Overview
Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (the "Company," "we," "our" or "us") is aMaryland corporation. We operate as a self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust ("REIT"). A REIT is a corporation that directly or indirectly owns real estate assets and has elected to be taxable as a real estate investment trust for federal income tax purposes. To qualify for taxation as a REIT, the REIT must meet certain requirements, including regarding the composition of its assets and the sources of its income. REITs generally are not subject to federal income taxes at the corporate level as long as they pay stockholder dividends equivalent to 100% of their taxable income. REITs are required to distribute to stockholders at least 90% of their REIT taxable income. We own, directly or indirectly, 100% of the interests ofSunstone Hotel Partnership, LLC (the "Operating Partnership"), which is the entity that directly or indirectly owns our hotels. We also own 100% of the interests of our taxable REIT subsidiary,Sunstone Hotel TRS Lessee, Inc. (the "TRS Lessee"), which, directly or indirectly, leases all of our hotels from theOperating Partnership , and engages independent third-parties to manage our hotels. We own hotels in urban and resort destinations that benefit from significant barriers to entry by competitors and diverse economic drivers. As ofMarch 31, 2023 , we owned 15 hotels, which average 516 rooms in size. All but two of our hotels (theBoston Park Plaza and theOceans Edge Resort & Marina) are operated under nationally recognized brands. Our two unbranded hotels are located in top urban and resort destination markets that have enabled them to establish awareness with both group and transient customers.
Operating Activities
Revenues. Substantially all of our revenues are derived from the operation of our hotels. Specifically, our revenues consist of the following:
? Room revenue, which is comprised of revenue realized from the sale of rooms at
our hotels;
? Food and beverage revenue, which is comprised of revenue realized in the hotel
food and beverage outlets as well as banquet and catering events; and
Other operating revenue, which includes ancillary hotel revenue and other items
primarily driven by occupancy such as telephone/internet, parking, spa,
facility and resort fees, entertainment and other guest services. Additionally,
? this category includes, among other things, attrition and cancellation revenue,
tenant revenue derived from hotel space and marina slips leased by third
parties, winery revenue, any business interruption proceeds and any performance
guarantee or reimbursements to offset net losses.
Expenses. Our expenses consist of the following:
? Room expense, which is primarily driven by occupancy and, therefore, has a
significant correlation with room revenue;
Food and beverage expense, which is primarily driven by hotel food and beverage
? sales and banquet and catering bookings and, therefore, has a significant
correlation with food and beverage revenue;
Other operating expense, which includes the corresponding expense of other
? operating revenue, advertising and promotion, repairs and maintenance,
utilities and franchise costs;
Property tax, ground lease and insurance expense, which includes the expenses
associated with property tax, ground lease and insurance payments, each of
? which is primarily a fixed expense, however property tax is subject to regular
revaluations based on the specific tax regulations and practices of each
municipality, along with our cash and noncash operating lease expenses, general
excise tax assessed by
Other property-level expenses, which includes our property-level general and
administrative expenses, such as payroll, benefits and other employee-related
? expenses, contract and professional fees, credit and collection expenses,
employee recruitment, relocation and training expenses, labor dispute expenses,
consulting fees, management fees and other expenses;
Corporate overhead expense, which includes our corporate-level expenses, such
? as payroll, benefits and other employee-related expenses, amortization of
deferred stock compensation, business acquisition and due diligence expenses, legal 23 Table of Contents expenses, association, contract and professional fees, board of director
expenses, entity-level state franchise and minimum taxes, travel expenses,
office rent and other customary expenses; and
Depreciation and amortization expense, which includes depreciation on our hotel
buildings, improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment ("FF&E"), along with
? amortization on our finance lease right-of-use asset (prior to the related
hotel's sale in
Additionally, this category includes depreciation and amortization related to
FF&E for our corporate office.
Other Revenue and Expense. Other revenue and expense consists of the following:
Interest and other income, which includes interest we have earned on our
restricted and unrestricted cash accounts, as well as any energy or other
? rebates, property insurance proceeds we have received, miscellaneous income and
any gains or losses we have recognized on sales or redemptions of assets other
than real estate investments;
Interest expense, which includes interest expense incurred on our outstanding
fixed and variable rate debt and finance lease obligation (prior to the related
? hotel's sale in
amortization of deferred financing costs, and any loan or waiver fees incurred
on our debt;
? Gain on sale of assets, which includes the gains we recognized on our hotel
sales that do not qualify as discontinued operations;
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt, net, which includes gains related to the
resolution of contingencies on extinguished debt and losses recognized on
? amendments or early repayments of mortgages or other debt obligations from the
accelerated amortization of deferred financing costs, along with any other
costs; Income tax provision, net, which includes federal and state income taxes
related to continuing operations charged to the Company net of any refundable
? credits or refunds received, any adjustments to deferred tax assets,
liabilities or valuation allowances, and any adjustments to unrecognized tax
positions, along with any related interest and penalties incurred;
Income from consolidated joint venture attributable to noncontrolling interest,
? which includes the net income attributable to a third-party's 25.0% ownership
interest in the joint venture that owned the
our acquisition of the interest in
Preferred stock dividends, which includes dividends accrued on our Series G
? Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock ("Series G preferred stock"), Series H
Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock ("Series H preferred stock") and Series I
Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock ("Series I preferred stock").
Operating Performance Indicators. The following performance indicators are commonly used in the hotel industry:
? Occupancy, which is the quotient of total rooms sold divided by total rooms
available;
? Average daily room rate, or ADR, which is the quotient of room revenue divided
by total rooms sold;
Revenue per available room, or RevPAR, which is the product of occupancy and
? ADR, and does not include food and beverage revenue, or other operating
revenue;
RevPAR index, which is the quotient of a hotel's RevPAR divided by the average
RevPAR of its competitors, multiplied by 100. A RevPAR index in excess of 100
? indicates a hotel is achieving higher RevPAR than the average of its
competitors. In addition to absolute RevPAR index, we monitor changes in RevPAR
index;
EBITDAre, which is net income (loss) excluding: interest expense; benefit or
provision for income taxes, including any changes to deferred tax assets,
? liabilities or valuation allowances and income taxes applicable to the sale of
assets; depreciation and amortization; gains or losses on disposition of
depreciated property (including gains or losses on change in control); and any
impairment write-downs of depreciated property; Adjusted EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest, which is EBITDAre
adjusted to exclude: the net income (loss) allocated to a third-party's 25.0%
ownership interest in the joint venture that owned the
Bayfront prior to our acquisition of the interest in
? noncontrolling partner's pro rata share of any EBITDAre components;
amortization of deferred stock compensation; amortization of contract
intangibles; amortization of right-of-use assets and obligations; the cash
component of ground lease expense for any finance lease obligation that was included 24 Table of Contents
in interest expense; the impact of any gain or loss from undepreciated asset
sales or property damage from natural disasters; any lawsuit settlement costs;
the write-off of development costs associated with abandoned projects;
property-level restructuring, severance and management transition costs; debt
resolution costs; and any other nonrecurring identified adjustments;
Funds from operations ("FFO") attributable to common stockholders, which is net
income (loss) and preferred stock dividends and any redemption charges,
excluding: gains and losses from sales of property; real estate-related
? depreciation and amortization (excluding amortization of deferred financing
costs and right-of-use assets and obligations); any real estate-related
impairment losses; and the noncontrolling partner's pro rata share of net
income (loss) and any FFO components prior to our acquisition of the noncontrolling partner's interest inJune 2022 ; and
Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders, which is FFO attributable to
common stockholders adjusted to exclude: amortization of deferred stock
compensation; amortization of contract intangibles; real estate-related
amortization of right-of-use assets and obligations; noncash interest on our
derivatives and any finance lease obligations; income tax benefits or
provisions associated with any changes to deferred tax assets, liabilities or
valuation allowances, the application of net operating loss carryforwards and
? uncertain tax positions; gains or losses due to property damage from natural
disasters; any lawsuit settlement costs; the write-off of development costs
associated with abandoned projects; non-real estate-related impairment losses;
property-level restructuring, severance and management transition costs; debt
resolution costs; preferred stock redemption charges; the noncontrolling
partner's pro rata share of any Adjusted FFO components prior to our
acquisition of the noncontrolling partner's interest in
other nonrecurring identified adjustments.
Factors Affecting Our Operating Results. The primary factors affecting our operating results include overall demand for hotel rooms, the pace of new hotel development, or supply, and the relative performance of our operators in increasing revenue and controlling hotel operating expenses.
Demand. The demand for lodging has traditionally been closely linked with the
performance of the general economy. Our hotels are classified as either upper
upscale or luxury hotels. In an economic downturn, these types of hotels may be
more susceptible to a decrease in revenue, as compared to hotels in other
categories that have lower room rates in part because upper upscale and luxury
hotels generally target business and high-end leisure travelers. In periods of
economic difficulty, including those caused by pandemics and inflation,
business and leisure travelers may reduce costs by limiting travel or by using
? lower cost accommodations. In addition, operating results at our hotels in
resort markets may be negatively affected by reduced demand from domestic
travelers due to pent up desire for international travel as international
pandemic-related travel restrictions are lifted; whereas operating results at
our hotels in key gateway markets may be negatively affected by reduced demand
from international travelers due to financial conditions in their home
countries or a material strengthening of the
currencies. Also, volatility in transportation fuel costs, increases in air and
ground travel costs, decreases in airline capacity and prolonged periods of
inclement weather in our markets may reduce the demand for our hotels.
Supply. The addition of new competitive hotels affects the ability of existing
hotels to absorb demand for lodging and, therefore, impacts the ability to
generate growth in RevPAR and profits. The development of new hotels is largely
driven by construction costs and expected performance of existing hotels. Prior
to the COVID-19 pandemic,
market-by-market basis, some markets experienced new hotel room openings at or
? greater than historic levels, including in
Additionally, an increase in the supply of vacation rental or sharing services
such as Airbnb affects the ability of existing hotels to generate growth in
RevPAR and profits. We believe that both new full-service hotel construction
and new hotel openings will be delayed in the near-term due to several factors,
including COVID-19's effect on the economy, increased borrowing costs and
increased materials and construction costs.
Revenues and expenses. We believe that marginal improvements in RevPAR index,
even in the face of declining revenues, are a good indicator of the relative
quality and appeal of our hotels, and our operators' effectiveness in
? maximizing revenues. Similarly, we also evaluate our operators' effectiveness
in minimizing incremental operating expenses in the context of increasing
revenues or, conversely, in reducing operating expenses in the context of
declining revenues. Inflationary pressures could increase operating costs,
which could limit our operators' effectiveness in minimizing expenses. 25 Table of Contents Operating Results. The following table presents our unaudited operating results for our total portfolio for the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 and 2022, including the amount and percentage change in the results between the two periods. Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 2022 Change $ Change % (in thousands, except statistical data) REVENUES Room$ 152,438 $ 108,772 $ 43,666 40.1 % Food and beverage 70,812 39,583 31,229 78.9 % Other operating 20,193 23,960 (3,767) (15.7) % Total revenues 243,443 172,315 71,128 41.3 % OPERATING EXPENSES Hotel operating 146,067 113,104 32,963 29.1 %
Other property-level expenses 31,777 23,910 7,867 32.9 % Corporate overhead 8,468 10,714 (2,246) (21.0) % Depreciation and amortization 32,342 31,360
982 3.1 % Total operating expenses 218,654 179,088 39,566 22.1 % Interest and other income 541 4,380 (3,839) (87.6) % Interest expense (13,794) (5,081) (8,713) (171.5) % Gain on sale of assets - 22,946 (22,946) (100.0) % Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt, net 9,909 (213) 10,122 4,752.1 % Income before income taxes 21,445 15,259 6,186 40.5 % Income tax provision (358) (136) (222) (163.2) % NET INCOME 21,087 15,123 5,964 39.4 % Income from consolidated joint venture attributable to noncontrolling interest - (1,134) 1,134 100.0 % Preferred stock dividends (3,768) (3,773) 5 0.1 % INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON STOCKHOLDERS$ 17,319 $ 10,216 $
7,103 69.5 %
Summary of Operating Results. The following items significantly impact the year-over-year comparability of our operations:
COVID-19: Operations at most of our hotels during the first quarter of 2022
? were negatively impacted by COVID-19's Omicron variant. Consequently, the
results of our operations for the first quarter of 2023 are not comparable to
the same period in 2022.
? resulting in increased revenues, operating expenses and depreciation expense
for the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022.Hotel Dispositions : InFebruary 2022 , we sold the Hyatt Centric Chicago
Magnificent Mile, and in
? and the
these three hotel dispositions (the "Three
operating expenses and depreciation expense for the first quarter of 2023 are
not comparable to the same period in 2022.
Room revenue. Room revenue increased
Room revenue at the 14 hotels we owned during the first quarters of both 2023
? and 2022 (the "Existing Portfolio") increased
increased 1,600 basis points and the average daily room rate increased 3.2%,
resulting in a 34.3% increase in RevPAR:
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 2022 Change Occ% ADR RevPAR Occ% ADR RevPAR Occ% ADR RevPAR Existing Portfolio 69.0 %$ 311.05 $ 214.62 53.0 %$ 301.44 $ 159.76 1,600 bps 3.2 % 34.3 % The Confidante Miami Beach 83.9 %$ 365.88 $ 306.97 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
? The Confidante
?
26 Table of Contents Food and beverage revenue. Food and beverage revenue increased$31.2 million , or 78.9%, for the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 as compared to the three months endedMarch 31, 2022 as follows:
? Food and beverage revenue at the Existing Portfolio increased
? The Confidante
million.
?
million.
Other operating revenue. Other operating revenue decreased
Other operating revenue at the Existing Portfolio decreased
primarily due to decreased COVID-19-related cancellation and attrition fees. In
addition, other operating revenue in the first quarter of 2022 included a
million reimbursement to offset net losses at the
? and
related to Hurricane Ida disruption, with no corresponding revenue recognized
in the first quarter of 2023. These decreases were partially offset by
increased revenue from internet usage fees, parking fees, facility and resort
fees, spa revenue and tenant rent.
? The Confidante
million.
?
million.
Hotel operating expenses. Hotel operating expenses, which are comprised of room, food and beverage, advertising and promotion, repairs and maintenance, utilities, franchise costs, property tax, ground lease and insurance and other hotel operating expenses increased$33.0 million , or 29.1%, for the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 as compared to the three months endedMarch 31, 2022 as follows:
Hotel operating expenses at the Existing Portfolio increased
primarily corresponding to the increases in the Existing Portfolio's revenues
and occupancy rates, along with increased property and liability insurance and
property taxes. In addition, utility expenses at the Existing Portfolio
? increased due to increases in the cost of natural gas and electricity.
Partially offsetting these increased expenses, repairs and maintenance expenses
decreased as our
Ida-related restoration expenses in the first quarter of 2022, with no
corresponding expense recognized in the first quarter of 2023.
? The Confidante
million.
?
million.
Other property-level expenses. Other property-level expenses increased
Other property-level expenses at the Existing Portfolio increased
including a
? in the Existing Portfolio's revenues. Additional increases to other
property-level expenses at the Existing Portfolio included payroll and related
expenses, credit card commissions, employee recruiting and training expenses,
and supply expenses.
? The Confidante
?
Corporate overhead expense. Corporate overhead expense decreased$2.2 million , or 21.0%, during the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 as compared to the three months endedMarch 31, 2022 , primarily due to decreased payroll expenses, deferred stock amortization expense and board of director expenses related to the chief executive officer transition costs recognized in the first quarter of 2022. Additional decreases to corporate overhead expense included due diligence expenses and legal fees, along with office rent expense due to the relocation of our corporate office inJanuary 2023 . These decreased expenses were partially offset by increased entity-level state franchise and minimum taxes and environmental, social and governance expenses. Depreciation and amortization expense. Depreciation and amortization expense increased$1.0 million , or 3.1%, during the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 as compared to the three months endedMarch 31, 2022 as follows:
Depreciation and amortization expense related to the Existing Portfolio
? increased
newly renovated hotels, partially offset by decreased expense due to fully
depreciated assets.
? The Confidante
?
amortization of
27 Table of Contents Interest and other income. Interest and other income decreased$3.8 million , or 87.6%, during the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 as compared to the three months endedMarch 31, 2022 . During the first quarter of 2023, we recognized interest income of$0.5 million .
During the first quarter of 2022, we recognized
Interest expense. We incurred interest expense as follows (in thousands):
Three Months
Ended
2023
2022
Interest expense on debt and finance lease obligation$ 11,417 $ 6,243 Noncash interest on derivatives, net 1,832 (1,842) Amortization of deferred financing costs 545
680 Total interest expense$ 13,794 $ 5,081
Interest expense increased
Interest expense on our debt and finance lease obligation increased$5.2 million in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022 primarily due to the additional amounts borrowed under our term loans inJuly 2022 , as well as increased interest on our variable rate debt. These increases were partially offset due to our partial repayments of the senior notes inFebruary 2022 , decreases in the interest rates on our senior notes due to our exiting the covenant relief period inMarch 2022 , and by decreased interest on our finance lease obligation due to our sale of the Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile inFebruary 2022 .
Noncash changes in the fair market value of our derivatives caused interest
expense to increase
The amortization of deferred financing costs caused interest expense to decrease
Our weighted average interest rate per annum, including our variable rate debt obligation, was approximately 5.55% and 3.6% atMarch 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Approximately 51.6% and 61.8% of our outstanding notes payable had fixed interest rates or had been swapped to fixed interest rates, including forward starting interest rate swap derivatives, atMarch 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Gain on sale of assets. Gain on sale of assets totaled zero and$22.9 million for the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. In the first quarter of 2022, we recognized an$11.3 million gain on the sale of the Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile and an$11.6 million gain on the combined sale of the Embassy Suites Chicago and theHilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile . Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt, net. Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt, net totaled a gain of$9.9 million and a loss of$0.2 million for the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. During the first quarter of 2023, we recognized a gain of$9.9 million associated with potential employee-related obligations arising from the assignment of theHilton Times Square to the hotel's mortgage holder inDecember 2020 . InFebruary 2023 , we were relieved of$9.8 million of the potential employee-related obligations and the funds were released to us from escrow. In addition, during the first quarter of 2023, we recorded a gain of$0.1 million due to reassessments of the remaining potential employee-related obligations currently held in escrow. During the first quarter of 2022, we recognized a loss of$0.2 million related to the accelerated amortization of deferred financing fees associated with the repayment of a portion of our senior notes. Income tax provision. We lease our hotels to the TRS Lessee and its subsidiaries, which are subject to federal and state income taxes. In addition, we and theOperating Partnership may also be subject to various state and local income taxes. During the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 , we recognized a current income tax provision of$0.4 million , resulting from current state and federal income tax expenses.
During the three months ended
28
Table of Contents
Income from consolidated joint venture attributable to noncontrolling interest. Income from consolidated joint venture attributable to noncontrolling interest, which represented the outside 25.0% interest in the entity that owned theHilton San Diego Bayfront , totaled zero and$1.1 million for the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
In
Preferred stock dividends. Preferred stock dividends were incurred as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 2022 Series G preferred stock $ 582$ 587 Series H preferred stock 1,761 1,761 Series I preferred stock 1,425 1,425
Total preferred stock dividends $ 3,768$ 3,773 Non-GAAP Financial Measures. We use the following "non-GAAP financial measures" that we believe are useful to investors as key supplemental measures of our operating performance: EBITDAre; Adjusted EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest; FFO attributable to common stockholders; and Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders. These measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted inthe United States ("GAAP"). In addition, our calculation of these measures may not be comparable to other companies that do not define such terms exactly the same as the Company. These non-GAAP measures are used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP. They should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss), cash flow from operations, or any other operating performance measure prescribed by GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect additional ways of viewing our operations that we believe, when viewed with our GAAP results and the reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business than could be obtained absent this disclosure. We strongly encourage investors to review our financial information in its entirety and not to rely on a single financial measure. We present EBITDAre in accordance with guidelines established by theNational Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("Nareit"), as defined in itsSeptember 2017 white paper "Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization for Real Estate." We believe EBITDAre is a useful performance measure to help investors evaluate and compare the results of our operations from period to period in comparison to our peers. Nareit defines EBITDAre as net income (calculated in accordance with GAAP) plus interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, gains or losses on the disposition of depreciated property (including gains or losses on change in control), impairment write-downs of depreciated property and of investments in unconsolidated affiliates caused by a decrease in the value of depreciated property in the affiliate, and adjustments to reflect the entity's share of EBITDAre of unconsolidated affiliates. We make additional adjustments to EBITDAre when evaluating our performance because we believe that the exclusion of certain additional items described below provides useful information to investors regarding our operating performance, and that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest, when combined with the primary GAAP presentation of net income, is beneficial to an investor's complete understanding of our operating performance. In addition, we use both EBITDAre and Adjusted EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest as measures in determining the value of hotel acquisitions and dispositions. We adjust EBITDAre for the following items, which may occur in any period, and refer to this measure as Adjusted EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest:
Amortization of deferred stock compensation: we exclude the noncash expense
? incurred with the amortization of deferred stock compensation as this expense
is based on historical stock prices at the date of grant to our corporate
employees and does not reflect the underlying performance of our hotels.
Amortization of contract intangibles: we exclude the noncash amortization of
any favorable or unfavorable contract intangibles recorded in conjunction with
? our hotel acquisitions. We exclude the noncash amortization of contract
intangibles because it is based on historical cost accounting and is of lesser
significance in evaluating our actual performance for the current period.
Amortization of right-of-use assets and obligations: we exclude the
amortization of our right-of-use assets and related lease obligations, as these
? expenses are based on historical cost accounting and do not reflect the actual
rent amounts due to the respective lessors or the underlying performance of our hotels. 29 Table of Contents
Finance lease obligation interest - cash ground rent: we include an adjustment
for the cash finance lease expense recorded on the building lease at the Hyatt
Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile (prior to the hotel's sale in February 2022).
? We determined that the building lease was a finance lease, and, therefore, we
included a portion of the lease payment each month in interest expense. We
adjusted EBITDAre for the finance lease in order to more accurately reflect the
actual rent due to the hotel's lessor in the respective period, as well as the
operating performance of the hotel.
Undepreciated asset transactions: we exclude the effect of gains and losses on
? the disposition of undepreciated assets because we believe that including them
in Adjusted EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest is not consistent with
reflecting the ongoing performance of our assets. Gains or losses from debt transactions: we exclude the effect of finance
charges and premiums associated with the extinguishment of debt, including the
? acceleration of deferred financing costs from the original issuance of the debt
being redeemed or retired because, like interest expense, their removal helps
investors evaluate and compare the results of our operations from period to
period by removing the impact of our capital structure.
Noncontrolling interest: we exclude the noncontrolling partner's pro rata share
of the net (income) loss allocated to the
? prior to our acquisition of the noncontrolling partner's interest in
as well as the noncontrolling partner's pro rata share of any EBITDAre and
Adjusted EBITDAre components.
Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle: from time to time, the
FASB promulgates new accounting standards that require the consolidated
? statement of operations to reflect the cumulative effect of a change in
accounting principle. We exclude these one-time adjustments, which include the
accounting impact from prior periods, because they do not reflect our actual
performance for that period.
Other adjustments: we exclude other adjustments that we believe are outside the
ordinary course of business because we do not believe these costs reflect our
actual performance for the period and/or the ongoing operations of our hotels.
? Such items may include: lawsuit settlement costs; the write-off of development
costs associated with abandoned projects; property-level restructuring,
severance and management transition costs; debt resolution costs; lease
terminations; property insurance restoration proceeds or uninsured losses; and
other nonrecurring identified adjustments.
The following table reconciles our unaudited net income to EBITDAre and Adjusted
EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest for our total portfolio for the
three months ended
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 2022 Net income$ 21,087 $ 15,123 Operations held for investment: Depreciation and amortization 32,342 31,360 Interest expense 13,794 5,081 Income tax provision 358 136 Gain on sale of assets - (22,946) EBITDAre 67,581 28,754 Operations held for investment: Amortization of deferred stock compensation 2,427 3,578 Amortization of right-of-use assets and obligations (52) (346) Amortization of contract intangibles, net (18) (6) Finance lease obligation interest - cash ground rent - (117) (Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, net (9,909) 213 Hurricane-related insurance restoration proceeds net of losses - (2,893) Noncontrolling interest - (2,020) Adjustments to EBITDAre, net (7,552) (1,591)
Adjusted EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest
Adjusted EBITDAre, excluding noncontrolling interest increased$32.9 million , or 121.0%, in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022 due to the following:
Adjusted EBITDAre at the Existing Portfolio increased
in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022 primarily
? due to the changes in the Existing Portfolio's revenues and expenses included
in the discussion above regarding the operating results for the first quarter of 2023. 30 Table of Contents
? The Confidante
first quarter of 2023.
?
million in the first quarter of 2022.
We believe that the presentation of FFO attributable to common stockholders provides useful information to investors regarding our operating performance because it is a measure of our operations without regard to specified noncash items such as real estate depreciation and amortization, any real estate impairment loss and any gain or loss on sale of real estate assets, all of which are based on historical cost accounting and may be of lesser significance in evaluating our current performance. Our presentation of FFO attributable to common stockholders conforms to the Nareit definition of "FFO applicable to common shares." Our presentation may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs that do not define the terms in accordance with the current Nareit definition, or that interpret the current Nareit definition differently than we do. We also present Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders when evaluating our operating performance because we believe that the exclusion of certain additional items described below provides useful supplemental information to investors regarding our ongoing operating performance, and may facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and our peer companies. We adjust FFO attributable to common stockholders for the following items, which may occur in any period, and refer to this measure as Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders:
Amortization of deferred stock compensation: we exclude the noncash expense
? incurred with the amortization of deferred stock compensation as this expense
is based on historical stock prices at the date of grant to our corporate
employees and does not reflect the underlying performance of our hotels.
Amortization of contract intangibles: we exclude the noncash amortization of
any favorable or unfavorable contract intangibles recorded in conjunction with
? our hotel acquisitions. We exclude the noncash amortization of contract
intangibles because it is based on historical cost accounting and is of lesser
significance in evaluating our actual performance for the current period.
Real estate amortization of right-of-use assets and obligations: we exclude the
amortization of our real estate right-of-use assets and related lease
obligations, which includes the amortization of both our finance and operating
? lease intangibles (with the exception of our corporate operating lease), as
these expenses are based on historical cost accounting and do not reflect the
actual rent amounts due to the respective lessors or the underlying performance
of our hotels. Gains or losses from debt transactions: we exclude the effect of finance
charges and premiums associated with the extinguishment of debt, including the
? acceleration of deferred financing costs from the original issuance of the debt
being redeemed or retired, as well as the noncash interest on our derivatives
and finance lease obligation. We believe that these items are not reflective of
our ongoing finance costs.
Noncontrolling interest: we deduct the noncontrolling partner's pro rata share
? of any FFO adjustments related to our consolidated
partnership prior to our acquisition of the noncontrolling partner's interest
in
Cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle: from time to time, the
FASB promulgates new accounting standards that require the consolidated
? statement of operations to reflect the cumulative effect of a change in
accounting principle. We exclude these one-time adjustments, which include the
accounting impact from prior periods, because they do not reflect our actual
performance for that period.
Other adjustments: we exclude other adjustments that we believe are outside the
ordinary course of business because we do not believe these costs reflect our
actual performance for that period and/or the ongoing operations of our hotels.
Such items may include: lawsuit settlement costs; the write-off of development
costs associated with abandoned projects; changes to deferred tax assets,
? liabilities or valuation allowances; property-level restructuring, severance
and management transition costs; debt resolution costs; preferred stock
redemption charges; lease terminations; property insurance restoration proceeds
or uninsured losses; income tax benefits or provisions associated with the
application of net operating loss carryforwards, uncertain tax positions or
with the sale of assets other than real estate investments; and other nonrecurring identified adjustments. 31 Table of Contents
The following table reconciles our unaudited net income to FFO attributable to common stockholders and Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders for our total portfolio for the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands): Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 2022 Net income$ 21,087 $ 15,123 Preferred stock dividends (3,768) (3,773) Operations held for investment: Real estate depreciation and amortization 32,191
31,027 Gain on sale of assets - (22,946) Noncontrolling interest - (1,924)
FFO attributable to common stockholders 49,510 17,507 Operations held for investment: Amortization of deferred stock compensation 2,427 3,578 Real estate amortization of right-of-use assets and obligations (119) (286) Amortization of contract intangibles, net 83 60 Noncash interest on derivatives, net 1,832 (1,842) (Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, net (9,909) 213 Hurricane-related insurance restoration proceeds net of losses - (2,893) Noncontrolling interest - 74 Adjustments to FFO attributable to common stockholders, net (5,686) (1,096)
Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders
Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders increased
Liquidity and Capital Resources
During the periods presented, our sources of cash included our operating activities and working capital, as well as proceeds from hotel dispositions and business interruption and property insurance. Our primary uses of cash were for capital expenditures for hotels and other assets, acquisitions of hotels and other assets, operating expenses, repurchases of our common stock, repayments of notes payable and dividends and distributions on our preferred and common stock. We cannot be certain that traditional sources of funds will be available in the future. Operating activities. Our net cash provided by or used in operating activities fluctuates primarily as a result of changes in hotel revenue and the operating cash flow of our hotels. Our net cash provided by or used in operating activities may also be affected by changes in our portfolio resulting from hotel acquisitions, dispositions or renovations. Net cash provided by operating activities was$47.2 million for the three months endedMarch 31, 2023 as compared to$13.1 million for the three months endedMarch 31, 2022 . The net increase in cash provided by operating activities during the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022 was primarily due to the increase in travel demand benefiting our hotels and additional operating cash provided by the newly-acquired The ConfidanteMiami Beach , partially offset by a decrease in operating cash caused by the sales of theThree Disposed Hotels . Investing activities. Our net cash provided by or used in investing activities fluctuates primarily as a result of acquisitions, dispositions and renovations of hotels and other assets. Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities during the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the first quarter of 2022 was as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 2022 Proceeds from sale of assets $ -$ 191,291
Proceeds from property insurance -
3,910
Acquisitions of hotel properties and other assets -
(546)
Renovations and additions to hotel properties and other assets (22,474)
(30,299)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities$ (22,474)
During the first quarter of 2023, we invested
During the first quarter of 2022, we received total proceeds of
32
Table of Contents
2021) and$128.1 million for the Embassy Suites Chicago and theHilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile . In addition, we received insurance proceeds of$3.9 million for hurricane-related property damage at theHilton New Orleans St. Charles . These cash inflows were partially offset by$0.5 million paid to acquire additional wet and dry boat slips at theOceans Edge Resort & Marina and$30.3 million invested for renovations and additions to our portfolio and other assets. Financing activities. Our net cash provided by or used in financing activities fluctuates primarily as a result of our dividends and distributions paid, issuance and repurchase of common stock, issuance and repayment of notes payable and our credit facility, debt restructurings and issuance and redemption of other forms of capital, including preferred equity. Net cash used in financing activities during the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the first quarter of 2022 was as follows (in thousands): Three Months
Ended
2023
2022
Repurchases of outstanding common stock$ (18,626) $ (43,465) Repurchases of common stock for employee tax obligations (3,348) (3,351) Payments on notes payable (524)
(35,503)
Dividends and distributions paid (13,981) (3,513) Net cash used in financing activities$ (36,479)
During the first quarter of 2023, we paid$18.6 million to repurchase 1,964,923 shares of our outstanding common stock. We also paid$3.3 million to repurchase common stock to satisfy the tax obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted common stock issued to employees,$0.5 million in scheduled principal payments on our notes payable and$14.0 million in dividends and distributions to our preferred and common stockholders. During the first quarter of 2022, we paid$43.5 million to repurchase 3,879,025 shares of our outstanding common stock. In addition, we paid$35.5 million in principal payments on our notes payable, including$35.0 million to repay a portion of our senior notes and$0.5 million in scheduled principal payments on our notes payable. We also paid$3.4 million to repurchase common stock to satisfy the tax obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted common stock issued to employees and$3.5 million in dividends to our preferred stockholders. Future. We expect our primary sources of cash will continue to be our working capital, credit facility, dispositions of hotel properties and proceeds from public and private offerings of debt securities and common and preferred stock. However, there can be no assurance that our future asset sales will be successfully completed. As a result of rising inflation rates and interest rates, as well as a possible recession in 2023, certain sources of capital may not be as readily available to us as they have in the past or may come at higher costs.
We expect our primary uses of cash to be for operating expenses, capital investments in our hotels, repayment of principal on our notes payable and credit facility, interest expense, repurchases of our common stock, distributions on our common stock, dividends on our preferred stock and acquisitions of hotels or interests in hotels.
The recent increases in inflation and interest rates have had, and we expect will continue to have, a negative effect on our operations. We have experienced increases in wages, employee-related benefits, food costs, commodity costs, including those used to renovate or reposition our hotels, property taxes, property and liability insurance, utilities and borrowing costs. The ability of our hotel operators to adjust rates has mitigated the impact of increased operating costs on our financial position and results of operations. However, the increases in interest rates is negatively affecting our variable rate debt, resulting in increased interest payments. Cash Balance. As ofMarch 31, 2023 , our unrestricted cash balance was$96.4 million . We believe that our current unrestricted cash balance and our ability to draw the$500.0 million capacity available for borrowing under the unsecured revolving credit facility will enable us to successfully manage our Company. Debt. As ofMarch 31, 2023 , we had$815.6 million of debt,$145.5 million of cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash, and total assets of$3.1 billion . We believe that by maintaining appropriate debt levels, staggering maturity dates and maintaining a highly flexible structure, we will have lower capital costs than more highly leveraged companies, or companies with limited flexibility due to restrictive corporate-level financial covenants. As ofMarch 31, 2023 , we have no amount outstanding under the revolving portion of our credit facility, with$500.0 million of capacity available for additional borrowing under the facility. The Company's ability to draw on the credit facility is subject to the Company's compliance with various financial covenants. As ofMarch 31, 2023 , 51.6% of our outstanding debt had fixed interest rates or either had been swapped or was under contract to be swapped to fixed interest rates, including the loan secured by theJW Marriott New Orleans , unsecured
corporate-level Term 33 Table of Contents Loan 1 and two unsecured corporate-level senior notes. InMarch 2023 , we entered into two interest rate swaps on Term Loan 1, the first of which was effectiveMarch 17, 2023 , expiresMarch 17, 2026 , and fixes the SOFR rate on$75.0 million of Term Loan 1 to 3.675%, resulting in an effective interest rate of 5.125% as ofMarch 31, 2023 . The second interest rate swap will be effectiveSeptember 14, 2023 , expiresSeptember 14, 2026 , and fixes the SOFR rate on the remaining$100.0 million of Term Loan 1 to 3.931%. The Company's floating rate debt as ofMarch 31, 2023 includes the$220.0 million non-recourse mortgage on theHilton San Diego Bayfront , which is subject to an interest rate cap derivative that caps the underlying floating rate interest benchmark at 6.0% untilDecember 2023 ,$100.0 million of Term Loan 1 and the$175.0 million unsecured corporate-level Term Loan 2, which was subject to an interest rate swap derivative until the derivative matured inJanuary 2023 . OnMay 1, 2023 , we entered into a new term loan agreement with several financial institutions which provides for a$225.0 million term loan facility. The term loan facility will bear interest pursuant to a leverage-based pricing grid ranging from 1.35% to 2.20% over the applicable adjusted term SOFR. The term loan facility has an initial term of two years with one 12-month extension option, which would result in an extended maturity ofMay 2026 . We expect to use substantially all of the proceeds received from the term loan facility to fully repay the$220.0 million mortgage loan secured by theHilton San Diego Bayfront , which is scheduled to mature inDecember 2023 . We may in the future seek to obtain mortgages on one or more of our 13 unencumbered hotels (subject to certain stipulations under our unsecured term loans and senior notes), all of which were held by subsidiaries whose interests were pledged to our credit facility as ofMarch 31, 2023 . Our 13 unencumbered hotels include:Boston Park Plaza ; FourSeasons Resort Napa Valley ;Hilton New Orleans St. Charles ;Hyatt Regency San Francisco ;Marriott Boston Long Wharf ; Montage Healdsburg;Oceans Edge Resort & Marina; RenaissanceLong Beach ; Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®; Renaissance Washington DC;The Bidwell Marriott Portland ; The ConfidanteMiami Beach ; andWailea Beach Resort . Should we obtain secured financing on any or all of our unencumbered hotels, the amount of capital available through our credit facility or future unsecured borrowings may be reduced. Following the repayment of the loan secured by theHilton San Diego Bayfront , we will have 14 unencumbered hotels, all of which will be held by subsidiaries whose interests are pledged to our credit facility.
Contractual Obligations. The following table summarizes our payment obligations
and commitments as of
Payment due by period Less Than 1 to 3 3 to 5 More than Total 1 year years years 5 years Notes payable$ 815,612 $ 222,100 $ 138,512 $ 455,000 $ - Interest obligations on notes payable (1) 149,235 42,758 60,757 45,720 - Operating lease obligations, including imputed interest (2) (3) 20,094 5,479 10,524 1,802 2,289 Construction commitments 51,039 51,039 - - - Total$ 1,035,980 $ 321,376 $ 209,793 $ 502,522 $ 2,289
Interest is calculated based on the loan balances and variable rates, as
(1) applicable, at
derivatives.
(2) Operating lease obligations include the lease on our current corporate
headquarters and the sublease on our previous corporate headquarters.
Operating lease obligations include a ground lease that expires in 2071 and
(3) requires a reassessment of rent payments due after 2025, agreed upon by both
us and the lessor; therefore, no amounts are included in the above table for
this ground lease after 2025.
Capital Expenditures and Reserve Funds
We believe we maintain each of our hotels in good repair and condition and in general conformity with applicable franchise and management agreements, ground lease, laws and regulations. Our capital expenditures primarily relate to the ongoing maintenance of our hotels and are budgeted in the reserve accounts described in the following paragraph. We also incur capital expenditures for cyclical renovations, hotel repositionings and development. We invested$22.5 million in our portfolio and other assets during the first quarter of 2023. As ofMarch 31, 2023 , we have contractual construction commitments totaling$51.0 million for ongoing renovations. If we renovate additional hotels in the future, our capital expenditures will likely increase. With respect to our hotels that are operated under management or franchise agreements with major national hotel brands and our hotels subject to first mortgage liens, we are obligated to maintain an FF&E reserve account for future planned and emergency-related capital expenditures at these hotels. The amount funded into each of these reserve accounts is determined pursuant to the management, 34 Table of Contents franchise and loan agreements for each of the respective hotels, ranging between 1.0% and 5.0% of the respective hotel's applicable annual revenue. As ofMarch 31, 2023 , our balance sheet includes restricted cash of$46.9 million , which was held in FF&E reserve accounts for future capital expenditures at the majority of our hotels. According to certain loan agreements, reserve funds are to be held by the lenders or managers in restricted cash accounts, and we are not required to spend the entire amount in such reserve accounts each year.
Seasonality and Volatility
As is typical of the lodging industry, we experience some seasonality in our business. Revenue for certain of our hotels is generally affected by seasonal business patterns (e.g., the first quarter is strong inHawaii ,Key West ,New Orleans andOrlando , the second quarter is strong for the Mid-Atlantic business hotels, both the second and third quarters are strong for theCalifornia counties ofNapa andSonoma and the fourth quarter is strong forHawaii andKey West ). Quarterly revenue also may be adversely affected by renovations and repositionings, our managers' effectiveness in generating business and by events beyond our control, such as economic and business conditions, including aU.S. recession or increased inflation, trade conflicts and tariffs, changes impacting global travel, regional or global economic slowdowns, any flu or disease-related pandemic that impacts travel or the ability to travel, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of climate change, the threat of terrorism, terrorist events, civil unrest, government shutdowns, events that reduce the capacity or availability of air travel, increased competition from other hotels in our markets, new hotel supply or alternative lodging options and unexpected changes in business, commercial travel, leisure travel and tourism.
Inflation
Inflation affects our expenses, including, without limitation, by increasing such costs as wages, employee-related benefits, food costs, commodity costs, including those used to renovate or reposition our hotels, property taxes, property and liability insurance, utilities and borrowing costs. We rely on our hotel operators to adjust room rates and pricing for hotel services to reflect the effects of inflation. However, previously contracted rates, competitive pressures or other factors may limit the ability of our operators to respond to inflation. As a result, our hotel expenses may increase at higher rates than hotel revenue.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience, information that is currently available to us and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe the following critical accounting policies affect the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Impairment of investments in hotel properties. Impairment losses are recorded
on investments in hotel properties to be held and used by us when indicators of
impairment are present and the future undiscounted net cash flows, including
potential sale proceeds, expected to be generated by those assets, based on our
anticipated investment horizon, are less than the assets' carrying amount. We
evaluate our investments in hotel properties to determine if there are
indicators of impairment on a quarterly basis. No single indicator would
necessarily result in us preparing an estimate to determine if a hotel's future
undiscounted cash flows are less than the book value of the hotel. We use
judgment to determine if the severity of any single indicator, or the fact
? there are a number of indicators of less severity that when combined, would
result in an indication that a hotel requires an estimate of the undiscounted
cash flows to determine if an impairment has occurred. The Company considers
indicators of impairment such as, but not limited to, hotel disposition
strategy and hold period, a significant decline in operating results not
related to renovations or repositioning, physical damage to the property due to
unforeseen events such as natural disasters, and an estimate or belief that the
fair value is less than the net book value. The Company performs an analysis to
determine the recoverability of the hotel by comparing the future undiscounted
cash flows expected to be generated by the hotel to the hotel's carrying
amount.
If a hotel is considered to be impaired, the related assets are adjusted to their estimated fair value and an impairment loss is recognized. We perform a fair value assessment using valuation techniques such as discounted cash flows and comparable sales transactions in the market to estimate the fair value of the hotel and, if appropriate and available, current estimated net sales proceeds from pending offers. Our judgment is required in determining the discount rate, terminal capitalization rate, the estimated growth of revenues and expenses, net operating income and margins, as well as specific market
and economic conditions. 35 Table of Contents
Acquisition related assets and liabilities. The acquisition of a hotel property
or other entity requires an analysis of the transaction to determine if it
qualifies as the purchase of a business or an asset. If the fair value of the
gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group
of similar identifiable assets, then the transaction is an asset acquisition.
Transaction costs associated with asset acquisitions are capitalized and
? subsequently depreciated over the life of the related asset, while the same
costs associated with a business combination are expensed as incurred and
included in corporate overhead on our consolidated statements of operations.
Also, given the subjectivity, business combinations are provided a one-year
measurement period to adjust the provisional amounts recognized if the
necessary information is not available by the end of the reporting period in
which the acquisition occurs; whereas asset acquisitions are not subject to a
measurement period.
Accounting for the acquisition of a hotel property or other entity requires either allocating the purchase price to the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed in the transaction at their respective relative fair values for an asset acquisition or recording the assets and liabilities at their estimated fair values with any excess consideration above net assets going to goodwill for a business combination. The most difficult estimations of individual fair values are those involving long-lived assets, such as property, equipment and intangible assets, together with any finance or operating lease right-of-use assets and their related obligations. When we acquire a hotel property or other entity, we use all available information to make these fair value determinations, including discounted cash flow analyses, market comparable data and replacement cost data. In addition, we make significant estimations regarding capitalization rates, discount rates, average daily rates, revenue growth rates and occupancy. We also engage independent valuation specialists to assist in the fair value determinations of the long-lived assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. The determination of fair value is subjective and is based in part on assumptions and estimates that could differ materially from actual results in future periods.
Depreciation and amortization expense. Depreciation expense is based on the
estimated useful life of our assets. The life of the assets is based on a
number of assumptions, including the cost and timing of capital expenditures to
maintain and refurbish our hotels, as well as specific market and economic
conditions. Hotel properties are depreciated using the straight-line method
over estimated useful lives primarily ranging from five years to 40 years for
? buildings and improvements and three years to 12 years for FF&E. Intangible
assets are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of their
estimated useful life or the length of the related agreement. While we believe
our estimates are reasonable, a change in the estimated lives could affect
depreciation expense and net income or the gain or loss on the sale of any of
our hotels. We have not changed the useful lives of any of our assets during
the periods discussed.
Income Taxes. To qualify as a REIT, we must meet a number of organizational and
operational requirements, including a requirement that we currently distribute
at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the
deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gains) to our
stockholders. As a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal corporate
income tax on that portion of our taxable income that is currently distributed
to stockholders. We are subject to certain state and local taxes on our income
and property, and to federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed
taxable income. In addition, our wholly owned TRS, which leases our hotels from
the
account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this
method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated
future tax consequences attributable to the differences between the financial
? statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their
respective income tax bases, and for net operating loss, capital loss and tax
credit carryforwards. The deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured
using the enacted income tax rates in effect for the year in which those
temporary differences are expected to be realized or settled. The effect on the
deferred tax assets and liabilities from a change in tax rates is recognized in
earnings in the period when the new rate is enacted. However, deferred tax
assets are recognized only to the extent that it is more likely than not that
they will be realized based on consideration of all available evidence,
including the future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences,
future projected taxable income and tax planning strategies. Valuation
allowances are provided if, based upon the weight of the available evidence, it
is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be
realized.
We review any uncertain tax positions and, if necessary, we will record the expected future tax consequences of uncertain tax positions in the consolidated financial statements. Tax positions not deemed to meet the "more-likely-than-not" threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. We are required to analyze all open tax years, as defined by the statute of limitations, for all major jurisdictions, which includes federal and certain states.
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