Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Restricted Cash—Under certain management and debt agreements for our hotel properties existing at September 30, 2024, escrow payments are required for insurance, real estate taxes, and debt service. In addition, for certain properties based on the terms of the underlying debt and management agreements, we escrow generally 4% to 6% of gross revenues for capital

improvements. From time to time, the Company may work with its property managers and lenders in order to utilize lender and manager held reserves to fund operating shortfalls.

Franchise Fees—Under franchise agreements for our hotel properties existing at September 30, 2024, we pay franchisor royalty fees between 3% and 6% of gross rooms revenue and, in some cases, 1% to 3% of food and beverage revenues. Additionally, we pay fees for marketing, reservations, and other related activities aggregating between 1% and 4% of gross rooms revenue and, in some cases, food and beverage revenues. These franchise agreements expire on varying dates between 2025 and 2047. When a franchise term expires, the franchisor has no obligation to renew the franchise. In addition, if we breach the franchise agreement and the franchisor terminates a franchise prior to its expiration date, we may be liable for up to three times the average annual fees incurred for that property.

The table below summarizes the franchise fees incurred (in thousands):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
Line Item	2024		2023		2024		2023
Other hotel expenses	$	13,420	$	16,549	$	42,010	$	49,612

Management Fees—Under hotel management agreements for our hotel properties existing at September 30, 2024, we pay monthly hotel management fees equal to the greater of approximately $17,000 per hotel (increased annually based on consumer price index adjustments) or 3% of gross revenues, or in some cases 2% to 7% of gross revenues, as well as annual incentive management fees, if applicable. These hotel management agreements expire from 2025 through 2038, with renewal options. If we terminate a hotel management agreement prior to its expiration, we may be liable for estimated management fees through the remaining term and liquidated damages or, in certain circumstances, we may substitute a new management agreement.

Income Taxes—We and our subsidiaries file income tax returns in the federal jurisdiction and various states. Tax years 2019 through 2023 remain subject to potential examination by certain federal and state taxing authorities.

Litigation—Palm Beach Florida Hotel and Office Building Limited Partnership, et al. v. Nantucket Enterprises, Inc. This litigation involves a landlord tenant dispute from 2008. This litigation was resolved in 2017 with the determination and reimbursement of attorney’s fees being the only remaining dispute. The negotiations relating to the potential payment of the remaining attorneys’ fees remained open, pending the appeal of a contempt order against the Maraist Law Firm for failing to produce their fee records. We previously accrued approximately $504,000 in legal fees. In September 2024, a settlement was reached to resolve the prevailing party’s legal fees in the amount of $1.4 million. As a result an additional accrual of approximately $896,000 was recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, which is included in “other hotel expenses” on our consolidated statements of operations.

On December 20, 2016, a class action lawsuit was filed against one of the Company’s hotel management companies in the Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Contra Costa alleging violations of certain California employment laws, which class action affects nine hotels owned by subsidiaries of the Company. The court has entered an order granting class certification with respect to: (i) a statewide class of non-exempt employees of our manager who were allegedly deprived of rest breaks as a result of our manager’s previous written policy requiring its employees to stay on premises during rest breaks; and (ii) a derivative class of non-exempt former employees of our manager who were not paid for allegedly missed breaks upon separation from employment. Notices to potential class members were sent out on February 2, 2021. Potential class members had until April 4, 2021 to opt out of the class; however, the total number of employees in the class has not been definitively determined and is the subject of continuing discovery. The opt-out period has been extended until such time that discovery has concluded. In May 2023, the trial court requested additional briefing from the parties to determine whether the case should be maintained, dismissed, or the class de-certified. After submission of the briefs, the court requested that the parties submit stipulations for the court to rule upon. On February 13, 2024, the judge ordered the parties to submit additional briefing related to on-site breaks. The Court has ordered the parties to complete a second mediation no later than January 31, 2025. While we believe it is reasonably possible that we may incur a loss associated with this litigation, because there remains uncertainty under California law with respect to a significant legal issue, discovery relating to class members continues, and the trial judge retains discretion to award lower penalties than set forth in the applicable California employment laws, we do not believe that any potential loss to the Company is reasonably estimable at this time. As of September 30, 2024, no amounts have been accrued.

We are also engaged in other legal proceedings that have arisen but have not been fully adjudicated. To the extent the claims giving rise to these legal proceedings are not covered by insurance, they relate to the following general types of claims:

employment matters, tax matters and matters relating to compliance with applicable law (for example, the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state laws). The likelihood of loss from these legal proceedings is based on the definitions within contingency accounting literature. We recognize a loss when we believe the loss is both probable and reasonably estimable. Based on the information available to us relating to these legal proceedings and/or our experience in similar legal proceedings, we do not believe the ultimate resolution of these proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flow.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2023, we had a cyber incident that resulted in the potential exposure of certain personal information. We have completed an investigation and have identified certain information that may have been exposed and notified potentially impacted individuals pursuant to applicable state guidelines. All systems have been restored. We believe that we maintain a sufficient level of insurance coverage related to such events, and the related incremental costs incurred to date are immaterial. In February of 2024, two class action lawsuits were filed, one in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and a second in the 68th District Court for Dallas County related to the cyber incident. The lawsuit filed in the 68th District Court was subsequently dismissed and refiled in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. On March 12, 2024, the court ordered the two cases be consolidated. The consolidated case is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. On May 17, 2024, we filed a Motion to Dismiss the Consolidated Class Action Complaint, which is currently pending before the Court.

Our assessment may change depending upon the development of any current or future legal proceedings, and the final results of such legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. If we ultimately do not prevail in one or more of these legal matters, and the associated realized losses exceed our current estimates of the range of potential losses, our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows could be materially adversely affected in future periods.