Hersha Hospitality Trust Announces Third Quarter 2018 Results

- Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club Opens Following Transformative Repositioning-
- Philadelphia and Boston Lead Outperformance -
- Asset Management Initiatives Result in Margin Expansion –
- Innovation Districts Drive Growth -

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE: HT) (“Hersha,” “Company,” “we” or “our”), owner of high quality hotels in urban gateway markets and coastal destinations, today announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018.

Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results

Net loss applicable to common shareholders was $3.2 million, or $0.09 per diluted common share, in third quarter 2018, compared to net loss applicable to common shareholders of $2.7 million, or $0.07 per diluted common share, in third quarter 2017. 

Adjusted Funds from Operations (“AFFO”) in the third quarter 2018 increased to $29.6 million or $0.69 per diluted common share and OP Unit as compared to $0.58 in the third quarter 2017.  Strong operational performance and $5.6 million of business interruption insurance drove AFFO growth despite being partially offset by the impact of Hurricane Florence, delayed openings and ramp-up expenses at the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club and Parrot Key Hotel & Villas.  An explanation of certain non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release, including, among others, AFFO, as well as reconciliations of those non-GAAP financial measures, to GAAP net income, is included at the end of this press release.  

Mr. Jay H. Shah, Hersha’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “The third quarter yielded strong results in the majority of our markets as economic growth remains robust, corporate profits increase, and leisure demand trends continue to reflect strong consumer confidence.  Fundamentals in New York City continue to improve and led to occupancy growth of 114 basis points to 96.6% for our portfolio during the third quarter.  Booking pace in the fourth quarter supports our hotels finishing the year at historically high occupancy rates.  Portfolio-wide EBITDA margins were strong in the third quarter, a result of the cost controls and asset management initiatives we implemented across the last few years.  Excluding our Washington, DC portfolio, which was negatively impacted by Hurricane Florence and sluggish demand, comparable portfolio EBITDA margins were up 110 basis points.” 

Mr. Shah continued, “We have completed the majority of our 2018 capital projects, highlighted most notably by the opening of the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club as an Autograph Collection Hotel.  Since the hotel was taken offline due to Hurricane Irma over one year ago, our asset management and property-level teams worked tirelessly to create a first-class asset on Miami Beach that as of this writing, holds the #1 TripAdvisor ranking among Miami Beach hotels.  The lifestyle resort reopened after a full-scale renovation which included all guest rooms, three distinct restaurants & bars, meeting space, lobby, both pools and all landscaping.  The past 12 months have been transformative for our portfolio as we completed our asset recycling campaign and allocated significant capital to renovating and repositioning a number of our high potential, legacy hotels.  With these strategic initiatives behind us and our full suite of hotels back online by the end of the year, we look forward to capitalizing on our operational advantage to drive meaningful EBITDA growth as the industry continues to enjoy strong demand for travel and record occupancy levels.”

Third Quarter 2018 Operating Results

Revenue per available room (“RevPAR”) at the Company's 38 comparable hotels increased 1.6% to $194.36 in the third quarter 2018.  The Company’s average daily rate (“ADR”) for the comparable hotel portfolio increased 2.2% to $226.35, while occupancy declined 53 basis points to 85.9%.  Hotel EBITDA margins for the comparable hotel portfolio increased 40 basis points to 35.0%.  Excluding our Washington, DC properties, our comparable RevPAR grew 3.4% to $199.45 during the third quarter.  This growth was aided by a 3.2% ADR increase to $231.04 while occupancy rose 11 basis points to 86.3%.  Hotel EBITDA margins for this comparable hotel portfolio grew by 110 basis points to 36.4%. 

Markets

The best performing portfolio during the third quarter was Philadelphia, which reported 10.2% RevPAR growth to $170.93.  The Rittenhouse Hotel was the top producing asset in our Philadelphia cluster, generating 17.4% RevPAR growth aided by 7.4% ADR growth.  The Rittenhouse completed the last phase of its multi-stage renovation during the second quarter and these product enhancements are yielding strong results.  We are bullish on the Philadelphia market and we believe our recently refreshed cluster of hotels is well positioned to capture increased occupancy and rate with the city hosting the strongest convention calendar we have seen since the convention center’s expansion in 2011. 

Our Boston portfolio reported 5.0% RevPAR growth to $247.04, which was driven by 4.3% ADR growth to $278.84.  The revenue management strategies at The Boxer and The Envoy yielded strong results in the third quarter as the hotels generated ADR growth of 10.3% and 4.7%, respectively. 

On the West Coast, our comparable hotel portfolio reported 2.8% RevPAR growth to $226.61, which was driven by 3.3% ADR growth to $255.31.  For the second-consecutive quarter, our best performing asset was our Sanctuary Beach Resort, which recorded a 23.2% RevPAR increase aided by 19.7% ADR growth.  

Our New York City portfolio, which includes nine hotels across the five boroughs, reported RevPAR growth of 2.0% to $229.83, driven by ADR growth of 0.8% and an occupancy increase of 114 basis points to 96.6%.  Hotel EBITDA margins for the Company’s comparable New York City portfolio increased 350 basis points during the quarter due to operational efficiencies at our JFK cluster and strong growth from the new restaurant and bar at the Hyatt Union Square.

The Company’s comparable Manhattan portfolio, which consisted of six hotels as of September 30, 2018, reported RevPAR growth of 1.1% to $249.73 driven by ADR growth of 0.8% and an occupancy increase of 29 basis points to 96.3%.  The Company’s comparable Manhattan portfolio outperformed the Manhattan market by 90 basis points.  This outperformance has occurred in 16 of the previous 19 quarters as a result of a young, well-located and purpose built hotel cluster that appeals to the tastes and preferences of today’s traveler.  

Dispositions

The Company entered into an agreement to sell the 96-room Residence Inn Tyson’s Corner, VA for $15.7 million.  The Company expects to close on the sale by the end of the fourth quarter and to record a gain on sale of approximately $1.0 million.

Financing

As of September 30, 2018, the Company maintained significant financial flexibility with $37.7 million of cash and cash equivalents and ample capacity on the Company’s $250 million senior unsecured revolving line of credit.  As of September 30, 2018, 66.0% of the Company’s consolidated debt was fixed rate debt or hedged through interest rate swaps and caps.  The Company’s total consolidated debt had a weighted average interest rate of approximately 4.23% and a weighted average life-to-maturity of approximately 3.5 years.

Dividends

Hersha paid a cash dividend of $0.4297 per Series C Preferred Share, $0.40625 per Series D Preferred Share, and $0.40625 per Series E Preferred Share for the third quarter ending September 30, 2018.  The preferred share dividends were paid October 15, 2018 to holders of record as of October 1, 2018.

The Company also declared cash dividends totaling $0.28 per common share and per limited partnership unit for the third quarter ending September 30, 2018.  These common share dividends and limited partnership unit distributions were paid October 15, 2018 to holders of record as of October 1, 2018.

Fourth Quarter & Full-Year 2018 Outlook

The Company is updating its operating and financial expectations for the full-year 2018.  The Company’s expectations do not build in any additional acquisitions, dispositions or capital market activities, including share repurchases, for 2018.  Based on management’s current outlook and assumptions regarding the timing of the reopening of the Parrot Key Hotel & Villas, the Company’s 2018 operating expectations are as follows:

_{*For detailed reconciliations of the Company’s 2018 operating expectations, please see “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Included in 2018 Outlook”}

Third Quarter 2018 Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call to discuss these results at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 24, 2018.  Hosting the call will be Mr. Jay H. Shah, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Neil H. Shah, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Mr. Ashish Parikh, Chief Financial Officer.

A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company’s website at www.hersha.com.  The conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-888-317-6003 or 1-412-317-6061 for international participants and entering the passcode 3742017 approximately 10 minutes in advance of the call.  A replay of the call will be available from 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 24, 2018, through 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Friday, November 23, 2018. The replay can be accessed by dialing 1-877-344-7529 or 1-412-317-0088 for international participants. The passcode for the replay is 10124043. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website for a limited time.

About Hersha Hospitality Trust

Hersha Hospitality Trust (HT) is a self-advised real estate investment trust in the hospitality sector, which owns and operates high quality upscale hotels in urban gateway markets and coastal destinations. The Company's 49 hotels totaling 7,730 rooms are located in New York, Washington, DC, Boston, Philadelphia, South Florida and select markets on the West Coast. The Company's common shares are traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “HT.” 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

An explanation of Funds from Operations (“FFO”), AFFO, Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“EBITDA”), EBITDAre, Adjusted EBITDA and Hotel EBITDA, as well as reconciliations of such non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures, is included at the end of this release.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain matters within this press release are discussed using “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and, as such, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results or performance to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may include statements related to, among other things: the Company’s 2018 outlook for net income attributable to common shareholders, net income per weighted average common share and OP Units outstanding, Adjusted EBITDA, AFFO, AFFO per weighted average common share and OP Units outstanding, consolidated and comparable RevPAR growth and consolidated and comparable Hotel EBITDA margin growth, economic and other assumptions underlying the Company’s 2018 outlook and assumptions regarding economic growth, labor markets, real estate values, lodging fundamentals, corporate travel, and the economic vibrancy of our target markets, the Company’s ability to grow operating cash flow, return capital to its shareholders, whether in the form of increased dividends or otherwise, the Company’s ability to match or outperform its competitors’ performance, the ability of the Company’s hotels to achieve stabilized or projected revenue, cap rates or EBITDA multiples consistent with our expectations, the stability of the lodging industry and the markets in which the Company’s hotel properties are located, the Company’s ability to generate internal and external growth, the Company’s ability to reopen its hotel damaged by Hurricane Irma and to complete unrelated renovation projects on the terms and timing it expects, the recovery of the South Florida leisure market, the Company’s ability to close on the sale of the Residence Inn Tysons Corner on the terms and timing it expects, the Company’s expectations regarding foreign exchange rates and the Company’s ability to increase margins, including hotel EBITDA margins. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on the Company’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of its business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company’s control. The Company’s actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements.  For a description of factors that may cause the Company’s actual results or performance to differ from its forward-looking statements, please review the information under the heading “Risk Factors” included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and other documents filed by the Company with the SEC from time to time.  All information provided in this press release, unless otherwise stated, is as of October 23, 2018, and the Company undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.

Non-GAAP Measures

FFO and AFFO

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) developed Funds from Operations (“FFO”) as a non-GAAP financial measure of performance of an equity REIT in order to recognize that income-producing real estate historically has not depreciated on the basis determined under GAAP. We calculate FFO applicable to common shares and Common Units in accordance with the April 2002 National Policy Bulletin of NAREIT, which we refer to as the White Paper. The White Paper defines FFO as net income (loss) (computed in accordance with GAAP) excluding extraordinary items as defined under GAAP and gains or losses from sales of previously depreciated assets, plus certain non-cash items, such as loss from impairment of assets and depreciation and amortization, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Our interpretation of the NAREIT definition is that non-controlling interest in net income (loss) should be added back to (deducted from) net income (loss) as part of reconciling net income (loss) to FFO. Our FFO computation may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs that do not compute FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition, or that interpret the NAREIT definition differently than we do.

The GAAP measure that we believe to be most directly comparable to FFO, net income (loss) applicable to common shareholders, includes loss from the impairment of certain depreciable assets, our investment in unconsolidated joint ventures and land, depreciation and amortization expenses, gains or losses on property sales, non-controlling interest and preferred dividends. In computing FFO, we eliminate these items because, in our view, they are not indicative of the results from our property operations.  We determined that the loss from the impairment of certain depreciable assets, including investments in unconsolidated joint ventures and land, was driven by a measurable decrease in the fair value of certain hotel properties and other assets as determined by our analysis of those assets in accordance with applicable GAAP.  As such, these impairments have been eliminated from net income (loss) to determine FFO.

Hersha also presents Adjusted Funds from Operations (AFFO), which reflects FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition further adjusted by:

• adding back non-cash share based compensation expense;
• adding back acquisition and terminated transaction expenses;
• adding back contingent considerations;
• adding back amortization of deferred financing costs;
• adding back adjustments for the amortization of discounts and premiums;
• adding back write-offs of deferred financing costs on debt extinguishment, both for consolidated and unconsolidated properties;
• adding back straight-line amortization of ground lease expense and prior period tax assessment expenses; and
• adding back unconsolidated joint venture management company transaction costs and state and local tax expense related to prior period assessment.

FFO and AFFO do not represent cash flows from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered an alternative to net income as an indication of the Company’s performance or to cash flow as a measure of liquidity or ability to make distributions. We consider FFO and AFFO to be meaningful, additional measures of our operating performance because they exclude the effects of the assumption that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time, and because they are widely used by industry analysts as performance measures. We evaluate our performance by reviewing AFFO, in addition to FFO,  because we believe that adjusting FFO to exclude certain recurring and non-recurring items as described above provides useful supplemental information regarding our ongoing operating performance and that the presentation of AFFO, when combined with the primary GAAP presentation of net income (loss), more completely describes our operating performance. We show both FFO from consolidated hotel operations and FFO from unconsolidated joint ventures because we believe it is meaningful for the investor to understand the relative contributions from our consolidated and unconsolidated hotels. The display of both FFO from consolidated hotels and FFO from unconsolidated joint ventures allows for a detailed analysis of the operating performance of our hotel portfolio by management and investors.  We present FFO and AFFO applicable to common shares and OP Units because our OP Units are redeemable for common shares.  We believe it is meaningful for the investor to understand FFO and AFFO applicable to all common shares and OP Units.  Certain amounts related to depreciation and amortization and depreciation and amortization from discontinued operations in the prior year FFO reconciliation have been recast to conform to the current year presentation.  In addition, based on guidance provided by NAREIT, we have eliminated loss from the impairment of certain depreciable assets, including investments in unconsolidated joint ventures and land, from net (income) loss to arrive at FFO in each year presented. 

The following table reconciles FFO and AFFO for the periods presented to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss) applicable to common shares, for the same periods:

EBITDAre and Adjusted EBITDA

Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) is a supplemental measure of our operating performance and facilitates comparisons between us and other lodging REITs, hotel owners who are not REITs and other capital-intensive companies. NAREIT adopted EBITDA for real estate (“EBITDAre”) a measure calculated by adding gains from the disposition of hotel operations, in order to promote an industry-wide measure of REIT operating performance. We also adjust EBITDAre for interest in amortization and write-off of deferred financing costs of our unconsolidated joint ventures, deferred financing costs write-offs in debt extinguishment, non-cash share based compensation expense, acquisition and terminated transaction costs and net operating loss incurred on non-operation properties to calculate Adjusted EBITDA.

Our EBITDAre and Adjusted EBITDA computation may not be comparable to EBITDAre or Adjusted EBITDA reported by other companies that interpret the definition of EBITDA differently than we do. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDAre to be a meaningful measure of a REIT's performance because it is widely followed by industry analysts, lenders and investors and that it should be considered along with, but not as an alternative to, GAAP net income (loss) as a measure of the Company's operating performance.

Hotel EBITDA

Hotel EBITDA is a commonly used measure of performance in the hotel industry for a specific hotel or group of hotels. We believe Hotel EBITDA provides a more complete understanding of the operating results of the individual hotel or group of hotels. We calculate Hotel EBITDA by utilizing the total revenues generated from hotel operations less all operating expenses, property taxes, insurance and management fees, which calculation excludes Company expenses not specific to a hotel, such as corporate overhead. Because Hotel EBITDA is specific to individual hotels or groups of hotels and not to the Company as a whole, it is not directly comparable to any GAAP measure.  In addition, our Hotel EBITDA computation may not be comparable to Hotel EBITDA or other similar metrics reported by other companies that interpret the definition of Hotel EBITDA differently than we do. Management believes Hotel EBITDA to be a meaningful measure of performance of a portfolio of hotels because it is followed by industry analysts, lenders and investors and that it should be considered along with, but not as an alternative to, operating income (loss) as reported in our unaudited summary results as a measure of our hotel portfolio’s operating performance.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Included in 2018 Outlook

Supplemental Schedules

The Company has published supplemental earnings schedules in order to provide additional disclosure and financial information for the benefit of the Company’s stakeholders.  These can be found in the Investor Relations section and the “SEC Filings and Presentations” page of the Company’s website, www.hersha.com.

Contact:
Ashish Parikh, Chief Financial Officer
Greg Costa, Manager of Investor Relations & Finance
Phone:  215-238-1046