CDOR Condor Hospitality Trust Inc

Item 1A. Risk Factors



The following discussion concerns the risks associated with our business that should be reviewed and considered carefully. Our business faces many risks and the risks described below may not be the only risks we face. Other risks and uncertainties not presently known to us may also materially and adversely affect our business, the value of our shares, and our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders. Additionally, the risks detailed below are interrelated and should be considered as a whole. In connection with the forward-looking statements that appear in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, you should carefully review the section entitled “Forward-Looking Statements.”



For presentation purposes only, we categorize the risk factors into four broad categories:





Risks Related to Our Business & Operations



Failure of the economy to improve or remain stable may adversely affect our ability to execute our business strategies, which in turn would adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.



Our ability to execute our business strategy is affected by economic conditions, and we cannot assure you that economic fundamentals will improve or remain stable. The coronavirus pandemic and world events outside our control, such as terrorism, have adversely affected the economy.  If events like these continue or reoccur, they may continue to adversely affect the economy in the future.  An economic recession could have a dramatic impact on our financial results. In the event conditions in the economy do not improve or remain stable, our ability to execute our business strategies will be adversely effected, which in turn would adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.



The departure of any of our key personnel who have significant experience and relationships in the lodging industry, particularly our Chief Executive Officer, J. William Blackham, could materially and adversely affect us.

We depend on the experience and relationships of our executive officers, especially J. William Blackham, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, to manage our day-to-day operations and strategic business direction. Mr. Blackham has extensive experience in the lodging industry, during which time he has established an extensive network of lodging industry contacts and relationships, including relationships with national hotel brands, hotel owners, financiers, operators, commercial real estate brokers, developers and management companies. We can provide no assurances that Mr. Blackham, or any of our key personnel, will continue their employment with us. The loss of the services of any of the members of our management team, or any difficulty attracting and retaining other talented and experienced personnel, could adversely affect our ability to source potential investment opportunities, our relationship with national hotel brands and other industry participants and the execution of our business strategy. Our ability to replace key individuals may be difficult because of the limited number of individuals with the breadth of skills and experience needed to excel in the hotel industry and there can be no assurance that we would be able to hire, train, retain, or motivate such individuals. Further, such a loss could be negatively perceived by investors, which could reduce the market value of our common shares.



If we are unable to successfully manage our growth, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.



Our ability to implement our business strategy and grow our business depends upon our senior executive officers’ business contacts and their ability to successfully hire, train, supervise and manage additional personnel. We may not be able to hire and train sufficient personnel or develop management, information and operating systems suitable for our expected growth. If we are unable to manage any future growth effectively, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.



Our future growth is dependent on obtaining new financing and if we cannot secure financing in the future, our growth will be limited.



The success of our growth strategy will depend on access to capital through use of excess cash flow, borrowings or subsequent issuances of common shares or other securities. Acquisitions of new hotel properties will require significant additional capital and existing hotels will require periodic capital improvement initiatives to remain competitive. We may not be able to fund acquisitions or capital improvements solely from cash provided from our operating activities because we must distribute at least 90% of our taxable income (determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gains) each year to satisfy the requirements for qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a result, our ability to fund capital expenditures for acquisitions through retained earnings is very limited. Our ability to grow through acquisitions of hotels will be limited if we cannot obtain satisfactory debt or equity financing, which will depend on capital markets conditions. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain additional equity or debt financing or that we will be able to obtain such financing on favorable terms.



Our lack of industry, brand, and/or geographic diversification could have an adverse effect on results.

Historically, we  have exclusively bought ownership interest in hotels in the United States.  As a result, we are subject to the risks inherent in investing in a single industry.  A downturn in the U.S. hotel industry may have a pronounced effect on the amount of funds available to us for distribution or on the value of Company’s assets.  Our business is subject to the risks that are common to the hotel industry and that are out of our control.  Additionally, we may face risks associated with any geographic concentration or franchisor concentration. 



Our returns depend on management of our hotels by third parties.



In order to qualify as a REIT, we cannot operate any hotel or participate in the decisions effecting the daily operations of any hotel. Under the REIT Modernization Act of 1999, REITs are permitted to lease their hotels to TRSs. However, a TRS, such as our TRS, may not operate or manage the leased hotels and, therefore, must enter into management agreements with third-party eligible independent contractors to manage the hotels. Thus, an independent operator under a management agreement with our TRS controls the daily operations of each of our hotels. 

Under the terms of our management agreements, our ability to participate in operating decisions regarding the hotels is limited. We depend on our management companies to adequately operate our hotels as provided in the management agreements. We do not have the authority to require any hotel to be operated in a particular manner or to govern any particular aspect of the daily operations of any hotel (for instance, setting room rates). Thus, even if we believe our hotels are being operated inefficiently or in a manner that does not result in satisfactory occupancy rates, revenue per available room, and average daily rates, we may not be able to force our management companies to change their methods of operation of our hotels. We can only seek redress if a management company violates the terms of the management agreement with our TRS, and then only to the extent of the remedies provided for under the terms of the applicable management agreement. If any of the foregoing occurs at franchised hotels, our relationship with the franchisors may be damaged, and we may be in breach of one or more of our franchise agreements. Additionally, in the event that we need to replace a management company due to the termination of an existing management agreement, we may experience decreased occupancy and other significant disruptions at our hotels and in our operations generally. 



We may not be able to sell hotels on favorable terms. 

Since January 1, 2015, we have sold 55 hotels and our business strategy includes the disposition of assets.  We may not be able to sell such hotels on favorable terms, and such hotels may be sold at a loss. As with acquisitions, we face competition for buyers of our hotel properties. Other sellers of hotels may have the financial resources to dispose of their hotels on unfavorable terms that we would be unable to accept. If we cannot find buyers for any properties that are designated for sale, we will not be able to implement our disposition strategy. In the event that we cannot fully execute our disposition strategy or realize the benefits therefrom, we may not be able to fully execute our growth strategy. There cannot be any assurances that we will sell any hotels, including the hotels currently under contract for sale on the contracted terms or at all as the closing of the sale of such hotels is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, some of which may not be satisfied.



We may record additional impairment charges on our properties which will negatively impact our results of operations. 

We analyze our assets for impairment when events or circumstances occur that indicate an asset’s carrying value may not be recoverable.  For impaired assets, we record an impairment charge equal to the excess of the property’s carrying value over its fair value.    Factors, many of which are outside our control, such as increased local competition, age and condition of hotels, and national and local declines in the economy, may result in additional impairment charges, which will negatively affect our results of operations. We can provide no assurance that any impairment loss recognized would not be material to our results of operations. 

We will likely seek to sell equity and/or debt securities to meet our need for additional cash, and we cannot assure you that such financing will be available and further, in connection with such sales our current shareholders could experience a material amount of dilution. 

We may require additional cash resources based on business conditions and any acquisitions we may decide to pursue.  We will likely seek to sell additional equity and/or debt securities.  We cannot assure you that the sale of such securities will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If our board determines to sell

additional shares of common stock or other debt or equity securities, a material amount of dilution may cause the market price of the common stock to decline.

We face risks associated with the use of debt, including the ability to obtain debt financing and refinancing risk. 



We may not be able to successfully obtain debt financing or we may not be able to extend, refinance, or repay our existing debt due to a number of factors, including decreased property valuations, limited availability of credit, tightened lending standards, or deteriorating economic conditions. If we are unable to refinance our debt on acceptable terms, we may be forced to dispose of hotel properties on disadvantageous terms, potentially resulting in losses. We have placed mortgages on certain of our hotel properties, have assumed mortgages on other hotels we acquired and may place additional mortgages on certain of our hotels to secure other debt. To the extent we cannot meet any future debt service obligations, we will risk losing some or all of our hotel properties that are pledged to secure our obligations to foreclosure.  If we lack the ability to raise debt or refinance existing debt, our ability to execute our business strategy will be significantly hampered and our financial results may be significantly affected.



Our debt service obligations could adversely affect our operating results, may require us to liquidate our properties, and could limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

We seek to maintain a total stabilized debt level of no more than 70% of our aggregate property investment at cost. We, however, may change or eliminate this target at any time without the approval of our stockholders. In the future, we and our subsidiaries may incur substantial additional debt, including secured debt. Incurring such debt could subject us to many risks, including the risks that:





Our results may be negatively affected by interest rate fluctuations and our attempts to hedge this risk may not be effective.



At December 31, 2020, we had long-term debt of $168.3 million, of which $118.1 million is variable rate debt without an interest rate swap in place that effectively locks its interest rate.  We may enter into new credit facilities or loans where the debt accrues interest at floating rates, or we may refinance debt that currently accrues interest at lower fixed rates.  Higher interest rates could increase our debt service requirements and could reduce the amounts available for distribution to our stockholders, as well as reduce funds available for our operations, future investment opportunities, or other purposes. We may obtain in the future one or more forms of interest rate protection—in the form of swap agreements, interest rate cap contracts, or similar agreements—to “hedge” against the possible negative effects of interest rate fluctuations. However, we cannot assure you that any hedging will adequately mitigate the adverse effects of interest rate increases or that counterparties under these agreements will honor their obligations. In addition, we may be subject to risks of default by hedging counterparties. Adverse economic conditions could also cause the terms on which we borrow to be unfavorable. 

Operating our hotels under franchise agreements could adversely affect distributions to our shareholders.

At December 31, 2020,  all of our hotels operate under third party franchise agreements and we are subject to the risks of concentrating our hotel investments in several franchise brands. These risks include reductions in business following negative publicity related to any one of our particular brands. Risks associated with our brands could adversely affect our lease revenues and the amounts available for distribution to our shareholders.

The maintenance of the franchise licenses for our hotels is subject to our franchisors’ operating standards and other terms and conditions. Our franchisors periodically inspect our hotels to ensure that we and the TRS follow their standards. Failure to maintain these standards or other terms and conditions could result in a franchise license being canceled.  For example, one of our franchisors advised us in February 2019 that two of our hotels have dropped below the required level for guest satisfaction surveys, and that if the hotels do not achieve compliance, it reserves the right to elect to terminate the franchise agreements.  While the Company believes that it has corrected all

deficiencies, the franchisor has informed us that they are not reassessing the accountability status of any properties until at the earliest July 2021.    As a condition of our continued holding of a franchise license, a franchisor could possibly require us to make capital expenditures, even if we do not believe the capital improvements are necessary or desirable or will result in an acceptable return on our investment. Nonetheless, we may risk losing a franchise license if we do not make franchisor-required capital expenditures.



If a franchisor terminates the franchise license, we may try either to obtain a suitable replacement franchise or to operate the hotel without a franchise license. The loss of a franchise license could materially and adversely affect the operations or the underlying value of the hotel because of the loss of associated name recognition, marketing support, and centralized reservation systems provided by the franchisor. Loss of a franchise license for several of our hotels could materially and adversely affect our revenue. This loss of revenue could, therefore, also adversely affect our cash available for distribution to shareholders.



Unanticipated expenses and insufficient demand for hotels we acquire in new geographic markets could adversely affect our profitability and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

We may develop or acquire hotels in geographic areas in which our management may have little or no operating experience and in which potential customers may not be familiar with our franchise brands. As a result, we may have to incur costs relating to the opening, operation and promotion of those new hotel properties that are substantially greater than those incurred in other areas. These hotels may attract fewer customers than our existing hotels, while at the same time, we may incur substantial additional costs with these new hotel properties. Unanticipated expenses and insufficient demand at a new hotel property, therefore, could adversely affect our profitability and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Risks Related to our Organization and Structure



Our failure to qualify as a REIT under the federal tax laws would result in adverse tax consequences.

The federal income tax laws governing REITs are complex and subject to revision.

We currently operate as a REIT under the federal income tax laws. The REIT qualification requirements are extremely complex and interpretations of the federal income tax laws governing qualification as a REIT are limited. Accordingly, we cannot be certain that we would be successful in operating so that we can qualify as a REIT. At any time, new laws, interpretations, or court decisions may change the federal tax laws or the federal income tax consequences of our qualification as a REIT. We have not applied for or obtained rulings from the IRS that we will qualify as a REIT.

Failure to qualify as a REIT would subject us to federal income tax. 

If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income. We might need to borrow money or sell assets in order to pay any such tax. If we cease to be a REIT, we no longer would be required to distribute most of our taxable income to our stockholders. Unless we were entitled to relief under certain federal income tax laws, we could not re-elect REIT status during the four calendar years after the year in which we failed to qualify as a REIT. 

Failure to make required distributions would subject us to tax.

In order to qualify as a REIT, we generally are required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction, each year to our stockholders. To the extent that we satisfy this distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our taxable income, we will be subject to federal income tax on our undistributed taxable income. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% non-deductible excise tax if the actual amount that we pay out to our stockholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under federal tax laws. As a result, for example, of differences between cash flow and the accrual of income and expenses for tax purposes, or of nondeductible expenditures, our REIT taxable income in any given year could exceed our cash available for distribution. In addition, to the extent we may retain earnings of the TRS in those subsidiaries, such amount of cash would not be available for distribution to our stockholders to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement. Accordingly, we may be required to borrow money or sell assets to make distributions sufficient to enable us to pay out enough of our taxable income to satisfy the distribution requirement and to avoid federal corporate income tax and the 4% non-deductible excise tax in a particular year.

The formation of the TRS increases our overall tax liability.

The TRS is subject to federal and state income tax on its taxable income, which in the case of the TRS currently consists and generally will continue to consist of revenues from the hotel properties leased by the TRS, net of the operating expenses for such properties and rent payments to us. Accordingly, although our ownership of the TRS allows us to participate in the operating income from our hotel properties in addition to receiving rent, that operating income is fully subject to income tax. Such taxes could be substantial. The after-tax net income of the TRS is available for distribution to us.

We incur a 100% excise tax on transactions with the TRS that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. For example, to the extent that the rent paid by the TRS exceeds an arm’s-length rental amount, such amount potentially is subject to the excise tax. We intend that all transactions between us and the TRS will continue to be conducted on an arm’s-length basis and, therefore, that the rent paid by the TRS to us will not be subject to the excise tax.



Our TRS lessee structure subjects us to the risk of increased operating expenses.

Our hotel management agreements require us to bear the operating risks of our hotel properties. Our operating risks include not only changes in hotel revenue and changes in the TRS’s ability to pay the rent due under the leases, but also increased operating expenses, including, among other things:



Any decreases in hotel revenue or increases in operating expenses could have a material adverse effect on our earnings and cash flows.



Our ability to make distributions on our common and preferred stock is subject to fluctuations in our financial performance, operating results, and capital improvement requirements.

As a REIT, we generally are required to distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction, to our stockholders. Downturns in our operating results and financial performance or unanticipated capital improvements to our hotel properties may affect our ability to declare or pay distributions to our stockholders.  Further, we may not generate sufficient cash in order to fund distributions to our stockholders, which may require us to sell assets or borrow money to satisfy the REIT distribution requirements.

Among the factors which could adversely affect our results of operations and our distributions to stockholders are reduced net operating profits or operating losses, increased debt service requirements, and capital expenditures at our hotel properties. Among the factors which could reduce our net operating profits are decreases in hotel property revenue and increases in hotel property operating expenses. Hotel property revenue can decrease for a number of reasons, including increased competition from a new supply of rooms and decreased demand for rooms. These factors can reduce both occupancy and room rates at our hotel properties.

The timing and amount of distributions are at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors, which will consider, among other factors, our actual results of operations, debt service requirements, capital expenditure requirements for our properties, and our operating expenses.  We cannot guarantee future distributions. 



We have restrictive debt covenants that could adversely affect our ability to run our business.



We are required to meet or maintain quarterly loan covenants with certain of our lenders. Weakness in the economy and the lodging industry at large may result in non-compliance with our loan covenants. Such noncompliance with our loan covenants may result in our lenders restricting the use of our operating funds for capital improvements to our existing hotels, including improvements required by our franchise agreements, or causing the debt maturity to accelerate. We cannot assure you that we can maintain compliance with our loan covenants and maintain our business strategy.



Our restrictive debt covenants may jeopardize our tax status as a REIT.



To maintain our REIT status, we generally must distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income to our stockholders annually. In addition, we are subject to a 4% non-deductible excise tax if the actual amount distributed to stockholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under federal income tax laws. In the event we do not comply with our debt service obligations, our lenders may limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders, which could adversely affect our REIT status.



Our two largest shareholders hold significant voting power and have the right to designate directors, which provides these shareholders with significant power to influence our business and affairs. 

Real Estate Strategies, L.P. (“RES”, which also includes affiliated entities) holds 27.8% and SREP III Flight-Investco, L.P. (“SREP”, which also includes affiliated entities) holds 24.2% of the common stock as of December 31, 2020.  RES and SREP each have a contractual preemptive right, but not the obligation, to purchase up to their pro rata share (based on their ownership on a fully diluted basis) of any equity securities we offer in future offerings on the same terms as other investors.  RES has had the right to designate up to four directors, and SREP has had the right to designate up to three directors, with the number of directors that each may designate based on their respective voting power. RES and SREP each currently have the right to separately designate three directors to our board of directors at the annual meeting of shareholders.  Each of RES and SREP in their respective agreements with us has agreed to vote for the election of the incumbent members of the board of directors and their successors nominated by the nominating committee of the board of directors.  As a consequence, the election of the six directors designated by RES and SREP is assured.



By virtue of their voting power and board designation rights, preemptive right to purchase additional equity securities in future stock offerings and approval rights, RES and SREP, collectively and separately, have the power to significantly influence our business and affairs and the outcome of matters required to be submitted to shareholders for approval, including the election of our directors, amendments to our charter, mergers, or sales of assets. Their influence over our business and affairs may not be consistent with the interests of some or all of our other shareholders and might negatively affect the market price of our common stock.



The holders of the Series E Preferred Stock have rights senior to holders of common stock.

RES and SREP, our two largest shareholders, own all of the issued and outstanding shares our 6.25% Series E Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series E Preferred Stock”).  The Series E Preferred Stock ranks senior to our common stock and any other preferred stock issuances and receives preferential cumulative cash dividends at a rate of 6.25% annually per annum of the $10.00 face value per share. If we fail to pay a dividend, then during the period that dividends are not paid, additional dividends accrue at a rate of 9.50% per annum on the unpaid amount.  Dividends on the Series E Preferred Stock accrue whether or not we have earnings, whether or not there are funds legally available for the payment of such dividends, whether or not such dividends are declared, and whether or not such dividends are prohibited by agreement. 



The Series E Preferred Stock votes as a class on matters generally affecting the Series E Preferred Stock, and as long as 434,750 shares of Series E Preferred Stock (47% of the originally issued shares of Series E Preferred Stock) remain outstanding, then 75% approval of the Series E Preferred Stock will be required to approve merger, consolidation, liquidation or winding up of Condor, related party transactions exceeding $120,000, payment of dividends on common stock except from funds from operations or to maintain REIT status, the grant of exemptions from Condor’s charter limitation on ownership of 9.9% of any class or series of its securities (exclusive of persons currently holding exemptions), issuance of preferred stock, or commitment or agreement to do any of the foregoing. 



We may be subject to adverse legislative or regulatory tax changes that could increase our tax liability, reduce our operating flexibility and reduce the market price of our shares.



At any time, the federal income tax laws governing REITs or the administrative and judicial interpretations of those laws may be amended or changed. We cannot predict when or if any new federal income tax law, regulation or administrative and judicial interpretation, or any amendment to any existing federal income tax law, regulation or administrative or judicial interpretation, will be adopted, promulgated or become effective and any such law, regulation or interpretation may take effect retroactively.  We and our shareholders could be adversely affected by any such change in, or any new, federal income tax law, regulation or administrative and judicial interpretation.



If our hotel managers do not qualify as "eligible independent contractors” the Company would likely fail to qualify as a REIT.

Rent paid by a lessee that is a "related party tenant" of ours will not be qualifying income for purposes of the two gross income tests applicable to REITs. We lease substantially all of our hotels to our TRS. The TRS will not be treated as a "related party tenant," and will not be treated as directly operating a lodging facility to the extent the TRS leases properties from us that are managed by an "eligible independent contractor." In addition, our TRS holding companies will fail to qualify as “taxable REIT subsidiaries” if they lease or own a lodging facility that is not managed by an “eligible independent contractor.”

If our hotel managers do not qualify as "eligible independent contractors," we would fail to qualify as a REIT. Each of the hotel management companies that enters into a management contract with our TRS must qualify as an "eligible independent contractor" under the REIT rules in order for the rent paid to us by our TRS to be qualifying income for our REIT income test requirements and for our TRS holding companies to qualify as “taxable REIT subsidiaries”. Among other requirements, in order to qualify as an eligible independent contractor a manager must not own more than 35% of our outstanding shares (by value) and no person or group of persons can own more than 35% of our outstanding shares and the ownership interests of the manager, taking into account only owners of more than 5% of our shares and, with respect to ownership interests in such managers that are publicly traded, only holders of more than 5% of such ownership interests. Complex ownership attribution rules apply for purposes of these 35% thresholds. Although we intend to monitor ownership of our shares by our property managers and their owners, there can be no assurance that these ownership levels will not be exceeded.



If our leases with our TRS are not respected as true leases for federal income tax purposes, we would fail to qualify as a REIT.

To qualify as a REIT, we are required to satisfy two gross income tests, pursuant to which specified percentages of our gross income must be passive income, such as rent. For the rent paid pursuant to the hotel leases with our TRS, which should constitute substantially all of our gross income, to qualify for purposes of the gross income tests, the leases must be respected as true leases for federal income tax purposes and must not be treated as service contracts, joint ventures or some other type of arrangement. We have structured our leases, and intend to structure any future leases, so that the leases will be respected as true leases for federal income tax purposes, but there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with this characterization, not challenge this treatment or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If the leases were not respected as true leases for federal income tax purposes, we would not be able to satisfy either of the two gross income tests applicable to REITs and likely would fail to qualify for REIT status.



We may be subject to the 100% prohibited transaction tax on the gain recognized on the hotels we sold. 



A REIT will incur a 100% tax on the net income derived from any sale or other disposition of property that the REIT holds primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. We undertook specific disposition programs beginning in 2001 (that included the sale of 23 hotels through December 31, 2004) and 2008 (that included the sale of 125 hotels through December 31, 2020). We held the disposed hotels for an average period of 14.5 years and did not acquire the hotels for purposes of resale. We believe that such sales are not prohibited transactions. However, if the IRS would successfully assert that we held such hotels primarily for sale in the ordinary course of our business, the gain from such sales could be subject to a 100% prohibited transaction tax. 



Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego attractive opportunities that could otherwise generate strong risk-adjusted returns and instead pursue less attractive opportunities, or none at all.   

To continue to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders and the ownership of our stock. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of generating strong risk-adjusted returns on invested capital for our stockholders.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to liquidate otherwise attractive investments, which could result in an overall loss on our investments.

To continue to qualify as a REIT, we must also ensure that at the end of each calendar quarter at least 75% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified REIT real estate assets. The

remainder of our investment in securities (other than government securities and qualified real estate assets) generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our assets (other than government securities and qualified real estate assets) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, and no more than 25% of the value of our total securities can be represented by securities of one or more TRSs. If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct such failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter to avoid losing our REIT status and suffering adverse tax consequences. If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we may be able to preserve our REIT status by benefiting from certain statutory relief provisions. Except with respect to a de minimis failure of the 5% asset test or the 10% vote or value test, we can maintain our REIT status only if the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect. In that case, we will be required to dispose of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identified the failure, and we will be required to pay an additional tax of the greater of $50,000 or the product of the highest applicable tax rate (currently 35%) multiplied by the net income generated on those assets. As a result, we may be required to liquidate otherwise attractive investments.

Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.



The maximum U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income payable to certain non-corporate U.S. holders is 20%. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the reduced qualified dividend rates. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, under the recently enacted law informally known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), non-corporate taxpayers may deduct up to 20% of certain pass-through business income, including “qualified REIT dividends” (generally, dividends received by a REIT shareholder that are not designated as capital gain dividends or qualified dividend income), subject to certain limitations, resulting in an effective maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of 29.6% on such income. Although the reduced U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income does not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, the more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate qualified dividends and the reduced corporate tax rate (currently 21%) could cause certain non-corporate investors to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including our shares.



Provisions of our charter and substantial voting power held by two shareholders may limit the ability of a third party to acquire control of our company.

In order to maintain our REIT qualification, no more than 50% in value of our outstanding capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the federal income tax laws to include various kinds of entities) during the last half of any taxable year. Our articles of incorporation contain the ownership limitation, which prohibits both direct and indirect ownership of more than 9.9% of the outstanding shares of our common stock or 9.9% of any series of our preferred stock by any person, subject to several exceptions. Generally, any shares of our capital stock owned by affiliated owners will be added together for purposes of the ownership limitation.

Our articles of incorporation permit our board, in its sole discretion, to exempt a person from the 9.9% ownership limitation if the person provides representations and undertakings that enable our board to determine that granting the exemption would not result in the loss of our REIT qualification. Under the IRS rules, REIT shares owned by certain entities are considered owned proportionately by owners of the entities for REIT qualification purposes. RES and SREP each provided a letter at the time of the issuance of the common stock and Series E Preferred Stock that permitted our board to grant such an exemption. The stock ownership by RES and SREP, which was permitted with our board’s approval, represents such substantial voting power that it may limit the ability of a third party to acquire control of our company. 

These ownership limitations may prevent an acquisition of control of our company by a third party without our board of directors’ approval, even if our stockholders believe the change of control is in their best interests. Our charter authorizes our board of directors to issue shares of common stock and shares of preferred stock, and to set the preferences, rights and other terms of the preferred stock. Furthermore, our board of directors may, without any action by the stockholders, amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock of any class or series of preferred stock that we have authority to issue. Issuances of additional shares of stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control of our company that might involve a premium to the market price of our common stock or otherwise be in our stockholders’ best interests.

Our ownership limitation may prevent a shareholder from engaging in certain transfers of our capital stock. 

If anyone transfers shares in a way that would violate the ownership limitation described above or prevent us from continuing to qualify as a REIT under the federal income tax laws, we will consider the transfer to be null and void from the outset, and the intended transferee of those shares will be deemed never to have owned the shares. Those shares instead will be transferred to a trust for the benefit of a charitable beneficiary and will be either redeemed by our company or sold to a person whose ownership of the shares will not violate the ownership limitation. Anyone who acquires shares in violation of the ownership limitation or the other restrictions on transfer in our articles of incorporation bears the risk that he will suffer a financial loss when the shares are redeemed or sold if the market price of our stock falls between the date of purchase and the date of redemption or sale.

The ability of our board of directors to change our major corporate policies may not be in your interest.

Our board of directors determines our major corporate policies, including our acquisition, financing, growth, operations and distribution policies. Our board may amend or revise these and other policies from time to time without the vote or consent of our stockholders.



General Risks



Risks Related to the Hotel Industry



The outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has reduced travel and adversely affected the hospitality industry in general.



The outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has reduced travel and adversely affected the hospitality industry in general. The actual and threatened spread of coronavirus globally or in the regions in which we operate, or future widespread outbreak of infectious or contagious disease, such as influenza, coronavirus, measles, mumps, zika virus, or similar viruses, can continue to reduce national and international travel in general.



The extent to which our business will continue to be affected by the coronavirus will largely depend on future developments which we cannot accurately predict, and its impact on customer travel,  including the duration of the outbreak, the continued spread and treatment of the coronavirus, and new information and developments that may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others. To the extent that travel activity in the U.S. is and will be materially and adversely affected by the coronavirus, business and financial results of the hospitality industry, and thus our business and financial results, could be materially and adversely impacted. 



Since late March 2020, similar to the conditions affecting the hospitality industry as a whole, we have experienced occupancy declines at many of our properties which have and will continue to require us to adjust our business operations, and will have impact on our operating income and may potentially impact future compliance with our debt covenants.



We face competition for the acquisition of hotels and we may not be successful in identifying or completing hotel acquisitions that meet our criteria, which may impede our growth.   

One component of our business strategy is expansion through acquisitions, and we may not be successful in identifying or completing acquisitions that are consistent with our strategy. We compete with institutional pension funds, private equity investors, other REITs, hotel companies, and others who are engaged in the acquisition of hotels, most of whom have greater financial resources than we do. This competition for hotel investments may increase the price we pay for hotels and these competitors may succeed in acquiring the hotels we seek to acquire. Furthermore, our potential acquisition targets may find our competitors to be more attractive suitors because they may have greater marketing and financial resources, may be willing to pay more, or may have a more compatible operating philosophy. In addition, the number of entities competing for suitable hotels may increase in the future, which would increase demand for these hotels and the prices we must pay to acquire them. If we pay higher prices for hotels, our returns on investment and profitability may be reduced. 

Future acquisitions may not yield the returns expected, may result in disruptions to our business, may strain management resources, may not be efficiently integrated into operations, and may result in stockholder dilution. 

Our business strategy may not ultimately be successful and may not provide positive returns on our investments. Acquisitions may cause disruptions in our operations and divert management’s attention away from day-to-day operations.  If the integration of our acquisitions into our management companies’ operations is not accomplished as efficiently as planned, we will not achieve the expected operating results from the acquisitions.  The issuance of equity securities in connection with any acquisition could be substantially dilutive to our stockholders. 



The growth of Internet travel intermediaries could adversely affect the Company’s business and profitability.



Although a majority of rooms sold via the Internet are sold through hotel franchisor websites, some of the Company’s hotel rooms are booked through Internet travel intermediaries, including but not limited to Travelocity.com, Expedia.com, and Priceline.com.  These Internet travel intermediaries purchase rooms at a negotiated, net of fees, discount from participating hotels, which typically results in lower room rates than the Company’s franchisor or manager otherwise could have obtained.  Although the Company’s managers and franchisors may have established agreements with many of these intermediaries that limit transaction fees for hotels, there be no assurance that the Company’s managers and franchisors will be able to renegotiate such agreements upon their expirations with terms as favorable as the provisions that exist today.  Moreover, some of these Internet travel intermediaries are attempting to offer hotel guestrooms as a commodity, by increasing the importance of price and general indicators of quality (such as “three-star downtown hotel”) at the expense of brand identification. These agencies hope that consumers will eventually develop brand loyalties to their reservations system rather than to the brands under which our hotels are franchised. If the amount of sales made through Internet intermediaries increases significantly, guestroom revenue may flatten or decrease and our profitability may be adversely affected.



We and our hotel managers rely on information technology in our operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of that technology could harm our business.



We and our hotel managers rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes, including financial transactions and records, personal identifying information, reservations, billing and operating data. We purchase some of our information technology from vendors, on whom our systems depend. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission and storage of confidential customer information, such as individually identifiable information, including information relating to financial accounts. Although we have taken steps to protect the security of our information systems and the data maintained in those systems, it is possible that our safety and security measures will not be able to prevent the systems’ improper functioning or damage, or the improper access or disclosure of personally identifiable information such as in the event of cyber-attacks. In November 2018, Marriott announced a data security incident involving a guest reservation database.  Security breaches, such as the one that occurred at Marriott, including physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, attacks by hackers and similar breaches, can create system disruptions, shutdowns or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. Any failure to maintain proper function, security and availability of our information systems could interrupt our operations, damage our reputation, subject us to liability claims or regulatory penalties and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Uninsured and underinsured losses and our ability to satisfy our obligations could adversely affect our operating results and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

We intend to maintain comprehensive insurance on each of our hotel properties, including liability, fire, and extended coverage, of the type and amount we believe are customarily obtained for or by hotel owners. There are no assurances that current coverage will continue to be available at reasonable rates. Various types of catastrophic losses, like earthquakes and floods, or losses from foreign or domestic terrorist activities, may not be insurable or may not be economically insurable. Initially, we do not expect to obtain terrorism insurance on our hotel properties because it is costly. Lenders may require such insurance and our failure to obtain such insurance could constitute a default under loan agreements, if required by such agreements. Depending on our access to capital, liquidity and the value of the properties securing the effected loan in relation to the balance of the loan, a default could reduce our net income and limit our ability to obtain future financing.

In the event of a substantial loss, our insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover the full current market value or replacement cost of our lost investment or the cash flows lost due to the interruption in operations. Should an

uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occur, we could lose all or a portion of the capital we have invested in a hotel, as well as the anticipated future revenue from the hotel. In that event, we might nevertheless remain obligated for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the property. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors might also keep us from using insurance proceeds to replace or renovate a hotel after it has been damaged or destroyed. Under those circumstances, the insurance proceeds we receive might be inadequate to restore our economic position on the damaged or destroyed property.

Our ability to make distributions to our shareholders may be affected by factors in the hotel industry that are beyond our control.  

Our hotels are subject to various operating risks found throughout the hotel industry. Many of these risks are beyond our control. These include, among other things, the following:



These factors could adversely affect the amount of rent we receive from leasing our hotels and reduce the net operating profits of the TRS, which in turn could adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our shareholders. Decreases in room revenues of our hotels will result in reduced operating profits for the TRS and decreased lease revenues to our company under our current percentage leases with the TRS. 

The hotel industry is seasonal in nature and may affect our cash flow.

Demand for our hotels is seasonal. We generally expect that we will have lower revenue, operating income, and cash flow in the first and fourth quarters and higher revenue, operating income and cash flow in the second and third quarters. These general trends are, however, influenced by overall economic cycles and the geographic locations of our hotels. To the extent that cash flow from operations is insufficient during any quarter, due to temporary or seasonal fluctuations in revenue, we expect to utilize cash on hand or borrowings under our credit facility to pay expenses, debt service or to make distributions to our equity holders.



The cyclical nature of the lodging industry may cause fluctuations in our operating performance, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

The hotel industry is highly cyclical in nature. Fluctuations in lodging demand and, therefore, operating performance, are caused largely by general economic and local market conditions, which subsequently affects levels of business and leisure travel. In addition to general economic conditions, hotel room supply growth is an important factor that can affect the lodging industry's performance.  Overbuilding has, in the past and will continue to have, the potential to further exacerbate the negative impact of an economic recession. Room rates and occupancy, and thus RevPAR, tend to increase when demand growth exceeds supply growth. We can provide no assurances regarding whether, or the extent to which, lodging demand will rebound or whether any such rebound will be sustained. An adverse change in lodging fundamentals in our markets could result in returns that are substantially below our expectations or result in losses, which could have a material adverse effect on us.



Competition from other hotels in the markets in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.



The lodging industry is highly competitive. Our hotels compete with other hotels for guests in each market in which our hotels operate based on a number of factors, including location, convenience, brand affiliation, guestroom rates, range of services and guest amenities or accommodations offered and quality of customer service. Competition is often specific to the individual markets in which our hotels are located and includes competition from existing and new hotels. Our competitors may have an operating model that enables them to offer guestrooms at lower rates than we can, which could result in our competitors increasing their occupancy at our expense. Competition could adversely affect our occupancy, Average Daily Rate (“ADR”) and RevPAR, and may require us to provide

additional amenities or make capital improvements that we otherwise would not have to make, which could reduce our profitability and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.



The increasing use by consumers of alternative lodging market places may adversely affect our profitability.



Additional sources of competition, including alternative lodging marketplaces, such as HomeAway and Airbnb, which operate websites that market available furnished, privately-owned residential properties, including homes and condominiums, that can be rented on a nightly, weekly or monthly basis, may, as they become more accepted, lead to a reduced demand for conventional hotel guest rooms and to an increased supply of lodging alternatives. If the amount of bookings made through the use of alternative lodging market places increases significantly, room revenues may flatten or decrease and our profitability may be adversely affected.



In the past, economic trends, terrorist acts, and military action have adversely affected the hotel industry generally, and similar future events could adversely affect the industry in the future. 

Terrorist attacks and the after-effects (including the prospects for more terror attacks in the United States and abroad) have, in the past, substantially reduced business and leisure travel and lodging industry RevPAR generally. We cannot predict the extent to which these factors will directly or indirectly impact your investment in our securities, the lodging industry or our operating results in the future.



Declining RevPAR at our hotels would reduce our net income and restrict our ability to fund capital improvements at our hotels and our ability to make distributions to stockholders necessary to maintain our status as a REIT. Additional terrorist attacks, acts of war or similar events could have further material adverse effects on the markets on which shares of our stock will trade, as well as on the lodging industry in general and our operations in particular.

The hotel business is capital intensive.



Our hotels have an ongoing need for renovations and other capital improvements, including replacements, from time to time, of furniture, fixtures and equipment. The franchisors of our hotels also require periodic capital improvements as a condition of keeping the franchise licenses. The costs of all of these capital improvements could adversely affect our financial condition and reduce the amounts available for distribution to our shareholders. These renovations may give rise to the following risks:



The lenders under some of the mortgage debt that we will assume will require us to set aside varying amounts each year for capital improvements at our hotels. We may not be able to fund capital improvements or acquisitions solely from cash provided from our operating activities and, thus, may need to raise capital in order to finance any required capital expenditures.

Noncompliance with governmental regulations could adversely affect our operating results.

Environmental Matters

Our hotel properties are subject to various federal, state, and local environmental laws. Under these laws, courts and government agencies have the authority to require the owner of a contaminated property to clean up the property, even if the owner did not know of or was not responsible for the contamination. These laws also apply to persons who owned a property at the time it became contaminated. In addition to the costs of cleanup, contamination can affect the value of a property and, therefore, an owner’s ability to borrow funds using the property as collateral.

Under these environmental laws, courts and government agencies also have the authority to require that a person who sent waste to a waste disposal facility, like a landfill or an incinerator, pay for the clean-up of that facility if it becomes contaminated and threatens human health or the environment. Furthermore, court decisions have established that third parties may recover damages for injury caused by property contamination. For instance, a person exposed to asbestos while staying in a hotel may seek to recover damages if he suffers injury from the asbestos. Lastly, some of these environmental laws restrict the use of a property or place conditions on various

activities at a property. One example is laws that require a business using chemicals to manage them carefully and to notify local officials that the chemicals are being used.

Our Company could be responsible for the costs discussed above if it found itself in one or more of these situations. The costs to clean up a contaminated property, to defend against a claim, or to comply with environmental laws could be material and could affect the funds available for distribution to our shareholders. To determine whether any costs of this nature might be required, we commission Phase I environmental site assessments, or “ESAs”, before we acquire our hotels, and at certain times have commissioned new ESAs for certain of our hotels in conjunction with a refinancing of the debt obligations of those hotels. These studies typically included a review of historical information and a site visit, but not soil or groundwater testing. We obtain the ESAs to help us identify whether we might be responsible for cleanup costs or other costs in connection with our hotels. The ESAs on our hotels did not reveal any environmental conditions that are likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, results of operations, or liquidity. However, ESAs do not always identify all potential problems or environmental liabilities. Consequently, we may have material environmental liabilities of which we are unaware.

Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Changes in Governmental Rules and Regulations

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA, all public accommodations must meet various federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Compliance with the ADA’s requirements could require removal of access barriers and non-compliance could result in the U.S. government imposing fines or in private litigants obtaining damages. If we were required to make substantial modifications to our hotels, whether to comply with the ADA or other changes in governmental rules and regulations, our ability to make distributions to our shareholders and meet our other obligations could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to the Real Estate Industry

Illiquidity of real estate investments could significantly impede our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our properties and harm our financial condition.

Because real estate investments are relatively illiquid, our ability to promptly sell one or more hotel properties or investments in our portfolio in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions may be limited.  The real estate market is affected by many factors that are beyond our control, including: 





We cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any hotel property or investment for the price or on the terms set by us, or whether any price or other terms offered by a prospective purchaser would be acceptable to us. We also cannot predict the length of time needed to find a willing purchaser and to close the sale of a hotel property or loan.

We may be required to expend funds to correct defects or to make improvements before a hotel property can be sold. We cannot assure you that we will have funds available to correct those defects or to make those improvements. In acquiring a hotel property, we may agree to lock-out provisions that materially restrict us from selling that hotel property for a period of time or impose other restrictions, such as limitation on the amount of debt that can be placed or repaid on that hotel property. These facts and any others that would impede our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our hotel properties could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition, as well as our ability to make distributions to stockholders.

Increases in property taxes would adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Hotel properties are subject to real and personal property taxes. These taxes may increase as tax rates change and as the properties are assessed or reassessed by taxing authorities. In particular, our property taxes could increase following our hotel purchases as the acquired hotels are reassessed. If property taxes increase, our financial

condition, results of operations, and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders could be materially and adversely affected.



Our real estate may contain or develop harmful environmental challenges which could lead to liability for adverse health effects and costs of remediating the problem.

The presence or development of significant environmental challenges at any of our properties could require us to undertake a costly program to remediate the environmental challenge, which would reduce our cash available for distribution. In addition, the presence of a significant environmental challenge could expose us to liability from our guests, employees or our management companies and others if property damage or health concerns arise.  Environmental challenges for hotels may include, but is not limited to, mold and bed bugs.