involving long-lived assets, such as property, equipment and intangible assets, together with any finance or operating lease right-of-use assets and their related obligations. When the Company acquires a hotel property or other entity, it uses all available information to make these fair value determinations, and engages independent valuation specialists to assist in the fair value determinations of the long-lived assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. Due to the inherent subjectivity in determining the estimated fair value of long-lived assets, the Company believes that the recording of acquired assets and liabilities is a critical accounting policy.

In addition, the acquisition of a hotel property or other entity requires an analysis of the transaction to determine if it qualifies as the purchase of a business or an asset. If the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets, then the transaction is an asset acquisition. Transaction costs associated with asset acquisitions are capitalized and subsequently depreciated over the life of the related asset, while the same costs associated with a business combination are expensed as incurred and included in corporate overhead on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Also, asset acquisitions are not subject to a measurement period, as are business combinations.

Investments in Hotel Properties

Investments in hotel properties, including land, buildings, furniture, fixtures and equipment (“FF&E”) and identifiable intangible assets are recorded at fair value upon acquisition. Property and equipment purchased after the hotel acquisition date is recorded at cost. Replacements and improvements are capitalized, while repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Upon the sale or retirement of a fixed asset, the cost and related accumulated depreciation is removed from the Company’s accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in the statements of operations.

Depreciation expense is based on the estimated life of the Company’s assets. The life of the assets is based on a number of assumptions, including the cost and timing of capital expenditures to maintain and refurbish the Company’s hotels, as well as specific market and economic conditions. Hotel properties are depreciated using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives primarily ranging from five to 40 years for buildings and improvements and three to 12 years for FF&E. Finance lease right-of-use assets other than land are depreciated using the straight-line method over the shorter of either their estimated useful life or the life of the related finance lease obligation. Intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of their estimated useful life or the length of the related agreement.

The Company’s investment in hotel properties, net also includes initial franchise fees which are recorded at cost and amortized using the straight-line method over the terms of the franchise agreements ranging from 14 to 27 years. All other franchise fees that are based on the Company’s results of operations are expensed as incurred.

While the Company believes its estimates are reasonable, a change in the estimated lives could affect depreciation expense and net income or the gain or loss on the sale of any of the Company’s hotels. The Company has not changed the useful lives of any of its assets during the periods discussed.

Impairment losses are recorded on long-lived assets to be held and used by the Company when indicators of impairment are present and the future undiscounted net cash flows, including potential sale proceeds, expected to be generated by those assets, based on the Company’s anticipated investment horizon, are less than the assets’ carrying amount. The Company evaluates its long-lived assets to determine if there are indicators of impairment on a quarterly basis. No single indicator would necessarily result in the Company preparing an estimate to determine if a hotel’s future undiscounted cash flows are less than the book value of the hotel. The Company uses judgment to determine if the severity of any single indicator, or the fact there are a number of indicators of less severity that when combined, would result in an indication that a hotel requires an estimate of the undiscounted cash flows to determine if an impairment has occurred. If a hotel is considered to be impaired, the related assets are adjusted to their estimated fair value and an impairment loss is recognized. The impairment loss recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the estimated fair value of the assets. The Company performs a fair value assessment, using one or more discounted cash flow analyses to estimate the fair value of the hotel, taking into account the hotel’s expected cash flow from operations, the Company’s estimate of how long it will own the hotel and the estimated proceeds from the disposition of the hotel. When multiple cash flow analyses are prepared, a probability is assigned to each cash flow analysis based upon the estimated likelihood of each scenario occurring. The factors addressed in determining estimated proceeds from disposition include anticipated operating cash flow in the year of disposition and terminal capitalization rate. The Company’s judgment is required in determining the discount rate applied to estimated cash flows, the estimated growth of revenues and expenses, net operating income and margins, the need for capital expenditures, as well as specific market and economic conditions. Based on the Company’s review, three hotels were impaired in 2020, one hotel was impaired in 2019 and two hotels were impaired in 2018 (see Note 5).

Fair value represents the amount at which an asset could be bought or sold in a current transaction between willing parties, that is, other than a forced or liquidation sale. The estimation process involved in determining if assets have been impaired and in the determination of fair value is inherently uncertain because it requires estimates of current market yields as well as future events and

conditions. Such future events and conditions include economic and market conditions, as well as the availability of suitable financing. The realization of the Company’s investment in hotel properties is dependent upon future uncertain events and conditions and, accordingly, the actual timing and amounts realized by the Company may be materially different from their estimated fair values.

Assets Held for Sale

The Company considers a hotel held for sale if it is probable that the sale will be completed within twelve months, among other requirements. A sale is considered to be probable once the buyer completes its due diligence of the asset, there is an executed purchase and sale agreement between the Company and the buyer, the buyer waives any closing contingencies, there are no third-party approvals necessary and the Company has received a substantial non-refundable deposit. Depreciation ceases when a property is held for sale. Should an impairment loss be required for assets held for sale, the related assets are adjusted to their estimated fair values, less costs to sell. If the sale of the hotel represents a strategic shift that will have a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results, the hotel qualifies as a discontinued operation, and operating results are removed from income from continuing operations and reported as discontinued operations. The operating results for any such assets for any prior periods presented must also be reclassified as discontinued operations. No hotels were considered held for sale as of either December 31, 2020 or 2019.

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred financing costs consist of loan fees and other financing costs related to the Company’s outstanding indebtedness and credit facility commitments, and are amortized to interest expense over the terms of the related debt or commitment. If a loan is refinanced or paid before its maturity, any unamortized deferred financing costs will generally be expensed unless specific rules are met that would allow for the carryover of such costs to the refinanced debt.

Deferred financing costs related to the Company’s undrawn credit facility are included on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as an asset, and are amortized ratably over the term of the line of credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line of credit arrangement. Deferred financing costs related to the Company’s outstanding debt are included on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as a contra-liability (see Note 7), and subsequently amortized ratably over the term of the related debt.

Interest Rate Derivatives

The Company’s objective in holding interest rate derivatives is to manage its exposure to the interest rate risks related to its floating rate debt. To accomplish this objective, the Company uses interest rate caps and swaps, none of which qualifies for effective hedge accounting treatment. The Company records interest rate caps and swaps on the balance sheet at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recorded each period in the consolidated statements of operations.

Finance and Operating Leases

The Company determines if a contract is a lease at inception. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet. Expense for these short-term leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For leases with an initial term greater than 12 months, the Company records a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and a corresponding lease obligation. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease obligations represent the Company’s obligation to make fixed lease payments as stipulated by the lease. The Company has elected to not separate lease components from nonlease components, resulting in the Company accounting for lease and nonlease components as one single lease component.

Leases are accounted for using a dual approach, classifying leases as either operating or financing based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase of the leased asset by the Company. This classification determines whether the lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease for operating leases or based on an effective interest method for finance leases.

Operating lease ROU assets are recognized at the lease commencement date, and include the amount of the initial operating lease obligation, any lease payments made at or before the commencement date, excluding any lease incentives received, and any initial direct costs incurred. For leases that have extension options that the Company can exercise at its discretion, management uses judgment to determine if it is reasonably certain that the Company will in fact exercise such option. If the extension option is reasonably certain to occur, the Company includes the extended term’s lease payments in the calculation of the respective lease liability. None of the Company’s leases contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

Operating lease obligations are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”) based on information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments over the lease term. The

IBR is the rate of interest that a lessee would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment. In order to estimate the Company’s IBR, the Company first looks to its own unsecured debt offerings, and adjusts the rate for both length of term and secured borrowing using available market data as well as consultations with leading national financial institutions that are active in the issuance of both secured and unsecured notes.

The Company reviews its right-of-use assets for indicators of impairment. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the related assets are adjusted to their estimated fair value and an impairment loss is recognized. The impairment loss recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the estimated fair value of the assets. Based on the Company’s review, the operating lease right-of-use asset at one hotel was impaired during 2020 (see Note 5).

Noncontrolling Interest

The Company’s consolidated financial statements include an entity in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. Noncontrolling interest is the portion of equity (net assets) in a subsidiary not attributable, directly or indirectly, to a parent. Such noncontrolling interest is reported on the consolidated balance sheets within equity, separately from the Company’s equity. On the consolidated statements of operations, revenues, expenses, and net income or loss from the less-than-wholly-owned subsidiary are reported at their consolidated amounts, including both the amounts attributable to the Company and the noncontrolling interest. Income or loss is allocated to the noncontrolling interest based on its weighted average ownership percentage for the applicable period. The consolidated statements of equity include beginning balances, activity for the period and ending balances for each component of stockholders’ equity, noncontrolling interest and total equity.

At December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the noncontrolling interest reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements consisted of a third-party’s 25.0% ownership interest in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to hotel guests, which is generally defined as the date upon which a guest occupies a room and/or utilizes the hotel’s services. Room revenue and other occupancy based fees are recognized over a guest’s stay at a previously agreed upon daily rate. Additionally, some of the Company’s hotel rooms are booked through independent internet travel intermediaries. If the guest pays the independent internet travel intermediary directly, revenue for the room is recognized by the Company at the price the Company sold the room to the independent internet travel intermediary, less any discount or commission paid. If the guest pays the Company directly, revenue for the room is recognized by the Company on a gross basis, with the related discount or commission recognized in room expense. A majority of the Company’s hotels participate in frequent guest programs sponsored by the hotel brand owners whereby the hotel allows guests to earn loyalty points during their hotel stay. The Company expenses charges associated with these programs as incurred, and recognizes revenue at the amount it will receive from the brand when a guest redeems their loyalty points by staying at one of the Company’s hotels. In addition, some contracts for rooms or food and beverage services require an advance deposit, which the Company records as deferred revenue (or a contract liability) and recognizes once the performance obligations are satisfied. Cancellation fees and attrition fees, which are charged to groups when they do not fulfill their contracted minimum number of room nights or minimum food and beverage spending requirements, are typically recognized as revenue in the period the Company determines it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of revenue recognized will not occur, which is generally the period in which these fees are collected.

Food and beverage revenue and other ancillary services revenue are generated when a customer chooses to purchase goods or services separately from a hotel room. These revenue streams are recognized during the time the goods or services are provided to the customer at the amount the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. For those ancillary services provided by third parties, the Company assesses whether it is the principal or the agent. If the Company is the principal, revenue is recognized based upon the gross sales price. If the Company is the agent, revenue is recognized based upon the commission earned from the third party.

Additionally, the Company collects sales, use, occupancy and other similar taxes at its hotels. These taxes are collected from customers at the time of purchase, but are not included in revenue. The Company records a liability upon collection of such taxes from the customer, and relieves the liability when payments are remitted to the applicable governmental agency.

Trade receivables and contract liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

December 31,

December 31,

2020

2019

Trade receivables, net (1)

$

8,110

$

21,201

Contract liabilities (2)

$

16,815

$

18,498

(1)Trade receivables are included in accounts receivable, net on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
(2)Contract liabilities consist of advance deposits and are included in either other current liabilities or other liabilities on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

During 2020 and 2019, the Company recognized revenue of approximately $10.2 million and $16.7 million, respectively, related to its outstanding contract liabilities.

Advertising and Promotion Costs

Advertising and promotion costs are expensed when incurred. Advertising and promotion costs represent the expense for advertising and reservation systems under the terms of the hotel franchise and brand management agreements and general and administrative expenses that are directly attributable to advertising and promotions.

Stock Based Compensation

Compensation expense related to awards of restricted shares are measured at fair value on the date of grant and amortized over the relevant requisite service period or derived service period.

Income Taxes

The Company is subject to certain state and local taxes on its income and property, and to federal income and excise taxes on its undistributed taxable income. In addition, the TRS Lessee, which leases the Company’s hotels from the Operating Partnership, is subject to federal and state income taxes. The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective income tax bases, and for net operating loss, capital loss and tax credit carryforwards. The deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted income tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be realized or settled. The effect on the deferred tax assets and liabilities from a change in tax rates is recognized in earnings in the period when the new rate is enacted. However, deferred tax assets are recognized only to the extent that it is more likely than not that they will be realized based on consideration of all available evidence, including the future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, future projected taxable income and tax planning strategies. Valuation allowances are provided if, based upon the weight of the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

The Company reviews any uncertain tax positions and, if necessary, records the expected future tax consequences of uncertain tax positions in its consolidated financial statements. Tax positions not deemed to meet the “more-likely-than-not” threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. The Company’s management is required to analyze all open tax years, as defined by the statute of limitations, for all major jurisdictions, which includes federal and certain states.

The Company recognizes any penalties and interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense in its consolidated statements of operations.

Dividends

Under current federal income tax laws related to REITs, the Company is required to distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. Currently, the Company pays quarterly cash dividends to the preferred stockholders of its 6.95% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (“Series E preferred stock”) and its 6.45% Series F Cumulative Preferred Stock (“Series F preferred stock”) as declared by the Company’s board of directors. At this time, the Company does not expect to pay a quarterly dividend on its common stock during 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s negative effect on the Company’s income. The resumption in quarterly common dividends will be determined by the Company’s board of directors after considering the Company’s obligations under its various financing agreements, projected taxable income, compliance with its debt covenants, long-term operating projections, expected capital requirements and risks affecting its business. The Company’s ability to pay dividends is dependent on the receipt of distributions from the Operating Partnership.

Earnings Per Share

The Company applies the two-class method when computing its earnings per share. Net income per share for each class of stock is calculated assuming all of the Company’s net income is distributed as dividends to each class of stock based on their contractual rights.

Unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents (whether paid or unpaid) are considered participating securities and are included in the computation of earnings per share.

Basic earnings (loss) attributable to common stockholders per common share is computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each period. Diluted earnings (loss) attributable to common stockholders per common share is computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each period, plus potential common shares considered outstanding during the period, as long as the inclusion of such awards is not anti-dilutive. Potential common shares consist of unvested restricted stock awards, using the more dilutive of either the two-class method or the treasury stock method.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted (loss) earnings per common share (in thousands, except per share data):

    

Year Ended

    

Year Ended

    

Year Ended

 

December 31, 2020

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

 

Numerator:

Net (loss) income

$

(410,506)

$

142,793

$

259,059

Loss (income) from consolidated joint venture attributable to noncontrolling interest

 

5,817

 

(7,060)

 

(8,614)

Preferred stock dividends

 

(12,830)

 

(12,830)

 

(12,830)

Distributions paid on unvested restricted stock compensation

 

(69)

 

(901)

 

(814)

Undistributed income allocated to unvested restricted stock compensation

 

 

 

(422)

Numerator for basic and diluted (loss) income attributable to common stockholders

$

(417,588)

$

122,002

$

236,379

Denominator:

Weighted average basic and diluted common shares outstanding

 

215,934

 

225,681

 

225,924

Basic and diluted (loss) income attributable to common stockholders per common share

$

(1.93)

$

0.54

$

1.05

The Company’s unvested restricted shares associated with its long-term incentive plan have been excluded from the above calculation of earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.

Segment Reporting

The Company considers each of its hotels to be an operating segment, and allocates resources and assesses the operating performance for each hotel. Because all of the Company’s hotels have similar economic characteristics, facilities and services, the hotels have been aggregated into a single reportable segment, hotel ownership.

New Accounting Standards and Accounting Changes

In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU No. 2016-13”), which replaced the “incurred loss” approach with an “expected loss” model for instruments measured at amortized cost. For trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans, and other instruments, entities will be required to use a new forward looking “expected loss” model that generally will result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. In addition, entities will have to disclose significantly more information, including information they use to track credit quality by year of origination for most financing receivables. In both November 2019 and November 2018, the FASB issued codification improvements to ASU No. 2016-13, including Accounting Standards Update No. 2019-11 (“ASU No. 2019-11”) in 2019 and Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-19 (“ASU No. 2018-19”) in 2018. ASU No. 2019-11 includes an amendment requiring entities to include certain expected recoveries of the amortized cost basis previously written

off, or expected to be written off, in the allowance for credit losses for purchased credit deteriorated assets. ASU No. 2018-19 clarifies that operating lease receivables accounted for under ASC 842 are not in the scope of ASU No. 2016-13. The Company adopted all three of these ASUs on January 1, 2020, with no material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In March 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting” (“ASU No. 2020-04”), which provides temporary optional expedients and exceptions to the guidance in GAAP on contract modifications and hedge accounting to ease reporting burdens related to the expected market transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). Contracts that meet the following criteria are eligible for relief from the modification accounting requirements in GAAP: the contract references LIBOR or another rate that is expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform; the modified terms directly replace or have the potential to replace the reference rate that is expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform; and any contemporaneous changes to other terms that change or have the potential to change the amount and timing of contractual cash flows must be related to the replacement of the reference rate. For a contract that meets the criteria, the guidance generally allows an entity to account for and present modifications as an event that does not require contract remeasurement at the modification date or reassessment of a previous accounting determination. That is, the modified contract is accounted for as a continuation of the existing contract. ASU No. 2020-04 is effective upon issuance, and is applied prospectively from any date beginning March 12, 2020. The relief is temporary and generally cannot be applied to contract modifications that occur after December 31, 2022. The Company intends to take advantage of the expedients offered by ASU No. 2020-04 when it modifies its variable rate debt, which includes the Company’s $220.0 million loan secured by the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, its credit facility and its unsecured term loans. The adoption of ASU No. 2020-04 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.