Get Started for Free Contexxia identifies hard-to-find pieces of information in SEC filings. No more highlighters, no more redlining, no more poring over huge documents. Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. (1574085) 10-Q published on May 27, 2020 at 5:45 pm
Reporting Period: Mar 30, 2020
local government restrictions and requirements are lifted and the Company can be confident that reopening the hotels will not jeopardize the health and safety of guests, hotel employees and local communities. COVID-19 has had a significant negative impact on the Company’s operations and financial results to date. The full financial impact of the reduction in hotel demand caused by the pandemic and suspension of operations at the Company’s hotels cannot be reasonably estimated at this time due to uncertainty as to its severity and duration. The Company expects that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a significant negative impact on the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flow in 2020. As a result, in March 2020, the Company fully drew down on its $75 million secured revolving credit facility, suspended the quarterly cash dividend on its common shares for the first quarter of 2020 and likely the remainder of 2020, reduced planned capital expenditures and reduced the compensation of its board of directors, and, working closely with its hotel managers, significantly reduced its hotels’ operating expenses. The Company’s advisor adopted a remote-work policy at its corporate office in an effort to protect the health and safety of its employees and does not anticipate these policies to have any adverse impact on its ability to continue to operate its business.
As of March 31, 2020, the Company maintained unrestricted cash of $141.8 million. All of the Company’s property-level debt is non-recourse. Although the Company was in compliance with all its debt covenants as of March 31, 2020, subsequent to March 31, 2020 the Company did not make at least one interest payment on nearly all of its mortgage and mezzanine loans, which constituted an “Event of Default” as such term is defined under the applicable loan documents. Further, the Company triggered an "Event of Default," as defined under the secured revolving credit facility agreement as a result of the Company being in default on mortgage and mezzanine loans with an aggregate principal amount in excess of $200 million. Pursuant to the terms of the applicable mortgage loan, such an Event of Default caused an automatic increase in the interest rate on its outstanding loan balance for the period such Event of Default remains outstanding. Following an Event of Default, the Company’s lenders can generally elect to accelerate all principal and accrued interest payments that remain outstanding under the applicable mortgage loan and foreclose on the applicable hotel properties that are security for such loans. Additionally, subsequent to March 31, 2020, the Company did not make rental payments under two ground leases that are paid monthly. The Company is actively negotiating the terms for forbearance agreements or waivers with its lenders and landlords. Based on these factors, the Company has determined that there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the financial statements are issued. U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires that in making this determination, the Company cannot consider any remedies that are outside of the Company’s control and have not been fully implemented. As a result, the Company could not consider future potential fundraising activities, whether through equity or debt offerings, dispositions of hotel properties or the likelihood of obtaining forbearance agreements as we could not conclude they were probable of being effectively implemented. Any forbearance agreement will most likely lead to increased costs, increased interest rates, additional restrictive covenants and other possible lender protections. In addition to or in lieu of obtaining forbearance agreements as described above, the Company could turn over the hotels securing the mortgage loans to the respective lenders.
In connection with the services provided by Lismore, Lismore shall be paid an advisory fee (the “Advisory Fee”) of up to 50 basis points (0.50%) of the aggregate amount of the modifications, forbearances or refinancings of the Company’s mortgage and mezzanine debt and its secured revolving credit facility (the “Financing”), calculated and payable as follows: (i) 12.5 basis points (0.125%) of the aggregate amount of potential Financings upon execution of the Braemar Agreement; (ii) 12.5 basis points (0.125%) payable in six equal installments beginning April 20, 2020 and ending on September 20, 2020; provided, however, in the event the Company does not complete, for any reason, Financings during the term of the Braemar Agreement equal to or greater than $1,091,250,000, then the Company shall offset, against any fees owed by the Company or its affiliates pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, a portion of the fee paid by the Company to Lismore equal to the product of (x) the amount of Financings completed during the term of the Braemar Agreement minus $1,091,250,000 multiplied by (y) 0.125%; and (iii) 25 basis points (0.25%) payable upon the acceptance by the applicable lender of any Financing. As of March 31, 2020, the Company accrued an initial deposit of $1.4 million, included in “other assets” that was subsequently paid in April 2020.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified in Wuhan, China, which subsequently spread to other regions of the world, and has resulted in significant travel restrictions and extended shutdown of numerous businesses in every state in the United States. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. Since late February, we have experienced a significant decline in occupancy and RevPAR and we expect the significant occupancy and RevPAR reduction associated with COVID-19 to continue as we are experiencing significant reservation cancellations as well as a significant reduction in new reservations relative to prior expectations. The prolonged presence of the virus has resulted in health or other government authorities imposing widespread restrictions on travel and other businesses. The hotel industry and our portfolio have experienced the postponement or cancellation of a significant number of business conferences and similar events. Following the government mandates and health official orders, the Company temporarily suspended operations at 11 of its 13 hotels and dramatically reduced staffing and expenses at its hotels that remain operational. Operations will remain suspended until state and local government restrictions and requirements are lifted and the Company can be confident that reopening the hotels will not jeopardize the health and safety of guests, hotel employees and local communities. COVID-19 has had a significant negative impact on the Company’s operations and financial results to date. The full financial impact of the reduction in hotel demand caused by the pandemic and suspension of operations at the Company’s hotels cannot be reasonably estimated at this time due to uncertainty as to its severity and duration. The Company expects that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a significant negative impact on the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flow in 2020. As a result, in March 2020, the Company fully drew down on its $75 million secured revolving credit facility, suspended the quarterly cash dividend on its common shares for the first quarter of 2020 and likely the remainder of 2020, reduced planned capital expenditures and reduced the compensation of its board of directors, and, working closely with its hotel managers, significantly reduced its hotels’ operating expenses. The Company’s advisor adopted a remote-work policy at its corporate office in an effort to protect the health and safety of its employees and does not anticipate these policies to have any adverse impact on its ability to continue to operate its business. This transition to a remote-work environment has not had a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial reporting system, internal controls or disclosure controls and procedures.
We may become no longer eligible to use Form S-3 as a result of our recent payment defaults under our mortgage loans with our property level lenders, which occurred beginning on April 1, 2020. If such defaults are not cured by December 31, 2020, we will not be able to use our currently effective Form S-3 to register sales of our securities. In addition, we are currently restricted from filing new shelf registration statements on Form S-3 or filing a post-effective amendment to an existing Form S-3 as a result of our payment defaults. We have relied on shelf registration statements on Form S-3 for our financings in recent years, and accordingly any such limitations may harm our ability to raise the capital we need. Under these circumstances, if we become ineligible to use our existing Form S-3 again, we will be required to use a registration statement on Form S-1 to register securities with the SEC, which would hinder our ability to act quickly in raising capital to take advantage of market conditions in our capital raising activities and would increase our cost of raising capital.