RLJ Lodging Trust Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Results

Announces 60% increase in quarterly dividend to $0.08 per common share

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE: RLJ) yesterday reported results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2022.

Fourth Quarter Highlights

• Portfolio comparable RevPAR of $127.25
• Revenue of $302.2 million
• Net income attributable to common shareholders of $0.3 million
• Net income per diluted share attributable to common shareholders of $0.00
• Adjusted EBITDA of $79.0 million
• Adjusted FFO per diluted common share and unit of $0.33
• Addressed all 2023 debt maturities
• Launched The Mills House Hotel, a Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton in Charleston, South Carolina, Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach, a Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton in Oxnard, California and The Pierside Hotel in Santa Monica, California
• Repurchased 0.7 million common shares at an average price per share of $10.66

Full Year Highlights

• Portfolio comparable RevPAR of $129.61
• Revenue of $1.2 billion
• Net income attributable to common shareholders of $16.8 million
• Net income per diluted share attributable to common shareholders of $0.10
• Adjusted EBITDA of $336.5 million
• Adjusted FFO per diluted common share and unit of $1.36
• Acquired 21c Hotel Nashville for $59.0 million and sold two non-core hotels for gross proceeds of $49.9 million
• Exited all COVID-related restrictions on corporate debt facilities
• Repurchased 4.9 million common shares for $57.6 million at an average price per share of $11.75
• Maintained $1.1 billion of liquidity, including $481.3 million of unrestricted cash and undrawn revolver

“We were pleased that the strengthening lodging fundamentals we saw throughout last year, especially in Urban markets, carried into the fourth quarter,” commented Leslie D. Hale, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Relative to this improving backdrop, we successfully executed on our key initiatives, including capturing the recovery in Urban markets, launching all three of our conversions and entering the growth market of Nashville. We achieved these priorities while strengthening our balance sheet and returning capital to our shareholders through thoughtful share repurchases and dividend raises, including our most recent dividend raise of 60% beginning with this quarter. While the current environment remains uncertain, the continuing improvement in business travel, group booking momentum and the ongoing recovery in Urban leisure gives us confidence that Urban markets will continue to outperform the industry on a relative basis this year, which will benefit our Urban-centric portfolio.”

Operational Update

During the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company’s portfolio generated Comparable RevPAR of $127.25, achieving 94% of the comparable period in 2019. Comparable occupancy for the fourth quarter of 2022 recovered to 89% of 2019 levels while comparable ADR achieved 105% of 2019 levels. During the fourth quarter, the Company's portfolio benefitted from growth in urban markets and sustained pricing power led by continuing recovery of business travel and strong group activity. Leisure trends remained healthy and performed in line with normal seasonality.

Acquisitions

In 2022, the Company acquired the 21c Hotel Nashville, a 124-room boutique lifestyle hotel in downtown Nashville for $59.0 million, or approximately $476,000 per key. The property was converted to a hotel in 2017, following the transformational conversion of the historic Gray & Dudley Building.

Conversions

The Company has successfully launched its three hotel conversions of The Mills House Hotel, a Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton in Charleston, South Carolina, Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach, a Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton in Oxnard, California and The Pierside Hotel, an independently branded lifestyle property located in Santa Monica, California. All three conversions are anticipated to outperform the Company's original underwriting and demonstrate the ability of the Company to unlock significant embedded value in the portfolio.

Share Repurchases

During 2022, the Company repurchased 4.9 million shares for $57.6 million, at an average price per share of $11.75, which included approximately 0.7 million common shares for $7.6 million at an average price per share of $10.66 during the fourth quarter. Since January 2023, the Company has repurchased $0.5 million of shares at an average price per share of $10.49. The Company's share buyback program currently has approximately $191.9 million of remaining capacity.

Balance Sheet

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had approximately $1.1 billion of total liquidity, comprising approximately $481.3 million of unrestricted cash and $600.0 million available under its revolving credit facility ("Revolver"), and $2.2 billion of debt outstanding.

In November 2022, the Company amended its term loan facility to increase it from $100.0 million to $200.0 million and extend its maturity to January 2026, with two one year extension options. The incremental $100.0 million of proceeds were funded in two tranches, with $5.0 million funded at closing in November 2022 and $95.0 million funded through a delayed draw feature in early 2023 that was used to repay $94.0 million maturing term loans in January 2023.

In January 2023, the Company exercised its option to extend the maturities of approximately $225.0 million of term loans to 2024.

Dividends

The Company’s Board of Trustees recently declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.05 per common share of beneficial interest of the Company in the fourth quarter. The dividend was paid on January 17, 2023 to shareholders of record as of December 31, 2022.

The Company’s Board of Trustees also declared an increase in its quarterly cash dividend to $0.08 per common share of beneficial interest of the Company for the first quarter of 2023, which represents a 60% increase from the prior quarter dividend. The dividend will be paid on April 17, 2023 to shareholders of record as of March 31, 2023.

The Company's Board of Trustees declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.4875 on the Company’s Series A Preferred Shares in the fourth quarter. The dividend was paid on January 31, 2023 to shareholders of record as of December 31, 2022.

The Company's Board of Trustees recently declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.4875 on the Company’s Series A Preferred Shares for the first quarter of 2023. The dividend will be paid on April 28, 2023 to shareholders of record as of March 31, 2023.

2023 Outlook

The Company's first quarter outlook includes all hotels owned as of February 27, 2023.

Potential future acquisitions, dispositions, financings, or share repurchases are not incorporated into the Company's outlook below and could result in a material change to the Company's outlook.

RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns primarily premium-branded, rooms-oriented, high-margin, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The Company's portfolio currently consists of 96 hotels with approximately 21,200 rooms, located in 23 states and the District of Columbia and an ownership interest in one unconsolidated hotel with 171 rooms.

Forward Looking Statements

This information contains certain statements, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to the Company’s business plans, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, that are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the use of the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “will continue,” “intend,” “should,” “may,” or similar expressions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, beliefs and expectations, such forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events or guarantees of future performance and our actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The Company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements and urges investors to carefully review the disclosures the Company makes concerning risks and uncertainties in the sections entitled “Risk Factors,” “Forward- Looking Statements,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which will be filed on February 28, 2023, as well as risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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RLJ Lodging Trust

Non-GAAP and Accounting Commentary

Non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“Non-GAAP”) Financial Measures

The Company considers the following non-GAAP financial measures useful to investors as key supplemental measures of its performance: (1) FFO, (2) Adjusted FFO, (3) EBITDA, (4) EBITDAre, (5) Adjusted EBITDA, (6) Hotel EBITDA, and (7) Hotel EBITDA Margin. These Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered along with, but not as alternatives to, net income or loss as a measure of its operating performance. FFO, Adjusted FFO, EBITDA, EBITDAre, Adjusted EBITDA, Hotel EBITDA, and Hotel EBITDA Margin as calculated by the Company may not be comparable to other companies that do not define such terms exactly as the Company defines such terms.

Funds From Operations (“FFO”)

The Company calculates Funds from Operations ("FFO") in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or NAREIT, which defines FFO as net income or loss (calculated in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains or losses from sales of real estate, impairment, the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles, plus depreciation and amortization, and adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Historical cost accounting for real estate assets implicitly assumes that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time. Since real estate values have instead historically risen or fallen with market conditions, most real estate industry investors consider FFO to be helpful in evaluating a real estate company’s operations. The Company believes that the presentation of FFO provides useful information to investors regarding the Company’s operating performance and can facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), even though FFO does not represent an amount that accrues directly to common shareholders.

The Company’s calculation of FFO may not be comparable to measures calculated by other companies who do not use the NAREIT definition of FFO or do not calculate FFO per diluted share in accordance with NAREIT guidance. Additionally, FFO may not be helpful when comparing the Company to non-REITs. The Company presents FFO attributable to common shareholders, which includes unitholders of limited partnership interest (“OP units”) in RLJ Lodging Trust, L.P., the Company’s operating partnership, because the OP units are redeemable for common shares of the Company. The Company believes it is meaningful for the investor to understand FFO attributable to all common shares and OP units.

EBITDA and EBITDAre

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization ("EBITDA") is defined as net income or loss excluding: (1) interest expense; (2) income tax benefit or expense; and (3) depreciation and amortization expense. The Company considers EBITDA useful to an investor in evaluating and facilitating comparisons of its operating performance between periods and between REITs by removing the impact of its capital structure (primarily interest expense) and asset base (primarily depreciation and amortization) from its operating results. In addition, EBITDA is used as one measure in determining the value of hotel acquisitions and dispositions.

In addition to EBITDA, the Company presents EBITDAre in accordance with NAREIT guidelines, which defines EBITDAre as net income or loss (calculated in accordance with GAAP) excluding interest expense, income tax benefit or expense, depreciation and amortization expense, gains or losses from sales of real estate, impairment, and adjustments for unconsolidated joint ventures. The Company believes that the presentation of EBITDAre provides useful information to investors regarding the Company's operating performance and can facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between REITs.

Adjustments to FFO and EBITDA

The Company adjusts FFO, EBITDA, and EBITDAre for certain items that the Company considers outside the normal course of operations. The Company believes that Adjusted FFO, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDAre provide useful supplemental information to investors regarding its ongoing operating performance that, when considered with net income or loss, FFO, EBITDA, and EBITDAre, are beneficial to an investor’s understanding of the Company's operating performance. The Company adjusts FFO, EBITDA, and EBITDAre for the following items:

• Transaction Costs: The Company excludes transaction costs expensed during the period
• Pre-Opening Costs: The Company excludes certain costs related to pre-opening of hotels
• Non-Cash Expenses: The Company excludes the effect of certain non-cash items such as the amortization of share-based compensation, non-cash income tax expense or benefit, and non-cash interest expense related to discontinued interest rate hedges
• Other Non-Operational Expenses: The Company excludes the effect of certain non-operational expenses representing income and expenses outside the normal course of operations

Hotel EBITDA and Hotel EBITDA Margin

With respect to Consolidated Hotel EBITDA, the Company believes that excluding the effect of corporate-level expenses and certain non-cash items provides a more complete understanding of the operating results over which individual hotels and operators have direct control. The Company believes property-level results provide investors with supplemental information about the ongoing operational performance of the Company’s hotels and the effectiveness of third-party management companies.

Comparable Hotel EBITDA and Comparable Hotel EBITDA Margin include prior ownership information provided by the sellers of the hotels for periods prior to our acquisition of the hotels and excludes results from sold hotels as applicable. The following is a summary of Comparable hotel adjustments:

Comparable adjustments: Acquired hotels

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, Comparable adjustments included the following acquired hotels:

• Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Midtown acquired in August 2021
• AC Hotel Boston Downtown acquired in October 2021
• Moxy Denver Cherry Creek acquired in December 2021
• 21c Hotel Nashville acquired in July 2022

Comparable adjustments: Sold hotels

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, Comparable adjustments included the following sold hotels:

• Courtyard Houston Sugarland sold in January 2021
• Residence Inn Chicago Naperville sold in May 2021
• Residence Inn Indianapolis Fishers sold in May 2021
• Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago Southeast Hammond sold in July 2021
• Residence Inn Chicago Southeast Hammond sold in August 2021
• Courtyard Chicago Southeast Hammond sold in August 2021
• Embassy Suites Secaucus-Meadowlands ground lease expired in October 2021
• DoubleTree Hotel Metropolitan New York City sold in December 2021
• Marriott Denver Airport at Gateway Park sold in March 2022
• SpringHill Suites Denver North Westminster sold in April 2022