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Organization and Description of Business
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Description of Business Organization and Description of Business
Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc., together with its subsidiaries (“Braemar”), is a Maryland corporation that invests primarily in high revenue per available room (“RevPAR”) luxury hotels and resorts. High RevPAR, for purposes of our investment strategy, means RevPAR of at least twice the then-current U.S. national average RevPAR for all hotels as determined by Smith Travel Research. Braemar has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Braemar conducts its business and owns substantially all of its assets through its operating partnership, Braemar Hospitality Limited Partnership (“Braemar OP”). In this report, the terms the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refers to Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. and, as the context may require, all entities included in its condensed consolidated financial statements.
We are advised by Ashford Hospitality Advisors LLC (“Ashford LLC” or the “Advisor”) through an advisory agreement. Ashford LLC is a subsidiary of Ashford Inc. All of the hotel properties in our portfolio are currently asset-managed by Ashford LLC. We do not have any employees. All of the services that might be provided by employees are provided to us by Ashford LLC.
We do not operate any of our hotel properties directly; instead we employ hotel management companies to operate them for us under management contracts. Remington Hotels, a subsidiary of Ashford Inc. after November 6, 2019, manages three of our thirteen hotel properties. Third-party management companies manage the remaining hotel properties.
Ashford Inc. also provides other products and services to us or our hotel properties through certain entities in which Ashford Inc. has an ownership interest. These products and services include, but are not limited to project management services, debt placement services, broker-dealer and distribution services, audio visual services, real estate advisory services, insurance claims services, hypoallergenic premium rooms, watersport activities, travel/transportation services and mobile key technology.
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries of Braemar OP that as of June 30, 2020, own thirteen hotel properties in six states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands (“USVI”). The portfolio includes eleven wholly-owned hotel properties and two hotel properties that are owned through a partnership in which Braemar OP has a controlling interest. These hotel properties represent 3,722 total rooms, or 3,487 net rooms, excluding those attributable to our partner. As a REIT, Braemar is required to comply with limitations imposed by the Internal Revenue Code related to operating hotels. As of June 30, 2020, twelve of our thirteen hotel properties were leased by wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries that are treated as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”) for federal income tax purposes (collectively the TRS entities are referred to as “Braemar TRS”). One hotel property, located in the USVI, is owned by our USVI TRS. Braemar TRS then engages third-party or affiliated hotel management companies to operate the hotel properties under management contracts. Hotel operating results related to the hotel properties are included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.
As of June 30, 2020, ten of the thirteen hotel properties were leased by Braemar’s wholly-owned TRS and the two hotel properties majority-owned through a consolidated partnership were leased to a TRS wholly-owned by such consolidated partnership. Each leased hotel is leased under a percentage lease that provides for each lessee to pay in each calendar month the base rent plus, in each calendar quarter, percentage rent, if any, based on hotel revenues. Lease revenue from Braemar TRS is eliminated in consolidation. The hotel properties are operated under management contracts with Marriott International, Inc. (“Marriott”), Hilton Worldwide (“Hilton”), Accor Management US Inc. (“Accor”), Hyatt Hotels Corporation (“Hyatt”), Ritz-Carlton, Inc., a subsidiary of Marriott (“Ritz-Carlton”) and Remington Hotels, which are eligible independent contractors under the Internal Revenue Code.
COVID-19, Management’s Plans and Liquidity
In December 2019, COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China, which subsequently spread to other regions of the world, and has resulted in significant travel restrictions and extended shutdown of numerous businesses in every state in the United States. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. Since late February 2020, we have experienced a significant decline in occupancy and RevPAR and we expect the significant occupancy and RevPAR declines associated with COVID-19 to continue as we are experiencing significant reservation cancellations as well as a significant reduction in new reservations. The prolonged presence of the virus has resulted in health and other government authorities imposing widespread restrictions on travel and other businesses. The hotel industry and our portfolio have experienced the postponement or cancellation of a significant number of business conferences and similar events. Following the government mandates and health official orders in March 2020, the Company temporarily suspended operations at 11 of its 13 hotels and dramatically reduced staffing and expenses at its hotels that remained operational. As of June 30, 2020, operations at two of the Company’s hotels remain
temporarily suspended. COVID-19 has had a significant negative impact on the Company’s operations and financial results to date. The full financial impact of the reduction in hotel demand caused by the pandemic and suspension of operations at the Company’s hotels cannot be reasonably estimated at this time due to uncertainty as to its severity and duration. The Company expects that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a significant negative impact on the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flow for at least the remainder of 2020 and into 2021. As a result, in March 2020, the Company fully drew down on its $75 million secured revolving credit facility, which was later converted into a term loan, suspended the quarterly cash dividend on its common stock, reduced planned capital expenditures and reduced the cash compensation of its board of directors, and, working closely with its hotel managers, significantly reduced its hotels’ operating expenses. The Company’s advisor adopted a remote-work policy at its corporate office in an effort to protect the health and safety of its employees. See note 6 for term loan details.
As of June 30, 2020, the Company maintained unrestricted cash of $102.6 million. All of the Company’s property-level debt is non-recourse. Beginning on April 1, 2020, we did not make at least one interest payment under nearly all of our loan agreements, which constituted an “Event of Default” as such term is defined under the applicable loan documents. Further, the Company triggered an “Event of Default,” as defined under the secured revolving credit facility agreement as a result of the Company being in default on mortgage and mezzanine loans with an aggregate principal amount in excess of $200 million. Pursuant to the terms of the applicable loan documents, such an Event of Default caused an automatic increase in the interest rate on our outstanding loan balance for the period such Event of Default remains outstanding. Following an Event of Default, our lenders can generally elect to accelerate all principal and accrued interest payments that remain outstanding under the applicable loan agreement and foreclose on the applicable hotel properties that are security for such loans. Such Event of Default under the senior revolving credit facility agreement was eliminated by the First Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated June 8, 2020, which provides that defaults under mortgage and mezzanine loans with an aggregate principal amount in excess of $200 million do not trigger a default under the senior revolving credit agreement unless such mortgage or mezzanine loans are also accelerated, and excluding from the $200 million threshold, any default and acceleration under those certain mortgage and mezzanine loans having an aggregate principal amount of $435 million and secured by the Marriott Seattle Waterfront, Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile, The Notary Hotel and Courtyard San Francisco Downtown. During the second quarter of 2020, we reached forbearance and other agreements with our lenders relating to mortgage loans secured by the Pier House Resort, Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, Hotel Yountville, Bardessono Hotel, Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile, The Notary Hotel, Courtyard San Francisco Downtown, and Marriott Seattle Waterfront. In the aggregate, we have entered into forbearance and other agreements with varying terms and conditions that conditionally waive or defer payment defaults for loans with a total outstanding principal balance of approximately $760.0 million out of approximately $1.1 billion in property level debt outstanding as of June 30, 2020. The Company amended its secured revolving credit facility converting it into a $65 million secured term loan and changed the terms of certain financial covenants that the Company was subject to under the secured revolving credit facility.
Additionally, the Company did not make rental payments under two ground leases that are paid monthly; however, the Company executed a forbearance agreement with the landlord of the Bardessono Hotel and executed a rent deferral letter (consistent with the terms of Ordinance Number O-21177, passed by the Council of the City of San Diego on March 25, 2020) with the landlord of the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, each of which temporarily resolve any potential events of default arising out of such non-payments.
As of June 30, 2020, the Company maintained unrestricted cash of $102.6 million and restricted cash of $41.5 million. During the three months ended June 30, 2020, we utilized cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $43.2 million. During the vast majority of the second quarter of 2020, 11 of the Company’s 13 hotels were closed. Currently only two hotels remain closed. We are taking several steps to reduce our cash utilization. There is uncertainty surrounding future cash flows. As a result of these uncertainties, and based on certain circumstances, it is possible that the Company could utilize all of its cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash within the next twelve months.
Based on these factors, the Company has determined that there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the financial statements are issued. In making this determination pursuant to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, the Company cannot consider any remedies that are outside of the Company’s control and have not been fully implemented. As a result, the Company could not consider future potential fundraising activities, whether through equity or debt offerings, dispositions of hotel properties or the likelihood of obtaining forbearance agreements as we could not conclude they were probable of being effectively implemented. Any forbearance agreement will most likely lead to increased costs, increased interest rates, additional restrictive covenants and other possible lender protections. In addition to or in lieu of obtaining forbearance agreements as described above, the Company could turn over the hotels securing the mortgage loans to the respective lenders.
The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern and do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.