Apple Hospitality REIT : Reports Results of Operations for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE: APLE) (the “Company” or “Apple Hospitality”) today announced results of operations for the fourth quarter and full year of 2017.

Comparable Hotels is defined as the 239 hotels owned by the Company as of December 31, 2017. For hotels acquired during the periods noted, the Company has included, as applicable, results of those hotels for periods prior to the Company's ownership, and for dispositions, results have been excluded for the Company's period of ownership. Results for periods prior to the Company's ownership have not been included in the Company's actual Consolidated Financial Statements and are included only for comparison purposes. Results included for periods prior to the Company's ownership are based on information from the prior owner of each hotel and have not been audited or adjusted.

Justin Knight, President and Chief Executive Officer of Apple Hospitality REIT, commented, “The Company achieved an increase in Comparable Hotels RevPAR of 3.5 percent for the quarter and 1.6 percent for the year, due in part to increased demand in Houston and portions of Florida. Despite a low rate growth environment and ongoing wage pressure driven by low unemployment, we achieved a strong Comparable Hotels Adjusted Hotel EBITDA Margin of 37.8 percent for the year. We are pleased to have completed seven strategic hotel acquisitions in recent months, adding to our portfolio’s geographic diversity and increasing our exposure in strong business and leisure markets. Our results continue to highlight the benefits of our geographically diverse portfolio of rooms-focused Marriott and Hilton branded hotels, complemented by a strong flexible balance sheet, and we are confident this strategy will continue to benefit shareholders over the long term.”

Transactional Activity

Acquisitions

• On February 2, 2017, Apple Hospitality acquired the newly constructed 124-room Courtyard by Marriott^® in Fort Worth, Texas, for a gross purchase price of approximately $18 million.
• On September 12, 2017, the Company acquired the newly constructed Hilton Garden Inn^® and Home2 Suites by Hilton^® hotels in Birmingham, Alabama, with a combined total of 210 rooms, for a combined gross purchase price of approximately $38 million.
• On October 13, 2017, the Company acquired an existing 179-room Residence Inn by Marriott^® in Portland, Maine, for a gross purchase price of approximately $56 million.
• On October 20, 2017, the Company acquired an existing 136-room Residence Inn by Marriott^® in the Murray suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, for a gross purchase price of approximately $26 million.
• On December 1, 2017, the Company acquired an existing 135-room Home2 Suites by Hilton^® in Anchorage, Alaska, for a gross purchase price of approximately $24 million.
• On February 5, 2018, the Company acquired an existing 119-room Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton^® in Atlanta, Georgia, and an existing 144-room Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton^® in Memphis, Tennessee, for a combined gross purchase price of $63 million.

Dispositions

• On April 20, 2017, the Company completed the sale of the 224-room Hilton^® in Dallas, Texas, for a gross sales price of approximately $56 million, including debt assumed by the buyer of approximately $27 million. As a result of the sale, the Company recognized a gain of approximately $16 million in the second quarter of 2017.
• On October 5, 2017, the Company completed the sale of the 316-room Marriott^® in Fairfax, Virginia, for a gross sales price of approximately $42 million. As a result of the sale, the Company recognized a gain of approximately $0.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Merger with Apple REIT Ten, Inc.

Effective September 1, 2016, Apple Hospitality completed its merger with Apple REIT Ten, Inc. (“Apple Ten”). The merger added 56 Marriott® and Hilton® branded primarily select-service and extended-stay hotels with 7,209 guest rooms to the Company’s portfolio. As consideration in the merger, the Company issued approximately 49 million common shares and paid approximately $94 million to the Apple Ten shareholders, and assumed approximately $257 million of debt.

Capital Improvements

Apple Hospitality consistently reinvests in its hotels to maintain and enhance each property’s relevance and competitive position within its respective market. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company invested approximately $69 million in capital expenditures. The Company plans to continue to reinvest in its hotels and anticipates investing $70 million to $80 million in capital improvements during 2018, which includes various scheduled renovation projects for approximately 30 to 35 properties.

Balance Sheet and Capital Markets

As of December 31, 2017, Apple Hospitality had approximately $1.2 billion of total outstanding indebtedness with a current combined weighted-average interest rate of approximately 3.6 percent for 2018. Excluding unamortized debt issuance costs and fair value adjustments, the Company’s total outstanding indebtedness is comprised of approximately $457 million in property-level debt secured by 29 hotels and $767 million outstanding on its unsecured credit facilities. Apple Hospitality’s undrawn capacity on its unsecured credit facilities at December 31, 2017, was approximately $433 million. The Company’s total debt to total capitalization at December 31, 2017, was approximately 21 percent, which provides Apple Hospitality with financial flexibility to fund capital requirements and pursue opportunities in the marketplace.

During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company sold approximately 6.9 million common shares under its at-the-market offering program at a weighted-average market sales price of approximately $19.55 per common share and received aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $135.1 million and proceeds net of offering costs of approximately $132.9 million. The Company used the proceeds from the sale of these shares to pay down borrowings on its revolving credit facility, providing additional capacity for strategic growth while maintaining the Company’s strong balance sheet.

Renaissance® New York Hotel 57

The fourth quarter of 2017 includes a $38 million non-cash impairment charge related to the Company’s Renaissance^® New York Hotel 57, as a result of declines in the hotel’s current and projected cash flows. The hotel has been and is expected to be impacted by a combination of: declines in existing and forecasted hotel market conditions in New York City; new supply in the market; and the loss of retail tenants and the extended period of time and incremental costs it has taken and is anticipated to take to re-lease the available retail space.

Shareholder Distributions

Apple Hospitality paid distributions of $0.30 per common share during the three-month period ended December 31, 2017, and $1.20 per common share for the year ended December 31, 2017. Based on the Company’s common share closing price of $18.16 on February 20, 2018, the annual distribution represents an annual yield of approximately 6.6 percent. The Company’s Board of Directors, in consultation with management, will continue to regularly monitor the Company’s distribution rate relative to the performance of its hotels, capital improvement needs, varying economic cycles, acquisitions and dispositions. At its discretion, the Company’s Board of Directors may make adjustments as determined to be prudent in relation to other cash requirements of the Company.

2018 Outlook

Apple Hospitality is providing its operational and financial outlook for 2018. This outlook, which is based on management’s current view of both operating and economic fundamentals of the Company’s existing portfolio of hotels, does not take into account any unanticipated developments in its business or changes in its operating environment, nor does it take into account any unannounced hotel acquisitions or dispositions. Comparable Hotels RevPAR Growth and Comparable Hotels Adjusted Hotel EBITDA Margin % guidance include properties acquired, as if the hotels were owned as of January 1, 2017, and exclude completed dispositions since January 1, 2017. For the full year 2018, the Company anticipates:

Earnings Call

The Company will host a quarterly conference call for investors and interested parties on Friday, February 23, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The conference call will be accessible by telephone and the internet. To access the call, participants from within the U.S. should dial (877) 407-9039, and participants from outside the U.S. should dial (201) 689-8470. Participants may also access the call via live webcast by visiting the Investor Information section of the Company's website at ir.applehospitalityreit.com. A replay of the call will be available from approximately 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on February 23, 2018, through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 9, 2018. To access the replay, the domestic dial-in number is (844) 512-2921, the international dial-in number is (412) 317-6671, and the passcode is 13674824. The archive of the webcast will be available on the Company's website for a limited time.

About Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc.

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE: APLE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns one of the largest portfolios of upscale, select-service hotels in the United States. The Company’s highly diversified portfolio consists of 241 hotels with more than 30,500 guest rooms located in 88 markets throughout 34 states. The Company’s hotels are franchised with industry leading brands, and the Company’s portfolio includes 117 Marriott^® branded hotels and 124 Hilton® branded hotels. For more information, please visit www.applehospitalityreit.com.

Apple Hospitality REIT Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company considers the following non-GAAP financial measures useful to investors as key supplemental measures of its operating performance: Funds from Operations (“FFO”); Modified FFO (“MFFO”); Earnings Before Interest, Income Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“EBITDA”); Adjusted EBITDA (“Adjusted EBITDA”); and Adjusted Hotel EBITDA (“Adjusted Hotel EBITDA”). These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered along with, but not as alternatives to, net income (loss), cash flow from operations, or any other operating GAAP measure. FFO, MFFO, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Hotel EBITDA are not necessarily indicative of funds available to fund the Company’s cash needs, including its ability to make cash distributions. Although FFO, MFFO, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Hotel EBITDA, as calculated by the Company, may not be comparable to FFO, MFFO, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Hotel EBITDA, as reported by other companies that do not define such terms exactly as the Company defines such terms, the Company believes these supplemental measures are useful to investors when comparing the Company’s results between periods and with other REITs. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to net income (loss) are provided in the following pages.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

Certain statements contained in this press release other than historical facts may be considered forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are predictions and generally can be identified by use of statements that include phrases such as “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “goal,” “plan,” “should,” “will,” “predict,” “potential,” “outlook,” “strategy,” and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Apple Hospitality to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the ability of Apple Hospitality to effectively acquire and dispose of properties; the ability of Apple Hospitality to successfully integrate pending transactions and implement its operating strategy; changes in general political, economic and competitive conditions and specific market conditions; adverse changes in the real estate and real estate capital markets; financing risks; the outcome of current and future litigation, including any legal proceedings that have been or may be instituted against Apple Hospitality or others; regulatory proceedings or inquiries; and changes in laws or regulations or interpretations of current laws and regulations that impact Apple Hospitality’s business, assets or classification as a real estate investment trust. Although Apple Hospitality believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore there can be no assurance that such statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by Apple Hospitality or any other person that the results or conditions described in such statements or the objectives and plans of Apple Hospitality will be achieved. In addition, Apple Hospitality’s qualification as a real estate investment trust involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Readers should carefully review Apple Hospitality’s financial statements and the notes thereto, as well as the risk factors described in Apple Hospitality’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. Any forward-looking statement that Apple Hospitality makes speaks only as of the date of such statement. Apple Hospitality undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or cautionary factors, as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

For additional information or to receive press releases by email, visit www.applehospitalityreit.com.

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc.
Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Hotel EBITDA
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)

EBITDA is a commonly used measure of performance in many industries and is defined as net income (loss) excluding interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. The Company believes EBITDA is useful to investors because it helps the Company and its investors evaluate the ongoing operating performance of the Company by removing the impact of its capital structure (primarily interest expense) and its asset base (primarily depreciation and amortization). In addition, certain covenants included in the agreements governing the Company’s indebtedness use EBITDA, as defined in the specific credit agreement, as a measure of financial compliance.

The Company considers the exclusion or inclusion of certain additional items from EBITDA (Adjusted EBITDA) useful, including (i) the exclusion of transaction and litigation costs (reimbursements), gains or losses from sales of real estate, and the loss on impairment of depreciable real estate assets, as these items do not represent ongoing operations, and (ii) the exclusion of non-cash straight-line ground lease expense, as this expense does not reflect the underlying performance of the related hotels.

The Company further excludes actual corporate-level general and administrative expense for the Company from Adjusted EBITDA (Adjusted Hotel EBITDA) to isolate property-level operational performance over which the Company’s hotel operators have direct control. The Company believes Adjusted Hotel EBITDA provides useful supplemental information to investors regarding operating performance and is used by management to measure the performance of the Company’s hotels and effectiveness of the operators of the hotels.

The following table reconciles the Company’s GAAP net income (loss) to EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Hotel EBITDA on a quarterly basis from March 31, 2016 through December 31, 2017.

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc.
2018 Guidance Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)

The guidance of net income, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forecasts. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in the forecasts are based upon reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the expectations will be achieved or that the results will not be materially different. Risks that may affect these assumptions and forecasts include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in political, economic, competitive and specific market conditions; the amount and timing of acquisitions and dispositions of hotel properties; the level of capital expenditures may change significantly, which will directly affect the level of depreciation expense, interest expense and net income; the amount and timing of debt repayments may change significantly based on market conditions, which will directly affect the level of interest expense and net income; the amount and timing of transactions involving the Company's common stock may change based on market conditions; and other risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's business described herein and in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

The following table reconciles the Company’s GAAP net income guidance to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA guidance for the year ending December 31, 2018.

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc.
Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to FFO and MFFO
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)

The Company calculates and presents FFO in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“Nareit”), which defines FFO as net income (loss) (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains or losses from sales of real estate, extraordinary items as defined by GAAP, and the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles, plus real estate related depreciation, amortization and impairments, and adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Historical cost accounting for real estate assets implicitly assumes that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time. Since real estate values instead have historically risen or fallen with market conditions, most real estate industry investors consider FFO to be helpful in evaluating a real estate company’s operations. The Company further believes that by excluding the effects of these items, FFO is useful to investors in comparing its operating performance between periods and between REITs that report FFO using the Nareit definition. FFO as presented by the Company is applicable only to its common shareholders, but does not represent an amount that accrues directly to common shareholders.

The Company further adjusts FFO (MFFO) for certain additional items that are not in Nareit’s definition of FFO, including: (i) the exclusion of transaction and litigation costs (reimbursements), as these costs do not represent ongoing operations, and (ii) the exclusion of non-cash straight-line ground lease expense, as this expense does not reflect the underlying performance of the related hotels. The Company presents MFFO when evaluating its performance because it believes that it provides further useful supplemental information to investors regarding its ongoing operating performance.

The following table reconciles the Company’s GAAP net income (loss) to FFO and MFFO for the three months and years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.