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Management Agreements and Leases
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Management Agreements and Leases  
Management Agreements and Leases

5. Management Agreements and Leases

        As of December 31, 2012, we owned or leased 289 hotels and 185 travel centers which are included in one of 12 operating agreements. We do not operate any of our properties.

        Our lease with Host for 53 hotels which we have historically referred to as our Marriott No. 1 agreement expired on December 31, 2012. As required upon the expiration of the agreement, we returned the $50,540 security deposit we held to Host. As of January 1, 2013, we leased these hotels to one of our TRSs and continued the previously existing hotel brand and management agreements with Marriott. This management agreement with Marriott expires in 2024. Because we no longer hold a security deposit for this agreement, the future minimum returns we receive from this agreement will depend exclusively upon the performance of the hotels.

        As of January 1, 2013, 285 of our hotels are leased to our TRSs and managed by an independent hotel operating company, one hotel is leased by one of our TRSs from a third party and managed by a hotel operating company and three hotels are leased to third parties. As of January 1, 2013, our hotel properties are managed by or leased to separate subsidiaries of InterContinental, Marriott, Hyatt, Carlson, Sonesta, Wyndham and Morgans under 10 agreements. Such hotel agreements have initial terms expiring between 2019 and 2103. Each of these agreements is for between one and 91 of our hotels. In general, the agreements contain renewal options for all, but not less than all, of the affected properties, and the renewal terms total range between 20 to 60 years. Most of these agreements generally require the third party manager or tenant to: (1) make payments to us of minimum returns or minimum rents; (2) deposit a percentage of total hotel sales into reserves established for the regular refurbishment of our hotels, or FF&E reserves; and (3) for our managed hotels, make payments to our TRSs of additional returns to the extent of available cash flow after payment of operating expenses, funding of the FF&E reserve, payment of our minimum return, payment of certain management fees and replenishment of security deposits or guarantees. Some of the third party managers or tenants or their affiliates have provided deposits or guarantees to secure their obligation to pay us.

        As of February 26, 2013, all payments due to us under our hotel leases and hotel management contracts were current except for certain payments from Marriott and InterContinental.

        Marriott No. 234 agreement.    During the year ended December 31, 2012, the payments we received under our Marriott No. 234 agreement, which requires annual minimum returns to us of $101,837, were $10,114 less than the minimum amounts contractually required. Pursuant to our Marriott No. 234 agreement, Marriott provided us with a limited guarantee for shortfalls up to 90% of our minimum returns. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Marriott provided $4,895 of guaranty payments to us. Also, during the period from December 31, 2012 to February 26, 2013, the payments we received for these hotels were $849 less than the contractual minimum returns due to us and Marriott provided $2,162 of guaranty payments to cover up to 90% of the minimum returns due to us. The balance of this guaranty was $ 23,815 as of February 26, 2013.

        We and Marriott previously identified 21 Marriott hotels included in our Marriott No. 234 agreement for potential sale. In May 2012, we announced we had entered agreements with Marriott to retain ownership of and renovate 18 of the 21 hotels. As discussed in Note 4, in July 2012 we sold one of these 21 hotels, a full service Marriott hotel in St. Louis, MO. We received net proceeds of $28,850 from the sale and our annual minimum returns under the Marriott No. 234 agreement were decreased by $2,597 when this hotel was sold. In August 2012, we removed the remaining two of the 21 hotels from the Marriott No. 234 agreement and converted them to the Sonesta ES Suites brand and Sonesta management. Our annual minimum returns under the Marriott No. 234 agreement were reduced by $990 when these two hotels were removed from the Marriott No. 234 agreement.

        The May 2012 agreements with Marriott provide that the FF&E reserve funding requirements for all hotels included in the Marriott No. 234 agreement are eliminated during 2012 (effective May 29, 2012 and retroactive to January 1, 2012), reduced in 2013 and 2014, and then increased in 2015 through the remaining agreement term of 2025. The May 2012 agreements with Marriott also provide that Marriott's limited guarantee of the minimum return amounts due to us under the Marriott No. 234 agreement will be extended through 2019.

        We currently expect to provide an aggregate of $123,000 of funding for renovations of certain of the hotels included in our Marriott No. 234 agreement. As of December 31, 2012, we have funded $78,000 and we currently expect to fund the remaining $45,000 during 2013. As we fund these improvements, the minimum return payable to us increases by 9% of the amount funded.

        InterContinental agreement.    During the year ended December 31, 2012, the payments we received under our agreement with InterContinental covering 91 hotels and requiring minimum returns to us of $135,159 were $29,354 less than the minimum amounts contractually required. We applied the available security deposit to cover these shortfalls. Also, during the period from December 31, 2012 to February 26, 2013, the minimum return payments we received under our InterContinental agreement were $8,978 less than the minimum amounts due to us. We applied the available security deposit to cover these shortfalls. The remaining balance of the security deposit was $17,487 as of February 26, 2013.

        When we reduce the amounts of the security deposits we hold for these agreements or any other operating agreements for payment deficiencies, we record income equal to the amounts by which these deposits are reduced up to the minimum return or minimum rent due to us. However, reducing the security deposits does not result in additional cash flow to us of the deficiency amounts, but reducing amounts of security deposits may reduce the refunds due to the respective lessees or managers who have provided us with these deposits upon expiration of the respective lease or management agreement. The security deposits are non-interest bearing and are not held in escrow. Under all of our hotel contracts that include a security deposit, any amount of the security deposits which are applied to payment deficits may be replenished from future cash flows from the applicable hotel operations pursuant to the terms of the respective contracts.

        Under the InterContinental agreement, we had the option to sell or rebrand up to 42 hotels included in the agreement. In April 2012, we and InterContinental agreed to retain three of the 42 hotels in the InterContinental agreement. We provided notices to InterContinental during the period from February 2012 to June 2012 that we planned to remove the remaining 39 of the 42 hotels from the InterContinental agreement. We entered into management agreements with Sonesta for 17 of these hotels, which were converted to Sonesta brands and management during the second and third quarters of 2012. As described below, in May 2012, we entered into an agreement with Wyndham a member of the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation for management of 20 of these 39 hotels. We converted these 20 hotels to Wyndham brands and management on August 1, 2012. In August 2012, we sold the remaining two of the 39 hotels for combined net proceeds of $5,354. Our annual minimum returns due under the InterContinental agreement were reduced by an aggregate of $34,990 when these 39 hotels were removed.

        We currently expect to provide an aggregate of $290,000 of funding for renovations of certain of the hotels included in our InterContinental agreement. As of December 31, 2012, we have funded $212,718 and we currently expect to fund the remaining $77,232 during 2013. As we fund these improvements, the minimum return payable to us increases by 8% of the amount funded.

        Sonesta agreements.    As described in Note 8, on January 31, 2012, we entered into two management agreements with Sonesta to manage our Cambridge Hotel and our New Orleans Hotel. The management agreement for our Cambridge Hotel, which is included in our Sonesta No. 1 agreement, provides that we are paid a fixed minimum return equal to 8% of our invested capital, as defined in the management agreement for our Cambridge Hotel, if gross revenues of the hotels, after payment of hotel operating expenses and base fees to Sonesta, are sufficient to do so. Under the terms of this agreement, we may earn additional returns of 80% of cash flow after payment of our minimum returns and reimbursement of operating losses or working capital advances, if any. We are required to fund operating losses or working capital shortfalls, but may recover these amounts from future cash flows, if any. As described above, during the second and third quarters of 2012, we removed 17 hotels from our InterContinental agreement and two hotels from our Marriott No. 234 agreement and converted them to Sonesta brands and management. We entered into hotel management agreements with Sonesta for these hotels and added them to our Sonesta No. 1 agreement. The terms of these management agreements are substantially the same as our Cambridge Hotel management agreement, except that in the case of limited service hotels the base management fee payable to Sonesta is 5% of gross revenues and our working capital required advance per room is less. In addition, in April 2012, we entered into a pooling agreement with Sonesta as further described in Note 8. Under the terms of the pooling agreement, results from the hotels included in our Sonesta No. 1 agreement are combined for purposes of calculating gross revenues, payment of hotel operating expenses, payment of fees and distributions and the calculation of minimum returns due to us. Our annual minimum returns as of December 31, 2012 for the 20 hotels included in the Sonesta No. 1 agreement were $37,081.

        In addition to recurring capital expenditures, we currently expect to provide an aggregate of $195,000 of funding for rebranding, renovations and other improvements to the 20 hotels included in our Sonesta No. 1 agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2012, we funded $11,280 for capital expenditures under this agreement. We currently expect to fund approximately $127,000 during 2013 and the remaining $56,720 in 2014, using existing cash balances or borrowings under our revolving credit facility. The annual minimum returns due to us under the Sonesta No. 1 agreement will increase to the extent amounts funded for these improvements exceed threshold amounts, as defined.

        We lease the New Orleans Hotel from a third party. The annual rent payable by us under the lease is calculated as 75% of the sum of the net profit of the hotel (hotel operating revenues less hotel operating expenses, including a 3% management fee to Sonesta), less capital expenditures made during the lease year. The management agreement for our New Orleans Hotel, which we refer to as our Sonesta No. 2 agreement, provides that we are paid all cash flow of the hotel after the payment of operating expenses, including a management fee to Sonesta and rent expense. We currently expect to fund approximately $2,000 during 2013 from this hotel's net profits.

        We do not have any security deposits or guarantees for our hotels managed by Sonesta. Sonesta's incentive management fees, but not its other fees, are only earned after we receive our minimum returns, and we may cancel these management agreements if approximately 75% of our minimum returns are not paid for certain periods. Accordingly, the returns we receive from hotels managed by Sonesta will depend exclusively upon the performance of those hotels.

        Wyndham agreement.    As described above, on May 21, 2012, we entered an agreement to rebrand 20 of our hotels which were managed by InterContinental to brands owned by Wyndham, which conversion occurred on August 1, 2012. All 20 hotels are being managed by Wyndham under a long term management contract with an initial term of 25 years and two renewal terms of 15 years each. Our initial annual minimum return under our Wyndham agreement for these 20 hotels was $9,240, and such payment is partially guaranteed by Wyndham. We plan to convert the hotels to the "Wyndham Hotels and Resorts" (four hotels) and "Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham" (16 hotels) brands.

        On November 1, 2012, we acquired the Hotel 71, a full service hotel in Chicago, IL for $85,000, excluding closing costs, and added it to our Wyndham agreement. We plan to convert this hotel to the "Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront" hotel. Upon completion of a planned renovation, the property will consist of 348 hotel rooms managed by Wyndham and 48 vacation club units leased to Wyndham Vacation Resorts, Inc., a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, or Wyndham Vacation. Our annual minimum returns under the Wyndham agreement increased by $5,800 and the limited guaranty provided by Wyndham increased by $9,000 upon closing of this hotel acquisition (and increased the annual payment limit to $14,500). The lease with Wyndham Vacation Resorts, Inc. provides for annual initial rent to us of $1,000 increasing 3% per annum.

        We currently expect to provide an aggregate of $93,000 of funding for renovations of certain of the hotels included in our Wyndham agreement. As of December 31, 2012, we have funded $8,985 and we currently expect to fund the remaining $84,015 during 2013. As we fund these improvements, the minimum return payable to us increases by 8% of the amount funded.

        Morgans agreement.    On December 19, 2012, we acquired the Clift Hotel, a full service hotel in San Francisco, CA for $120,000, excluding closing costs. This hotel is leased to a subsidiary of Morgans under a long term lease agreement that expires in 2103. The lease with Morgans provides for annual initial rent to us of $5,956. On October 14, 2014, the annual rent due to us will be increased based on changes in the consumer price index, or CPI, with a minimum increase of 20% and a maximum increase of 40% of the current rent amount as prescribed in the lease. On each fifth anniversary thereafter during the lease term, the rent due to us will be increased further based on changes in the CPI with minimum increases of 10% and maximum increases of 20%. Although the lease would qualify as a direct financing lease under GAAP, we account for this lease as an operating lease due to uncertainty regarding the collection of future rent and recognize rental income on a cash basis.

        TA agreements.    Our 185 travel centers are leased to and operated by separate subsidiaries of TA under two agreements. Our lease for 145 travel centers expires in 2022. Our lease for 40 travel centers expires in 2024 and has two 15 year renewal options. TA has guaranteed its subsidiary tenants' obligations under the leases. On January 31, 2011, we entered into an amendment agreement with TA which modified the terms of our two leases with TA. Our travel center leases with TA do not require FF&E escrow deposits. However, TA is required to maintain the leased travel centers, including structural and non-structural components. Under both our leases with TA, TA may request that we fund additional amounts for capital improvements to the leased facilities in return for minimum rent increases. However, TA is not obligated to request and we are not obligated to fund any such improvements. As we fund these improvements, the minimum rents payable to us increase. At December 31, 2012, we expect to fund approximately $80,000 for capital improvements to our travel center properties during 2013. See Note 8 for further information regarding our leases with TA.

        As of December 31, 2012, the average remaining current terms of our leases and management agreements, from parties other than our TRSs, weighted based on minimum returns or rents was approximately 16.3 years. As of December 31, 2012, our travel center and hotel leases provide for contractual minimum rents to be paid to us during the remaining current terms as follows:

2013

  $ 234,459  

2014

    234,589  

2015

    235,359  

2016

    235,442  

2017

    235,539  

Thereafter

    3,023,171  
       

Total

  $ 4,198,559  
       

        We settled all our outstanding claims with Prime Hospitality Corp., or Prime, a former manager, arising from its July 2003 lease default by entering a management agreement for our 24 AmeriSuites® hotels effective on January 1, 2004. We are amortizing the $44,281 balance of the retained deposits and the value of other property received from Prime pursuant to this settlement, into our income on a straight line basis over the initial 15 year term of the management contract for the affected hotels. The unamortized balance of $17,712 at December 31, 2012 is included in accounts payable and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. In October 2004, Prime was sold to the Blackstone Group, or Blackstone. In January 2005, Blackstone sold the AmeriSuites® brand and transferred operating responsibility for these hotels to Hyatt. We estimate that future amortization of the retained deposits and the value of other property as of December 31, 2012 will be approximately $2,952 per year through 2018.