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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
The Company is not a party to any litigation other than litigation in the ordinary course of business. The Company's management and legal counsel do not expect that the ultimate outcome of any of its current legal proceedings, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
Contingencies
The Company entered into various limited payment guaranties with regards to the Company’s VIEs in order to support their efforts to develop and own hotels that are franchised under the Company’s brands. Under these limited payment guaranties, the Company has agreed to guarantee a portion of the outstanding debt until certain conditions are met, such as (a) the loan matures, (b) certain debt covenants are achieved, (c) the maximum amount guaranteed by the Company is paid in full, or (d) the Company, through its affiliates, ceases to be a member of the VIE. As of September 30, 2024, the maximum unrecorded exposure of the principal associated with these limited payment guaranties was $17.6 million, plus unpaid expenses and accrued but unpaid interest. The Company believes the likelihood of having to perform under these guaranties is remote. In the event of performance, the Company has recourse for certain of the guaranties in the form of partial guaranties from third parties.
Commitments
The Company had the following outstanding commitments as of September 30, 2024:
As part of the acquisition of Radisson Hotels Americas in August 2022, the Company entered into a long-term management arrangement, with an expiration date of July 31, 2031, to manage hotels owned by a third-party. As of September 30, 2024, the Company managed seven hotels pursuant to the long-term management arrangement. In conjunction with the management arrangement, the Company entered into a guarantee with the third-party to fund any shortfalls in the payment of the third-party owner’s priority that is stipulated in the management agreement. The maximum guarantee under the agreement is $22 million. The Company believes the future performance of the hotels is expected to be sufficient on both an annual basis and over the duration of the agreement. Accordingly, no liability was recognized as of September 30, 2024 in the consolidated balance sheets.
The Company strategically deploys capital in the form of franchise agreement acquisition cost payments across our brands to incentivize franchise development. These payments are typically made at the commencement of construction or the hotel's opening, in accordance with agreed upon provisions in the individual franchise agreements. The timing and the amount of the franchise agreement acquisition cost payments are dependent on various factors, including the implementation of various development and brand incentive programs, the level of franchise sales, and the ability of our franchisees to complete construction or convert their hotels to one of the Company’s brands.
The Company has committed to provide financing in the form of loans or credit facilities to franchisees for brand development efforts. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had remaining commitments of up to $7.3 million, if certain conditions are met.
The Company’s franchise agreements require the payment of franchise fees, which include marketing and reservation system fees. In accordance with the terms of our franchise agreements, the Company is obligated to use the marketing and reservation system revenues it collects from the current franchisees to provide marketing and reservation services that are appropriate to support the operation of the overall system. To the extent the revenues collected exceed the expenditures incurred, the Company has a commitment to the franchisee system to make expenditures in future years. Conversely, to the extent the expenditures incurred exceed the revenues collected, the Company has the contractual enforceable right to assess and collect such amounts from the franchisees.
In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into numerous agreements that contain standard indemnities whereby the Company indemnifies another party for breaches of representations and warranties. Such indemnifications are granted under various agreements, including those governing (i) purchases or sales of assets or businesses, (ii) leases of real estate, (iii) licensing of trademarks, (iv) access to credit facilities, (v) issuances of debt or equity securities, and (vi) certain operating agreements. The indemnifications issued are for the benefit of the (i) buyers in sale agreements and sellers in purchase agreements, (ii) landlords in lease contracts, (iii) franchisees in licensing agreements, (iv) financial institutions in credit facility arrangements, (v) underwriters in debt or equity security issuances, and (vi) parties under certain operating agreements. In addition, these parties are also generally indemnified against any third-party claim resulting from the transaction that is contemplated in the underlying agreement. While some of these indemnities extend only for the duration of the underlying agreement, many survive the expiration of the term of the agreement or extend into perpetuity (unless subject to a legal statute of limitations). There are no specific limitations on the maximum potential amount of the future payments that the Company could be required to make under these indemnities, nor is the Company able to develop an estimate of the maximum potential amount of the future payments that could be made under these indemnifications as the triggering events are not subject to predictability. With respect to certain of the aforementioned indemnities, such as the indemnifications of the landlords against third-party claims for the use of real estate property leased by the Company, the Company maintains insurance coverage that mitigates any potential liability.