Table of Contents
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-220182
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus dated September 11, 2017)
$50,000,000
CONDOR HOSPITALITY TRUST, INC.
COMMON STOCK
We may offer to sell up to $50,000,000 in the aggregate of shares of our common stock from time to time through any of KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. and BMO Capital Markets Corp., which we refer to as the sales agents, under an equity distribution agreement.
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American exchange under the symbol “CDOR.” Based on the last reported sale price of $10.32 of our common stock on September 19, 2017, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held bynon-affiliates was $55,655,671 based on 11,630,357 shares of outstanding common stock, of which 5,199,193 shares were held bynon-affiliates. As of the date of this prospectus supplement we have not sold any of our securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of FormS-3 during the prior12-calendar-month period that ends on and includes the date of this prospectus supplement. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of FormS-3, in no event will we offer or will we sell securities in a public primary offering pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus with a value exceeding more thanone-third of our “Public Float” (the market value of our common stock held by ournon-affiliates) in any12-month period so long as our Public Float remains below $75,000,000.
Sales of shares of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be made in negotiated transactions or other transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” offerings, including sales made directly on the NYSE American or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. The sales agents are not required, individually or collectively, to sell any specific number or dollar amount of shares of our common stock, but each sales agent has agreed to make all sales using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices on mutually agreed terms between the sales agent and us. There is no specific date on which the offering will end, there are no minimum purchase requirements and there are no arrangements to place the proceeds of the offering in an escrow, trust or similar account. Sales of shares of our common stock to which this prospectus supplement relates will be made through only one sales agent on any given day.
We will pay each sales agent a commission at a rate of 2% of the gross sales price of all shares of common stock sold through it from time to time under the equity distribution agreement. We may also sell shares of our common stock to a sales agent as principal for its own account at a price agreed upon at the time of sale. In connection with the sale of shares of our common stock on our behalf, the sales agents may be deemed to be “underwriters,” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act, and the compensation paid to the sales agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts.
To assist us in maintaining our status as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for federal income tax purposes, our articles of incorporation contain certain restrictions on ownership of shares of our common stock. See “Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer” in the accompanying prospectus.
Investing in our common stock involves risk. You should carefully read and consider the “Risk Factors” referenced on pageS-4 of this prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
KeyBanc Capital Markets | BMO Capital Markets |
The date of this prospectus supplement is September 20, 2017
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Description of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law, Our Articles of Incorporation and Our Bylaws | 15 | |||
Description of Limited Partnership Agreement of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership | 19 | |||
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUS
This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, gives more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering.
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. To the extent there are any inconsistencies between the information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. You should rely only on the information provided or information to which we have referred you, including any information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making an offer to sell our common stock in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of our common stock is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, any free writing prospectus and the accompanying prospectus prepared by us or the other documents incorporated by reference herein or therein is accurate only as of their respective dates or on the date or dates that are specified in these documents. Our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
You should read carefully this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information and Incorporation by Reference” in this prospectus supplement and “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference” in the accompanying prospectus. Information incorporated by reference after the date of this prospectus supplement may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus supplement. Statements contained or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus as to the content of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete, and in each instance we refer you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference. Any information in such subsequent filings that is inconsistent with this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will supersede the information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any earlier prospectus supplement.
References to “we,” “our,” “us” or “our company” refer to Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation, including, as the context requires, its direct and indirect subsidiaries.
References to our “common stock” refer to the common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements included in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated into this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus by reference are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements include statements about our intention with respect to our business, our markets, our belief that we have the liquidity and capital resources necessary to meet our known obligations; and other statements preceded by, followed by or otherwise including words such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “project,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “may,” “will,” “designed,” “estimate,” “should,” “continue” or the negatives of these words and phrases and other similar expressions. These statements indicate that we have used assumptions that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially from those projected.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond our control. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking:
• | the use of the proceeds of any offering; |
• | the state of the U.S. economy generally or in specific geographic regions in which we operate, and the effect of general economic conditions on the lodging industry in particular; |
• | our ability to maintain relationships with hotel management companies and franchisors; |
• | the operating strategies and results of our hotel management companies; |
• | market conditions, including occupancy levels and rates; |
• | actions and initiatives of the U.S. government and changes to U.S. government policies and the execution and impart of these actions, initiatives and policies; |
• | our ability to identify and acquire properties that meet our investment criteria; |
• | ability to sell our retained portfolio of hotels held for sale and redeploy the capital; |
• | the level and volatility of prevailing market interest rates and general economic conditions; |
• | financing risks, such as our inability to refinance debt as it matures or to obtain debt or equity financing on favorable terms, or at all; |
• | our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes; |
• | compliance with applicable laws, including those concerning the environment and access by persons with disabilities; |
• | the availability and cost of insurance; and |
• | other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, in our Annual Report onForm 10-K and in other documents we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and which we incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. |
In light of these uncertainties, the events anticipated by our forward-looking statements might not occur and we caution you not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, and those statements speak only as of the date made. The foregoing review of factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements should not be construed as exhaustive.
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We are a self-administered hotel investment company that specializes in the investment and ownership of premium-branded upper-midscale and upscale select-service hotels. We are organized and conduct our operations to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. We currently own 20 hotels in 10 states. Our hotels operate under several national franchise and independent brands.
We elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our short taxable year ended on December 31, 1994. In order to maintain our status as a REIT, we must comply with a number of requirements under federal income tax law that are discussed in “Material Federal Income Tax Considerations” beginning on page 25 of the accompanying prospectus. Additional information regarding our business can be found under the heading “Business” contained in Part I, Item 1 in our most recent Annual Report on Form10-K.
Our principal executive office is located at 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 220, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 and our telephone number is (402)371-2520. We maintain an Internet website located at www.condorhospitality.com. Our internet website and the information contained therein or connected thereto does not constitute a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, except for our documents that we file with the SEC that are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
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Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form10-K and the other information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompany prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement before acquiring any of such securities.
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We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus supplement for general corporate purposes, which may include acquisitions of additional hotels, the repayment of outstanding indebtedness, including borrowings under our $150 million secured revolving credit facility, or Revolving Credit Facility, capital expenditures, the improvement of hotels in our portfolio, working capital and other general purposes. Pending the application of cash proceeds, we may use the net proceeds to temporarily reduce borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility, or we will invest the net proceeds in interest-bearing accounts and short-term, interest-bearing securities which are consistent with our intention to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes.
The Revolving Credit Facility has a maturity date of March 1, 2020 and has twoone-year extension options, subject to certain conditions. At June 30, 2017 we had approximately $54.8 million outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility with a weighted average interest rate of 3.72%.
Affiliates of the sales agents are lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility. As described above, we may use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to repay borrowings outstanding from time to time under the Revolving Credit Facility. As a result, such affiliates will receive their proportionate share of any amount under the Revolving Credit Facility that is repaid with net proceeds we receive from this offering.
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We have entered into an equity distribution agreement, dated as of September 20, 2017, with KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. and BMO Capital Markets Corp. under which we may from time to time offer and sell up to $50,000,000 in the aggregate of shares of our common stock, subject to decrease so that we comply with General Instruction I.B.6 of FormS-3. Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be made in negotiated transactions or other transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” offerings, including sales made directly on the NYSE American or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. Based on the last reported sale price of $10.32 of our common stock on September19, 2017, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held bynon-affiliates was $55,655,671 based on 11,630,357 shares of outstanding common stock, of which 5,199,193 shares were held bynon-affiliates. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we have not sold any of our securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of FormS-3 during the prior12-calendar-month period that ends on and includes the date of this prospectus supplement. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of FormS-3, in no event will this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus offer or will we sell securities in a public primary offering pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus with a value exceeding more thanone-third of our Public Float in any12-month period so long as our Public Float remains below $75,000,000.
Upon its acceptance of written instructions from us, each sales agent has agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell our common stock under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the equity distribution agreement. We will instruct each sales agent as to the amount of common stock to be sold by it. We may instruct the sales agents not to sell our common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any instruction. Common stock sold pursuant to the equity distribution agreement will be sold through only one of the sales agents on any given day. We or any of the sales agents may suspend the offering of our common stock upon proper notice and subject to other conditions.
Each sales agent has agreed to provide written confirmation to us promptly and in no event later than the opening of the trading day on the NYSE American on the day following the trading day in which shares of our common stock were sold under the equity distribution agreement. Each confirmation is required to include the number of shares sold on the preceding day, the net proceeds to us and the compensation payable by us to the sales agent in connection with the sales.
We will pay each sales agent a commission for its services in acting as sales agent and/or principal in the sale of our common stock. Additionally, the sales agents may receive customary brokerage commissions from purchasers of our common stock in compliance with FINRA Rule 2121. The sales agents’ aggregate compensation will equal 2.0% of the gross sales price of any common stock sold through the sales agents under the equity distribution agreement. We have agreed to reimburse the sales agents for certain of their expenses.
We may also sell common stock to a sales agent as principal for its own account at a price agreed upon at the time of sale. If we sell common stock to a sales agent as principal, we will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the terms of such transaction, and, to the extent required by applicable law, we will describe this agreement in a separate prospectus supplement or pricing supplement. We estimate that the total expenses for the offering, excluding compensation payable to the sales agents under the terms of the equity distribution agreement, will be approximately $100,000.
Settlement for sales of our common stock will occur on the second trading day following the date on which any sales are made, or on some other date that is agreed upon by us and the applicable sales agent in connection with a particular transaction, in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
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We will report at least quarterly the number of shares of our common stock sold through the sales agents under the equity distribution agreement, the net proceeds to us and the compensation paid by us to the sales agents in connection with such sales.
The offering of our common stock pursuant to the equity distribution agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (1) the sale of all common stock subject to the equity distribution agreement through the sales agents on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the equity distribution agreement and (2) termination of the equity distribution agreement. The equity distribution agreement may be terminated by us or the sales agents, each in its sole discretion, at any time by giving notice to the other party thereto.
In connection with the sale of common stock on our behalf, the sales agents may, and will with respect to sales effected in an “at the market offering,” be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of the sales agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to indemnify the sales agents against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments that the sales agents may be required to make because of those liabilities.
Certain of the sales agents and/or their affiliates have provided, and certain of the sales agents and/or their affiliates may in the future provide, various investment banking, commercial banking, fiduciary and advisory services to us from time to time for which they have received, and may in the future receive, customary fees and expenses.
KeyBank National Association, the administrative agent and a lender under the Revolving Credit Facility, is an affiliate of KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. BMO Harris Bank N.A., a lender under the Revolving Credit Facility, is an affiliate of BMO Capital Markets Corp. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for, among other things, the repayment of borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility. As such, affiliates of the sales agents may receive a portion of the net proceeds from this offering if net proceeds from this offering are used to repay debt under the Revolving Credit Facility.
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The validity of the common stock offered by means of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as well as certain federal income tax matters, have been and will be passed upon for us by McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the sales agents by Jones Day.
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The consolidated financial statements and related financial schedule of Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc. as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, included in our Current Report on Form8-K filed on September 7, 2017, have been incorporated by reference herein, in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The financial statements of CVH Southaven, LLC, EASTVHR HS Round Rock, LLC, VHRMR Tall, LLC, and CVH Lexington, LLC as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for the years then-ended, included in our Current Report on Form8-K filed on September 7, 2017 have been incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon the reports of Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C., independent certified public accountants, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The financial statements of MB Hospitality (EP), LP, MB Hospitality (AUSN), LP, and MB Hospitality (AUSAP), LP as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for the years then-ended, included in our Current Report on Form8-K/A filed on July 17, 2017 have been incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon the reports of Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C., independent certified public accountants, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on FormS-3 with the SEC in connection with this offering. In addition, we file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy the registration statement and any other documents filed by us at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Our reference to the SEC’s website is intended to be an inactive textual reference only and information on or accessible through the SEC’s website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement, other than documents filed with the SEC that we specifically incorporate by reference.
This prospectus supplement does not contain all of the information included in the accompanying prospectus and registration statement. If a reference is made in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to any of our contracts or other documents, the reference may not be complete and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of or incorporated by reference in the registration statement for a copy of the contract or document.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus supplement the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. Information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement. Later information filed with the SEC will update and supersede this information.
This prospectus supplement incorporates by reference the documents listed below, all of which have been previously filed with the SEC:
• | Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016; |
• | Quarterly Reports on Form10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017; and |
• | Current Reports on Form8-K filed January 26, 2017, March 3, 2017, March 7, 2017, March 16, 2017, March 30, 2017, April 3, 2017, April 19, 2017, May 1, 2017, May 12, 2017, May 18, 2017, May 26, 2017, June 21, 2017, June 30, 2017, July 10, 2017, July 19, 2017, August 25, 2017, September 5, 2017 and September 7, 2017; and |
• | Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 4, 2017. |
To the extent applicable, information in our Current Report on Form8-K filed on September 7, 2017 supersedes the information in our Annual Report on10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act from the date of this prospectus supplement until we have sold all of the securities to which this prospectus supplement relates or the offering is otherwise terminated; provided, however, we are not incorporating any information furnished under either Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form8-K.
You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing to or telephoning us at the following address:
Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc.
4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 220
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(402)371-2520
Attn: Corporate Secretary
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PROSPECTUS
CONDOR HOSPITALITY TRUST, INC.
$150,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Units
480,770 Shares of Common Stock Offered by Selling Stockholder
We may from time to time issue, in one or more series or classes, the securities described in this prospectus, in one or more offerings, up to a total dollar amount of $150,000,000. In addition, the selling stockholder may from time to time, offer and sell up to 480,770 shares of our common stock. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sales of common stock by the selling stockholder. See “Use of Proceeds.” The securities offered by us and the selling stockholder in this prospectus may be sold to or through underwriters, directly to investors or through agents, among other methods. See “Plan of Distribution” below for additional information on how we or the selling stockholder may conduct sales of securities described in this prospectus. We will specify the terms of the securities, and the names of any underwriters or agents and the methods by which we or the selling stockholder will sell the securities, in supplements to this prospectus.
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American exchange under the symbol “CDOR.” Based on the last reported sale price of $10.43 of our common stock on September 6, 2017, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates was $54,300,592 based on 11,630,357 shares of outstanding common stock, of which 5,206,193 shares were held by non-affiliates. We have not yet determined whether any of the other securities that may be offered by this prospectus will be listed on any exchange, inter-dealer quotation system or over-the-counter system. If we decide to seek a listing for any of those securities, that will be disclosed in a prospectus supplement. As of the date of this prospectus we have not sold any of our securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the prior 12 calendar month period that ends on and includes the date of this prospectus. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities in a public primary offering pursuant to this prospectus with a value exceeding more than one-third of our “Public Float” (the market value of our common stock held by our non-affiliates) in any 12-months period so long as our Public Float remains below $75,000,000.
You should read this entire prospectus, the documents that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement carefully before you invest in any of these securities.
Investing in our securities involves risks. Before making a decision to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risks described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including any risks described in any accompanying prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
The date of this prospectus is September 11, 2017.
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You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, or any free writing prospectus that we provide. No person has been authorized to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. Neither we nor the selling stockholder are making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information in this prospectus is current as of the date such information is presented. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
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We are providing information to you about this offering of our securities by us and the selling stockholder in this prospectus. You should not assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of the document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since then. Updated information may have been subsequently provided as explained under “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus.
It is important for you to read and consider all of the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, or any free writing prospectus that we provide in making your decision to invest in our securities. You should also read and consider the information in the documents we have referred you to in “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus.
Neither we nor the selling stockholder are making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
References to “we,” “our,” “us,” “our company” or “the Company” refer to Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation, including, as the context requires, its direct and indirect subsidiaries. References to “our operating partnership” refer to Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, a Virginia limited partnership, including, as the context requires, its direct and indirect subsidiaries. We currently own, indirectly, a 99.4% general partnership interest in Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements included in this prospectus and the documents incorporated into this prospectus by reference are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements include statements about our intention with respect to our business, our markets, our belief that we have the liquidity and capital resources necessary to meet our known obligations; and other statements preceded by, followed by or otherwise including words such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “project,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “may,” “will,” “designed,” “estimate,” “should,” “continue” or the negatives of these words and phrases and other similar expressions. These statements indicate that we have used assumptions that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially from those projected.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond our control. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking:
• | the use of the proceeds of any offering; |
• | the state of the U.S. economy generally or in specific geographic regions in which we operate, and the effect of general economic conditions on the lodging industry in particular; |
• | our ability to maintain relationships with hotel management companies and franchisors; |
• | the operating strategies and results of our hotel management companies; |
• | market conditions, including occupancy levels and rates; |
• | actions and initiatives of the U.S. government and changes to U.S. government policies and the execution and impart of these actions, initiatives and policies; |
• | our ability to identify and acquire properties that meet our investment criteria; |
• | ability to sell our retained portfolio of hotels held for sale and redeploy the capital; |
• | the level and volatility of prevailing market interest rates and general economic conditions; |
• | financing risks, such as our inability to refinance debt as it matures or to obtain debt or equity financing on favorable terms, or at all; |
• | our ability to maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for federal income tax purposes; |
• | compliance with applicable laws, including those concerning the environment and access by persons with disabilities; |
• | the availability and cost of insurance; and |
• | other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, in our Form 10-K and in other documents we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and which we incorporate by reference into this prospectus. |
In light of these uncertainties, the events anticipated by our forward-looking statements might not occur and we caution you not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, and those statements speak only as of the date made. The foregoing review of factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements should not be construed as exhaustive.
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We are a self-administered hotel investment company that specializes in the investment and ownership of premium-branded upper-midscale and upscale select-service hotels. We are organized and conduct our operations to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. We currently own 19 hotels in 11 states. Our hotels operate under several national franchise and independent brands.
We elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our short taxable year ended on December 31, 1994. In order to maintain our status as a REIT, we must comply with a number of requirements under federal income tax law that are discussed in “Material Federal Income Tax Considerations” beginning on page 22 of this prospectus. Additional information regarding our business can be found under the heading “Business” contained in Part I, Item 1 in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our principal executive office is located at 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 220, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 and our telephone number is (402) 371-2520. We maintain an Internet website located at www.condorhospitality.com. Our internet website and the information contained therein or connected thereto does not constitute a part of this prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, except for our documents that we file with the SEC that are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
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Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other information contained in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement before acquiring any of such securities.
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Unless otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus used to offer specific securities, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include acquisitions of additional hotels, the repayment of outstanding indebtedness, capital expenditures, the improvement of hotels in our portfolio, working capital and other general purposes. Pending application of cash proceeds, we may use the net proceeds to temporarily reduce borrowings under our revolving credit facilities or we will invest the net proceeds in interest-bearing accounts and short-term, interest-bearing securities which are consistent with our intention to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Further details regarding the use of the net proceeds of a specific series or class of the securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale by the selling stockholder of its shares of common stock covered by this prospectus.
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The financial statements of the Company for the periods ended on and prior to March 15, 2017 that are incorporated into this prospectus by reference have been previously filed by the Company without giving effect to the reverse stock split of its common stock at a ratio of 1-for-6.5 effected by the Company on March 15, 2017. The common stock began trading on a split-adjusted basis on March 16, 2017. As a result of the reverse stock split, we are presenting selected financial data for the Company, which reflects the 1-for-6.5 reverse stock split for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 and for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
The following tables should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Financial Statements incorporated into this prospectus from the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 7, 2017 and in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for these periods.
In thousands, except share and per share data | As of and for the six months ended June 30, | As of and for the years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Room rentals and other hotel services | $ | 24,613 | $ | 26,658 | $ | 50,647 | $ | 58,714 | $ | 58,799 | $ | 55,027 | $ | 56,990 | ||||||||||||||
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Operating expense | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hotel and property operations | 16,837 | 19,600 | 37,092 | 43,367 | 44,391 | 43,033 | 42,056 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 2,820 | 2,698 | 5,190 | 5,400 | 6,437 | 6,300 | 6,393 | |||||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative | 3,003 | 2,725 | 5,792 | 5,493 | 4,192 | 3,923 | 3,908 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Acquisitions and terminated transactions | 717 | 147 | 550 | 684 | — | 713 | 240 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Terminated equity transactions | 343 | — | — | 246 | 76 | 1,050 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Total operating expenses | 23,720 | 25,170 | 48,624 | 55,190 | 55,096 | 55,019 | 52,597 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Operating income | 893 | 1,488 | 2,023 | 3,524 | 3,703 | 8 | 4,393 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Net gain (loss) on disposition of assets | 4,849 | 12,223 | 23,132 | 4,798 | (1 | ) | (47 | ) | (9 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Equity in loss of joint venture | 136 | — | (244 | ) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized derivative gain (loss) | 402 | 6,279 | 6,377 | 11,578 | (14,430 | ) | 10,028 | (247 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Other income | (40 | ) | 2 | 55 | 114 | 116 | 34 | 103 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense | (2,063 | ) | (2,577 | ) | (4,710 | ) | (5,522 | ) | (7,116 | ) | (5,620 | ) | (5,283 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Loss on debt extinguishment | (800 | ) | (1,149 | ) | (2,187 | ) | (213 | ) | (158 | ) | (458 | ) | (138 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Impairment loss | (750 | ) | (914 | ) | (1,477 | ) | (3,829 | ) | (1,269 | ) | (2,438 | ) | (97 | ) | ||||||||||||||
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Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes | 2,627 | 15,352 | 22,969 | 10,450 | (19,155 | ) | 1,507 | (1,278 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Income tax (expense) benefit | (35 | ) | — | (125 | ) | — | — | — | 6,588 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Earnings (loss) from continuing operations | 2,592 | 15,352 | 22,844 | 10,450 | (19,155 | ) | 1,507 | (7,866 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax | — | 678 | 678 | 3,872 | 2,896 | (2,860 | ) | (2,354 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Net earnings (loss) | 2,592 | 16,030 | 23,522 | 14,322 | (16,259 | ) | (1,353 | ) | (10,220 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
(Earnings) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest | (17 | ) | (567 | ) | (727 | ) | (1,197 | ) | 23 | 2 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
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Net earnings (loss) attributable to controlling interests | 2,575 | 15,463 | 22,795 | 13,125 | (16,236 | ) | (1,351 | ) | (10,210 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Dividends declared and undeclared and in kind dividends deemed on preferred stock | (11,874 | ) | (18,797 | ) | (20,748 | ) | (3,632 | ) | (3,452 | ) | (3,349 | ) | (3,169 | ) | ||||||||||||||
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Net earnings (loss) attributable to common shareholders | $ | (9,299 | ) | $ | (3,334 | ) | $ | 2,047 | $ | 9,493 | $ | (19,688 | ) | $ | (4,700 | ) | $ | (13,379 | ) | |||||||||
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Weighted average number of common shares - basic | 7,263 | 760 | 761 | 752 | 600 | 445 | 444 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average number of common shares -diluted | 7,263 | 760 | 5,536 | 3,575 | 600 | 445 | 444 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Basic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic EPS from continuing operations | $ | (1.28 | ) | $ | (5.25 | ) | $ | 1.82 | $ | 8.06 | $ | (37.64 | ) | $ | (4.16 | ) | $ | (24.83 | ) | |||||||||
Basic EPS from discontinued operations | — | 0.86 | 0.85 | 4.55 | 4.81 | (6.44 | ) | (5.27 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Total EPS Basic | $ | (1.28 | ) | $ | (4.39 | ) | $ | 2.67 | $ | 12.61 | $ | (32.83 | ) | $ | (10.60 | ) | $ | (30.10 | ) | |||||||||
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Diluted | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Diluted EPS from continuing operations | $ | (1.28 | ) | $ | (5.25 | ) | $ | 0.78 | $ | (0.98 | ) | $ | (37.64 | ) | $ | (4.16 | ) | $ | (24.83 | ) | ||||||||
Diluted EPS from discontinued operations | — | 0.86 | 0.13 | 0.98 | 4.81 | (6.44 | ) | (5.27 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Total EPS Diluted | $ | (1.28 | ) | $ | (4.39 | ) | $ | 0.91 | $ | — | $ | (32.83 | ) | $ | (10.60 | ) | $ | (30.10 | ) | |||||||||
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Balance sheet data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total investment in hotel properties, net | $ | 191,537 | $ | 116,867 | $ | 114,871 | $ | 130,699 | $ | 139,182 | $ | 164,356 | $ | 191,091 | ||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 5,930 | $ | 18,999 | $ | 8,326 | $ | 4,870 | $ | 173 | $ | 45 | $ | 891 | ||||||||||||||
Total assets | $ | 214,461 | $ | 143,069 | $ | 140,665 | $ | 142,346 | $ | 144,820 | $ | 169,500 | $ | 199,223 | ||||||||||||||
Total debt, net of deferred financing costs, including convertible debt at fair value | $ | 91,647 | $ | 70,432 | $ | 64,035 | $ | 86,011 | $ | 91,063 | $ | 115,460 | $ | 130,197 | ||||||||||||||
Total equity | $ | 113,665 | $ | 65,437 | $ | 70,799 | $ | 34,495 | $ | 19,092 | $ | 32,726 | $ | 36,651 |
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The following summaries discuss the material terms of our capital stock and do not purport to be complete summaries and are qualified in their entirety by reference to Maryland laws and our articles of incorporation and bylaws, copies of which have previously been filed with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”
General
Our articles of incorporation provide that we may issue up to 240,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of 200,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, and 40,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share. Under Maryland law, our shareholders are not personally liable for our debts and obligations solely as a result of their status as shareholders. As of the date of this prospectus, there are approximately 11,630,357 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding and 925,000 shares of our Series E Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.
Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer
Our articles of incorporation establish certain restrictions on the original issuance and transfer of shares of our common and preferred stock. Subject to certain exceptions, our articles of incorporation provide that no person may own, or be deemed to own by virtue of the attribution provisions of the federal income tax laws and the federal securities laws, more than 9.9% of:
• | the number of outstanding shares of our common stock, or |
• | the number of outstanding shares of our preferred stock of any class or series of preferred stock. |
Our articles of incorporation provide that, subject to the exceptions described below, any transfer of common or preferred stock that would:
• | result in any person owning, directly or indirectly, shares of its common or preferred stock in excess of 9.9% of the outstanding shares of common stock or any class or series of preferred stock, |
• | result in our common and preferred stock being owned by fewer than 100 persons, determined without reference to any rules of attribution, |
• | result in our being “closely held” under the federal income tax laws, or |
• | cause us to own, actually or constructively, ten percent or more of the ownership interests in a tenant of our real property (other than our wholly-owned taxable REIT subsidiary, TRS Lessee, Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiaries), under the federal income tax laws, |
will be null and void and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in those shares of stock. In addition, the shares to be transferred will be designated as shares-in-trust and transferred automatically to a trust effective on the day before the purported transfer. The record holder of the shares that are designated as shares-in-trust, or the prohibited owner, will be required to submit the shares to us for registration in the name of the trust. We will designate the trustee, but the trustee may not be affiliated with us. The beneficiary of the trust will be one or more charitable organizations that we name.
Shares-in-trust will remain shares of issued and outstanding common stock or preferred stock and will be entitled to the same rights and privileges as all other stock of the same class or series. The trust will receive all dividends and distributions on the shares-in-trust and will hold the dividends or distributions in trust for the benefit of the beneficiary. The trust will vote all shares-in-trust. The trust will designate a permitted transferee of the shares-in-trust, provided that the permitted transferee purchases the shares-in-trust for valuable consideration and acquires the shares-in-trust without the acquisition resulting in a transfer to another trust.
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Our articles of incorporation require that the prohibited owner of shares-in-trust pay the trust the amount of any dividends or distributions received by the prohibited owner that are attributable to any shares-in-trust if the record date of the distribution was on or after the date that the shares of stock became shares-in-trust. The trust will pay the prohibited owner the lesser of:
• | the price per share that the prohibited owner paid for the shares of common stock or preferred stock that were designated as shares-in-trust, or, in the case of a gift or devise, the market price per share on the date of such transfer, or |
• | the price per share received by the trust from the sale of the shares-in-trust. |
The trust will distribute to the beneficiary any amounts received by the trust in excess of the amounts to be paid to the prohibited owner.
The shares-in-trust will be deemed to have been offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of:
• | the price per share in the transaction that created the shares-in-trust, or, in the case of a gift or devise, the market price per share on the date of the transfer, or |
• | the market price per share on the date that we, or our designee, accepts the offer. |
“Market price” on any date means the average of the closing prices for the five consecutive trading days ending on that date. The closing price on any date generally means the last quoted price as reported by the primary securities exchange or market on which our stock is then listed or quoted for trading, or if our stock is not so listed or quoted, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the shares of equity stock selected by the board of directors. “Trading day” means a day on which the principal national securities exchange on which shares of our common or preferred stock are listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if our common or preferred stock is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
If a shareholder owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more, or any lower percentage required by federal income tax laws, of our outstanding shares of stock, then he or she must, within 30 days after January 1 of each year, provide us with a written statement or affidavit stating his or her name and address, the number of shares of common and preferred stock owned directly or indirectly and a description of how those shares are held. In addition, each direct or indirect shareholder must provide us with any additional information as we may request to determine any effect on our status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limit.
The ownership limit in our articles of incorporation will continue to apply until:
• | our board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT, and |
• | there is an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the number of shares of outstanding common and preferred stock entitled to vote at a regular or special meeting of shareholders. |
Transfer Agent
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock and 6.25% Series E Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.
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Voting Rights
Each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, including the election of directors and, except as otherwise required by law or except as provided with respect to any other class or series of shares of capital stock, holders of our common stock possess the exclusive voting power. Except as otherwise required by law or with respect to any outstanding shares of any series of our preferred stock, holders of our common stock vote as a single class. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors. Consequently, at each annual meeting of shareholders, the holders of a majority of the combined voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock have the ability to elect all of the members of our board of directors.
Dividend Rights
Subject to the Maryland General Corporation Law and the preferential rights of any other series of shares of our preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends and other distributions if and when authorized and declared by the board of directors out of assets legally available therefor and to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to shareholders in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding-up after payment of, or adequate provision for, all of our known debts and liabilities.
Other Rights
Pursuant to agreements with Real Estate Strategies L.P., or RES, an affiliate of IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones Sociedad Anónima, or IRSA, and with SREP III Flight-Investco, L.P., or SREP, an affiliate of StepStone Group Real Estate LP, or StepStone., we granted each of RES and StepStone the right to purchase our equity shares or securities convertible into our equity shares in our public and non-public offerings of our equity securities or securities convertible into our equity securities for cash proportional to their combined fully diluted beneficial ownership of our common stock (including common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series E Preferred Stock, if then convertible, and exercise of the warrants) at the same price and on the same terms as offered to others in the offering. The purchase right terminates on January 31, 2019, or later on January 31, 2021 for RES or StepStone if they beneficially own at least 1,538,461 shares of common stock at the time of the offering. The purchase right does not apply to issuances of equity securities (a) as employee equity awards or (b) for consideration in acquisition transactions.
Except for the contractual preemptive rights held by RES and StepStone shares of our common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. All of the outstanding shares of our common stock are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares. The shares of common stock issuable pursuant to this prospectus will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares.
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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK
Our articles of incorporation permit our board of directors to authorize the issuance of shares of our preferred stock from time to time, in one or more series. Our board of directors may grant the holders of any series of our preferred stock preferences, powers and rights, voting or otherwise, senior to the rights of common shareholders. Our board of directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transactions that holders of some, or a majority, of the shares of our common stock might believe to be in their best interests or in which holders of some, or a majority, of the shares of our common stock might receive a premium for their shares of common stock over the then current market price of shares of common stock. We have only one series of preferred stock outstanding at the date of this prospectus, the 6.25% Series E Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, or Series E Preferred Stock.
Series E Preferred Stock
Dividends. A holder receives preferential cumulative cash dividends at the rate of 6.25% per annum of the $10.00 liquidation value per share (equivalent to a fixed annual amount of $0.625 per year) as an annual cumulative dividend, payable quarterly for each share of Series E Preferred Stock, when authorized by the Board or a duly authorized committee thereof. Dividends are cumulative and accrue, whether or not declared. Accrued but unpaid dividends on the Series E Preferred Stock will accumulate and will earn additional dividends at 9.5% per annum, compounded quarterly.
Rank. With respect to dividend rights and rights upon the Company’s liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the Series E Preferred Stock will rank (a) prior or senior to the common stock, (b) prior or senior to all classes or series of preferred stock issued by the Company (the “Preferred Stock”), the terms of which specifically provide that such shares rank junior to the Series E Preferred Stock with respect to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company (together with the common stock, collectively, “Junior Shares”), (c) on a parity with respect to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company with all classes or series of shares of preferred stock issued by the Company, the terms of which specifically provide that such shares rank on a parity with the Series E Preferred Stock (collectively, “Parity Shares”) and (d) junior to all existing and future indebtedness of the Company.
Liquidation Preference. Upon the Company’s liquidation, dissolution or winding up, before any distribution is made to the holders of common stock or any other capital stock that ranks junior, the holders of the Series E Preferred Stock are entitled to a liquidation preference of $10.00 per share (the “Liquidation Preference”), plus an amount equal to any accrued and unpaid dividends to the date of payment.
Redemption. the Company upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 calendar days’ prior written notice, may at its option at any time or from time to time thereafter, select a redemption date or dates to redeem up to a total of 490,250 shares of Series E Preferred Stock, in all cases for cash at a redemption price equal to the “Redemption Amount”, described below, per share, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends to the date of redemption provided that (x) redemptions are made pro rata (as nearly as practicable without creating factional shares) to all holders of Series E Preferred Stock, and (y) the Company may not borrow funds, or delay making any capital expenditures or paying any operating expenses, for the purpose of making any such partial redemptions.
The “Redemption Amount” with respect to a share of Series E Preferred Stock means:
• | 110% of the Liquidation Preference for redemption on or before March 16, 2019; |
• | 120% of the Liquidation Preference for redemption from March 16, 2019 and prior to March 16, 2020; and |
• | 130% of the Liquidation Preference for redemption on or after March 16, 2020. |
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Conversion. The Series E Preferred Stock is convertible, at the option of the holder, at any time on or after February 28, 2019, into common stock, or the Conversion Price, of $13.845 for each share of common stock, which is equal to the rate of 0.72228 share of common stock for each share of Series E Preferred Stock.
Conversion Price. The initial conversion price is $13.845, but the conversion price will be subject to anti-dilution adjustments upon the occurrence of stock splits and stock dividends.
Automatic Conversion. In the event of a “Qualified Pricing Event,” described below, a number of shares of Series E Preferred Stock (including any fraction of a share) as is determined by:
• | multiplying the daily weighted market sales price average by the daily average volume of the common stock during the “Qualified Pricing Event Period,” described below, and then |
• | multiplying the result by 15, and then |
• | dividing that result by the Liquidation Preference (the “Qualified Number of Shares”) |
shall automatically convert into an aggregate number of shares of common stock (including any fraction of a share) as is determined by:
• | multiplying the Qualified Number of Shares (including any fraction of a share) by the Liquidation Preference, and then |
• | dividing the result by the Conversion Price then in effect. |
No automatic conversion of Series E Preferred Stock will occur during a period of 90 calendar days following an automatic conversion of Series E Preferred Stock (an “Automatic Conversion Limitation Period”) but may occur on the 91st day and any day thereafter, unless prohibited by another Automatic Conversion Limitation Period.
A “Qualified Pricing Event” means the common stock trades for 60 consecutive trading days (or such longer trading period to have at least 5 trading days on which trades occurred) at a weighted market sales price average equal to or greater than 120% of the Conversion Price as reported by any national securities exchange on which the common stock is then listed for trading, or if none, the as reported “over the counter” trade price for such time period (a “Qualified Pricing Event Period”).
Put Rights. The holders have put rights (“Put Rights”) commencing March 16, 2021 to put the Series E Preferred Stock to the Company at 130% of its liquidation preference, which the Company can satisfy with cash or common stock. If the Company uses common stock to satisfy the Put Rights, the value per share of the common stock used to satisfy the Put Rights shall be the greater of (a) the weighted market sale price average per shares of the common stock for the 30 trading days (or such longer trading period as required to have at least 5 trading days on which trades occurred) preceding the put right notice from or a holder of Series E Preferred Stock, or (b) $4.875 per share of common stock. If shareholder approval is not obtained, the Put Rights may not be exercised by a holder of Series E Preferred Stock.
Articles Amendment. Our articles of incorporation have been amended to eliminate the requirement that our board of directors receive certain shareholder representations and undertakings in connection with granting exemptions from the prohibition in our articles of incorporation for a person owning more than 9.9% of the common stock or 9.9% of any class or series of preferred stock of the Company for conversions of Series E Preferred Stock as long as the board is able to obtain the opinion of counsel required in our articles of incorporation as a condition to the board granting such an exemption.
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Voting Rights as a Class. So long as any shares of Series E Preferred Stock remain outstanding, the Company will not, without the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of not less than 75% of the Series E Preferred Stock, voting separately as a class:
• | amend, alter, repeal or make other changes to any provision of the terms of the Series E Preferred Stock of any provision elsewhere in our articles of incorporation of the Company so as to adversely affect any right, preference, privilege or voting power of the Series E Preferred Stock or the holders thereof, including without limitation any amendment, alteration, repeal or other change effected in connection with a merger, consolidation or similar transaction (any such transaction, which for the avoidance of doubt does not include any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, an “Event”); |
• | authorize, create or issue, or increase the authorized or issued amount of, any class or series of capital stock or rights to subscribe to or acquire any class or series of capital stock or any class or series of capital stock convertible into any class or series of capital stock, in each case ranking on a parity with, or senior to, the Series E Preferred Stock with respect to payment of dividends or the distribution of assets upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or otherwise, or reclassify any shares of capital stock into any such shares; or |
• | agree or commit to any of the foregoing. |
Pursuant to the terms of the Series E Preferred Stock, so long as 434,750 shares of Series E Preferred Stock (47% of the originally issued shares of Series E Preferred Stock) remain outstanding, the Company will not, without the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of not less than 75% of the Series E Preferred Stock then outstanding;
• | merge, consolidate, liquidate, dissolve or wind up the Company or sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; |
• | engage in any transaction in which the Company is to be a participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000, other than employment compensation, and in which any of the Company’s directors or executive officers or any member of their immediate families will have a material interest, exclusive of interests arising solely from the ownership of a class of equity securities of the Company provided that all holders of such class of equity securities receive the same benefit on a pro rata basis; |
• | except for dividends or distributions of cash from the Company’s funds from operations and except as required to preserve the Company’s qualification as a real estate investment trust under the Code, declare or pay any dividends or other distributions on shares of common stock or any other Junior Shares; |
• | grant an exemption from the 9.9% ownership limit set forth in our articles of incorporation or otherwise, provided that the board of directors may grant additional exemptions pursuant to our articles of incorporation to prior recipients of such exemptions, and their affiliates, if such recipients were shareholders as of February 28, 2017; |
• | issue any preferred stock of the Company; or |
• | agree or commit to do any of the foregoing. |
With respect solely to the exercise of the above described voting rights as a class, each share of Series E Preferred Stock has one vote per share.
The foregoing voting provisions will not apply if, at or prior to the time when the act with respect to which such vote would otherwise be required shall be effected, all outstanding Series E Preferred Stock shall have been redeemed or called for redemption upon proper notice and sufficient funds shall have been deposited in trust to effect such redemption.
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This section describes the general terms and provisions of our securities warrants. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of the securities warrants offered through that prospectus supplement as well as any general terms described in this section that will not apply to those securities warrants.
We may issue securities warrants for the purchase of our common or preferred stock. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and they may be attached to or separate from the other securities. Each series of securities warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement that we will enter into with a bank or trust company, as warrant agent, as detailed in the applicable prospectus supplement. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the securities warrants and will not assume any obligation, or agency or trust relationship, with you.
The prospectus supplement relating to a particular issue of securities warrants will describe the terms of those securities warrants, including, where applicable:
• | the aggregate number of the securities covered by the warrant; |
• | the designation, amount and terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrant; |
• | the exercise price for shares of our common stock and the number of shares of common stock to be received upon exercise; |
• | the exercise price for shares of our preferred stock, the number of shares of preferred stock to be received upon exercise, and a description of that series of our preferred stock; |
• | the expiration date for exercising the warrant; |
• | the minimum or maximum amount of warrants that may be exercised at any time; |
• | a discussion of U.S. federal income tax consequences; and |
• | any other material terms of the securities warrants. |
After the warrants expire they will become void. The prospectus supplement will describe how to exercise securities warrants. A holder must exercise warrants for our common stock or preferred stock through payment in U.S. dollars. All securities warrants will be issued in registered form. The prospectus supplement may provide for the adjustment of the exercise price of the securities warrants.
Until a holder exercises warrants to purchase our common stock or preferred stock, that holder will not have any rights as a holder of our common stock, or preferred stock by virtue of ownership of warrants.
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We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. A unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.
The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:
• | the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately; |
• | any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and |
• | any additional terms of the governing unit agreement. |
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any units. The preceding description and any description of units in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the unit agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such units.
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DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN MATERIAL PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW, OUR
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND OUR BYLAWS
General
The Maryland General Corporation Law contains provisions that may have the effect of impeding the acquisition of control of a Maryland corporation by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest, open market purchases or otherwise in a transaction not approved by the corporation’s board of directors. These provisions are designed to reduce, or have the effect of reducing, the corporation’s vulnerability to coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids.
Affiliated Transactions Statute
The Maryland Business Combination Act prohibits a business combination between a Maryland corporation and any interested shareholder or any affiliate of an interested shareholder for five years following the most recent date upon which the shareholder became an interested shareholder. A business combination includes a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. Generally, an interested shareholder is anyone who owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s shares or an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting stock of the corporation. A person is not an interested shareholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which he otherwise would have become an interested shareholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board. After the five-year period has elapsed, a corporation subject to the statute may not consummate a business combination with an interested shareholder unless (a) the transaction has been recommended by the board of directors and (b) the transaction has been approved by (i) 80% of the outstanding votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation and (ii) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock other than shares owned by the interested shareholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder. This approval requirement need not be met if certain fair price and terms criteria have been satisfied.
Control Share Acquisitions Statute
The Maryland General Corporation Law provides that “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares of stock as to which the acquiring person, officers of the corporation, and employees of the corporation who are directors of the corporation are entitled to exercise or direct the exercise of the voting power of the shares in the election of directors. “Control shares” are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other shares of stock previously acquired by a person, would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power: (a) one-tenth or more but less than one-third; (b) one-third or more but less than a majority; or (c) a majority or more of all voting power. Control shares do not include shares that the acquiring person is entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained shareholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition, directly or indirectly, of control shares, subject to certain exceptions.
A person who has made or proposes to make a “control share acquisition,” upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses), may compel the board of directors to call a special meeting of shareholders to be held within fifty (50) days of such demand to consider the voting rights of the shares.
If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquirer does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the corporation may
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redeem any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have previously been approved, for fair value determined, without regard to voting rights, as of the date of the last control share acquisition or of any special meeting of shareholders at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a shareholders’ meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other shareholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of such appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid in the control share acquisition. The “control share acquisition” statute does not apply to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation, or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or the bylaws of the corporation.
The charter or bylaws of a Maryland corporation may include a provision opting out of the control share acquisition statute of the Maryland General Corporation Law; however, neither our articles of incorporation nor our bylaws contain such an opt out provision. Accordingly, the control share acquisition statute of the Maryland General Corporation Law will apply to any acquisition by any person of our stock.
Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
Board of Directors
Our board of directors currently consists of nine directors. Our articles of incorporation provide that our board of directors will consist of no less than three nor more than eleven members. Our bylaws provide that a majority of our board will be independent directors and that the number of directors may be established by our board of directors from time to time within the range set by our articles of incorporation.
Our directors are elected annually to serve one-year terms and until their successors are elected and qualify. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors. Consequently, at each annual meeting of shareholders, the holders of a majority of the voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock have the ability to elect all of the members of our board of directors. RES and StepStone, our two largest shareholders, hold significant voting power and have the right to designate directors.
Our bylaws provide that, except for vacancies resulting from the removal of a director by shareholders, a vacancy will be filled by a majority of the remaining directors in office, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum except that a vacancy resulting from an increase in the number of directors must be filled by a majority of the entire board of directors. Any director appointed to fill a vacancy holds office until the next annual meeting and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. However, our bylaws further provide that a majority of independent directors must nominate replacements for vacancies among the independent directors and that a majority of independent directors must elect those replacements.
Our bylaws provide that our shareholders may, at any time, remove any director, with or without cause, by affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast in the election of directors, and may elect a successor to fill any resulting vacancy.
Meetings of Shareholders
Under our bylaws, annual meetings of shareholders are held each year at a date and time as determined by our chief executive officer or our board of directors. Special meetings of shareholders may be called by our chief executive officer, a majority of our directors, or a majority of our independent directors. Special meetings of shareholders may also be called upon the written request of the holders of not less than ten percent of the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting. Unless requested by shareholders entitled to cast a majority of votes entitled to be cast at such meeting, a special meeting need not be called to consider any matter which is substantially the same as a matter voted on at any annual or special meeting of shareholders held during the preceding twelve months.
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Advance Notice Provisions for Shareholder Nominations and Shareholder Proposals
Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of shareholders, nominations of individuals for election to our board of directors and the proposal of business to be considered by shareholders may be made only (a) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (b) by our board of directors or (c) by a shareholder who has complied with the advance notice procedures of our bylaws.
REIT Status
Our articles of incorporation provide that it is the duty of our board of directors to ensure that our company satisfies the requirements for maintaining our qualification as a REIT under the Code. The board of directors may take no action to disqualify our company as a REIT or otherwise revoke our REIT election without the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the number of votes entitled to be cast on such matter at a special meeting of shareholders. Our articles of incorporation permit the board of directors, in its sole discretion, to exempt a person from the ownership limit in the articles of incorporation if the person provides representations and undertakings that enable the board to determine that granting the exemption would not result in us losing our qualification as a REIT. Under the Code, REIT shares owned by certain entities are considered owned proportionately by owners of the entities for REIT qualification purposes. RES and StepStone provided representations and undertakings necessary for our board of directors to grant such exemptions.
Amendment of Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
Our articles of incorporation may be amended by the affirmative vote of the shareholders holding a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on such matter, subject to provisions of Maryland law that would require a different vote. Our bylaws may, subject to the provisions of Maryland law, be amended by (a) the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors, except that the board of directors cannot alter or repeal any bylaws made by the shareholders, or (b) the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on such matter.
Our articles of incorporation specifically provide that the affirmative vote of holders of at least 75% of the Series E Preferred Stock then outstanding is required to effect any amendment to our articles of incorporation that adversely affects any of their respective rights, preferences, privileges, or voting powers or creates a class or series of capital stock on a parity with, or senior to, them (each an “Event”). As provided in our articles of incorporation, so long as the Series E Preferred Stock (or any equivalent class or series of stock or shares issued by the surviving corporation, trust or other entity in any merger or consolidation to which we became a party) remains outstanding with the terms thereof unchanged, the occurrence of any such Event is not deemed to adversely affect such rights, preferences, privileges or voting power of holders of the Series E Preferred Stock.
A Maryland corporation may also provide in its charter that the board of directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire board, and without action by the shareholders, may approve amendments to the charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock that the corporation is authorized to issue or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that the corporation is authorized to issue. Our articles of incorporation provide our board of directors with such power.
Preferred Stock
Our articles of incorporation authorize our board of directors to establish one or more series of preferred stock and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred stock, the preferences, rights and other terms of such series. See “Description of Capital Stock—Description of Preferred Stock.” Under this authority, our board of directors could create and issue a series of preferred stock with rights, preferences or restrictions that have the effect of discriminating against an existing or prospective holder of our capital stock as a result of such holder beneficially owning or commencing a tender offer for a substantial amount of our common stock. One of the effects of authorized but unissued and unreserved shares of preferred stock may be to render more difficult for, or
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discourage an attempt by, a potential acquiror to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management. The issuance of shares of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company without any action by our shareholders.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification
To the maximum extent that Maryland law in effect from time to time permits limitation of the liability of directors and officers of a corporation, no present or former director or officer of our company or its predecessor shall be liable to us or our shareholders for money damages. To the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, we will indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, shall pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to (a) any individual who is a present or former director or officer of our company or its predecessor and who is made or threatened to be made a party to, or witness in, the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity or (b) any individual who, while a director or officer of our company or its predecessor and at the request of our company or its predecessor, serves or has served as a director, officer, trustee, member, manager or partner of another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to, or witness in, the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. The rights to indemnification and advance of expenses provided by the our articles of Incorporation and bylaws vest immediately upon election of a director or officer. We may indemnify any other persons permitted but not required to be indemnified by Maryland law, as applicable from time to time, if and to the extent indemnification is authorized and determined to be appropriate, in each case in accordance with applicable law, by our board of directors. The indemnification and payment or reimbursement of expenses provided in our articles of incorporation shall not be deemed exclusive of or limit in any way other rights to which any person seeking indemnification or payment or reimbursement of expenses may be or may become entitled under any bylaw, resolution, insurance, agreement or otherwise.
No amendment of our articles of incorporation or repeal of any of its provisions shall limit or eliminate any of the benefits provided to directors and officers under our articles in respect of any act or omission that occurred prior to such amendment or repeal.
We have also entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers substantially setting forth the indemnification rights described above.
We have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC indemnification for liabilities under the Securities Act is against public policy and is unenforceable.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT OF CONDOR HOSPITALITY
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
The following summarizes the material terms of the agreement of limited partnership of our operating partnership, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated March 2, 2015. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Management
Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership was organized in 1994 as a Virginia limited partnership. On September 15, 2016, we changed the name of our operating partnership from Supertel Limited Partnership to Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. Pursuant to the terms of the partnership agreement, Condor Hospitality REIT Trust (formerly Supertel Hospitality REIT Trust), as the sole general partner of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, has full, exclusive and complete responsibility and discretion in the management and control of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. Condor Hospitality REIT Trust is our wholly-owned subsidiary. The limited partners of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership have no authority in their capacity as limited partners to transact business for, or participate in the management activities or decisions of, Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. Condor Hospitality REIT Trust, without the consent of the limited partners, may amend the partnership agreement in any respect to the benefit of and not adverse to the interests of the limited partners. Any other amendments to the partnership agreement require the consent of limited partners holding more than 50% of the percentage interests of the limited partners.
Transferability of Interests
Condor Hospitality REIT Trust may not voluntarily withdraw from Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, and we may not transfer or assign our interest in Condor Hospitality REIT Trust. In addition, Condor Hospitality REIT Trust may not transfer or assign its interest in Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership unless:
• | the transaction in which the withdrawal or transfer occurs results in the limited partners receiving property in an amount equal to the amount they would have received had they exercised their redemption rights immediately prior to such transaction (see “Redemption Rights” below); or |
• | the successor to us contributes substantially all of its assets to Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership in return for an interest in Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. |
With certain limited exceptions, the limited partners may not transfer their interests in Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Condor Hospitality REIT Trust, which may withhold its consent in its sole discretion. Condor Hospitality REIT Trust may not consent to any transfer that would cause Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership to be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” or an association taxable as a corporation (other than a “qualified REIT subsidiary,” as defined herein) for federal income tax purposes or would otherwise violate any applicable federal or state securities laws.
Capital Contribution
The partnership agreement provides that if Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership requires additional funds at any time in excess of funds available to it from borrowing or capital contributions, we may borrow such funds and lend the funds to Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership on the same terms and conditions. The partnership agreement generally obligates us to contribute the proceeds of an equity offering, including the proceeds from offerings from this prospectus, as additional capital to Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. Moreover, we are authorized to cause Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership to issue limited partnership interests for less than fair market value if we conclude in good faith that such issuance is in our best interest and in the best interests of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership.
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If we contribute additional capital to Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, we will receive additional common units or preferred units, and our percentage interest in Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership will be increased on a proportionate basis based on the amount of the additional capital contribution and the value of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership at the time of the contribution. Conversely, the percentage interests of the other limited partners will be decreased on a proportionate basis in the event of additional capital contributions by us.
The additional common units or preferred units issued to us will have designations, preferences and other rights, all such that the economic interests are substantially similar to the shares issued in an equity offering.
In addition, if we contribute additional capital to Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, we will revalue the partnership’s property to its fair market value, as determined by us, and the capital accounts of the partners will be adjusted to reflect the manner in which the unrealized gain or loss inherent in the property would be allocated among the partners under the terms of the partnership agreement, if there were a taxable disposition of the property for fair market value on the date of the revaluation.
Redemption Rights
Each limited partner of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership holding common units and each limited partner holding preferred units of limited partnership interests, if those preferred units so provide, may, subject to certain limitations, require that Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership redeem all or a portion of his or her common or preferred units, at any time after a specified period following the date he or she acquired the units, by delivering a redemption notice to Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. As of the date of this prospectus, 3,821,439 common units of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership are held by the limited partners. When a limited partner tenders his or her common units to the partnership for redemption, we can, in our sole discretion, choose to purchase the units for either (a) a number of shares of our common stock at a rate of one share of our common stock for each 52 units redeemed (subject to certain adjustments) or (b) cash in an amount equal to the market value of the number of shares of our common stock the limited partner would have received if we chose to purchase the units for our common stock. We anticipate that we generally will elect to purchase the common units for our common stock.
The redemption price will be paid in cash if the issuance of shares of our common stock to the redeeming limited partner would:
• | result in any person owning, directly or indirectly, shares of our common or preferred stock in excess of 9.9% of the outstanding shares of our common stock or preferred stock of any series; |
• | result in shares of our capital stock being owned by fewer than 100 persons, determined without reference to any rules of attribution; |
• | result in our being “closely held” within the meaning of the federal income tax laws; |
• | cause us to own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of the ownership interests in a tenant, other than TRS Lessee, of our or Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership’s real property, within the meaning of the federal income tax laws; or |
• | cause the acquisition of shares of our common stock by the redeeming limited partner to be “integrated” with any other distribution of shares of our common stock for purposes of complying with the Securities Act. |
A limited partner may not exercise the redemption right for less than 1,000 common units or, if a limited partner holds less than 1,000 common units, less than all of the common units held by the limited partner. The number of shares of our common stock issuable on exercise of the redemption rights will be adjusted on the occurrence of share splits, mergers, consolidations or similar pro rata share transactions.
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LTIP Units
The partnership agreement allows for the issuance of profits interests in Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership in the form of long-term incentive plan units (“LTIP Units”), a class of limited partnership interests in Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. As of the date of this prospectus, no LTIP Units are outstanding.
Operations
The partnership agreement requires that Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership be operated in a manner that will enable us to satisfy the requirements for being classified as a REIT, to use reasonable efforts to avoid any federal income or excise tax liability imposed by the federal income tax laws, other than tax on any retained capital gain, and to ensure that Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership will not be classified as a “publicly traded partnership” for purposes of the federal income tax laws.
In addition to the administrative and operating costs incurred by Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, the partnership pays all of our administrative costs, and these costs are treated as expenses of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. Our expenses generally include:
• | all expenses relating to our formation and continuing existence; |
• | all expenses relating to the registration of securities by us; |
• | all expenses associated with the preparation and filing of any periodic reports by us under federal, state or local laws or regulations; |
• | all expenses associated with compliance by us with laws, rules and regulations promulgated by any regulatory body; and |
• | all other operating or administrative costs we incur in the ordinary course of our business on behalf of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership. |
Distributions
The partnership agreement provides that Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership will distribute cash from operations on at least a quarterly basis. Cash from operations includes net sale or refinancing proceeds, but excludes net proceeds from the sale of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership’s property in connection with a liquidation. We will determine the amount of distributions in our sole discretion. On liquidation of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, after payment of, or adequate provision for, debts and obligations of the partnership, including any partner loans, any remaining assets of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership will be distributed to all partners with positive capital accounts in accordance with their respective positive capital account balances. If we have a negative balance in our capital account following a liquidation of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership, we will contribute cash to the partnership, equal to the negative balance in our capital account.
Allocations
Income, gain and loss of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership for each fiscal year generally are allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective partnership interests, subject to compliance with the provisions of the federal income tax laws.
Term
Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership will continue until December 31, 2050, or until sooner dissolved on:
• | the bankruptcy, dissolution or withdrawal of Condor Hospitality REIT Trust, unless the limited partners elect to continue Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership; |
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• | the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all the assets of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership; |
• | the redemption of all common and preferred units, other than those held by Condor Hospitality REIT Trust, if any; or |
• | the election of Condor Hospitality REIT Trust and approval of the holders of 75% of the percentage interests of the limited partners, excluding Condor Hospitality REIT Trust. |
Tax Matters Partner
We are the tax matters partner of Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership and have authority to handle tax audits and to make tax elections under the federal income tax laws on behalf of the partnership.
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This prospectus also relates to the possible resale by SREP III Flight-Investco, L.P., which we refer to in this prospectus as the “selling stockholder,” of up to 480,770 shares of our common stock that were issued and outstanding prior to the original date of filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The selling stockholder acquired the shares on February 28, 2017 upon the conversion of preferred stock of the Company, previously acquired by the selling stockholder on March 16, 2016 in connection with a capital investment in the Company.
On March 16, 2016, the Company and the selling stockholder entered into an agreement, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “Stock Purchase Agreement”, pursuant to which the Company issued and sold 3,000,000 shares of Series D Preferred Stock to the selling stockholder on the same date for an aggregate purchase price of $30,000,000. On February 28, 2017, the Company entered into an agreement with the selling stockholder, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “SREP Agreement”, for the voluntary conversion of all of the shares of Series D Preferred Stock held by it into common stock, pursuant to the terms of the Series D Preferred Stock, and the issuance of Series E Preferred Stock to the selling stockholder. Pursuant to the SREP Agreement, on February 28, 2017, the selling stockholder voluntarily converted its 3,000,000 shares of Series D Preferred Stock into 2,884,615 shares of common stock.
On March 16, 2016, the Company and the selling stockholder also entered into an agreement, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “Investor Rights Agreement”, pursuant to which the Company appointed three director nominees selected by the selling stockholder to our board of directors, Messrs. Jeff Giller, Brendan MacDonald and Mark Linehan. Messrs Giller, MacDonald and Linehan are members of the board of directors of the Company as of the date of filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The selling stockholder may nominate the following number of directors if it beneficially owns the indicated percentage of voting power of the Company: (a) three directors if it owns 22% or more of the outstanding voting power, (b) two directors if it owns 14% or more but less than 22% of the outstanding voting power, and (c) one director if it owns 7% or more but less than 14% of the outstanding voting power.
The Investor Rights Agreement also requires the Company, upon request of the selling stockholder, to register the resale of the common stock issued to the selling stockholder or specified affiliates upon conversion of the Series D Preferred Stock.
Pursuant to the SREP Agreement, the selling stockholder received 437,262 shares of Series E Preferred Stock upon the conversion of its Series D Preferred Stock. The SREP Agreement also extended and amended existing registration rights held by the selling stockholder to common stock issued on conversion of the Series D Preferred Stock, and issuable on conversion of the Series E Preferred Stock. See “Description of Preferred Stock—Series E Preferred Stock” for a further description of Series E Preferred Stock.
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The table below details the number of shares of common stock held by the selling stockholder and the number of shares that may be offered by the selling stockholder for resale under this prospectus. The information regarding shares beneficially owned after this offering assumes the sale of all shares offered for resale by the selling stockholder under this prospectus and that all such sales will be made to parties unaffiliated with the selling stockholder. The selling stockholder may sell all, some or none of its securities covered by this prospectus in future offerings under this prospectus. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. The selling stockholder’s percentage of ownership in the following table is based upon 11,630,357 shares of common stock outstanding as of August 25, 2017.
Name and Address of Selling Stockholder | Shares of common stock beneficially owned prior to this offering(1) | Maximum number of shares that may be offered by the Selling Stockholder pursuant to this prospectus | Shares of common stock beneficially owned after the offering(1) | |||||||||||||||||
Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
SREP III Flight - Investco, L.P. 150 California St., Suite 850 San Francisco, CA | 2,885,692 | 24.8 | % | 480,770 | 2,404,922 | 20.7 | % |
(1) | Includes 955 shares of common stock issued to Brendan MacDonald and 122 shares of common stock issued to Jeff Giller as director fees for board and committee service, as applicable, for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Giller are members of StepStone Group Real Estate Holdings LLC, general manager of StepStone Group Real Estate LP, the sole member and investment manager of StepStone Rep III (GP), LLC, the general partner of the selling stockholder. The terms of their employment with StepStone Group Real Estate Holdings LLC provide that all director fees received by each of them are for the sole benefit of the selling stockholder. Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Giller, as representatives of the selling stockholder, are directors of the Company as of the date of filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and may be deemed participants in the control, voting, disposition or purchase of these shares and may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of these shares. StepStone Group Real Estate Holdings LLC is the general partner of StepStone Group Real Estate LP, the sole member and investment manager of StepStone REP III (GP), LLC, the general partner of the selling stockholder. Each of the foregoing persons or entities other than the selling stockholder disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares except to the extent of a pecuniary interest therein. |
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MATERIAL FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion is a summary of material federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to a prospective holder of our common or preferred stock. McGrath North Mullin & Kratz PC LLO has acted as our counsel, has reviewed this summary, and is of the opinion that the discussion contained herein is accurate in all material respects. The discussion does not address all aspects of taxation that may be relevant to particular shareholders in light of their personal investment or tax circumstances, or to certain types of shareholders that are subject to special treatment under the federal income tax laws, such as insurance companies, financial institutions, broker-dealers, tax-exempt organizations (except to the limited extent discussed in “—Taxation of Tax-Exempt Shareholders”), or foreign corporations and persons who are not citizens or residents of the United States (except to the limited extent discussed in “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders”).
The statements of law in this discussion are based on current provisions of the Code, existing temporary and final Treasury regulations thereunder, and current administrative rulings and court decisions. No assurance can be given that future legislative, judicial, or administrative actions or decisions, which may be retroactive in effect, will not affect the accuracy of any statements in this registration statement with respect to the transactions entered into or contemplated prior to the effective date of such changes.
We urge you to consult your tax advisor regarding the specific tax consequences to you of ownership of our common or preferred stock and of our election to be taxed as a REIT. Specifically, we urge you to consult your tax advisor regarding the federal, state, local, foreign and other tax consequences of such ownership and election and regarding potential changes in applicable tax laws.
Taxation of Our Company
We elected to be taxed as a REIT under the federal income tax laws beginning with our short taxable year ended December 31, 1994. We believe that, beginning with such taxable year, we were organized and have operated in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code, and we intend to continue to operate in such a manner, but no assurance can be given that we will operate in a manner so as to continue to maintain our qualification as a REIT. This section discusses the laws governing the federal income tax treatment of a REIT and its shareholders. These laws are highly technical and complex.
In connection with this filing, we received an opinion of McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO, that we qualified to be taxed as a REIT for our taxable years ended December 31, 2013 through December 31, 2016, and our organization and current and proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to qualify as a REIT under the Code for our taxable year ending December 31, 2017, and thereafter. Investors should be aware that McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO’s opinion is (1) based upon customary assumptions, (2) conditioned upon certain representations made by us as to factual matters, including representations regarding the nature of our properties and the future conduct of our business, and (3) not binding upon the IRS or any court. In addition, McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO’s opinion is based on existing federal income tax laws governing our qualification as a REIT, which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis. Moreover, our continued qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual annual operating results, certain qualification tests set forth in the federal tax laws. Those qualification tests involve the percentage of income that we earn from specified sources, the percentages of our assets that fall within specified categories, the diversity of our share ownership, and the percentage of our taxable income that we distribute. While McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO has reviewed those matters in connection with its opinion, McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO will not review our compliance with those tests on a continuing basis. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operation for any particular taxable year will satisfy such requirements. For a discussion of the federal income tax consequences of our failure to qualify as a REIT, see “—Failure to Qualify.”
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If we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal income tax on the taxable income that we distribute to our shareholders. The benefit of that tax treatment is that it avoids “double taxation,” or taxation at both the corporate and shareholder levels, that generally results from owning stock in a corporation.
Generally, we will be subject to federal income tax in the following circumstances:
• | We will pay federal income tax on our taxable income, including net capital gain, that we do not distribute to our shareholders during, or within a specified time period after, the calendar year in which the income is earned. |
• | Under certain circumstances, we may be subject to the “alternative minimum tax”. |
• | We will pay income tax at the highest corporate rate on (1) our net income from the sale or other disposition of property acquired through foreclosure (“foreclosure property”) that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business, and (2) other non-qualifying income from foreclosure property. |
• | We will pay a 100% tax on our net income from sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business (“prohibited transactions”). |
• | If we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as described below under “—Income Tests,” and nonetheless continue to qualify as a REIT because we meet other requirements, we will pay a 100% tax on (1) the gross income attributable to the greater of the amounts by which we fail the 75% or 95% gross income tests, multiplied by (2) a fraction intended to reflect our profitability. |
• | If we fail to distribute during a calendar year at least the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year, and (3) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the excess of this required distribution over the amount we actually distributed. |
• | We may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a U.S. shareholder would be taxed on its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain (to the extent that a timely designation of such gain is made by us to the shareholder) and would receive a credit or refund for its proportionate share of the tax we paid. |
• | If we acquire any asset from a C corporation, or a corporation that generally is subject to full corporate-level tax, in a merger or other transaction in which we acquire a basis in the asset that is determined by reference to the C corporation’s basis in the asset, we will pay tax at the highest regular corporate rate applicable if we recognize gain on the sale or disposition of such asset during the applicable recognition period after we acquire such asset, provided no election is made for the transaction to be taxable on a current basis. |
• | We will incur a 100% excise tax on transactions with a TRS that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. |
• | If we fail to satisfy certain asset tests, described below under “—Asset Tests,” by more than a de minimis threshold, and nonetheless continue to qualify as a REIT because we meet certain other requirements, we will be subject to a tax equal to the greater of (1) $50,000, or (2) the amount determined by multiplying the highest rate of income tax for corporations (currently 35% effective rate) by the net income generated by the non-qualifying assets for the applicable period. |
• | We may be subject to a $50,000 tax if we fail to satisfy certain REIT qualification requirements, other than income tests or asset tests, and such failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. |
• | We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record-keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of a REIT’s shareholders as described in “—Recordkeeping Requirements.” |
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• | The earnings of our lower-tier entities that are subchapter C corporations, including TRSs, will be subject to federal corporate income tax. |
In addition, notwithstanding our qualification as a REIT, we may also have to pay certain state and local income taxes because not all states and localities treat REITs in the same manner that they are treated for federal income tax purposes. Moreover, as further described below, TRSs will be subject to federal, state and local corporate income tax on their taxable income.
Requirements for Qualification
A REIT is a corporation, trust or association that meets the following requirements:
(1) it is managed by one or more trustees or directors;
(2) its beneficial ownership is evidenced by transferable shares or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest;
(3) it would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for the REIT provisions of the federal income tax laws;
(4) it is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to special provisions of the federal income tax laws;
(5) at least 100 persons are beneficial owners of its shares or ownership certificates;
(6) no more than 50% in value of its outstanding shares (including preferred shares and common shares) or ownership certificates is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, as defined in the federal income tax laws to include certain entities, during the last half of each taxable year;
(7) it elects to be a REIT, or has made such election for a previous taxable year, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to elect and maintain REIT status;
(8) it uses a calendar year for federal income tax purposes and complies with the recordkeeping requirements of the federal income tax laws; and
(9) it meets certain other qualification tests, described below, regarding the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions.
We must meet requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 during our entire taxable year and must meet requirement 5 during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months. If we comply with all the requirements for ascertaining the ownership of our outstanding shares in a taxable year and have no reason to know that we violated requirement 6, we will be deemed to have satisfied requirement 6 for such taxable year. For purposes of determining share ownership under requirement 6, an “individual” generally includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefits plan, a private foundation or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes. An “individual,” however, generally does not include a trust that is a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust under the federal income tax laws, and beneficiaries of such a trust will be treated as holding shares of our capital stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the trust for purposes of requirement 6. In addition, for purposes of applying requirement 6, a look-through rule applies so that generally shares of our capital stock that are held by a corporation, partnership, estate or trust (except as summarized above) will be considered owned proportionately by their respective shareholders, partners or beneficiaries.
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We have issued sufficient capital stock with enough diversity of ownership to satisfy requirements 5 and 6 set forth above. In addition, our articles of incorporation restrict the ownership and transfer of our capital stock so that we should continue to satisfy requirements 5 and 6. The provisions of our articles of incorporation restricting the ownership and transfer of our capital stock are described in “Description of Capital Stock – Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
A corporation that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary” (i.e., a corporation that is 100% owned by a REIT with respect to which no TRS election has been made) is not treated as a corporation separate from its parent REIT. All assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction and credit of a “qualified REIT subsidiary” are treated as assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit of the parent REIT. Thus, in applying the requirements described in this section, any “qualified REIT subsidiary” of ours that is not a TRS will be ignored, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of that subsidiary will be treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit. Similarly, any wholly-owned limited liability company that we own will be disregarded, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of such limited liability company will be treated as ours.
In the case of a REIT that is a partner in a partnership, in general, the REIT is treated as owning its proportionate share (based on capital interests) of the assets of the partnership and as earning its allocable share of the gross income of the partnership for purposes of the applicable REIT qualification tests. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets, liabilities and items of income of our operating partnerships and of any other partnership, joint venture or limited liability company that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, in which we own or acquire an interest, directly or indirectly (each, a “Partnership” and, together, the “Partnerships”), are treated as our assets and gross income for purposes of applying the various REIT qualification requirements.
Subject to restrictions on the value of TRS securities held by the REIT, a REIT is permitted to own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. A TRS is a fully taxable corporation that may earn income that would not be qualifying income if earned directly by the parent REIT. A TRS may not directly or indirectly operate or manage any qualified lodging facilities or qualified health care properties or provide rights to any brand name under which any qualified lodging facilities or qualified health care properties are operated but is permitted to lease such facilities or properties from a related REIT as long as such facilities or properties are operated on behalf of the TRS by an “eligible independent contractor.” The subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. A TRS will pay income tax at regular corporate rates on any income that it earns. In addition, the TRS rules limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to its parent REIT to assure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of corporate income taxation. Further, the rules impose a 100% excise tax on transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT or the REIT’s tenants that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. We formed TRS Leasing, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries and each of our hotels is leased by such TRS Lessee. Our hotels are managed by independent management companies, Kinseth Hotel Corporation, Strand Development Company, LLC, Hospitality Management Advisors, Inc., Cherry Cove Hospitality Management, LLC, Peachtree Hospitality Management, LLC, K Partners Hospitality Group LP and Boast Hotel Management Company, LLC, each of which qualified as an “eligible independent contractor” at the time the applicable management contract was entered into with the TRS Lessee. We may form or acquire one or more additional TRSs in the future. See “—Taxable REIT Subsidiaries.”
Income Tests
We must satisfy two gross income tests annually to maintain our qualification as a REIT. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of defined types of income that we derive, directly or indirectly, from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property or temporary investment income. Qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test generally includes:
• | rents from real property; |
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• | interest on debt secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property; |
• | dividends, or other distributions on, and gain from the sale of shares in other REITs; |
• | gain from the sale of real estate assets; |
• | income and gain derived from qualifying “foreclosure property”; and |
• | income derived from the temporary investment of new capital that is attributable to the issuance of our shares or a public offering of our debt with a maturity date of at least five years and that we receive during the one-year period beginning on the date on which we received such new capital. |
Second, in general, at least 95% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of (1) income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, (2) other types of dividends and interest, (3) gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, or (4) any combination of the foregoing.
If we enter into a transaction in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualified income under the 75% or 95% gross income tests (or any property which generates such qualified income or gain), including gain from the termination of such a transaction, and we properly identify the “hedges” as required by the Code and Treasury regulations, the income from the transaction will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test and the 75% gross income test (after July 30, 2008). In addition, our gross income, for purposes of the 75% gross income test (after July 30, 2008) and the 95% gross income test, will not include any of our gross income from properly identified “hedges”, including any gain from the sale or disposition of such a transaction, to the extent the transaction hedges any indebtedness incurred (or to be incurred) by us to acquire or carry real estate assets. Gross income from our sale of any property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business is excluded from both income tests. Gross income attributable to certain counteracting hedges entered into after December 31, 2015 that offset prior qualifying hedges, and with respect to which the prior debt is repaid or qualifying assets underlying such prior hedges are sold, is also excluded from both income tests. If we have any foreign currency gain, certain “real estate foreign exchange gain” is excluded from both gross income tests (after July 30, 2008). In addition, if we have any foreign currency gain, certain “passive foreign exchange gain” is excluded from our gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test (but is included in our gross income and treated as non-qualifying income to the extent such gain is not also considered “real estate foreign exchange gain” for purposes of the 75% gross income test) (after July 30, 2008). If we acquire any “qualified business unit” that remits certain foreign currency gain to us, such gain will not be included in our gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests (after July 30, 2008). Provided that, if we become dealers or regular traders in securities, any foreign currency gain will be gross income to us that does not qualify under either gross income test (after July 30, 2008). The following paragraphs discuss the specific application of the gross income tests to us.
Rent that we receive from real property that we own and lease to tenants will qualify as “rents from real property,” which is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, only if the following conditions are met:
• | First, the rent must not be based, in whole or in part, on the income or profits of any person but may be based on a fixed percentage or percentages of gross receipts or gross sales. |
• | Second, neither we nor a direct or indirect owner of 10% or more of our shares of capital stock may own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of a tenant, other than a TRS, from whom we receive rent. If the tenant is a TRS leasing a hotel, such TRS may not directly or indirectly operate or manage the related hotel. Instead, the property must be operated on behalf of the TRS by a person who qualifies as an “independent contractor” (at the time the applicable management contract or similar contract is entered into with the TRS) and who is, or is related to a person who is, actively engaged in the trade or business of operating qualified lodging facilities for any person unrelated to us and the TRS (an “eligible independent contractor”). See “—Taxable REIT Subsidiaries.” |
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• | Third, if the rent attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property exceeds 15% of the total rent received under the lease, then the portion of rent attributable to that personal property will not qualify as “rents from real property.” |
• | Fourth, we generally must not operate or manage our real property or furnish or render services to our tenants, other than through an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated, from whom we do not derive revenue, and who does not, directly or through its shareholders, own more than 35% of our shares of capital stock, taking into consideration the applicable ownership attribution rules. However, we need not provide services through an “independent contractor,” but instead may provide services directly to our tenants, if the services are “usually or customarily rendered” in the geographic area in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not considered to be provided for the tenants’ convenience. In addition, we may provide a minimal amount of “non-customary” services to the tenants of a property, other than through an independent contractor, as long as our income from the services (valued at not less than 150% of our direct cost of performing such services) does not exceed 1% of our income from the related property. Furthermore, we may own up to 100% of the stock of a TRS which may provide customary and non-customary services to our tenants without tainting our rental income from the related properties. See “—Taxable REIT Subsidiaries.” |
Pursuant to percentage leases, the TRS Lessee leases each of our hotels (and the hotels are considered “qualified lodging facilities” as defined herein). The percentage leases provide that the TRS Lessee is obligated to pay to the Partnerships (1) percentage rent based on gross revenue, and (2) “additional charges” or other expenses, as defined in the leases. Percentage rent is calculated by multiplying fixed percentages by room revenues for each of the hotels.
In order for the percentage rent and additional charges to constitute “rents from real property,” the percentage leases must be respected as true leases for federal income tax purposes and not treated as service contracts, joint ventures or some other type of arrangement. The determination of whether the percentage leases are true leases depends on an analysis of all the surrounding facts and circumstances. In making such a determination, courts have considered a variety of factors, including the following:
• | the intent of the parties; |
• | the form of the agreement; |
• | the degree of control over the property that is retained by the property owner, or whether the lessee has substantial control over the operation of the property or is required simply to use its best efforts to perform its obligations under the agreement; and |
• | the extent to which the property owner retains the risk of loss with respect to the property, or whether the lessee bears the risk of increases in operating expenses or the risk of damage to the property or the potential for economic gain or appreciation with respect to the property. |
In addition, federal income tax law provides that a contract that purports to be a service contract or a partnership agreement will be treated instead as a lease of property if the contract is properly treated as such, taking into account all relevant factors, including whether:
• | the service recipient is in physical possession of the property; |
• | the service recipient controls the property; |
• | the service recipient has a significant economic or possessory interest in the property, or whether the property’s use is likely to be dedicated to the service recipient for a substantial portion of the useful life of the property, the recipient shares the risk that the property will decline in value, the recipient shares in any appreciation in the value of the property, the recipient shares in savings in the property’s operating costs, or the recipient bears the risk of damage to or loss of the property; |
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• | the service provider bears the risk of substantially diminished receipts or substantially increased expenditures if there is nonperformance under the contract; |
• | the service provider uses the property concurrently to provide significant services to entities unrelated to the service recipient; and |
• | the total contract price substantially exceeds the rental value of the property for the contract period. |
Since the determination of whether a service contract should be treated as a lease is inherently factual, the presence or absence of any single factor will not be dispositive in every case.
We believe that our percentage leases will be treated as true leases for federal income tax purposes. Such belief is based, in part, on the following facts:
• | the Partnerships, on the one hand, and the TRS Lessee, on the other hand, intend their relationship to be that of a lessor and lessee, and such relationship is documented by lease agreements; |
• | the TRS Lessee has the right to the exclusive possession, use and quiet enjoyment of the hotels during the term of the percentage leases; |
• | the TRS Lessee bears the cost of, and is responsible for, day-to-day maintenance and repair of the hotels and generally dictates how the hotels are operated, maintained and improved; |
• | the TRS Lessee bears all of the costs and expenses of operating the hotels, including the cost of any inventory used in their operation, during the term of the percentage leases, other than real estate; |
• | the TRS Lessee benefits from any savings in the costs of operating the hotels during the term of the percentage leases; |
• | the TRS Lessee generally has indemnified the Partnerships against all liabilities imposed on the Partnerships during the term of the percentage leases by reason of (1) injury to persons or damage to property occurring at the hotels, (2) the TRS Lessee’s use, management, maintenance, or repair of the hotels, (3) impositions in respect of the hotels that are the obligations of the TRS Lessee, (4) any breach of the percentage leases or of any sublease of a hotel by the TRS Lessee, or (5) the gross negligent acts and omissions and willful misconduct of the TRS Lessee; |
• | the TRS Lessee stands to incur substantial losses or reap substantial gains depending on how successfully it operates the hotels; |
• | the partnerships cannot use the hotels concurrently to provide significant services to entities unrelated to the TRS Lessee; and |
• | the total contract price under the percentage leases does not substantially exceed the rental value of the hotels for the term of the percentage leases. |
If the percentage leases are characterized as service contracts or partnership agreements, rather than as true leases, part or all of the payments that the Partnerships receive from the TRS Lessee may not be considered rent or may not otherwise satisfy the various requirements for qualification as “rents from real property.” In that case, we likely would not be able to satisfy either the 75% or 95% gross income test and, as a result, would lose our REIT status (unless we qualify for relief, as described below under “—Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests”).
As described above, in order for the rent received by us to constitute “rents from real property,” several other requirements must be satisfied. One requirement is that the percentage rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. The percentage rent, however, will qualify as “rents from real property” if it is based on percentages of gross receipts or gross sales and the percentages:
• | are fixed at the time the percentage leases are entered into; |
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• | are not renegotiated during the term of the percentage leases in a manner that has the effect of basing percentage rent on income or profits; and |
• | conform with normal business practice. |
More generally, the percentage rent will not qualify as “rents from real property” if, considering the percentage leases and all the surrounding circumstances, the arrangement does not conform with normal business practice, but is in reality used as a means of basing the percentage rent on income or profits. Since the percentage rent is based on fixed percentages of the gross revenues from the hotels that are established in the percentage leases, and we have represented that the percentages (1) will not be renegotiated during the terms of the percentage leases in a manner that has the effect of basing the percentage rent on income or profits and (2) conform with normal business practice, the percentage rent should not be considered based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. Furthermore, we have represented that with respect to other hotel properties that we acquire in the future, we will not charge rent for any property that is based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person, except by reason of being based on a fixed percentage of gross revenues, as described above.
Another requirement for qualification of our rent as “rents from real property” is that we must not own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of the stock or voting power of any corporate lessee (other than a TRS) or 10% or more of the assets or net profits of any non-corporate lessee (a “related party tenant”). These rules, however, do not apply to rents we receive from a TRS for certain qualified lodging facilities and qualified health care properties leased to a TRS if an “eligible independent contractor” operates such facilities or properties for the TRS. As described above, we may own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. A TRS is a fully taxable corporation that is permitted to lease certain qualified lodging facilities and qualified health care properties from the related REIT as long as it does not directly or indirectly operate or manage such facilities or properties or provide rights to any brand name under which any such facilities or properties are operated. However, rent that we receive from a TRS will qualify as “rents from real property” as long as the qualified lodging facilities or qualified health care properties are operated on behalf of the TRS by an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated, who does not, directly or through its shareholders, own more than 35% of our shares, taking into account certain ownership attribution rules, and who is, or is related to a person who is, actively engaged in the trade or business of operating “qualified lodging facilities” or “qualified health care properties”, respectively, for any person unrelated to us and the TRS Lessee at the time the applicable management contract or similar contract is entered into with the TRS Lessee (an “eligible independent contractor”). For taxable years beginning after July 30, 2008, an “independent contractor” will not fail to be treated as an independent contractor by reason of the following: (1) the TRS bears the expenses for the operation of the qualified lodging facility or qualified health care property pursuant to the management agreement or other similar contract, or (2) the TRS receives the revenues from the operation of the qualified lodging facility or qualified health care property, net of expenses for such operation and fees payable to the independent contractor pursuant to the management agreement or contract. A “qualified lodging facility” is a hotel, motel, or other establishment in which more than one-half of the dwelling units are used on a transient basis, unless wagering activities are conducted at, or in connection with, such facility by any person who is engaged in the business of accepting wagers and who is legally authorized to engage in such business at, or in connection with, such facility. A “qualified lodging facility” includes customary amenities and facilities operated as part of, or associated with, the lodging facility as long as such amenities and facilities are customary for other properties of a comparable size and class owned by other unrelated owners. See “—Taxable REIT Subsidiaries.” For tax years beginning after July 30, 2008, a TRS is not considered to be operating or managing a qualified lodging facility or qualified health care property solely because it directly or indirectly possesses a license, permit or similar instrument enabling it to do so, or employs individuals working at such facility or property outside of the United States, but only if an eligible independent contractor is responsible for the daily supervision and direction of such individuals on behalf of the TRS pursuant to a management agreement or similar service contract. In addition, as another exception to the rules summarized in the preceding paragraph, rents paid to us by a TRS should qualify as “rents from real property” if (1) at least 90% of the leased space of the applicable property is rented to persons
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other than the TRS, and (2) the rents paid by the TRS to us are substantially comparable to rents paid by other tenants for comparable space with respect to the property.
A third requirement for qualification of our rent as “rents from real property” is that the rent attributable to the personal property leased in connection with the lease of a hotel must not be greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease. The rent attributable to the personal property contained in a hotel is the amount that bears the same ratio to total rent for the taxable year as the average of the fair market values of the personal property at the beginning and at the end of the taxable year bears to the average of the aggregate fair market values of both the real and personal property contained in the hotel at the beginning and at the end of such taxable year (the “personal property ratio”). With respect to each hotel, we believe either that the personal property ratio is less than 15% or that any income attributable to excess personal property will not jeopardize our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT. There can be no assurance, however, that the IRS would not challenge our calculation of the personal property ratio or that a court would not uphold such assertion. If such a challenge were successfully asserted, we could fail to satisfy the 95% or 75% gross income test and thus could lose our REIT status.
A fourth requirement for qualification of our rent as “rents from real property” is that, other than within the 1% de minimis exception described above (i.e., we may provide a minimal amount of “non-customary” services to the tenants of a property, other than through an independent contractor, as long as our income from the services does not exceed 1% of our income from the related property) and other than through a TRS, we cannot furnish or render non-customary services to the tenants of our hotels, or manage or operate our hotels, other than through an eligible independent contractor who is adequately compensated and from whom we do not derive or receive any income. Provided that, the percentage leases are respected as true leases, we should satisfy this requirement because the Partnerships will not perform any services other than customary services. Furthermore, with respect to other hotel properties that we acquire in the future, we will not perform non-customary services.
If a portion of our rent from a hotel does not qualify as “rents from real property” because the rent attributable to personal property exceeds 15% of the total rent for a taxable year, the portion of the rent that is attributable to personal property will not be qualifying income for purposes of either the 75% or 95% gross income test. Thus, if such rent attributable to personal property, plus any other income that is non-qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, during a taxable year exceeds 5% of our gross income during the year, we could lose our REIT status. If the rent from a particular hotel does not qualify as “rents from real property” because either (1) the percentage rent is considered based on the income or profits of the related lessee, (2) the lessee is a related party tenant or fails to qualify for the exception to the related party tenant rule for qualifying TRSs, or (3) we furnish non-customary services to the lessee of the hotel, other than through an independent contractor, none of the rent from that hotel would qualify as “rents from real property.” In that case, we likely would be unable to satisfy either the 75% or 95% gross income test and, as a result, we could lose our REIT status. However, in either situation we may still qualify as a REIT if the relief described below under “—Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests” is available to us.
In addition to the percentage rent, the TRS Lessee is required to pay to the Partnerships certain additional charges. To the extent that such additional charges represent either (1) reimbursements of amounts that the Partnerships are obligated to pay to third parties such as a lessee’s proportionate share of a property’s operational or capital expenses, or (2) penalties for nonpayment or late payment of such amounts, such charges should qualify as “rents from real property.” However, to the extent that such charges represent interest that is accrued on the late payment of the rent or additional charges, such charges will not qualify as “rents from real property,” but instead should be treated as interest that qualifies for the 95% gross income test.
Interest
The term “interest” includes amounts received in payment for the use or forbearance of money. The term “interest” generally does not include any amount received or accrued, directly or indirectly, if the determination
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of such amount depends in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount received or accrued generally will not be excluded from the term “interest” solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales. Additionally, amounts based on the income or profits of a debtor, as long as the debtor derives substantially all of its income from the real property securing the debt from leasing substantially all of its interest in the property, and only to the extent that the amounts received by the debtor would be qualifying “rents from real property” if received directly by a REIT, are not excluded from the term “interest”. Furthermore, if a loan contains a provision that entitles a REIT to a percentage of the borrower’s gain upon the sale of the real property securing the loan or a percentage of the appreciation in the property’s value as of a specific date, income attributable to that loan provision will be treated as gain from the sale of the property securing the loan, which generally is qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests.
Dividends
Our share of dividends received from any corporation (including any TRS, but excluding any REIT) in which we own an equity interest will qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Our share of any dividends received from any other REIT in which we own an equity interest, if any, will be qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests.
Prohibited Transactions
A REIT will incur a 100% tax on the net income (including any foreign currency gain or loss, if any, included in such net income after July 30, 2008) derived from any sale or other disposition of property, other than foreclosure property, that the REIT holds primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. Whether a REIT holds an asset “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends on the facts and circumstances in effect from time to time, including those related to a particular asset. We believe that none of our assets are held primarily for sale to customers and that a sale of any such assets would not be in the ordinary course of our business. We will attempt to comply with the terms of certain safe harbor provisions in the federal income tax laws prescribing when an asset sale will not be characterized as a prohibited transaction. The safe harbor is available if the following requirements are met:
• | the REIT held the property for not less than two years; |
• | the aggregate expenditures made by the REIT, or any partner of the REIT, during the two-year period preceding the date of the sale that are includible in the basis of the property does not exceed 30% of the net selling price of the property; |
• | either (1) during the year in question, the REIT does not make more than seven sales of property other than foreclosure property or sales to which Section 1033 of the Code applies, (2) the aggregate adjusted bases of all such properties sold by the REIT during the year does not exceed 10% of the aggregate bases of all of the assets of the REIT at the beginning of the year, (3) the aggregate fair market value of all such properties sold by the REIT during the year does not exceed 10% of the aggregate fair market value of all of the assets of the REIT at the beginning of the year, (4) with respect to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, the aggregate adjusted bases of all such properties sold by the REIT during the year does not exceed 20% of the aggregate bases of all the assets of the REIT at the beginning of the year and the 3-year average adjusted bases percentage for the taxable year does not exceed 10%, or (5) with respect to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2016, the aggregate fair market value of all such properties sold by the REIT during the year does not exceed 20% of the aggregate fair market value of all the assets of the REIT at the beginning of the year and the 3-year average fair market value percentage for the taxable year does not exceed 10%; |
• | in the case of property not acquired through foreclosure or lease termination, the REIT held the property for at least two years for the production of rental income; and |
• | if the REIT made more than seven sales of non-foreclosure property during the taxable year, substantially all of the marketing and development expenditures with respect to the property are made through an independent contractor from whom the REIT derives no income. |
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We sold 15 hotels in 2012, 17 hotels in 2013, 13 hotels in 2014, 17 hotels in 2015, and 25 hotels in 2016. We did not acquire the hotels sold (or any properties listed for sale) for purposes of resale. In the last few years, we and many REITS around the country have sold some poorly performing properties due to unforeseen and harsh market conditions to help pay down debt, provide cash flow and continue operations until improvement of the markets and economy. We believe these sales fall within the safe-harbor provisions under the Code, and in any event, even if we do not meet the safe harbor provisions, we believe that such sales are not prohibited transactions. However, if these sales do not fall within the terms of the safe-harbor provisions and the IRS would successfully assert that we held such hotels primarily for sale in the ordinary course of our business, the gain from such sales could be subject to a 100% prohibited transaction tax; however, any such income from such sales would not be included in our gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests.
Foreclosure Property
We will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate on any income from foreclosure property, other than income that would be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, less expenses directly connected with the production of such income. However, income from qualified foreclosure property will be included in our gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests and the gain from the sale of such qualified foreclosure property should be exempt from the 100% tax on prohibited transactions. “Foreclosure property” is any real property, including interests in real property, and any personal property incident to such real property:
• | that is acquired by a REIT as the result of such REIT having bid on such property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced such property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after there was a default or default was imminent on a lease of such property or on an indebtedness that such property secured; |
• | for which the related loan was acquired by the REIT at a time when the default was not imminent or anticipated; and |
• | for which such REIT makes a proper election to treat such property as foreclosure property. |
However, a REIT will not be considered to have foreclosed on a property where the REIT takes control of the property as a mortgagee-in-possession and cannot receive any profit or sustain any loss except as a creditor of the mortgagor. Property generally ceases to be foreclosure property with respect to a REIT at the end of the third taxable year following the taxable year in which the REIT acquired such property, or longer if an extension is granted by the Secretary of the Treasury.
Currently, we do not hold any foreclosure property.
Hedging Transactions
Our hedging activities may include entering into interest rate swaps, caps and floors, options to purchase such items and futures and forward contracts. Except as provided by the Treasury regulations, any income from a hedging transaction we enter into (1) in the ordinary course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, which is clearly identified as specified in the Treasury regulations before the close of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into, including gain from the sale or disposition of a position in such a transaction, (2) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% income tests (or any asset that produces such income) which is clearly identified as such before the close of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into and (3) for taxable years after December 31, 2015, to hedge the income or loss from prior hedging transactions, where the property or indebtedness which was the subject of the prior hedging transaction was extinguished or disposed of, will not constitute gross income for
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purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. If we enter into hedging transactions that are not described in the preceding clauses (1), (2) or (3), the income from these transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Moreover, to the extent that a position in a hedging transaction has positive value at any particular point in time, it may be treated as an asset that does not qualify for purposes of the REIT asset tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our status as a REIT. The REIT income and asset rules may limit our ability to hedge loans or securities acquired as investments.
Foreign Currency Gain
Certain foreign currency gains will be excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests. “Real estate foreign exchange gain” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Real estate foreign exchange gain generally includes foreign currency gain attributable to any item of income or gain that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, foreign currency gain attributable to the acquisition or ownership of (or becoming or being the obligor under) obligations secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property and certain foreign currency gain attributable to certain “qualified business units” of a REIT. “Passive foreign exchange gain” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. Passive foreign exchange gain generally includes real estate foreign exchange gain as described above, and also includes foreign currency gain attributable to any item of income or gain that is qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test and foreign currency gain attributable to the acquisition or ownership of (or becoming or being the obligor under) obligations. These exclusions for real estate foreign exchange gain and passive foreign exchange gain do not apply to any certain foreign currency gain derived from dealing, or engaging in substantial and regular trading, in securities. Such gain is treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests.
Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the gross income tests for any taxable year, we nevertheless may qualify as a REIT for such year if we qualify for relief under certain provisions of the federal income tax laws. Those relief provisions generally will be available if:
• | our failure to meet such tests is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect; and |
• | following our identification of the failure to meet one or both gross income tests for a taxable year, a description of each item of our gross income included in the 75% and 95% gross income tests is set forth in a schedule for such taxable year and filed as specified by Treasury regulations. |
We cannot predict, however, whether in all circumstances we would qualify for the relief provisions. In addition, as discussed above in “—Taxation of our Company,” even if the relief provisions apply, we would incur a 100% tax on the gross income attributable to the greater of the amounts by which we fail the 75% and 95% gross income tests, multiplied by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.
Asset Tests
To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we also must satisfy the following asset tests at the close of each quarter of each taxable year:
First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must consist of:
(1) cash or cash items, including certain receivables, money market funds and certain foreign currency;
(2) government securities;
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(3) real property and interests in real property, including leaseholds and options to acquire real property and leaseholds and, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015, personal property to the extent such personal property is leased in connection with real property and rents attributable to such personal property are treated as “rents from real property”;
(4) interests in mortgages on real property;
(5) stock in other REITs and debt instruments issued by “publicly offered REITs”; and
(6) investments in stock or debt instruments during the one-year period following our receipt of new capital that we raise through equity offerings or public offerings of debt with at least a five-year term.
Second, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, the value of our interest in any one issuer’s securities may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets.
Third, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, we may not own more than 10% of the voting power or value of any one issuer’s outstanding securities (other than a TRS).
Fourth, no more than 25% (20% for tax years beginning before July 31, 2008 and after December 31, 2017) of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of one or more TRSs.
Fifth, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of TRSs and other non-TRS taxable subsidiaries and other assets that are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test, or the 25% securities test.
Sixth, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of debt instruments issued by “publicly offered REITs” to the extent that such debt instruments are not secured by real property or interests in real property.
For purposes of the second and third asset tests, the term “securities” does not include stock in another REIT, debt of “publicly offered REITs,” equity or debt securities of a qualified REIT subsidiary or TRS, mortgage loans or mortgage-backed securities that constitute real estate assets, or equity interests in a partnership. For purposes of the 10% value test, the term “securities” does not include:
• | “Straight debt” securities, which is defined as a written unconditional promise to pay on demand or on a specified date a sum certain in money if (1) the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into stock, and (2) the interest rate and interest payment dates are not contingent on profits, the borrower’s discretion, or similar factors. “Straight debt” securities do not include any securities issued by a partnership or a corporation in which we, or any TRS in which we own more than 50% of the voting power or value of the stock, hold non-“straight debt” securities that have an aggregate value of more than 1% of the issuer’s outstanding securities. However, “straight debt” securities include debt subject to the following contingencies: |
• | a contingency relating to the time of payment of interest or principal, as long as either (i) there is no change to the effective yield of the debt obligation, other than a change to the annual yield that does not exceed the greater of 0.25% or 5% of the annual yield, or (ii) neither the aggregate issue price nor the aggregate face amount of the issuer’s debt obligations held by us exceeds $1 million and no more than 12 months of unaccrued interest on the debt obligations can be required to be prepaid; and |
• | a contingency relating to the time or amount of payment upon a default or prepayment of a debt obligation, as long as the contingency is consistent with customary commercial practice; |
• | Any loan to an individual or an estate; |
• | Any “section 467 rental agreement,” other than an agreement with a related party tenant; |
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• | Any obligation to pay “rents from real property”; |
• | Certain securities issued by governmental entities that are not dependent in whole or in part on the profits of (or payments made by) a non-governmental entity; |
• | Any security issued by another REIT; |
• | Any debt instrument issued by an entity treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes to the extent of our interest as a partner in that partnership; or |
• | Any debt instrument issued by an entity treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, and not described in the preceding bullet points, if at least 75% of the partnership’s gross income, excluding income from prohibited transactions, is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test described above in “—Income Tests.” |
If we failed to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, we would not lose our REIT status if (1) we satisfied the asset tests at the close of the preceding calendar quarter, and (2) the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset test requirements arose from changes in the market values of our assets or because of a change in the foreign currency exchange rates used to value any foreign assets, and, in either case, was not wholly or partly caused by the acquisition of one or more non-qualifying assets. If we did not satisfy the condition described in clause (2) of the preceding sentence, we still could avoid disqualification as a REIT by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which the discrepancy arose. If we fail to satisfy the 5% asset test or the 10% vote or value test for a particular quarter and do not correct it within the 30-day period described in the prior sentence, we will not lose our REIT status if the failure is due to the ownership of assets the total value of which does not exceed the lesser of (i) 1% of the total value of our assets at the end of the quarter for which such measurement is done or (ii) $10,000,000; provided in either case that, we either dispose of the assets within 6 months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify the failure (or such other time period prescribed by the Treasury), or otherwise meet the requirements of those rules by the end of such time period. In addition, if we fail to meet any asset test for a particular quarter, other than a de minimis failure described in the preceding sentence, we still will be deemed to have satisfied the requirements if: (1) following our identification of the failure, we file a schedule with a description of each asset that caused the failure in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Treasury; (2) the failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect; (3) we dispose of the assets within 6 months after the last day of the quarter in which the identification occurred (or such other time period prescribed by the Treasury) or the requirements of the rules are otherwise met within such period; and (4) we pay a tax on the failure which is the greater of $50,000 or the amount determined by multiplying the highest rate of income tax for corporations (currently 35%), by the net income generated by the assets for the period beginning on the first date of the failure and ending on the date we have disposed of the assets or otherwise satisfy the requirements.
Distribution Requirements
Each taxable year, we must distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends and deemed distributions of retained capital gain, to our shareholders in an aggregate amount at least equal to:
• | the sum of (1) 90% of our “REIT taxable income,” computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain or loss, and (2) 90% of our after-tax net income, if any, from foreclosure property; minus |
• | the sum of certain items of non-cash income. |
We must pay such distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if we declare the distribution before we timely file our federal income tax return for such year and pay the distribution on or before the first regular dividend payment date after such declaration. Any dividends declared in the last three months of the taxable year, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date during such period, will be treated as paid on December 31 of such year if such dividends are distributed during January of the following year.
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We will pay federal income tax on our taxable income, including net capital gain, that we do not distribute to our shareholders. Furthermore, if we fail to distribute during a calendar year, or by the end of January following such calendar year in the case of distributions with declaration and record dates falling in the last three months of the calendar year, at least the sum of:
• | 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year; |
• | 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year; and |
• | any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, then we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the amounts we actually distributed. We may elect to retain and pay income tax on the net long-term capital gain we receive in a taxable year. See “—Taxation of Distributions or Dividends to U.S. Shareholders.” If we so elect, we will be treated as having distributed any such retained amount for purposes of the 4% nondeductible excise tax described above. We intend to make timely distributions sufficient to satisfy the annual distribution requirements. |
It is possible that, from time to time, we may experience timing differences between (1) the actual receipt of income and actual payment of deductible expenses, and (2) the inclusion of that income and deduction of such expenses in arriving at our REIT taxable income. In addition, we may not deduct recognized capital losses from our “REIT taxable income.” Any taxes or penalties paid as a result of our failure to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the 95% and 75% gross income tests and the asset tests, are deducted from our “REIT taxable income.” Further, it is possible that, from time to time, we may be allocated a share of net capital gain attributable to the sale of depreciated property that exceeds our allocable share of cash attributable to that sale. As a result of the foregoing, we may have less cash than is necessary to distribute all of our taxable income and thereby avoid corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax imposed on certain undistributed income or even to meet the 90% distribution requirement. In such a situation, we may need to borrow funds or issue additional common or preferred stock.
Under certain circumstances, we may be able to correct a failure to meet the distribution requirement for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to our shareholders in a later year. We may include such deficiency dividends in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. Although we may be able to avoid income tax on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends, we will be required to pay interest to the IRS based upon the amount of any deduction we take for deficiency dividends in order to raise sufficient cash to satisfy the distribution requirement.
We may satisfy the 90% distribution test with taxable distributions of our stock or debt securities. The IRS has issued private letter rulings to other REITs treating certain distributions that are paid partly in cash and partly in stock as dividends that would satisfy the REIT annual distribution requirement and qualify for the dividends paid deduction for federal income tax purposes. Those rulings may be relied upon only by taxpayers to whom they were issued. In addition, the IRS previously issued a revenue procedure creating a temporary safe harbor authorizing publicly traded REITs to make elective cash/stock dividends, but that temporary safe harbor has expired. Accordingly, it is unclear whether and to what extent we will be able to make taxable dividends payable in cash and stock. We may, in the future, make a taxable dividend payable in our stock.
Recordkeeping Requirements
We must maintain certain records to maintain our qualification as a REIT. To avoid a monetary penalty, we must request annually certain information from our shareholders designed to disclose the actual ownership of our outstanding shares of capital stock. We intend to comply with such requirements.
Failure to Qualify
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the gross income tests and the asset tests, we could avoid disqualification if our failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and
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we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. In addition, there are relief provisions for a failure of the gross income tests and asset tests, as described in “—Income Tests” and “—Asset Tests.”
If we were to fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, and no relief provision applied, we would be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates and any applicable alternative minimum tax. In calculating our taxable income in a year in which we failed to qualify as a REIT, we would not be able to deduct amounts paid out to our shareholders. In fact, we would not be required to distribute any amounts to our shareholders in such year. In such event, to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, all distributions to shareholders would be taxable to individual, trust, and estate taxpayers at capital gains rates. Subject to certain limitations of the federal income tax laws, corporate shareholders might be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Unless we qualified for relief under specific statutory provisions, we also would be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we ceased to qualify as a REIT. We cannot predict whether in all circumstances we would qualify for such statutory relief.
Taxable REIT Subsidiaries
As described above, we formed a TRS, TRS Lessee (which includes TRS Leasing, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries), each of which is a disregarded entity for federal income tax purposes. A TRS is a fully taxable corporation for which a TRS election is properly made. A TRS may (1) lease qualified lodging facilities or qualified health care properties from us under certain circumstances, (2) provide services to our tenants, and (3) perform activities unrelated to our tenants, such as third-party management, development and other independent business activities. A corporation of which a TRS directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the stock will automatically be treated as a TRS. Overall, no more than 25% (20% for tax years beginning before July 31, 2008 and after December 31, 2017) of the value of our assets may consist of securities of one or more TRSs, and no more than 25% of the value of our assets may consist of assets that are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test.
A TRS may not directly or indirectly operate or manage any qualified lodging facilities or qualified health care properties or provide rights to any brand name under which any such facilities or properties are operated. However, rents received by us from a TRS pursuant to a hotel lease will qualify as “rents from real property” as long as the hotel is operated on behalf of the TRS by a person who satisfies the following requirements at the time the management contract or similar contract is entered into with the TRS:
• | such person is, or is related to a person who is, actively engaged in the trade or business of operating “qualified lodging facilities” or “qualified health care properties,” respectively, for any person unrelated to us and the TRS; |
• | such person does not own, directly or indirectly, more than 35% of our capital stock; |
• | no more than 35% of such person is owned, directly or indirectly, by one or more persons owning 35% or more of our capital stock; and |
• | we do not directly or indirectly derive any income from such person. |
A “qualified lodging facility” is a hotel, motel, or other establishment in which more than one-half of the dwelling units are used on a transient basis, unless wagering activities are conducted at, or in connection with, such facility by any person who is engaged in the business of accepting wagers and who is legally authorized to engage in such business at or in connection with such facility. A “qualified lodging facility” includes customary amenities and facilities operated as part of, or associated with, the lodging facility as long as such amenities and facilities are customary for other properties of a comparable size and class owned by other unrelated owners.
The TRS rules limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to us to assure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of corporate taxation. Further, the rules impose a 100% excise tax on transactions between a TRS and us or our tenants that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis.
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We have formed and made a timely election with respect to the TRS Lessee, which leases each of our hotels. Additionally, we may form or acquire additional TRSs in the future. Our hotels are managed by Kinseth Hotel Corporation, Strand Development Company, LLC, Hospitality Management Advisors, Inc., Cherry Cove Hospitality Management, LLC, Peachtree Hospitality Management, LLC, K Partners Hospitality Group LP and Boast Hotel Management Company, LLC, each of which qualified as an “eligible independent contractor” at the time the applicable management contract was entered into with the TRS Lessee.
Taxation of Distributions or Dividends to U.S. Shareholders
As used herein, the term “U.S. shareholder” means a beneficial owner of our capital stock (including our common and preferred stock) that for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:
• | a citizen or resident of the United States; |
• | a corporation or partnership (including an entity treated as a corporation or partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any of its states or the District of Columbia; |
• | an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
• | any trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person. |
If a partnership, entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes holds our shares, the federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership holding our shares, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the consequences of the ownership and disposition of our shares by the partnership.
As long as we qualify as a REIT, (1) a taxable “U.S. shareholder” must take into account distributions that are made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits and that we do not designate as capital gain dividends or retained long-term capital gain as ordinary income, and (2) a U.S. shareholder will not qualify for the dividends received deduction generally available to corporations. For purposes of determining whether a distribution is made of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, our earnings and profits will be allocated first to our preferred share dividends and then to our common share dividends. In addition, dividends paid to a U.S. shareholder as ordinary income generally will not qualify for the reduced tax rate for “qualified dividend income.” Currently, the maximum tax rate on qualified dividend income is 20%; however, some tax payers qualify for a 15% rate. In addition, a 3.8% net investment income tax applies for married couples with taxable income over $250,000 or single persons with taxable income over $200,000. Qualified dividend income generally includes most dividends paid by U.S. corporations but does not generally include ordinary REIT dividends. As a result, our ordinary REIT dividends will continue to be taxed at the higher tax rate applicable to ordinary income. Currently, the highest marginal individual income tax rate on ordinary income is 39.6%. However, the reduced tax rate for qualified dividend income should apply to our ordinary REIT dividends, if any, that are (1) attributable to dividends received by us from non-REIT corporations, such as the TRS Lessee, and (2) attributable to income upon which we have paid corporate income tax (e.g., to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our taxable income). In general, to qualify for the reduced tax rate on qualified dividend income, a shareholder must hold our capital stock for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which our capital stock becomes ex-dividend.
We may make a distribution in the future that is payable, at the election of the shareholder, partly in cash and partly in stock. To the extent that we make a distribution payable partly in cash and partly in stock, a U.S. shareholder may have a tax liability attributable to such distribution that is greater than the amount of cash received.
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A U.S. shareholder generally will report distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends as long-term capital gain (to the extent the distributions do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year) without regard to the period for which the U.S. shareholder has held our capital stock.
We may elect to retain and pay income tax on the net long-term capital gain that we receive in a taxable year. In that case, a U.S. shareholder would be taxed on its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain, to the extent that we designate such amount in a timely notice to such shareholder. The U.S. shareholder would receive a credit or refund for its proportionate share of the tax we paid. The U.S. shareholder would increase the basis in its capital stock by the amount of its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain, minus its share of the tax we paid.
To the extent that we make a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, such distribution will not be taxable to a U.S. shareholder to the extent that it does not exceed the adjusted tax basis of the U.S. shareholder’s capital stock. Instead, such distribution will reduce the adjusted tax basis of such capital stock. To the extent that we make a distribution in excess of both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the U.S. shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in its capital stock, such shareholder will recognize long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the capital stock has been held for one year or less, assuming the capital stock is a capital asset in the hands of the U.S. shareholder. In addition, if we declare a distribution in October, November or December of any year that is payable to a U.S. shareholder of record on a specified date in any such month, such distribution shall be treated as both paid by us and received by the U.S. shareholder on December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the distribution during January of the following calendar year.
U.S. shareholders may not include in their individual income tax returns any of our net operating losses or capital losses. Instead, we will carry over such losses for potential offset against our future income generally. Taxable distributions from us and gain from the disposition of our capital stock will not be treated as passive activity income, and, therefore, U.S. shareholders generally will not be able to apply any “passive activity losses,” such as losses from certain types of limited partnerships in which the U.S. shareholder is a limited partner, against such income. In addition, taxable distributions from us and gain from the disposition of our capital stock generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitations.
We will notify shareholders after the close of our taxable year as to the portions of the distributions attributable to that year that constitute ordinary income, return of capital, and capital gain.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders on Sale or Disposition of Capital Stock
When a U.S. shareholder sells or otherwise disposes of its capital stock in us (including any common stock or preferred stock), the shareholder will recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between (1) the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received on the sale or other disposition (less any portion thereof attributable to accrued but unpaid dividends, which will be taxed as a dividend to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits), and (2) the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the capital stock. In general, a U.S. shareholder who is not a dealer in securities will treat any gain or loss recognized upon the sale or disposition of our capital stock as long-term capital gain or loss, if the U.S. shareholder has held the capital stock for more than one year, otherwise, as short-term capital gain or loss.
However, a U.S. shareholder must treat any loss recognized upon a sale or disposition of our capital stock held by such shareholder for six months or less as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any actual or deemed distributions from us that such U.S. shareholder previously has characterized as long-term capital gain. All or a portion of any loss that a U.S. shareholder recognizes upon a sale or disposition of our capital stock may be disallowed if the U.S. shareholder purchases other capital stock issued by us within 30 days before or after the disposition.
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Capital Gains and Losses of U.S. Shareholders
A U.S. shareholder generally must hold a capital asset for more than one year for gain or loss derived from the sale or exchange of the capital asset to be treated as long-term capital gain or loss. The highest marginal individual income tax rate is 39.6%. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain applicable to non-corporate taxpayers is 20%; however, some taxpayers qualify for a 15% rate for sales and exchanges of capital assets held for more than one year. Certain individuals, estate or trusts whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on net gains from the sale or other disposition of property, such as our capital stock, subject to certain exceptions. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain from the sale or exchange of “section 1250 property,” or depreciable real property, is 25% to the extent that such gain would have been treated as ordinary income if the property were “section 1245 property.” The tax rate differential between capital gain and ordinary income for non-corporate taxpayers may be significant. In addition, the characterization of income as capital gain or ordinary income may affect the deductibility of capital losses. A non-corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses not offset by capital gains against its ordinary income only up to a maximum annual amount of $3,000. A non-corporate taxpayer may carry forward unused capital losses indefinitely. A corporate taxpayer must pay tax on its net capital gain at ordinary corporate rates. A corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses only to the extent of capital gains, with unused losses being carried back three years and forward five years.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders on a Conversion of Preferred Stock
Except as provided below, (i) a U.S. shareholder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the conversion of preferred stock into our common stock, and (ii) a U.S. shareholder’s basis and holding period in our common stock received upon conversion generally will be the same as those of the converted preferred stock (but the basis will be reduced by the portion of the adjusted tax basis allocated to any fractional share exchanged for cash). Any shares of our common stock received in a conversion that are attributable to accumulated and unpaid dividends on the converted preferred stock will be treated as a distribution that is potentially taxable as a dividend. Cash received upon conversion in lieu of a fractional share generally will be treated as a payment in a taxable exchange for such fractional share, and gain or loss will be recognized on the receipt of cash in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash received and the adjusted tax basis allocable to the fractional share deemed exchanged. This gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. shareholder has held the preferred stock for more than one year at the time of conversion. U.S. shareholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the federal income tax consequences of any transaction by which such holder exchanges shares of our common stock received on a conversion of preferred stock for cash or other property.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders on a Redemption of Preferred Stock
A redemption of preferred stock will be treated under Section 302 of the Code as a distribution that is taxable as dividend income (to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits), unless the redemption satisfies certain tests set forth in Section 302(b) of the Code enabling the redemption to be treated as a sale of the preferred stock (in which case the redemption will be treated in the same manner as a sale described above in “—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders on the Disposition of Capital Stock”). The redemption will satisfy such tests if it (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. shareholder’s interest in our stock, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. shareholder’s interest in all of our classes of stock or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the shareholder, all within the meaning of Section 302(b) of the Code. In determining whether any of these tests have been met, stock considered to be owned by the holder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Code, as well as stock actually owned, generally must be taken into account. Because the determination as to whether any of the three alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Code described above will be satisfied with respect to any particular U.S. shareholder of preferred stock depends upon the facts and circumstances at the time that the determination must be made, prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors to determine such tax treatment. If a
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redemption of preferred stock does not meet any of the three tests described above, the redemption proceeds will be treated as a taxable dividend, as described above in “—Taxation of Distributions or Dividends to U.S. Shareholders.”
Information Reporting Requirements and Backup Withholding
We will report to our shareholders and to the IRS the amount of distributions we pay during each calendar year and the amount of tax we withhold, if any. Under the backup withholding rules, a shareholder may be subject to backup withholding at the rate of 28% with respect to distributions unless such holder:
• | is a corporation or comes within certain other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact; or |
• | provides a taxpayer identification number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding, and otherwise complies with the applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. |
A shareholder who does not provide us with its correct taxpayer identification number also may be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. Any amount paid as backup withholding will be creditable against the shareholder’s income tax liability. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of our capital gain distributions to any shareholders who fail to certify their non-foreign status to us. See “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders.”
Backup withholding will generally not apply to payments of dividends made by us or our paying agents, in their capacities as such, to a non-U.S. shareholder provided that the non-U.S. shareholder furnishes to us or our paying agent the required certification as to its non-U.S. status, such as providing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI, or certain other requirements are met. Notwithstanding the foregoing, backup withholding may apply if either we or our paying agent has actual knowledge, or reason to know, that the holder is a U.S. person that is not an exempt recipient. Payments of the net proceeds from a disposition or a redemption effected outside the U.S. by a non-U.S. shareholder made by or through a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, information reporting (but not backup withholding) generally will apply to such a payment if the broker has certain connections with the U.S. unless the broker has documentary evidence in its records that the beneficial owner is a non-U.S. shareholder and specified conditions are met or an exemption is otherwise established. Payment of the net proceeds from a disposition by a non-U.S. shareholder of stock made by or through the U.S. office of a broker is generally subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless the non-U.S. shareholder certifies under penalties of perjury that it is not a U.S. person and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption from information reporting and backup withholding.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be refunded or credited against the shareholder’s federal income tax liability if certain required information is furnished to the IRS. Shareholders are urged consult their own tax advisors regarding application of backup withholding to them and the availability of, and procedure for obtaining an exemption from, backup withholding.
Taxation of Tax-Exempt Shareholders
The rules governing U.S. federal income taxation of tax-exempt shareholders are complex. This section is only a limited summary of such rules. We urge tax-exempt shareholders to consult their own tax advisors to determine the impact of federal, state and local income tax laws on ownership of our capital stock, including any reporting requirements.
Tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from federal income taxation. However, such entities are subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income. While many investments in real estate generate unrelated
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business taxable income, the IRS has published a revenue ruling that dividend distributions from a REIT to an exempt employee pension trust do not constitute unrelated business taxable income. Based on that ruling, amounts that we distribute to tax-exempt shareholders generally should not constitute unrelated business taxable income. However, if a tax-exempt shareholder were to finance its acquisition of our capital stock with debt, a portion of the income that it receives from us would constitute unrelated business taxable income pursuant to the “debt-financed property” rules. Furthermore, social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts and qualified group legal services plans that are exempt from taxation under special provisions of the federal income tax laws are subject to different unrelated business taxable income rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions that they receive from us as unrelated business taxable income. Finally, if we are a “pension-held REIT,” a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust that owns more than 10% of our shares of capital stock is required to treat a percentage of the dividends that it receives from us as unrelated business taxable income. That percentage is equal to the gross income that we derive from an unrelated trade or business, determined as if we were a pension trust, divided by our total gross income for the year in which we pay the dividends. That rule applies to a pension trust holding more than 10% of our shares of capital stock only if:
• | the percentage of our dividends that the tax-exempt trust would be required to treat as unrelated business taxable income is at least 5%; |
• | we qualify as a REIT by reason of the modification of the rule requiring that no more than 50% of our capital stock be owned by five or fewer individuals that allows the beneficiaries of the pension trust to be treated as holding our capital stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the pension trust (see “—Requirements for Qualification” above); and |
• | either (1) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our capital stock or (2) a group of pension trusts individually holding more than 10% of the value of our capital stock and collectively owns more than 50% of the value of our capital stock. |
We have not been and do not expect to be treated as a pension-held REIT for purposes of these rules. The ownership and transfer restrictions in our articles of incorporation reduce the risk that we may become a “pension-held REIT.”
Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders
The rules governing U.S. federal income taxation of nonresident alien individuals, foreign corporations, foreign partnerships and other foreign shareholders (collectively, “non-U.S. shareholders”) are complex. This section is only a limited summary of such rules. We urge non-U.S. shareholders to consult their own tax advisors to determine the impact of federal, state and local income tax laws on ownership of our capital stock, including any reporting requirements.
Foreign investors are generally subject to tax in the United States on their (1) U.S. source income, and (2) income that is “effectively connected” (or treated as effectively connected) with a U.S. trade or business (including the disposition of certain United States real property interests).
A non-U.S. shareholder that receives a distribution from us (U.S. source income) that is not attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of United States real property interests, as defined below, and that we do not designate as a capital gain dividend, will recognize ordinary income to the extent that we pay such distribution out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. A withholding tax equal to 30% of the gross amount of the distribution ordinarily will apply to such distribution unless an applicable tax treaty reduces or eliminates the tax. Under some treaties, lower withholding rates do not apply to dividends from REITs.
However, if a distribution is treated as effectively-connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. shareholder generally will be subject to federal income tax on the
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distribution at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. shareholders are taxed with respect to such distributions. A non-U.S. shareholder that is a corporation also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax with respect to the distribution. We plan to withhold U.S. income tax at the rate of 30% on the gross amount of any such distribution paid to a non-U.S. shareholder unless either:
• | a lower treaty rate applies and the non-U.S. shareholder files an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E evidencing eligibility for that reduced rate with us; or |
• | the non-U.S. shareholder files an IRS Form W-8ECI with us claiming that the distribution is effectively connected income. |
A non-U.S. shareholder will not incur tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, which is not attributable to or treated as attributable to the disposition by us of a United States real property interest, if the excess portion of such distribution does not exceed the adjusted tax basis of its capital stock. Instead, the excess portion of such distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of such capital stock. A non-U.S. shareholder will be subject to tax on a distribution that exceeds both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the adjusted tax basis of its capital stock, if the non-U.S. shareholder otherwise would be subject to tax on gain from the sale or disposition of its common stock, as described below. Because we generally cannot determine at the time we make a distribution whether or not the distribution will exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits, we normally will withhold tax on the entire amount of any distribution at the same rate as we would withhold on a dividend. However, a non-U.S. shareholder may obtain a refund of amounts that we withhold if we later determine that a distribution in fact exceeded our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
We must withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits. Consequently, although we intend to withhold at a rate of 30% on the entire amount of any distribution, to the extent that we do not do so, we will withhold at a rate of 15% on any portion of a distribution not subject to withholding at a rate of 30%.
A non-U.S. shareholder will incur tax on any distribution made by us to the extent attributable to gain from sales or exchanges of “United States real property interests” under special provisions of the federal income tax laws referred to as “FIRPTA.” The term “United States real property interests” includes certain interests in real property and stock in corporations at least 50% of whose assets consist of interests in real property. Under those rules, a non-U.S. shareholder is taxed on distributions attributable to gain from sales of United States real property interests as if such gain were effectively-connected with a U.S. business of the non-U.S. shareholder. However, a distribution to a non-U.S. shareholder will not be treated as gain recognized from the sale or exchange of a United States real property interest if the distribution is received (1) with respect to a class of stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States and the recipient non-U.S. shareholder does not own more than 10% of that class of stock at any time during the one year preceding the distribution, (2) by certain non-U.S. publicly-traded shareholders that meet certain recordkeeping and other requirements (“qualified shareholders”), except to the extent owners of such qualified shareholders that are not also qualified shareholders own, actually or constructively, more than 10% of our capital stock or (3) by a “qualified foreign pension fund” (as defined in the Code) or any entity all of the interests of which are held by such a qualified foreign pension fund. We believe that our common stock is “regularly traded” on an established securities market in the United States. Under such circumstances: (1) the distribution will be treated as an ordinary dividend to the non-U.S. shareholder and taxed as an ordinary dividend that is not a capital gain, (2) the non-U.S. shareholder is not required to file a U.S. federal income tax return solely as a result of receiving such ordinary distribution, (3) the branch profits tax does not apply to such ordinary distribution, and (4) the distribution will be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding as an ordinary dividend as described above.
In addition, a non-U.S. shareholder generally will not incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to gain realized upon a disposition of our capital stock as long as at all times non-U.S. persons hold, directly or indirectly, less than 50% in value of our capital stock (the domestically-controlled REIT exception). We currently anticipate that
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we will be a domestically controlled REIT. However, we cannot assure you that this test will be met. If we are foreign controlled at any time, a non-U.S. shareholder that owned (actually or constructively) 10% or less of any class of our capital stock at all times during a specific testing period will not incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to any such gain on the disposition of our capital stock if that class of our capital stock is “regularly traded” on an established securities market. We believe that our common stock is “regularly traded” on an established securities market in the United States. To the extent that any class of our capital stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, a non-U.S. shareholder should not incur tax under FIRPTA (if we are a foreign-controlled REIT), unless it owns more than 10% of such class. If the gain on the sale of our capital stock were taxed under FIRPTA, a non-U.S. shareholder would be taxed in the same manner as U.S. shareholders with respect to such gain, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals. Furthermore, a non-U.S. shareholder will incur tax on gain not subject to FIRPTA if (1) the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. shareholder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. shareholders with respect to such gain, or (2) the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States, in which case the non-U.S. shareholder will incur a 30% tax on his capital gains.
Withholding taxes may be imposed under Section 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder (“FATCA”) on certain types of payments made to non-U.S. financial institutions and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on dividends on, or (after December 31, 2018) gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our common equity paid to a “foreign financial institution” or a “non-financial foreign entity” (each as defined in the Code), unless (i) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting obligations, (ii) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any “substantial United States owners” (as defined in the Code) or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner, or (iii) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in (i) above, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury requiring that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain “specified United States persons” or “United States—owned foreign entities” (each as defined in the Code), annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on payments to non-compliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules.
We will not pay any additional amounts to stockholders in respect of any amounts withheld. Non-U.S. stockholders are encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our common equity.
Tax Aspects of Our Investments in the Partnerships
The following discussion summarizes certain federal income tax considerations applicable to our direct or indirect investments in Condor Hospitality Limited Partnership and all of our other partnerships and limited liability companies (the “Partnerships”). The discussion does not cover state or local tax laws or any federal tax laws other than income tax laws.
Classification as Partnerships
We are entitled to include in our income our distributive share of each Partnership’s income and to deduct our distributive share of each Partnership’s losses only if such Partnership is classified for federal income tax purposes as a partnership (or an entity that is disregarded for federal income tax purposes if the entity has only one owner or member), rather than as a corporation or an association taxable as a corporation. An unincorporated
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entity with at least two owners or members will be classified as a partnership, rather than as a corporation, for federal income tax purposes if it:
• | is treated as a partnership under Treasury regulations relating to entity classification (the “check-the-box regulations”); and |
• | is not a “publicly-traded” partnership. |
Under the check-the-box regulations, an unincorporated entity with at least two owners or members may elect to be classified either as an association taxable as a corporation or as a partnership. If such an entity fails to make an election, it generally will be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. Each Partnership intends to be classified as a partnership (or an entity that is disregarded for federal income tax purposes if the entity has only one owner or member) for federal income tax purposes, and no Partnership will elect to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation under the check-the-box regulations.
A publicly-traded partnership is a partnership whose interests are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. A publicly-traded partnership will not, however, be treated as a corporation if, for each taxable year beginning after December 31, 1987 in which it was classified as a publicly-traded partnership, 90% or more of the partnership’s gross income for such year consists of certain passive-type income, including real property rents (which includes rents that would be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, with certain modifications that make it easier for the rents to qualify for the 90% passive income exception), gains from the sale or other disposition of real property, interest, and dividends (the “90% passive income exception”).
Treasury regulations (the “PTP regulations”) provide limited safe harbors from the definition of a publicly-traded partnership. Pursuant to one of those safe harbors (the “private placement exclusion”), interests in a partnership will not be treated as readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof if (1) all interests in the partnership were issued in a transaction or transactions that were not required to be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and (2) the partnership does not have more than 100 partners at any time during the partnership’s taxable year. In determining the number of partners in a partnership, a person owning an interest in a partnership, grantor trust or S corporation that owns an interest in the partnership is treated as a partner in such partnership only if (1) substantially all of the value of the owner’s interest in the entity is attributable to the entity’s direct or indirect interest in the partnership, and (2) a principal purpose of the use of the entity is to permit the partnership to satisfy the 100-partner limitation. Each Partnership qualifies for the private placement exclusion.
We have not requested, and do not intend to request, a ruling from the IRS that the Partnerships will be classified as partnerships (or disregarded entities, if the entity has only one owner or member) for federal income tax purposes. If for any reason a Partnership were taxable as a corporation, rather than as a partnership or a disregarded entity, for federal income tax purposes, we likely would not be able to qualify as a REIT. See “—Income Tests” and “—Asset Tests.” In addition, any change in a Partnership’s status for tax purposes might be treated as a taxable event, in which case we might incur tax liability without any related cash distribution. See “—Distribution Requirements.” Further, items of income and deduction of such Partnership would not pass through to its partners, and its partners would be treated as shareholders for tax purposes. Consequently, such Partnership would be required to pay income tax at corporate rates on its net income, and distributions to its partners would constitute dividends that would not be deductible in computing such Partnership’s taxable income.
Income Taxation of the Partnerships and Their Partners
Partners, Not the Partnerships, Subject to Tax
A partnership is not a taxable entity for federal income tax purposes. Rather, we are required to take into account our allocable share of each Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits for any taxable
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year of such Partnership ending within or with our taxable year, without regard to whether we have received or will receive any distribution from such Partnership.
Partnership Audit Rules
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 changed certain rules relating to audits of partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under these new rules, which are generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, and subject to certain exceptions, any audit adjustment to items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit of a partnership (and any partner’s distributive share thereof) is determined, and taxes, interest and penalties attributable thereto are assessed and collected, at the partnership level. Although it is still uncertain how these new rules will be implemented, they could result in the payment of taxes, penalties and interest by partnerships that we invest in, directly or indirectly, including our operating partnership, as a result of an audit adjustment, and we, as a direct or indirect partner of such partnerships, could be required to bear the economic burden of those taxes, penalties and interest, even though we, as a REIT, may not otherwise have been required to pay additional corporate-level taxes as a result of such audit adjustment. Investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these new partnership audit rules and their potential impact on their investment in our stock.
Partnership Allocations
Although a partnership agreement generally will determine the allocation of income and losses among partners, such allocations will be disregarded for tax purposes if they do not comply with the provisions of the federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations. If an allocation is not recognized for federal income tax purposes, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the partners’ interests in the partnership, which will be determined by taking into account all of the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the partners with respect to such item. Each Partnership’s allocations of taxable income, gain and loss are intended to comply with the requirements of the federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations.
Tax Allocations With Respect to Contributed Properties
Income, gain, loss and deduction attributable to appreciated or depreciated property that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership must be allocated in a manner such that the contributing partner is charged with, or benefits from, respectively, the unrealized gain or unrealized loss associated with the property at the time of the contribution. The amount of such unrealized gain or unrealized loss (“built-in gain” or “built-in loss”) is generally equal to the difference between the fair market value of the contributed property at the time of contribution and the adjusted tax basis of such property at the time of contribution (a “book-tax difference”). Such allocations are solely for federal income tax purposes and do not affect the book capital accounts or other economic or legal arrangements among the partners. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued regulations requiring partnerships to use a “reasonable method” for allocating items with respect to which there is a book-tax difference and outlining several reasonable allocation methods.
Under the respective partnership agreements of our Partnerships, depreciation or amortization deductions of each Partnership generally will be allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective interests in the Partnership, except to the extent that the Partnership is required, under the federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations, to use a method for allocating tax depreciation deductions attributable to contributed properties that results in our receiving a disproportionate share of such deductions. In addition, gain or loss on the sale of a property that has been contributed, in whole or in part, to the Partnership will be specially allocated to the contributing partners to the extent of any built-in gain or built-in loss with respect to such property for federal income tax purposes.
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Basis in Partnership Interest
Our adjusted tax basis in our partnership interest in the Partnerships generally is equal to:
• | the amount of cash and the adjusted tax basis of any other property contributed by us to the Partnerships; |
• | increased by our allocable share of the Partnerships’ income and our allocable share of indebtedness of the Partnerships; and |
• | reduced, but not below zero, by our allocable share of the Partnerships’ loss and the amount of cash and property (at fair market value) distributed to us, and by constructive distributions resulting from a reduction in our share of indebtedness of the Partnerships. |
If the allocation of our distributive share of the Partnerships’ loss would reduce the adjusted tax basis of our partnership interest in the Partnerships below zero, the recognition of such loss will be deferred until such time as the recognition of such loss would not reduce our adjusted tax basis below zero. To the extent that the Partnerships’ distributions, or any decrease in our share of the indebtedness of the Partnership, which is considered a constructive cash distribution to the partners, reduce our adjusted tax basis below zero, such distributions will constitute taxable income to us. Such distributions and constructive distributions normally will be characterized as long-term capital gain.
Depreciation Deductions Available to the Operating Partnerships
To the extent that the Partnerships acquire their hotels in exchange for cash, the initial basis in such hotels for depreciation purposes under the federal income tax laws will be equal to the purchase price paid by the Partnerships.
To the extent that the Partnerships acquire hotels in exchange for common units, the initial basis in each hotel for depreciation purposes under the federal income tax laws should be the same as the transferor’s basis in that hotel on the date of acquisition. Although the law is not entirely clear, the Partnerships generally depreciate such depreciable property for federal income tax purposes over the same remaining useful lives and under the same methods used by the transferors. The Partnerships’ tax depreciation deductions are allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective interests in the Partnerships, except to the extent that the Partnerships are required under the federal income tax laws to use a method for allocating depreciation deductions attributable to the hotels or other contributed properties that results in our receiving a disproportionately large share of such deductions.
Sale of a Partnership’s Property
Generally, any gain realized by us or a Partnership on the sale of property held for more than one year will be long-term capital gain, except for any portion of such gain that is treated as depreciation or cost recovery recapture. Any gain or loss recognized by a Partnership on the disposition of contributed properties will be allocated first to the partners who contributed such properties to the extent of their built-in gain or built-in loss on those properties for federal income tax purposes. The partners’ built-in gain or built-in loss on such contributed properties will equal the difference between the partners’ proportionate share of the book value of those properties and the partners’ tax basis allocable to those properties at the time of the contribution. Any remaining gain or loss recognized by the Partnership on the disposition of the contributed properties, and any gain or loss recognized by the Partnership on the disposition of the other properties, will be allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective percentage interests in the Partnership.
Our share of any gain realized by a Partnership on the sale of any property held by the Partnership as inventory or other property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of the Partnership’s trade or business will be treated as income from a prohibited transaction that is subject to a 100% penalty tax. Such
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prohibited transaction income also may have an adverse effect upon our ability to satisfy the income tests for REIT status. See “Material Federal Income Tax Considerations—Income Tests.” We, however, do not presently intend to acquire or hold or to allow any Partnerships to acquire or hold any property that represents inventory or other property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our or such Partnerships’ trade or business.
State, Local and Foreign Taxes
We and/or you may be subject to state, local and foreign tax in various states, localities and foreign jurisdictions, including those states, localities and foreign jurisdictions, in which we or you transact business, own property, or reside. The state, local and foreign tax treatment in such jurisdictions may differ from the federal income tax treatment described above. Consequently, you should consult your own tax advisor regarding the effect of state, local and foreign tax laws upon your investment in our common stock.
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We or the selling stockholder may sell the securities offered by means of this prospectus to one or more underwriters for public offering and sale by them or may sell such securities to investors directly or through dealers or agents including, without limitation, in “at the market” offerings within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act. Any such underwriter, dealer or agent involved in the offer and sale of such securities will be named in the prospectus supplement relating to the securities.
We or the selling stockholder may offer and sell the securities at: (i) a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, (ii) market prices prevailing at the time of sale, (iii) prices related to the prevailing market prices at the time of sale, (iv) negotiated prices, or (v) in a combination of any of the foregoing pricing methods. We or the selling stockholder may, from time to time, authorize underwriters acting as our agents to offer and sell the securities upon the terms and conditions as are set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. In connection with a sale of the securities offered by means of this prospectus, underwriters may be deemed to have received compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of securities for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.
The selling stockholder may also sell securities under Rule 144 of the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus. In addition, the selling stockholder may transfer the securities in other ways not involving market makers or established markets, including by distribution.
Any underwriting compensation paid to underwriters or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers, will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the offered securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts or commissions received by them and any profit realized by them upon the resale of the offered securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions, under the Securities Act. Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification against and contribution toward certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will describe any indemnification agreement in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, any series of securities issued by us hereunder will be a new issue with no established trading market (other than our common stock, which is currently listed on the NYSE American exchange). If we or the selling stockholder sell any shares of our common stock pursuant to a prospectus supplement, such shares will be listed on the stock exchange on which our common stock is then listed. We may elect to list any other securities issued hereunder on any exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. Any underwriters or agents to or through whom such securities are sold by us or the selling stockholder for public offering and sale may make a market in such securities, but such underwriters or agents will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot assure you as to the liquidity of the trading market for any such securities.
We or the selling stockholder may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions of these contracts and the commissions we or the selling stockholder must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.
We or the selling stockholder may agree to sell the securities to an underwriter for a delayed public offering and we or the selling stockholder may further agree to adjustments before the public offering to the underwriters’ purchase price for the securities based on changes in the market value of the securities. The prospectus
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supplement relating to any such public offering will contain information on the number of securities to be sold, the manner of sale or other distribution and other material facts relating to the public offering.
Certain of the underwriters, dealers or agents and their associates may engage in transactions with and perform services for us or the selling stockholder in the ordinary course of their business for which they receive compensation.
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The legality of the securities being offered by this prospectus is being passed upon for Condor Hospitality Trust by the law firm of McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO. In addition, the description of federal income tax consequences contained in the section of this prospectus entitled “Material Federal Income Tax Considerations” is based on the opinion of McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, PC LLO.
The consolidated financial statements and related financial schedule of Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc. as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, included in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 7, 2017, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The financial statements of CVH Southaven, LLC, EASTVHR HS Round Rock, LLC, VHRMR Tall, LLC, and CVH Lexington, LLC as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for the years then-ended, included in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 7, 2017, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the reports of Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C., independent certified public accountants, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The financial statements of MB Hospitality (EP), LP, MB Hospitality (AUSN), LP, and MB Hospitality (AUSAP), LP as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for the years then-ended, included in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 25, 2017 have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the reports of Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C., independent certified public accountants, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act. You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet worldwide web site that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers like Condor who file electronically with the SEC. The address of the site ishttp://www.sec.gov.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the SEC to register the securities offered hereby under the Securities Act. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement, including certain exhibits and schedules. You may obtain the registration statement and exhibits to the registration statement from the SEC at the address listed above or from the SEC’s internet site.
We maintain a website at www.condorhospitality.com. Information contained on, or accessible through our website is not incorporated by reference into and does not constitute a part of this prospectus or any other report or document we file or furnish with the SEC, any applicable prospectus supplement, or any free writing prospectus that we provide.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus certain information filed with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you directly to certain documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered part of this prospectus and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future documents that we file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (1) after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement and (2) after the date of this prospectus until the offering of the securities is terminated:
• | Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016; |
• | Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017; and |
• | Current Reports on Form 8-K filed January 26, 2017, March 3, 2017, March 7, 2017, March 16, 2017, March 30, 2017, April 3, 2017, April 19, 2017, May 1, 2017, May 12, 2017, May 18, 2017, May 26, 2017, June 21, 2017, June 30, 2017, July 10, 2017, July 19, 2017, August 25, 2017, September 5, 2017 and September 7, 2017; and |
• | Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 4, 2017. |
To the extent applicable, information in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 7, 2017 supersedes the information in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing to or telephoning us at the following address:
Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc.
4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 220
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(402) 371-2520
Attn: Corporate Secretary
To the extent that any information contained in any Current Report on Form 8-K, or any exhibit thereto, was furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, such information or exhibit is specifically not incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
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$50,000,000
CONDOR HOSPITALITY TRUST, INC.
COMMON STOCK
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
KeyBanc Capital Markets
BMO Capital Markets
September 20, 2017