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Related Party Transactions
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2023
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions Related Party Transactions
Ashford Inc.
Advisory Agreement
Ashford LLC, a subsidiary of Ashford Inc., acts as our advisor. Our chairman, Mr. Monty J. Bennett, also serves as chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Ashford Inc.
Under our advisory agreement, we pay advisory fees to Ashford LLC. Advisory fees consist of base fees and incentive fees. We pay a monthly base fee in an amount equal to 1/12 of (i) 0.70% of the Total Market Capitalization (as defined in our advisory agreement) of the Company for the prior month, plus (ii) the Net Asset Fee Adjustment (as defined in our advisory agreement), if any, on the last day of the prior month during which the advisory agreement was in effect; provided, however in no event shall the Base Fee (as defined in our advisory agreement) for any month be less than the Minimum Base Fee as provided by the advisory agreement. The Company shall pay the Base Fee or the Minimum Base Fee (as defined in our advisory agreement) on the fifth business day of each month.
The Minimum Base Fee for Ashford Trust for each quarter beginning January 1, 2021 is equal to the greater of:
(i) ninety percent (90%) of the base fee paid for the same month in the prior fiscal year and
(ii) 1/12th of the G&A Ratio (as defined in the advisory agreement) for the most recently completed fiscal quarter multiplied by the Company’s Total Market Capitalization.
We are also required to pay Ashford LLC an incentive fee that is measured annually (or for a stub period if the advisory agreement is terminated at other than year-end). In each year that the Company’s total shareholder return exceeds the average total shareholder return for the peer group, the Company shall pay to Ashford LLC an incentive fee. The incentive fee, if any, subject to the Fixed Coverage Charge Ratio Condition (as defined in the advisory agreement), shall be payable in arrears in three equal annual installments.
We also reimburse Ashford LLC for certain reimbursable overhead and internal audit, risk management advisory and asset management services, as specified in the advisory agreement. We also record equity-based compensation expense for equity grants of common stock and LTIP units awarded to officers and employees of Ashford LLC in connection with providing advisory services.
The following table summarizes the advisory services fees incurred (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
2023202220232022
Advisory services fee
Base advisory fee$8,249 $8,613 $16,718 $17,348 
Reimbursable expenses (1)
3,065 2,364 6,292 4,935 
Equity-based compensation (2)
955 1,451 2,245 3,380 
Incentive fee— (151)— — 
Total advisory services fee$12,269 $12,277 $25,255 $25,663 
________
(1)Reimbursable expenses include overhead, internal audit, risk management advisory, asset management services and deferred cash awards.
(2)    Equity-based compensation is associated with equity grants of Ashford Trust’s common stock, LTIP units and Performance LTIP units awarded to officers and employees of Ashford LLC.
Pursuant to the Company’s hotel management agreements with each hotel management company, the Company bears the economic burden for casualty insurance coverage. Under the advisory agreement, Ashford Inc. secures casualty insurance policies to cover Ashford Trust, Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. (“Braemar”), their hotel managers, as needed, and Ashford Inc. The total loss estimates included in such policies are based on the collective pool of risk exposures from each party. Ashford Inc.’s risk management department manages the casualty insurance program. Each year Ashford Inc.’s risk management department collects funds from Ashford Trust, Braemar and their respective hotel management companies, to fund the casualty insurance program as needed, on an allocated basis.
On September 27, 2022, an agreement was entered into by Ashford Inc., Ashford Trust and Braemar pursuant to which the Advisor is to implement the REITs cash management strategies. This will include actively managing the REITs excess cash by primarily investing in short-term U.S. Treasury securities. The annual fee is 20 bps of the average daily balance of the funds managed by the advisor and is payable monthly in arrears.
Due to Ashford Inc., net as of June 30, 2023, includes a $1.2 million security deposit paid to Remington Hotel Corporation (“RHC”) for office space allocated to us under our advisory agreement. It will be held as security for the payment of our allocated share of office space rental. If unused it will be returned to us upon lease expiration or earlier termination. As of December 31, 2022, RHC was indirectly owned by Mr. Monty J. Bennett and Mr. Archie Bennett, Jr. and the $1.2 million security deposit was included in “due from related parties, net.” On January 3, 2023, Ashford Inc. acquired RHC. On March 15, 2022, we entered into a Limited Waiver Under Advisory Agreement (the “2022 Limited Waiver”) with Ashford Trust OP, Ashford TRS, Ashford Inc. and Ashford LLC. The Company, Ashford Trust OP, Ashford TRS and the Advisor are parties to the Second Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement, which (i) allocates responsibility for certain employee costs between us and our advisor and (ii) permits our board of directors to issue annual equity awards in the Company or Ashford Trust OP to employees and other representatives of our advisor based on achievement by the Company of certain financial or other objectives or otherwise as our board of directors sees fit. Pursuant to the 2022 Limited Waiver, the Company, Ashford Trust OP, Ashford TRS and the Advisor waived the operation of any provision in the advisory agreement that would otherwise have limited our ability, in our discretion and at our cost and expense, to award during the first and second fiscal quarters of calendar year 2022 cash incentive compensation to employees and other representatives of our advisor;
provided that such awarded cash incentive compensation does not exceed $8.5 million, in the aggregate, during the waiver period.
On March 2, 2023, we entered into a second Limited Waiver Under Advisory Agreement (the “2023 Limited Waiver”) with Ashford Trust OP, Ashford TRS, Ashford Inc. and Ashford LLC. Pursuant to the 2023 Limited Waiver, the Company, Ashford Trust OP, Ashford TRS and the Advisor waived the operation of any provision in the advisory agreement that would otherwise limit our ability, in our discretion and at our cost and expense, to award during the first and second fiscal quarters of calendar year 2023 cash incentive compensation to employees and other representatives of our advisor; provided that such awarded cash incentive compensation does not exceed $13.1 million, in the aggregate, during the waiver period.
Lismore
We engage Lismore or its subsidiaries to provide debt placement services and assist with loan modifications on our behalf.
On March 20, 2020, Lismore Capital II LLC (“Lismore”), a subsidiary of Ashford Inc., entered into an agreement with the Company to seek modifications, forbearances or refinancings of the Company’s loans (as amended and restated on July 1, 2020, the “Lismore Agreement”). For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recognized expense of $0 and $643,000, which is included in “write off of premium, loan costs and exit fees.” The Lismore Agreement expired on April 6, 2022.
During June 2023, we entered into various 12-month agreements with Lismore to seek modifications or refinancings of certain mortgage loans of the Company. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, we incurred fees of approximately $525,000 to Lismore in nonrefundable work fees. The unamortized fees are included in “other assets” on the consolidated balance sheet, and are amortized on a straight line basis over the term of the agreements.
In addition to the above agreements, we incurred fees from Lismore of $511,000 and $906,000 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively and $690,000 and $690,000 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively.
Ashford Securities
On December 31, 2020, an Amended and Restated Contribution Agreement (the “Amended and Restated Contribution Agreement”) was entered into by Ashford Inc., Ashford Trust and Braemar (collectively, the “Parties” and each individually a “Party”) with respect to funding certain expenses of Ashford Securities LLC, a subsidiary of Ashford Inc. (“Ashford Securities”). Beginning on the effective date of the Amended and Restated Contribution Agreement, costs were allocated 50% to Ashford Inc., 50% to Braemar and 0% to Ashford Trust. Upon reaching the earlier of $400 million in aggregate preferred equity offerings raised, or June 10, 2023, there will be a true up (the “Amended and Restated True-up Date”) among Ashford Inc., Ashford Trust and Braemar whereby the actual amount contributed by each company will be based on the actual amount of capital raised by Ashford Inc., Ashford Trust and Braemar, respectively, through Ashford Securities (the resulting ratio of contributions among the Parties, the “Initial True-up Ratio”). On January 27, 2022, Ashford Trust, Braemar and Ashford Inc. entered into a Second Amended and Restated Contribution Agreement which provided for an additional $18 million in expenses to be reimbursed with all expenses allocated 45% to Ashford Trust, 45% to Braemar and 10% to Ashford Inc.
On February 1, 2023, Ashford Trust entered into a Third Amended and Restated Contribution Agreement with Ashford Inc. and Braemar. The Third Amended and Restated Contribution Agreement states that after the Amended and Restated True-Up Date occurs, capital contributions for the remainder of fiscal year 2023 will be divided between each Party based on the Initial True-Up Ratio. Thereafter on a yearly basis at year-end, starting with the year-end of 2023, there will be a true-up between the Parties whereby there will be adjustments so that the capital contributions made by each Party will be based on the cumulative amount of capital raised by each Party through Ashford Securities as a percentage of the total amount raised by the Parties collectively through Ashford Securities since June 10, 2019 (the resulting ratio of capital contributions among the Company, Ashford Inc. and Braemar following this true-up, the “Cumulative Ratio”). Thereafter, the capital contributions will be divided among each Party in accordance with the Cumulative Ratio, as recalculated at the end of each year.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the funding estimate was revised based on the latest capital raise estimates of the aggregate capital raised through Ashford Securities. As of December 31, 2022, Ashford Trust had funded approximately $6.2 million of which $126,000 of the pre-funded amount was included in “other assets” and $5.9 million was included in “due from Ashford Inc., net” on our consolidated balance sheet. In March 2023, Ashford Inc. paid $6.1 million to Ashford Trust as a result of the contribution true-up between the entities described above. As of June 30, 2023, Ashford Trust has funded
approximately $153,000 and has a $1.2 million payable that is included in “due to Ashford Inc., net” on our consolidated balance sheet.
The table below summarizes the amount Ashford Trust has expensed related to reimbursed operating expenses of Ashford Securities (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
Line Item2023202220232022
Corporate, general and administrative$981 $664 $1,100 $1,191 
Design and Construction Services
Premier Project Management LLC (“Premier”), as a subsidiary of Ashford Inc., provides design and construction services to our hotels, including construction management, interior design, architectural services, and the purchasing, freight management, and supervision of installation of FF&E and related services. Pursuant to the design and construction services agreement, we pay Premier: (a) design and construction fees of up to 4% of project costs; and (b) market service fees at current market rates with respect to construction management, interior design, FF&E purchasing, FF&E expediting/freight management, FF&E warehousing and FF&E installation and supervision.
Hotel Management Services
At June 30, 2023, Remington Hospitality managed 68 of our 100 hotel properties and the WorldQuest condominium properties.
We pay monthly hotel management fees equal to the greater of approximately $16,000 per hotel (increased annually based on consumer price index adjustments) or 3% of gross revenues as well as annual incentive management fees, if certain operational criteria were met, and other general and administrative expense reimbursements primarily related to accounting services.