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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Restricted Cash—Under certain management and debt agreements for our hotel properties existing at March 31, 2022, 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 4% to 5% of gross revenues for capital improvements. Licensing Fees—In conjunction with the Mr. C Beverly Hills Hotel acquisition on August 5, 2021, we entered into an Intellectual Property Sublease Agreement, which allows us to continue to use certain proprietary marks associated with the Mr. C brand name. In return, we pay licensing fees of: (i) 1% of total operating revenue; (ii) 2% of gross food and beverage revenues; and (iii) 25% of food and beverage profits. The agreement expires on August 4, 2022. The table below summarizes the licensing fees incurred (in thousands):
|  | Three Months Ended March 31,
Line Item |  | 2022 |  |
Other hotel expenses |  | $ | 102 |  |  |
Management Fees—Under hotel management agreements for our hotel properties existing at March 31, 2022, we pay a monthly hotel management fee equal to the greater of approximately $15,000 per hotel (increased annually based on consumer price index adjustments) or 3% of gross revenues, or in some cases 3.0% to 5.0% of gross revenues, as well as annual incentive management fees, if applicable. These management agreements expire from December 2023 through December 2065, with renewal options. If we terminate a management agreement prior to its expiration, we may be liable for estimated management fees through the remaining term, 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 2017 through 2021 remain subject to potential examination by certain federal and state taxing authorities. Litigation—On October 24, 2019, the Company provided notice to Accor of the material breach of Accor’s responsibilities under the Accor management agreement for the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile at 20 East Chestnut Street in Chicago, Illinois. On November 7, 2019, Accor filed a complaint against Ashford TRS Chicago II in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, seeking a declaratory judgment that no breach under the Accor management agreement has occurred and an injunction to prevent Ashford TRS Chicago II from terminating the Accor management agreement. Accor’s complaint was dismissed on or about February 27, 2020. On January 6, 2020, Ashford TRS Chicago II filed a complaint against Accor in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, alleging breach of the Accor management agreement and seeking damages and a declaration of its right to terminate the Accor management agreement. On July 20, 2020, Accor filed an Amended Answer and Counterclaims against Ashford TRS Chicago II, in which Accor asserted two causes of action: First, Accor asserted a counterclaim for declaratory judgment that Accor correctly calculated the amount payable to Ashford TRS Chicago II under the Accor management agreement to “cure” Accor’s performance test failure (the “Cure Amount”). Second, Accor asserted a counterclaim for breach of contract alleging that Ashford TRS Chicago II breached the Accor management agreement by wrongfully maintaining that the Cure Amount for the 2018 and 2019 Performance Test failure is $1,031,549 instead of $535,120. On February 16, 2022, the parties entered into a settlement agreement agreeing to: 1) amend the Accor management agreement; 2) dismiss the lawsuit and counterclaims; 3) stipulate to the failure of the performance tests and cure amounts for 2018 of $867,682 and 2019 of $784,919; and 4) arbitrate whether the performance tests for 2020 and 2021 were valid and/or required equitable adjustment. On February 23, 2022, Ashford TRS Chicago II and Accor filed a stipulation of discontinuance dismissing all claims, counterclaims, and cross-claims in the January 6, 2020 action with prejudice. As a result of the settlement related to the 2018 performance test failure, the Company recorded a gain of approximately $868,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2022, that is recorded as a reduction of management fees and included in “management fees” on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. As of March 31, 2022, no amounts have been accrued. One of the Company’s hotel management companies is currently involved in litigation regarding its employment policies and practices at multiple California hotels, including one of the Company’s hotels. On January 28, 2022, the Court approved a settlement of this litigation. The resulting loss to the Company was approximately $448,000; although it was entitled to indemnification in the amount of approximately $291,000, based on the respective periods of ownership of the Company’s hotel. As of March 31, 2022, approximately $500,000 was accrued. The settlement amount was paid subsequent to March 31, 2022, and the matter is now closed. 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 two hotels owned by subsidiaries of the Company. The court has entered an order granting class certification with respect to: (1) 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 (2) 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. 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 any potential loss to the Company is reasonably estimable at this time. As of March 31, 2022, 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 ADA 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. However, our assessment may change depending upon the development of these legal proceedings, and the final results of these legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. If we 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.

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