2016 Grants of Plan Based Awards Table

The following table sets forth information regarding grants of plan-based awards to each of our NEOs for the fiscal yearyears ended December 31, 2016. This table reflects thepre-Spin-off unadjusted stock awards2019, 2018 and option awards granted by Hilton to2017.

Sustainability

We incorporate sustainability into our NEOs during 2016.

						Estimated Future Payouts(1) Under  Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards												Estimated Future Payouts (2) Under Equity Incentive  Plan Awards
Name		Grant Date				Threshold ($)				Target ($)				Maximum ($)				Threshold (#)				Target (#)				Maximum (#)				All Other Stock Awards: Number or Shares of Stock or Units(3) (#)				All Other Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options  (#)				Exercise or Base Price of Option Awards ($/sh)				Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards(4) ($)
Thomas J. Baltimore, Jr.
Annual Cash Incentive			—				471,311				942,623				1,413,934				—				—				—				—				—				—				—
RSUs(5)			5/16/16				—				—				—				—				—				—				310,202				—				—				6,749,996
RSUs(6)			5/16/16				—				—				—				—				—				—				80,422				—				—				1,749,983
Sean M. Dell’Orto
Annual Cash Incentive			—				111,395				222,789				334,184				—				—				—				—				—				—				—
Stock Options			2/18/16				—				—				—				—				—				—				—				13,576				19.61				74,261
RSUs			2/18/16				—				—				—				—				—				—				3,786				—				—				74,243
PSUs			2/18/16				—				—				—				5,680				11,360				22,720				—				—				—				222,770
Thomas C. Morey
Annual Cash Incentive			—				70,543				141,086				211,629				—				—				—				—				—				—				—
RSUs			—				—				—				—				—				—				—				—				—				—				—

Narrative to Summary Compensation Tableinvestment and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table

The following discussion should be read in conjunctionasset management strategies, with (i) the “2016 Summary Compensation Table” and the “2016 Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table,” as well as the footnotes to such tables, and (ii) the disclosure under the caption “— Executive Officer Compensation and Other Matters—Compensation Discussion and Analysis” above.

CEO Employment Agreement

On April 26, 2016, the Company entered into the CEO Employment Agreement with Mr. Baltimore specifying the terms of his employment as Hilton’s Executive Adviser—Real Estate prior to theSpin-off and as our President and Chief Executive Officer and a directorfocus on our Board following theSpin-off, subject to hisre-election at our annual stockholders meetings. The CEO Employment Agreement provides for an initial four-year employment term, which term will be automatically extended by one year at the end of the then-current term unless either party provides advance notice ofnon-renewal. Under the terms of the CEO Employment Agreement, Mr. Baltimore is entitled to receive an initial annual base salary of $1,000,000, which is subject to increase but not decrease.minimizing environmental impact. During the employment term, he is also eligible to receive an annual cash bonusacquisition of 150%new properties, we will assess both sustainability opportunities and climate change-related risks as part of his annual base salary (the “target annual bonus”) if target performance objectives are achieved, 75% of his annual base salary if threshold performance objectives are achieved and 225% of his annual base salary if maximum performance objectives are achieved. Pursuant to the CEO Employment Agreement, any bonus that was earned in respect of 2016 was to be prorated based on the period during 2016 that he worked at Hilton and the Company.

our due diligence process. During the employment term, Mr. Baltimore was eligible to participate in the Hilton LTIP prior to theSpin-off and is eligible to participate in the Company’s LTIP following theSpin-off. Mr. Baltimore is entitled to receive an annual grant of long-term equity-based incentive awards with a target value of $3,500,000 (based on the grant date fair market value of the common stock awarded). With respect to the first grant made under the CEO Employment Agreement, fifty percent of the award was granted under the Hilton LTIP on May 16, 2016, and was in the form of Hilton RSUs that vest in three substantially equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of such grant date, generally subject to his continued employment through each applicable vesting date. The remaining 50% of such award was granted under the Park LTIP on February 3, 2017, and was in the form of Park PSUs that are eligible to vest in amounts ranging from 0% to 200% of the target number of units based on Park’s relative TSR compared to the TSRs of the companies that comprise the FTSE NAREIT Lodging/Resorts Index (that have a market capitalization in excess of $1 billion as of January 4, 2017) over a three-year performance period beginning on January 4, 2017 and ending on January 3, 2020, generally subject to his continued employment through the applicable vesting date. In addition to the foregoing, on May 16, 2016, Mr. Baltimore was granted aone-timesign-on equity-based incentive award valued at $6,750,000 in the form of Hilton RSUs that were originally scheduled to vest, as to 40% of the award, on December 15, 2016 and, as to the remaining 60% of the award, in three substantially equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date, generally subject to his continued employment through each applicable vesting date. In connection with theSpin-off, Hilton’s compensation committee determined to accelerate the vesting date for the 40% of thesign-on equity-based award originally scheduled to vest on December 15, 2016 to December 5, 2016. Mr. Baltimore is also entitled to participate in all employee benefit plans, programs and arrangements made available to our other executive officers generally.

If Mr. Baltimore’s employment is terminated without “cause” (other than due to death or “disability”), by him for “good reason” (as each such term is defined in the CEO Employment Agreement), or due to ournon-renewal of the employment term, he will be entitled to receive (1) all accrued but unpaid amounts (including, accrued but unpaid salary through the date of termination, any accrued but unpaid annual cash bonus and any unpaid or unreimbursed expenses) (collectively, the “Accrued Rights”), (2) a lump sum cash severance payment in an amount equal to 2.99 times the sum of his annual base salary and target annual bonus then in effect, (3) subject to his election of COBRA continuation coverage, payment for a period of 12 months following the termination date (subject to earlier termination in certain cases) of an amount equal to the difference between the monthly COBRA premium cost and the monthly contribution paid by active employees for the same coverage and (4) accelerated vesting of any then-held unvested time-based restricted stock and unvested stock options and a prorated portion of the target number of any then-held unvested PSUs and performance shares, provided that such target number will not be prorated if the termination occurs within 12 months following a “change in control” (as defined in the CEO Employment Agreement). Mr. Baltimore is entitled to the foregoing, in each case, subject to his execution andnon-revocation of a release of claims and continued compliance withnon-compete andnon-solicitation covenants for 18 months following his termination andnon-disparagement and confidentiality covenants at all times following his

termination. If Mr. Baltimore’s employment terminates due to death or disability, he will be entitled to receive (1) any Accrued Rights, (2) a prorated portion of the annual cash bonus that he would have otherwise been entitled to receive had his employment not terminated and (3) accelerated vesting of any then-held unvested time-based restricted stock and unvested stock options and a prorated portion of the target number of any then-held unvested PSUs and performance shares. The CEO Employment Agreement also provides that payments and benefits to be delivered in connection with this Agreement will be either delivered in full or to such lesser extent as would result in no portion of such payments and benefits being subject to the excise taxes imposed by the golden parachute rules of Section 4999 of the Code, whichever of the foregoing amounts, after taking into account all applicable taxes, results in the greatest amount of such payments and benefits to Mr. Baltimore on anafter-tax basis.

Equity Awards

The equity awards granted to our NEOs during 2016 that appear in the tables above were granted pursuant to the Hilton LTIP, which is described further in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section under the caption “— Executive Officer Compensation and Other Matters—Compensation Discussion and Analysis –Long-Term Incentive –2016 andSpin-Off Matters.”

2016 Outstanding Equity Awards at FiscalYear-End

The following table sets forth information regarding outstanding equity awards for eachownership of our NEOs as of December 31, 2016. The number of awards includedproperties, we seek to invest in this table reflects thepre-Spin-off unadjusted equity awards granted by Hilton toproven sustainability practices in our NEOs.

(3)	Amounts reported are based on the adjusted closing price of Hilton’s common stock on the NYSE as of December 30, 2016 ($27.20) multiplied by the number of outstanding shares.

(4)

Represents performance shares granted to Mr. Dell’Orto pursuant to the Hilton LTIP. Generally, Hilton’s performance shares vest according to Hilton’s EBITDA and Hilton’s TSR relative to Hilton’s peer company group at the end of a three-year performance period. In connection with theSpin-off, on January 3, 2017, all of the performance shares granted to our NEOs in 2015 and 2016 were valued at target and converted to RSUs subject to time-based vesting only.

2016 Option Exercisesredevelopment projects that can enhance asset value, while also improving environmental performance. In such projects, we target specific environmental efficiency enhancements, equipment upgrades and Stock Vested

The following table provides information regarding the number of Hilton stock optionsreplacements that were exercised by our NEOsreduce energy and the number of Hilton restricted stock units that vested during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 prior to theSpin-off. The number of awards included in this table reflects thepre-Spin-off unadjusted equity awards granted by Hilton to our NEOs.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

The following table, footnoteswater consumption and narrative set forth our payment obligations pursuant to the compensation arrangements for each of our NEOs under certain existing plans, agreements and awards, assuming (1) a termination of employment and/or (2) a change in control (“CIC”) occurred, in each case,offer appropriate returns on December 31, 2016. The amounts shown in the table do not include payments and benefits to the extent they are provided generally to all salaried employees upon termination of employment and do not discriminate in scope, terms or operation in favor of the NEOs. The number of shares with respect to stock options and stock units is presented on apre-Spin-off and unadjusted basis.

In providing the estimated potential payments below, we have assumed that there are no (1) accrued but unpaid salary and annual bonuses amounts outstanding, or (2) unpaid reimbursements for expenses incurred prior to the date of termination.

Because the disclosures in the table assumes the occurrence of a termination or CIC as of a particular date and under a particular set of circumstances and therefore make a number of important assumptions, the actual amount to be paid to each of our NEOs upon a termination or CIC may vary significantly from the amounts included herein. Factors that could affect these amounts include the timing during the year of any such event, the continued availability of benefit policies at similar prices and the type of termination event that occurs.

Name		Benefit		Termination by Company without Cause or by NEO for Good  Reason ($)				Termination by Company for Cause or by Executive without Good Reason ($)		Termination within 12 Months Following CIC ($)				Termination due to Death or Disability ($)
Thomas J. Baltimore, Jr.(1)
		Cash Severance			7,475,000	(2)		—			7,475,000	(2)			942,623
		Equity Awards(3)			7,249,942			—			7,249,942				7,249,942
		Continuation of Benefits			12,481			—			12,481				—
		Total Value of Benefits			14,737,423			—			14,737,423				8,192,565
Sean M. Dell’Orto(4)
		Cash Severance(5)			594,104			—			594,104				222,789
		Equity Awards(5)(6)			265,254			—			1,048,013				1,048,013
		Continuation of Benefits(7)			12,396			—			12,396				—
		Outplacement Services(8)			20,000			—			20,000				—
		Total Value of Benefits			891,754			—			1,674,513				1,270,802
Thomas C. Morey(4)
		Cash Severance(5)			787,500			—			787,500				337,500
		Equity Awards(5)(6)			—			—			—				—
		Continuation of Benefits(7)			—			—			—				—
		Outplacement Services(8)			20,000			—			20,000				—
		Total Value of Benefits			807,500			—			807,500				337,500

(7)

Upon certain termination events, each executive is entitled to continued healthcare coverage in an amount equal to the excess of the cost of the coverage over the amount that the executive would have had to pay if the executive remained employed for 12 months following the date of termination. Additionally, under the Hilton Severance Plan, upon certain termination events, an executive who received life insurance coverage prior to the qualifying termination is entitled to receive a cash payment equal to the premiums required to continue such coverage for 12 months following the termination. Amounts reported assume 2016 rates.

(8)

Under the Hilton Severance Plan, upon certain termination events, each executive is entitled to outplacement services for a period of 12 months following the date of termination. Amounts in the table above assume that the cost to the Company for these outplacement services would be $20,000 for each executive.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table and accompanying footnotes set forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of the Company, as of April 26, 2017, by (1) each person known to us to beneficially own more than 5% of any class of the outstanding voting securities of the Company, (2) each of our directors, (3) each of our named executive officers listed in the table entitled “2016 Summary Compensation Table” above, and (4) all of our directors and executive officers as a group. The percentage of beneficial ownership shown in the following table is based on 214,768,394 outstanding shares of common stock outstanding as of the close of business on April 26, 2017.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. Unless otherwise indicated, the address for all persons named below is c/o Park Hotels & Resorts Inc., 1600 Tysons Blvd, Suite 1000, McLean, VA 22102.

(2)

Based solely on information provided in Amendment No. 1 to Schedule 13D filed on March 17, 2017, reflecting 28,487,266 shares of common stock directly owned by HLT Holdco III Prime LLC, 98,597 shares of common stock directly owned by HLT BREH VI Holdco Prime LLC, 980,192 shares of common stock directly owned by HLT A23 Holdco Prime LLC, 2,799,114 shares of common stock directly owned by HLT BREP VI.TE.2 Holdco Prime LLC, 5,802 shares of common stock directly owned by HLT A23 BREH VI Holdco Prime LLC, 16,616 shares of common stock directly owned by HLT BREH Intl II Holdco Prime LLC (the foregoing entities, collectively, the “Blackstone Funds”) and 9,545 shares of common stock directly owned by Stephen A. Schwarzman.

The sole member of HLT Holdco III Prime LLC is HLT Holdco II Prime LLC. The sole member of HLT Holdco II Prime LLC is HLT Holdco Prime LLC. The sole member of HLT Holdco Prime LLC, HLT BREH VI Holdco Prime LLC and HLT A23 Holdco LLC is BH Hotels Holdco Prime LLC (“BH Hotels”).

The managing members of BH Hotels are Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI Prime L.P. and Blackstone Capital Partners V Prime L.P. The general partner of Blackstone Capital Partners V Prime L.P. is Blackstone Management Associates V L.L.C. The sole member of Blackstone Management Associates V L.L.C is BMA V L.L.C. The general partner of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI Prime L.P. is Blackstone Real Estate Associates VI L.P. The general partner of Blackstone Real Estate Associates VI L.P. is BREA VI L.L.C. The managing member of each of BREA VI L.L.C. and BMA V L.L.C. is Blackstone Holdings III L.P.

The sole member of HLT BREP VI.TE.2 Holdco Prime LLC is HLT BREP VI.TE.2 Holdings Prime Holdco LLC. The sole member of HLT BREP VI.TE.2 Holdings Prime Holdco LLC is Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI.TE.2

Prime L.P. The general partner of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI.TE.2 Prime L.P. is Blackstone Real Estate Associates VI L.P. The general partner of Blackstone Real Estate Associates VI L.P. is BREA VI L.L.C. The managing member of BREA VI L.L.C. is Blackstone Holdings III L.P.

The sole member of HLT BREH Intl II Holdco Prime LLC is HLT BREH Intl II Holdings Holdco Prime LLC. The controlling member of HLT BREH Intl II Holdings Holdco Prime LLC is Blackstone Real Estate Holdings InternationalII-Q Prime L.P. The general partner of Blackstone Real Estate Holdings InternationalII-Q Prime L.P. is BREP InternationalII-Q GP L.P. The general partner of BREP InternationalII-Q GP L.P. is BREP InternationalII-Q GP L.L.C. The sole member of BREP InternationalII-Q GP L.L.C. is Blackstone Holdings III L.P.

The sole member of HLT A23 BREH VI Holdco Prime LLC is HLT BREHVI-A Holdings Prime Holdco LLC. The sole member of HLT BREHVI-A Holdings Prime Holdco LLC is Blackstone Real Estate Holdings VI Prime L.P. The general partner of Blackstone Real Estate Holdings VI Prime L.P. is BREP VISide-by-Side GP L.L.C. The sole member of BREP VISide-by-Side GP L.L.C. is Blackstone Holdings III L.P.

The general partner of Blackstone Holdings III L.P. is Blackstone Holdings III GP L.P. The general partner of Blackstone Holdings III GP L.P. is Blackstone Holdings III GP Management L.L.C. The sole member of Blackstone Holdings III GP Management L.L.C. is The Blackstone Group L.P. The general partner of The Blackstone Group L.P. is Blackstone Group Management L.L.C. Blackstone Group Management L.L.C. is wholly-owned by Blackstone’s senior managing directors and controlled by its founder, Stephen A. Schwarzman. Each of such Blackstone entities (other than each of the Blackstone Funds to the extent they directly hold the securities reported herein) and Mr. Schwarzman may be deemed to beneficially own the shares beneficially owned by the Blackstone Funds directly or indirectly controlled by it or him, but each disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares. The address of each of Mr. Schwarzman and each of the other entities listed in this footnote is c/o The Blackstone Group L.P., 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154.

As of January 3, 2017, Blackstone entities had pledged substantially all of the shares of our common stock held by them pursuant to a margin loan agreement with customary default provisions. In the event of a default under the margin loan agreement, the secured parties may foreclose upon any and all shares of common stock pledged to them.

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The table below presents information regarding compensation plans under which our common stock may be issued to employees andnon-employees as compensation under the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan or theNon-Employee Director Stock Plan as of December 31, 2016.

POLICY AND PROCEDURES REGARDING TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS

We recognize that related-party transactions present a heightened risk of conflicts of interest and have adopted a Related Person Transaction Policy to which all related-party transaction shall be subject. Pursuant to the policy, a “related person” (as defined as in Item 404(a) of RegulationS-K of the Exchange Act, which includes security holders who beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock, including Blackstone and HNA) must promptly disclose to our General Counsel any “related person transaction” (defined as any transaction that is anticipated would be reportable by us under Item 404(a) of RegulationS-K in which we were or are to be a participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and in which any related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest) and all material facts with respect thereto. The General Counsel will then promptly communicate that information to our Board. No related person transaction will be executed without the approval or ratification of our Board or a duly authorized committee of our Board (currently the nominating and corporate governance committee). If we become aware of an existing related person transaction that has not been approved under this policy, the transaction will be referred to our Board or a duly authorized committee of our Board (currently the nominating and corporate governance committee), which will evaluate all options available, including ratification, revision or termination of such transaction. It is our policy that directors interested in a related person transaction will recuse themselves from any vote on a related person transaction in which they have an interest.

Certain types of transactions, which may have otherwise required individual review, have beenpre-approved pursuant to the terms of our Related Person Transaction Policy. These types of transactions include transactions with and payments to or from Hilton or HGV pursuant to agreements that were in effect at the time of theSpin-off and certain transactions with or related to Blackstone or HNA (each a “Major Stockholder”), including, without limitation: (1) transactions in which a Major Stockholder may have a direct or indirect material interest entered into or in effect at the effective time of theSpin-off; and (2) the purchase or sale of products or services involving a Major Stockholder’s portfolio company, provided that (a) the appropriate officers reasonably believe the transaction to be on market terms, (b) the subject products or services are of a type generally made available to other customers by the portfolio company and (c) either the aggregate value involved in such purchase or sale is expected to be less than $10 million over five years or the transaction involves a new or assumed hotel management or franchise agreement with Hilton or its affiliates to commence or be assumed following theSpin-off.

TRANSACTION WITH RELATED PARTIES

Internal Reorganization and Agreements with Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacation Related to theSpin-off

investment. As part of theSpin-off, Hilton, our parent priorasset management strategy, we also work with our various hotel managers to theSpin-off, underwent an internal reorganization, pursuantmonitor environmental performance and support implementation of operational best practices. We are committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and minimizing our impact on the environment. Our approach to corporate citizenship is reinforced by periodic engagement with key stakeholders to understand their corporate responsibility priorities. In addition, we have published our 2019 Annual Corporate Responsibility Report on our website, which among other thingsdiscloses our environmental and subject to limited exceptions: (i) all of the assetssocial programs and liabilities (including whether accrued, contingent or otherwise, and subject to certain exceptions) associated with the owned real estate business of Hilton were retained by or transferred to Park or our subsidiaries; (ii) all of the assets and liabilities (including whether accrued, contingent or otherwise, and subject to certain exceptions) associated with the Hilton’s timeshare business were retained by or transferred to Hilton Grand Vacation Inc. or its subsidiaries; (iii) all other assets and liabilities (including whether accrued, contingent or otherwise, and subject to certain exceptions) of Hilton were retained by or transferred to Hilton or its subsidiaries (other than Park, HGV and our respective subsidiaries); and (iv) Park distributed all of the stock of HGV and Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc. to Hilton Worldwide Finance LLC, a subsidiary of Hilton.performance.

Following theSpin-off, we and Hilton operate independently, and neither have any ownership interest in the other. To govern certain ongoing relationships between us and Hilton after theSpin-off and to provide mechanisms for an orderly transition, we, Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacation Inc. entered into agreements pursuant to which certain services and rights are provided for following theSpin-off, and we, Hilton and HGV will indemnify each other against certain liabilities arising from our respective businesses. These agreements included the Distribution Agreement (as such term is defined in the Original Filing) and various other agreements, including the Transition Services Agreement, the Tax Matters Agreement and the Employee Matters Agreement (as each such term is defined in the Original Filing). For more information regarding these agreements, see the“Business—Spin-Off Related Agreements” section of our Original Filing, which is incorporated by reference in this Amendment.

Management and FranchiseOur Principal Agreements with Hilton

In order for us to continue to qualify as a REIT, independent third parties must operate our hotels. Except for the Select Hotels, (as such term is defined in the Original Filing), we lease substantially all of our hotels to our TRS lessees, which, in turn have engaged third parties to operate these hotels pursuant to management agreements. We operate the Select Hotels pursuant toCertain of our hotels also have franchise agreements with Hilton.agreements. We may, in the future,re-flag existing properties, acquire additional properties that operate under other brands and/or engage other third-party hotel managers and franchisors.

TheBelow is a general termsoverview of our management and franchise agreements.

Management Agreements

Our hotel managers control the day-to-day operations of our hotels that are subject to a management agreement. We have consultative and specified approval rights with respect to certain actions of our hotel managers, including entering into long-term or high value contracts, engaging in certain actions relating to legal proceedings, approving the operating budget, making certain capital expenditures and the hiring of certain management personnel.

As in our franchise agreements described below, we receive a variety of services and benefits under our management agreements with our hotel managers, including the benefit of the name, marks and system of operation of the brand, as well as centralized reservation systems, participation in customer loyalty programs, national advertising, marketing programs and publicity designed to increase brand awareness, as well as training of personnel and payroll and accounting services.

Term

Our management agreements have initial terms ranging from 5 to 30 years and most allow for one or more renewal periods. Assuming all renewal periods are exercised by our hotel managers, the total term of our management agreements range between 5 and 70 years.

Fees

Our management agreements generally contain a two-tiered fee structure, where our hotel managers receive a base management fee and an incentive management fee. The base management fee for our hotels range from approximately 2% to 4% of gross hotel revenues or receipts, as defined in each agreement. The incentive management fee is typically a percentage of a specified performance measure such as operating income, cash flow or other performance measures, as defined in the agreements with some agreements only providing for incentive fees following the satisfaction of certain dollar thresholds. We also pay certain service fees to our hotel managers and generally reimburse our hotel managers for salaries and wages of their employees at our hotels, as well as for certain other expenses incurred in connection with the operation of the hotel.

Termination Events

Subject to certain qualifications, notice requirements and applicable cure periods, the management agreements generally are terminable by either party upon a material casualty or condemnation of the hotel or the occurrence of certain customary events of default, including, among others: the bankruptcy or insolvency of either party; the failure of either party to make a payment when due, and failure to cure such non-payment after late payment notice; or breach by either party of covenants or obligations under the management agreement. In certain instances, we retain the right to terminate a management agreement if manager fails to meet specified performance criteria.

Additionally, our hotel managers generally have the right to terminate the management agreement in certain situations, including the occurrence of certain actions with respect to a mortgage or our failing to complete or commence required repair after damage or destruction to the hotel, or our failure to meet minimum brand standards. For certain properties, our management agreements also allow early termination, subject to entering into a franchise agreement with an affiliated brand. If our hotel managers terminate due to our default, our hotel managers may exercise all of their rights and remedies at law or in equity.

Sale of a Hotel

Our management agreements generally provide that we cannot sell a hotel to a person who (i) does not have sufficient financial resources, (ii) is of bad moral character, (iii) is a competitor of our hotel managers or (iv) is a specially designated national or blocked person, as set forth in the applicable management agreement. It is generally an event of default if we proceed with a sale or an assignment of the hotel’s management agreement to such a transferee, without receiving consent from our hotel managers.

Franchise Agreements

Certain of our hotels are subject to franchise agreements. Pursuant to the franchise agreements, we have been granted a limited, non-exclusive license to use our franchisor’s brand names, marks and systems. The franchisor also may provide us with a variety of services and benefits, including centralized reservation systems, participation in customer loyalty programs, national advertising, marketing programs and publicity designed to increase brand awareness, as well as training of personnel. In return, we are required to operate franchised hotels consistent with the applicable brand standards. The franchise agreements specify operational, record-keeping, accounting, reporting and marketing standards and procedures with which we must comply, and will promote consistency across the brand by outlining standards for guest services, products, signage and furniture, fixtures and equipment, among other things. To monitor our compliance, the franchise agreements specify that we must make the hotel available for quality inspections by the franchisor.

Term

Our franchise agreements contain an initial term of between 7 and 20 years and require the franchisor’s consent to be extended.

Fees

Our franchise agreements require that we pay a royalty fee on gross rooms revenue at rates ranging from 4% to 6%, plus a percentage of food and beverage revenue for certain hotels, which in most cases is 3%. We must also pay certain marketing, reservation, program and other customary fees. In addition, the franchisor has the right to require that we renovate guest rooms and public facilities from time to time to comply with then-current brand standards.

Termination Events

Our franchise agreements provide for termination at the franchisor’s option upon the occurrence of certain events, including, among others: the failure to maintain brand standards; the failure to pay royalties and fees or to perform other obligations under the franchise license; bankruptcy; and abandonment of the franchise or a change of control, and in the event of such termination, we are required to pay liquidated damages.

Spin-Off Related Agreements

We were originally formed as Hilton Hotels Corporation, a Delaware corporation, in 1946 and existed as a part of one of Hilton’s business segments. On January 3, 2017, Hilton Parent completed the spin-off that resulted in our establishment as an independent, publicly traded company.

Distribution Agreement

We entered into a distribution agreement (“Distribution Agreement”) with Hilton Parent regarding the principal actions taken or to be taken in connection with the spin-off. The Distribution Agreement provided for certain transfers of assets and assumptions of liabilities by us and Hilton Parent and the settlement or extinguishment of certain liabilities and other obligations among Hilton Parent and us. In particular, the Distribution Agreement provided that, subject to the terms and conditions contained in the Distribution Agreement:

In addition, notwithstanding the allocation described above, we, HGV and Hilton have agreed that losses related to certain contingent liabilities (and related costs and expenses), which generally are not specifically attributable to any of the separated real estate business, the timeshare business or the retained business of Hilton (“Shared Contingent Liabilities”), will be apportioned among the parties according to fixed percentages of 65%, 26% and 9% for each of Hilton, us and HGV, respectively. Examples of Shared Contingent Liabilities may include uninsured losses arising from actions (including derivative actions) against current or former directors or officers of Hilton in respect of acts or omissions occurring prior to the distribution date, or against current or former directors or officers of any of Hilton, HGV or us, arising out of, in connection with, or otherwise relating to, the spin-offs and the distribution, subject to certain exceptions described in the Distribution Agreement. In addition, costs and expenses of, and indemnification obligations to, third party professional advisors arising out of the foregoing actions may also be subject to these provisions. Subject to certain limitations and exceptions, Hilton shall generally be vested with the exclusive management and control of all matters pertaining to any such Shared Contingent Liabilities, including the prosecution of any claim and the conduct of any defense.

The Distribution Agreement also provides for cross-indemnities that, except as otherwise provided in the Distribution Agreement, are principally designed to place financial responsibility for the obligations and liabilities of each business with the appropriate company.

Tax Matters Agreement

We entered into a tax matters agreement (“Tax Matters Agreement”) with Hilton Parent, HGV Parent and Hilton Domestic Operating Company that governs the respective rights, responsibilities and obligations of us, Hilton Parent and HGV Parent after the spin-off with respect to tax liabilities and benefits, tax attributes, tax contests and other tax sharing regarding U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income taxes, other tax matters and related tax returns. Although binding between the parties, the Tax Matters Agreement is not binding on the IRS. We and HGV Parent have joint and several liability with Hilton Parent to the IRS for the consolidated U.S. federal income taxes of the Hilton consolidated group relating to the taxable periods in which we were part of that group. The Tax Matters Agreement specifies the portion, if any, of this tax liability for which we bear responsibility, and each party has agreed to indemnify the other against any amounts for which they are not responsible. The Tax Matters Agreement also provides special rules for allocating tax liabilities in the event that the spin-off is not tax-free. In general, under the Tax Matters Agreement, each party is responsible for any taxes imposed on Hilton that arise from the failure of the spin-off and certain related transactions to qualify as a tax-free transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code, as applicable, and certain

other relevant provisions of the Code, to the extent that the failure to qualify is attributable to actions taken by such party (or with respect to such party’s stock). The parties share responsibility in accordance with sharing percentages for any such taxes imposed on Hilton that are not attributable to actions taken by a particular party.

The Tax Matters Agreement also provides for cross-indemnities with respect to tax matters that, except as otherwise provided in the Tax Matters Agreement, are principally designed to place financial responsibility for the tax-related obligations and liabilities of each business with the appropriate company.

Ground Leases

The following table summarizes the remaining primary term, renewal rights and purchase rights as of February 27, 2020, associated with land underlying our hotels and meeting facilities that we lease from third parties:

We (or certain joint ventures in which we own an interest) are also party to certain leases for facilities related to certain hotels owned by us (or such joint ventures).  

Competition

The lodging industry is highly competitive. Our hotels compete with other hotels for guests on the basis of several factors, including the attractiveness of the facility, location, level of service, quality of accommodations, amenities, food and beverage options and outlets, public and meeting spaces and other guest services, consistency of service, room rate, brand reputation and the ability to earn and redeem loyalty program points through a global system. Competition is often specific to the individual markets in which our hotels are located and includes competition from existing and new hotels operated under brands primarily in the upper upscale chain scale segments. Increased competition could have a material adverse effect on the occupancy rate, average daily room rate and

RevPAR of our hotels or may require us to make capital improvements that we otherwise would not have to make, which may result in decreases in our profitability. We believe our hotels enjoy certain competitive advantages as a result of being flagged with globally recognized brands, including access to centralized reservation systems and national advertising, marketing and promotional services, strong hotel management expertise and guest loyalty programs.

Our principal competitors include hotel operating companies, ownership companies (including other lodging REITs) and national and international hotel brands. We face increased competition from providers of less expensive accommodations, such as select-service hotels or independently managed hotels, during periods of economic downturn when leisure and business travelers become more sensitive to room rates. Increasingly, we also face competition from peer-to-peer inventory sources that allow travelers to stay at homes and apartments booked from owners, thereby providing an alternative to hotel rooms. We face competition for the acquisition of hotels from other REITs, private equity investors, institutional pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and numerous local, regional and national owners, including franchisors, in each of our markets. Some of these entities may have substantially greater financial resources than we do and may be able and willing to accept more risk than we believe we can prudently manage. During the recovery phase of the lodging cycle, competition among potential buyers may increase the bargaining power of potential sellers, which may reduce the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us or increase pricing. Similarly, during times when we seek to sell hotels, competition from other sellers may increase the bargaining power of the potential property buyers.

Seasonality

The lodging industry is seasonal in nature, which can be expected to cause fluctuations in our hotel rooms revenues, occupancy levels, room rates, operating expenses and cash flows. The periods during which our hotels experience higher or lower levels of demand vary from property to property, depending principally upon location, type of property and competitive mix within the specific location.

Cyclicality

The lodging industry is cyclical and demand generally follows, on a lagged basis, key macroeconomic indicators. There is a history of increases and decreases in demand for hotel rooms, in occupancy levels and in room rates realized by owners of hotels through economic cycles. Variability of results through some of the cycles in the past has been more severe due to changes in the supply of hotel rooms in given markets or in given segments of hotels. The combination of changes in economic conditions and in the supply of hotel rooms can result in significant volatility in results for owners of hotel properties. As a result, in a negative economic environment the rate of decline in earnings can be higher than the rate of decline in revenues.

Government Regulations

Our business is subject to various federal and state laws and regulations (in the U.S. and Puerto Rico). In particular, we are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Under the ADA, all public accommodations are required to meet certain U.S. federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. These regulations apply to accommodations first occupied after January 26, 1993. Public accommodations built before January 26, 1993 are required to remove architectural barriers to disabled access where such removal is “readily achievable.” The regulations also mandate certain operational requirements that hotel operators must observe. The failure of a property to comply with the ADA could result in injunctive relief, fines, an award of damages to private litigants or mandated capital expenditures to remedy such noncompliance. Any imposition of injunctive relief, fines, damage awards or capital expenditures could result in reputational harm or otherwise materially and negatively affect our performance and results of operations.

In addition, a number of states regulate the activities of hospitality properties and restaurants, including safety and health standards, as well as the sale of liquor at such properties, by requiring licensing, registration, disclosure statements and compliance with specific standards of conduct. As an operator of the Select Hotels we are also subject to laws governing our relationship with employees, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, working conditions and work permit requirements. We are also subject to privacy and data security laws. Compliance with, or changes in, these laws could reduce the revenue and profitability of our properties and could otherwise adversely affect our operations.

Environmental Matters

We are subject to certain requirements and potential liabilities under various federal, state and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations (in the U.S. and Puerto Rico) and incur costs in complying with such requirements. These laws and regulations govern our operations including any associated air emissions; the use, storage and disposal of hazardous and toxic substances and petroleum projects; and wastewater disposal. In addition, as a current and former owner of property, we could be

subject to investigation and remediation liabilities that could arise under local, state and federal environmental laws, as well as personal injury, property damage, fines or other claims by third parties associated with environmental compliance or the presence of contamination. In addition to our hotel accommodations, we operate certain laundry facilities. We use and store hazardous and toxic substances, such as cleaning materials, pool chemicals, heating oil and fuel for back-up generators at some of our facilities, and we generate certain wastes in connection with our operations. Some of our properties include older buildings, and some may have, or may historically have had impacts from current or historical site operations including dry-cleaning facilities, gasoline and auto service stations, underground storage tanks for heating oil and back-up generators, and other operations that may have caused environmental contamination. We have from time to time been responsible for investigating and remediating contamination at some of our facilities, such as contamination from leaking underground storage tanks or as a result of current or historical dry-cleaning operations, and we could be held responsible for any contamination resulting from the disposal of wastes that we generate, including at locations where such wastes have been sent for treatment or disposal, without regard to whether we complied with environmental laws in sending our wastes to such treatment or disposal sites. In some cases, we may be entitled to indemnification, but there can be no assurance that we would be able to recover all or any costs we incur in addressing such problems. From time to time, we may also be required to manage, abate, remove or contain mold, lead, asbestos-containing materials, radon gas or other hazardous conditions found in or on our properties. We have implemented an on-going operations and maintenance plan that seeks to identify and remediate these conditions as appropriate. Although we have incurred, and expect that we will continue to incur, costs relating to the investigation, identification, management, and remediation of hazardous materials or petroleum products known or discovered to exist at our properties, as well as costs of complying with various local, state and federal environmental, health and safety laws, those costs have not had, and are not expected to have, a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flow.

REIT Qualification

We are treated as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and we believe we have been organized and operated, and expect to continue to be organized and operated, in a manner to qualify as a REIT. To qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy requirements related to, among other things, the real estate qualification of sources of our income, the real estate composition and values of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders annually and the diversity of ownership of our stock. To the extent we continue to remain qualified as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on taxable income generated by our REIT activities that we distribute annually to our stockholders. To comply with REIT requirements, we may need to forego otherwise attractive opportunities and limit our expansion opportunities and the manner in which we conduct our operations. Refer to “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our REIT Status and Certain Other Tax Items.”

Insurance

We maintain insurance coverage for general liability, property, including business interruption, terrorism, and other risks with respect to our business for all of our hotels. We also maintain workers’ compensation insurance for our corporate employees and employees at our Select Hotels and commercial laundry facilities, while our managers maintain workers’ compensation insurance for their employees at our managed hotels. Most of our insurance policies are written with self-insured retentions or deductibles that are common in the insurance market for similar risks. These policies provide coverage for claim amounts that exceed our self-insured retentions or deductibles. Our insurance provides coverage related to any claims or losses arising out of the design, development and operation of our hotels.

Employees

As of December 31, 2019, we had 488 employees, including 95 corporate employees, 174 employees of the Select Hotels, and 219 employees of our commercial laundry operations. Our hotel managers are generally responsible for hiring and maintaining the labor force at each of our hotels, other than the Select Hotels. Although we generally do not manage employees at our hotels (other than the Select Hotels), we still are subject to many of the costs and risks generally associated with the hotel labor force, particularly those hotels with unionized labor. We believe relations are positive between our third-party hotel managers, and their employees. For a discussion of these relationships, refer to “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We are subject to risks associated with the employment of hotel personnel, particularly with hotels that employ unionized labor, which could increase our operating costs, reduce flexibility of our hotel managers to adjust the size of the workforce at our hotels and could materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.”

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are currently located at 1775 Tysons Boulevard, 7th Floor, Tysons, Virginia 22102. Our telephone number is (571) 302-5757. Our website is located at www.pkhotelsandresorts.com. The information that is found on or accessible through our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other report or document that we file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We have included our website address in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as an inactive textual reference and do not intend it to be an active link to our website.

We make available on our website, free of charge, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. We also make our Code of Conduct, and any amendments or waivers thereto, for our directors, officers and employees available on our website on the Corporate Governance – Governance Documents page under the Investors section of our website.

Availability of Reports

The SEC maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy statements, information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.  

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Owning our common stock involves a number of significant risks. You should consider carefully the following risk factors. If any of the following risks, as well as additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial, occur, our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly, and you could lose all or a part of the value of your ownership in our common stock. In addition, the statements in the following risk factors include forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Business

We face various risks posed by our acquisition, redevelopment, repositioning, renovation and re-branding activities, as well as our disposition activities.

A key element of our business strategy is identifying and consummating acquisitions of additional hotels and portfolios. On September 18, 2019, we completed the Merger with Chesapeake, which added 18 hotels to our portfolio across several U.S. markets (2 of which were subsequently sold in December 2019). We can provide no assurances that we will be successful in identifying attractive hotels in the future or that, once identified, we will be successful in consummating future acquisitions. We face significant competition for attractive investment opportunities from other well-capitalized investors, some of which have greater financial resources and a greater access to debt and equity capital to acquire hotels than we do. This competition increases as investments in real estate become increasingly attractive relative to other forms of investment. As a result of such competition, we may be unable to acquire certain hotels or portfolios that we deem attractive or the purchase price may be significantly elevated or other terms may be substantially more onerous. In addition, we expect to finance future acquisitions through a combination of retained cash flows, borrowings and offerings of equity and debt securities, which may not be available on advantageous terms, or at all. Any delay or failure on our part to identify, negotiate, finance on favorable terms, consummate and integrate such acquisitions could materially impede our growth.

In addition, newly acquired, redeveloped, renovated, repositioned or re-branded hotels may fail to perform as expected and the costs necessary to bring such hotels up to brand standards may exceed our expectations, which may result in the hotels’ failures to achieve projected returns. Likewise, we may not receive the expected benefit from the Merger, including the elimination of duplicative costs associated with supporting a public company platform.

In particular, these activities could pose the following risks to our ongoing operations:

We may also divest certain properties or assets, and any such divestments may yield lower than expected returns or otherwise fail to achieve the benefits we expect. For instance, we continue to explore sales of certain of our non-core hotels, and there can be no assurances that we will be able to recover the current carrying amount of these investments. In some circumstances, sales of properties or other assets may result in losses. Upon sales of properties or assets, we may become subject to contractual indemnity obligations, incur unusual or extraordinary distribution requirements or material tax liabilities or, as a result of required debt repayment, face a shortage of liquidity. In addition, we may not be able to reinvest the proceeds from any sales in new hotels at attractive rates of return, which may also impact our future operating results. Finally, any acquisitions, investments or dispositions could have costs or liabilities that exceed our expectations or demand significant attention from management that would otherwise be available for business operations, which could harm our business. In particular, the additional complexities of increasing the number of third-party operators relied upon and brands represented in our portfolio following the Merger will require additional time and attention of management. The occurrence of any of the foregoing events, among others, could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and profitability as well as limit or slow our future growth.

There are inherent risks with investments in real estate, including the relative illiquidity of such investments.

Investments in real estate are subject to varying degrees of risk. For example, an investment in real estate cannot generally be quickly sold, and we cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any hotel we desire to for the price or on the terms set by us or acceptable to us, or the length of time needed to find a willing buyer and to close the sale of the hotel. Moreover, the Code imposes restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. In particular, the tax laws applicable to REITs require that we hold our hotels for use in a trade or business of generating rents or for investment, rather than hold primarily for sale in the ordinary course of business, all of which may cause us to forego or defer sales of hotels that otherwise would be in our best interests. Therefore, we may not be able to adjust the composition of our portfolio promptly in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions or dispose of assets at opportune times or on favorable terms, which may adversely affect our cash flows and our ability to make distributions to stockholders.

In addition, our ability to dispose of some of our hotels could be constrained by their tax attributes. Many of our hotels, including related ancillary personal property, may have low tax bases. If we dispose of these hotels in taxable transactions, we may be required to pay tax on the sale and will be required to distribute the after-tax gain to our stockholders under the requirements of the Code applicable to REITs, either of which, in turn, would impact our cash flow. To dispose of low basis hotels efficiently, we may from time to time use “like-kind exchanges”, which is only applicable for non-recognition of taxable gain related to real property, and can be difficult to consummate and result in the hotel for which the disposed assets are exchanged inheriting their low tax bases and other tax attributes, and could result in taxable gain and a shareholder distribution requirement related to the non-real property associated with the hotel sale.

We are subject to risks associated with the concentration of our portfolio in the Hilton family of brands. Any deterioration in the quality or reputation of the Hilton brands, including changes to the Hilton Honors guest loyalty program, could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition or results of operations.

A majority of our properties currently utilize brands owned by Hilton and participate in the Hilton Honors guest loyalty and rewards program. As a result, our ability to attract and retain guests depends, in part, on the public recognition of the Hilton brands and their associated reputation. If the Hilton brands become obsolete or consumers view them as unfashionable or lacking in consistency and quality, we may be unable to attract guests to our hotels. In addition, any adverse developments in Hilton’s business and affairs or financial condition could impair its ability to manage our properties and could have a material adverse effect on us. For example, the occurrence of a major data breach or similar event associated with Hilton could impair Hilton’s ability to manage our properties and could have a material adverse effect on us.

Changes in ownership or management practices, the occurrence of accidents or injuries, force majeure events, crime, individual guest notoriety or similar events at our hotels or other properties managed, owned or leased by Hilton can harm our reputation, create adverse publicity and cause a loss of consumer confidence in our business. Because of the global nature of the Hilton brands and the broad expanse of its business and hotel locations, events occurring in one location could negatively affect the reputation and operations of otherwise successful individual locations, including properties in our portfolio. We also could face legal claims related to negative events, along with resulting adverse publicity. If the perceived quality of the Hilton brand declines, or if Hilton’s reputation is damaged, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

Hilton Honors guest loyalty program allows program members to accumulate points based on eligible stays and hotel charges and redeem the points for a range of benefits including free rooms and other items of value. The program is an important aspect of our business and of the affiliation value of a majority of our hotels. In addition to the accumulation of points for future hotel stays at the Hilton family of brands, Hilton Honors arranges with third-party service providers, such as airlines and rail companies, to exchange monetary value represented by points for program awards. Currently, the program benefits are not taxed as income to members. We are not the owner of the Hilton Honors loyalty program and changes to the program or our access to it could negatively impact our business.  If the program deteriorates or materially changes in an adverse manner, or becomes subject to taxation such that a material number of Hilton Honors members choose to no longer participate in the program, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Contractual and other disagreements with or involving our current and future third-party hotel managers and franchisors could make us liable to them or result in litigation costs or other expenses.

Our management and franchise agreements require us and our managers to comply with operational and performance conditions that are subject to interpretation and could result in disagreements, and we expect this will be true of any management and franchise agreements that we and Hilton have enter into with future third-party hotel managers or franchisors. At any given time, we may be in dispute with one or more third-party hotel managers or franchisors. Any such dispute could be very expensive for us, even if the outcome is ultimately in our favor. We cannot predict the outcome of any arbitration or litigation, the effect of any negative judgment against us or the amount of any settlement that we may enter into with any third-party. In the event we terminate a management or franchise agreement early and the hotel manager or franchisor considers such termination to have been wrongful, they may seek damages. Additionally, we may be required to indemnify our third-party hotel managers and franchisors against disputes with third parties, pursuant to our management and franchise agreements. An adverse result in any of these proceedings could materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

We are dependent on the performance of our managers and could be materially and adversely affected if our managers do not properly manage our hotels or otherwise act in our best interests or if we are unable to maintain a good relationship with our third-party hotel managers.

In order for us to continue to qualify as a REIT, independent third parties must operate our hotels. Except for the Select Hotels, we lease substantially all of our hotels to our TRS lessees. Our TRS lessees, in turn, have entered into management agreements with third-party managers to operate our hotels. We could be materially and adversely affected if any third-party hotel manager fails to provide quality services and amenities, fails to maintain a quality brand name or otherwise fails to manage our hotels in our best interest, and can be financially responsible for the actions and inactions of our third-party hotel managers pursuant to our management agreements. In addition, our third-party hotel managers manage, and in some cases may own or lease, or may have invested in or may have provided credit support or operating guarantees to hotels that compete with our hotels, any of which could result in conflicts of interest. As a result, third-party managers may make decisions regarding competing lodging facilities that are not in our best interests.

The success of our properties largely depends on our ability to establish and maintain good relationships with our hotel managers and other third-party hotel managers and franchisors that we may engage in the future. If we are unable to maintain good relationships with our third-party hotel managers and franchisors, we may be unable to renew existing management or franchise agreements or expand relationships with them. Additionally, opportunities for developing new relationships with additional third-party managers or franchisors may be adversely affected. This, in turn, could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and our ability to execute our growth strategy.

In the event that we terminate any of our management agreements, we can provide no assurances that we could find a replacement hotel manager or that any replacement hotel manager will be successful in operating our hotels. If any of the foregoing were to occur, it could materially and adversely affect us.

Cyber threats and the risk of data breaches or disruptions of our hotel managers’ or our own information technology systems could materially adversely affect our business.

Our hotel managers are dependent on information technology networks and systems, including the internet, to access, process, transmit and store proprietary and customer information, and we expect that other hotel managers that we contract with in the future also will be dependent on such networks. These complex networks include reservation systems, vacation exchange systems, hotel management systems, customer databases, call centers, administrative systems, and third-party vendor systems. These systems require the collection, retention and transfer of large volumes of personally identifiable information of hotel guests, including credit card numbers.

These information networks and systems can be vulnerable to threats such as system, network or internet failures; computer hacking or business disruption, including through network- and email-based attacks; cyber-terrorism; viruses, worms or other malicious software programs; and employee error, negligence or fraud. The risk of a security breach or disruption, particularly through cyber-attack or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, nation-state affiliated actors and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. We rely on our hotel managers to protect proprietary and customer information from these threats. Any compromise of our own network or hotel managers’ networks could result in a disruption to operations, such as disruptions in fulfilling guest reservations, delayed bookings or sales, or lost guest reservations. Any of these events could, in turn, result in disruption of the operations of our hotels, in increased costs (e.g., related to response, investigation, and notification) or in potential litigation and liability. In addition, public disclosure, or loss of customer or proprietary information could result in damage to the hotel manager’s reputation, a loss of confidence among hotel guests, reputational harm for our hotels and potential litigation, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition to the information technologies and systems our hotel managers use to operate our hotels, we have our own corporate technologies and systems that are used to access, store, transmit, and manage or support a variety of business processes. We may be required to expend significant attention and financial resources to protect these technologies and systems against physical or cybersecurity incidents and even then our security measures may subsequently be deemed to have been inadequate by regulators or courts given the lack of prescriptive measures in data security and cybersecurity laws. There can be no assurance that the security measures we have taken to protect the contents of these systems will prevent failures, inadequacies or interruptions in system services or that system security will not be breached through system or user error, physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, and attacks by hackers (whether through unauthorized access, network- or email-based attacks, or otherwise). Even security measures that are appropriate, reasonable, and/or in accordance with applicable legal requirements may not be able to protect the information we maintain. Disruptions in service, system shutdowns and security breaches in the information technologies and systems we use, including unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, could have a material adverse effect on our business, our financial reporting and compliance, and could subject us to or result in liability claims, monetary losses or regulatory penalties which could be significant. We currently have a policy that covers some aspects of a loss due to a cyber-attack, but costs are variable based on the scale of such an attack.

Restrictive covenants in certain of our hotel management and franchise agreements contain provisions limiting or restricting the sale of our hotels, which could materially and adversely affect our profitability.

Many of our hotel management and franchise agreements generally contain restrictive covenants that limit or restrict our ability to sell a hotel free of the management or franchise encumbrance other than to permitted transferees. Generally, we may not agree to sell, lease or otherwise transfer particular hotels unless the transferee executes a new agreement or assumes the related hotel management and franchise agreements. As a result, we may be prohibited from taking actions that would otherwise be in our and our stockholders’ best interests. In addition, as noted above, our third-party managers may have a conflict that results in one of our third-party managers declining to approve a transfer that would be in our and our stockholders’ best interests.

Costs associated with, or failure to maintain, brand operating standards may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and profitability.

The terms of our franchise agreements and management agreements generally require us to meet specified operating standards and other terms and conditions and compliance with such standards may be costly. Failure by us, or any hotel management company that we engage, to maintain these standards or other terms and conditions could result in a franchise license being canceled or the franchisor requiring us to undertake a costly property improvement program. If a franchise license is terminated due to our failure to make required improvements or to otherwise comply with its terms, we also may be liable to the franchisor for a termination payment. If the funds required to maintain brand operating standards are significant, or if a franchise license is terminated, it could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and profitability.

If we were to lose a brand license, the underlying value of a particular hotel could decline significantly from the loss of associated name recognition, marketing support, participation in guest loyalty programs and the centralized reservation system provided by the franchisor or brand manager, which could require us to recognize an impairment on the hotel. Furthermore, the loss of a franchise license at a particular hotel could harm our relationship with the franchisor or brand manager, which could impede our ability to operate other hotels under the same brand, limit our ability to obtain new franchise licenses or brand management agreements from the franchisor or brand in the future on favorable terms, or at all, and cause us to incur significant costs to obtain a new franchise license or brand management agreement for the particular hotel. Accordingly, if we lose one or more franchise licenses or brand management agreements, it could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and profitability as well as limit or slow our future growth.

Our efforts to develop, redevelop or renovate our properties could be delayed or become more expensive, which could reduce revenues or impair our ability to compete effectively.

If not maintained, the condition of certain of our properties could negatively affect our ability to attract guests or result in higher operating and capital costs. These factors could reduce revenues or profits from these properties. There can be no assurance that our planned replacements and repairs will occur, or even if completed, will result in improved performance. In addition, these efforts are subject to a number of risks, including:

If our properties are not updated to meet guest preferences, if properties under development or renovation are delayed in opening as scheduled, or if renovation investments adversely affect or fail to improve performance, our operations and financial results could be negatively affected.

Our hotels are geographically concentrated in a limited number of markets and, accordingly, we could be disproportionately harmed by adverse changes to these markets, natural disasters or threat of a terrorist attack.

A significant portion of our room count is located in a concentrated number of markets that exposes us to greater risk to local economic or business conditions, changes in hotel supply in these markets, and other conditions than more geographically diversified hotel companies. As of December 31, 2019, hotels in New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New Orleans, Florida and Hawaii represented approximately 70% of our room count, with our hotels in Florida, San Francisco and Hawaii alone each representing greater than 10% of our room count. An economic downturn, an increase in hotel supply in these markets, a force majeure event, a natural disaster (such as hurricanes, tropical storms, earthquakes, volcano eruption and fires), a terrorist attack or similar disaster in any one of these markets likely would cause a decline in the hotel market and adversely affect occupancy rates, the financial performance of our hotels in these markets and our overall results of operations.

The threat of terrorism also may negatively impact hotel occupancy and average daily rate, due to resulting disruptions in business and leisure travel patterns and concerns about travel safety. Hotels in major metropolitan areas, such as the gateway cities that represent our target markets, may be particularly adversely affected due to concerns about travel safety. The possibility of future attacks may hamper business and leisure travel patterns and, accordingly, the performance of our business and our operations.

If the insurance that we carry does not sufficiently cover damage or other potential losses or liabilities to third parties involving our properties, our profits could be reduced.

We operate in certain areas where the risk of natural disaster or other catastrophic losses vary, and the incidence of such an event could cause substantial damage to our properties or the surrounding area.

We carry insurance from solvent insurance carriers that we believe is adequate for foreseeable first- and third-party losses and with terms and conditions that are reasonable and customary. Nevertheless, market forces beyond our control could limit the scope of the insurance coverage that we can obtain or may otherwise restrict our ability to buy insurance coverage at reasonable rates. In the event of a substantial loss, the insurance coverage that we carry may not be sufficient to pay the full value of our financial obligations, our liabilities or the replacement cost of any lost investment or property. For example, in 2017, Hurricane Irma forced us to close two of our hotels in Key West, Florida for several weeks, and Hurricane Maria caused significant damage to the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico, which was closed throughout 2018 and reopened in May 2019. To date, we have received $191 million of insurance proceeds for both Key West hotels and the Caribe Hilton. In December 2019, claims related to the Hilton Caribe were fully settled, however, the amount of expected insurance proceeds related to our Key West hotels could change as more information becomes available about the nature and extent of damage.

Additionally, because certain types of losses are uncertain, they may be uninsurable or prohibitively expensive. There are also other risks that may fall outside the general coverage terms and limits of our policies. In some cases, these factors could result in certain losses being completely uninsured. As a result, we could lose some or all of the capital we have invested in a property, as well as the anticipated future revenues, profits, management fees or franchise fees from the property.

Our properties may not be permitted to be rebuilt if destroyed.

Certain of our properties may qualify as legally permissible nonconforming uses and improvements, including certain of our iconic and most profitable properties. If a substantial portion of any such properties were to be destroyed by fire or other casualty, we might not be permitted to rebuild that property as it now exists or at all, regardless of the availability of insurance proceeds. Any loss of this nature, whether insured or not, could materially adversely affect our results of operations and prospects.

We have investments in joint venture projects, which limit our ability to manage third-party risks associated with these projects.

In certain cases, we are minority participants and do not control the decisions of the joint ventures in which we are involved. Therefore, joint venture investments may involve risks such as the possibility that a co-venturer in an investment might become bankrupt, be unable to meet its capital contribution obligations, have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with our business interests or goals or take actions that are contrary to our instructions or to applicable laws and regulations. In addition, we may be unable to take action without the approval of our joint venture partners, or our joint venture partners could take actions binding on the joint venture without our consent. Consequently, actions by a co-venturer or other third-party could expose us to claims for damages, financial penalties and reputational harm, any of which could adversely affect our business and operations. In addition, we may agree to guarantee indebtedness incurred by a joint venture or co-venturer or provide standard indemnifications to lenders for loss liability or damage occurring as a result of our actions or actions of the joint venture or other co-venturers. Such a guarantee or indemnity may be on a joint and several basis with a co-venturer, in which case we may be liable in the event that our co-venturer defaults on its guarantee obligation. The non-performance of a co-venturer’s obligations may cause losses to us in excess of the capital we initially may have invested or committed.

Preparing our financial statements requires us to have access to information regarding the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of our joint ventures. Any deficiencies in our joint ventures’ internal controls over financial reporting may affect our ability to report our financial results accurately or prevent or detect fraud. Such deficiencies also could result in restatements of, or other adjustments to, our previously reported or announced operating results, which could diminish investor confidence and reduce the market price for our shares. Additionally, if our joint ventures are unable to provide this information for any meaningful period or fail to meet expected deadlines, we may be unable to satisfy our financial reporting obligations or timely file our periodic reports.

Although our joint ventures may generate positive cash flow, in some cases they may be unable to distribute that cash to the joint venture partners. Additionally, in some cases our joint venture partners control distributions and may choose to leave capital in the joint venture rather than distribute it. Because our ability to generate liquidity from our joint ventures depends in part on their ability to distribute capital to us, our failure to receive distributions from our joint venture partners could reduce our cash flow return on these investments.

We depend on external sources of capital for future growth. Therefore, any disruption to our ability to access capital at times and on terms reasonably acceptable to us may affect adversely our business and results of operations.

Ownership of hotels is a capital-intensive business that requires significant capital expenditures to acquire, operate, maintain and renovate properties. To continue to qualify as a REIT, we are required to distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain), including taxable income recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes but with regard to which we do not receive cash. As a result, we must finance our growth, fund debt repayments and fund these significant capital expenditures largely with external sources of capital. Our ability to access external capital could be hampered by a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including:

Any of these factors, individually or in combination, could prevent us from being able to obtain the external capital we require on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to finance our future growth and our financial condition and results of operations. Potential consequences of disruptions in U.S. and global equity and credit markets and, as a result, an inability for us to access external capital at times, and on terms, reasonably acceptable to us could include:

The loss of senior executives or key field personnel, such as general managers, could significantly harm our business.

Our ability to maintain our competitive position depends somewhat on the efforts and abilities of our senior executives. Finding suitable replacements for senior executives could be difficult. Losing the services of one or more of these senior executives could adversely affect strategic relationships, including relationships with hotel managers or franchisors, joint venture partners and vendors, and limit our ability to execute our business strategies.

We also rely on the general managers at each of our hotels to manage daily operations and oversee the efforts of employees. These general managers are trained professionals in the hospitality industry and have extensive experience in many markets worldwide. The failure by us, or any of our hotel managers to retain, train or successfully manage the general managers at our hotels could negatively affect our operations.

We are subject to risks associated with the employment of hotel personnel, particularly with hotels that employ unionized labor, which could increase our operating costs, reduce the flexibility of our hotel managers to adjust the size of the workforce at our hotels and could materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

We have entered into management agreements with our hotel managers to operate each of our hotels, with the exception of the Select Hotels. The managers are generally responsible for hiring and maintaining the labor force at each of the hotels they manage. Although, with the exception of the Select Hotels, we generally do not directly employ or manage employees at our hotels, we are subject to many of the costs and risks generally associated with the hotel labor force. Increased labor costs due to factors like additional taxes or requirements to incur additional employee benefits costs may adversely impact our operating costs. Labor costs can be particularly challenging at those of our hotels with unionized labor, and additional hotels may be subject to new collective bargaining agreements in the future.

From time to time, strikes, lockouts, public demonstrations or other negative actions and publicity may disrupt hotel operations at any of our hotels, negatively impact our reputation or the reputation of our brands, or harm relationships with the labor forces at our hotels. We also may incur increased legal costs and indirect labor costs as a result of contract disputes or other events. Additionally, hotels where our hotel managers have collective bargaining agreements with employees are more highly affected by labor force activities than others. The resolution of labor disputes or new or re-negotiated labor contracts could lead to increased labor costs, either by increases in wages or benefits or by changes in work rules that raise hotel operating costs. Furthermore, labor agreements may limit the ability of our hotel managers to reduce the size of hotel workforces during an economic downturn because collective bargaining agreements are negotiated between the hotel managers and labor unions. We do not have the ability to control the outcome of these negotiations. We are also subject to similar risks where we directly employ labor at our Select Hotels and hotel laundry business.

Our active management and operation of the Select Hotels and the commercial laundry business may expose us to potential liabilities beyond those traditionally associated with lodging REITs.

In addition to owning hotels and engaging hotel managers to operate our hotels, we also manage and operate the Select Hotels and, through a TRS, manage and operate the commercial laundry business. Managing and operating the Select Hotels and the commercial laundry business requires us to employ significantly more people than a REIT that does not operate businesses of such type and scale. In addition, managing and operating both a hotel business and a commercial laundry business exposes us to potential liabilities associated with the operation of those businesses. Such potential liabilities are not typically associated with lodging REITs and include potential liabilities for environmental violations, wage and hour violations, workplace injury and other employment violations. In the event that one or more of the potential liabilities associated with managing and operating a hotel and hotel laundry business materializes, such liabilities could damage our reputation, and could adversely affect our financial position and results of operations, possibly to a material degree.

We will not recognize any increase in the value of the land or improvements subject to our ground leases and may only receive a portion of compensation paid in any eminent domain proceeding with respect to the hotel. In addition, we could be materially and adversely affected if we are found to be in breach of a ground lease or are unable to renew a ground lease.

Unless we purchase a fee interest in the land and improvements subject to our ground leases or extend the terms of these leases before their expiration, we will lose our right to operate these properties and we will not have any economic interest in the land or improvements at the expiration of our ground leases; therefore, we generally will not share in any increase in value of the land or improvements beyond the term of a ground lease, notwithstanding our capital outlay to purchase our interest in the hotel or fund improvements thereon, and will lose our right to use the hotel. In addition, if we are found to be in breach of certain of our third-party ground leases, we could lose the right to use the applicable hotel. Furthermore, if a governmental authority seizes a hotel subject to a ground lease under its eminent domain power, we may only be entitled to a portion of any compensation awarded for the seizure.

Our ability to exercise any extension options relating to our ground leases is subject to the condition that we are not in default under the terms of the ground lease at the time that we exercise such options, and we can provide no assurances that we will be able to exercise any available options at such time. Furthermore, we can provide no assurances that we will be able to renew any ground lease upon its expiration. If we were to lose the right to use a hotel due to a breach or non-renewal of the ground lease, we would be unable to derive income from such hotel, which could adversely affect us.

Risks Related to Our Industry

We operate in a highly competitive industry.

The lodging industry is highly competitive. Our principal competitors are other owners and investors in upper upscale, full-service hotels, including other lodging REITs, as well as major hospitality chains with well-established and recognized brands. Our hotels face competition for individual guests, group reservations and conference business. We also compete against smaller hotel chains, independent and local hotel owners and operators. Increasingly, we also face competition from peer-to-peer inventory sources that allow travelers to stay at homes and apartments booked from owners, thereby providing an alternative to hotel rooms. We compete for these customers based primarily on brand name recognition and reputation, as well as location, room rates, property size and availability of rooms and conference space, quality of the accommodations, customer satisfaction, amenities and the ability to earn and redeem loyalty program awards. New hotels may be constructed, and these additions create new competitors, in some cases without corresponding increases in demand for hotel rooms. Our competitors may have greater commercial, financial and marketing resources and more efficient technology platforms, which could allow them to improve their properties and expand and improve their marketing efforts in ways that could affect our ability to compete for guests effectively and adversely affect our revenues and profitability as well as limit or slow our future growth.

We are subject to the business, financial and operating risks inherent to the lodging industry, any of which could reduce our revenues, the value of our properties and our ability to make distributions and limit opportunities for growth.

Our business is subject to a number of business, financial and operating risks inherent to the lodging industry, including:

Any of these factors could increase our costs or reduce our revenues, adversely impacting our ability to make distributions to our stockholders or otherwise affect our ability to maintain existing properties or develop new properties.

Macroeconomic and other factors beyond our control can adversely affect and reduce lodging demand.

Macroeconomic and other factors beyond our control can reduce demand for our products and services, including demand for rooms at our hotels. These factors include, but are not limited to: