Q3 2024 Apple Hospitality REIT Inc Earnings Call
Greetings and welcome to the Apple Hospitality Reat 3rd Quarter 2021 earnings call. At this time, all participants are an Elison only mode.
A brief question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. Should anyone require operator assistance during the conference please press star zero on your telephone keypad. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Kelly Clarke, Vice President and Vester Relations. Thank you, you may begin.
Kelly Clarke: Thank you and good morning. Welcome to Apple Hospitality Reets 3rd Quarter 2020 for earnings call. Today's call will be based on the earnings release informed 10Q, which we distributed and filed yesterday afternoon.
Before we begin, please note that today's call may include four looking statements as defined by federal security laws.
Kelly Clarke: These four-looking statements are based on current views and assumptions, and as a result are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, and the outcome of future events that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to materially differ from those expressed projected or implied.
Any such forward-looking statements are qualified by the risk factors described in our filings with the SEC, including in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, and speak only as of today.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
In addition, non-GAAP measures of performance will be discussed during this call. Reconciliations of those measures to GAAP measures and definitions of certain items referred to in our remarks are included in yesterday's earnings release and other filings with the SEC.
Kelly Clarke: This morning, Justin Knight, our Chief Executive Officer, and Liz Perkins, our Chief Financial Officer, will provide an overview of our results for the third quarter of 2024 and an operational outlook for the remainder of the year.
Speaker Change: Following the overview, we will open the call for Q&A. At this time, it is my pleasure to turn the call over to Justin.
Justin Knight: Good morning and thank you for joining us today on election day for our third quarter earnings call.
Justin Knight: Travel trends across our portfolio remained relatively stable during the quarter.
Justin Knight: Red Park growth was driven entirely by improvement in rate, with increases in midweek occupancy largely offsetting a slight pullback on weekends.
Justin Knight: As we anticipated at the onset of the year, improvements in business travel continue to be the primary driver of overall growth for our portfolio.
Justin Knight: We have, however, been pleased with the resilience of leisure travel demand in many of our markets.
Justin Knight: Bolstered by recent acquisitions, top-line ADR growth, and moderating expenses, we achieved strong bottom-line performance during the quarter.
Justin Knight: Third quarter adjusted EBITDA RE was $129 million and modified funds from operations was $107 million, up approximately 6% and 3% respectively, compared to the third quarter of 2023.
Justin Knight: Preliminary results for October are strong, and show continued growth, with WebPAR up approximately 4% compared to October 2023.
Justin Knight: Supply-demand dynamics for our business continue to be favorable. At the end of the second quarter, approximately 54% of our hotels did not have any new upper upscale, upscale, or upper mid-scale product under construction within a five-mile radius.
Justin Knight: and actual rooms under construction within the same 5-mile radius decrease 7% year-over-year.
Justin Knight: As I have highlighted on past calls, limited supply growth in our markets materially improves the overall risk profile of our portfolio by both reducing potential downside and enhancing the upside impact from variability in lodging demand.
Justin Knight: Supported by our strong operating performance, we continue to pay an attractive dividend. Based on Friday's closing stock price, our annualized regular monthly cash distribution of 96 cents per share represents an annual yield of approximately 6.5%.
Justin Knight: Evolving market conditions over the past year have provided us with the opportunity to demonstrate our disciplined and strategic approach to capital allocation.
Justin Knight: While the overall transaction market continues to be challenging, we have seen a strengthening private market for smaller rooms focused properties and have been able to optimize our portfolio concentration within select markets through strategic dispositions.
Justin Knight: Proceeds from these sales have been used to reduce debt, fund share repurchases, and acquire hotels with stronger growth profiles and lower near-term CapEx needs.
Justin Knight: Since the beginning of 2024, we have completed the sale of three hotels, the 122-room Hampton Inn and the 126-room Homewood Suites in Rogers, and the 82-room Spring Hill Suites in Greensboro, for a combined sales price of approximately $41 million.
Justin Knight: In addition, we recently entered into contracts with separate parties for the sale of an additional four hotels.
Justin Knight: for a total sales price of approximately $31 million, including our 90-room Courtyard in Wichita, our 97-room Town Place Suites in Knoxville, our 76-room Homewood Suites in Chattanooga, and our 117-room Hilton Garden Inn in Austin North.
Justin Knight: We expect to complete the sales of these hotels over the next several months, assuming all conditions to closing are satisfied.
Justin Knight: While pricing for the individual hotels varies, as a group, the 7 hotels will trade at a sub-7% cap rate, or 12 times EBITDA multiple before CapEx.
Justin Knight: and a 5.3% cap rate or 16 times EBITDA multiple after taking into consideration the estimated average of $30,000 per key in required capital improvements.
Justin Knight: During the quarter, under our share repurchase program, we repurchased approximately 1.4 million common shares at a weighted average market purchase price of approximately $14.02 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $19 million.
Justin Knight: bringing the total shares purchased year-to-date through September to approximately 2.4 million at a weighted average market purchase price of approximately fourteen dollars and sixteen cents per share for an aggregate purchase price of approximately thirty five million dollars
Justin Knight: It is noteworthy that we've been able to purchase shares at around a one-and-a-half-turn spread to recently disclosed dispositions before considering required property improvement plans and over a five-turn EBITDA multiple spread after taking into consideration required capital improvements.
Justin Knight: While much of our focus over the past several months has been on share repurchases, recent acquisitions continue to contribute positively to our overall portfolio performance.
Justin Knight: The seven hotels acquired since June of last year produced an unlevered 9% yield after CapEx on a trailing 12-month basis with continued upside.
Justin Knight: Our recent acquisitions in Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. yielded 10.7% and 8.4% respectively on a trailing 12-month basis through September, and the recently opened Embassy Suites in Madison is ramping well.
Justin Knight: We continue to actively underwrite additional opportunities and are well positioned to act where we can achieve attractive yields relative to other capital allocation opportunities.
Justin Knight: We have one additional hotel under contract for purchase, Amado by Hilton, which is under construction in downtown Nashville for approximately 98 million dollars.
Justin Knight: Similar to the Embassy of Madison, the asset is being developed under a fixed price contract and we anticipate acquiring this hotel upon completion of construction in late 2025.
Speaker Change: Thank you for joining us. We appreciate it.
Justin Knight: Since the onset of the pandemic, we have completed approximately $294 million in hotel sales, with an additional $31 million under contract and expected to close by the end of this year, and have invested $1 billion in new acquisitions, while maintaining the strength of our balance sheet.
Justin Knight: These transactions have further enhanced our already well-positioned portfolio by lowering the average age, lifting overall portfolio performance, helping to manage near-term CapEx needs.
Justin Knight: growing the size of our platform, increasing our exposure to high growth markets, and positioning us to continue to benefit from near-term economic and demographic trends.
Justin Knight: Our recent acquisition and disposition activity along with our share issuance and repurchases highlight our ability to adjust tactical strategy to account for changing market conditions and underscore our long and impressive track record of seizing opportunities at optimal times in the cycle to maximize total returns for our shareholders.
Justin Knight: During the first nine months of the year, we also invested approximately $48 million in capital expenditures, and we expect to spend between $75 and $85 million during 2024, with major renovations at approximately 20 of our hotels.
Justin Knight: These reinvestments in our portfolio are a key component of our overall strategy and ensure that our hotels remain competitive in their respective markets to further drive EBITDA growth.
Justin Knight: Thank you.
Justin Knight: As we approach the end of 2024, we are confident that with our portfolio of high-quality, rooms-focused hotels broadly diversified across markets and demand generators, the strength of our brands, and effectiveness of our management companies,
Justin Knight: The stability and flexibility provided by our balance sheet and the depth and experience of our corporate team We are exceptionally well positioned for the future
Justin Knight: While we do not have perfect visibility into the coming year, current fundamentals for our business are strong. Barring unanticipated macro events, we believe that operating performance should continue to improve, with the greatest opportunity coming through steady growth in midweek occupancy and rate.
Justin Knight: Leisure travel has proven resilient, supporting the observed consumer shift towards experience.
Speaker Change: All right.
Speaker Change: The past several years have provided opportunities for us to demonstrate both the strength and stability of our business and the capabilities of our team.
Justin Knight: I am confident in our ability to produce strong returns for investors over the coming years.
Justin Knight: It is now my pleasure to turn the call over to Liz for additional detail on our balance sheet, financial performance during the quarter, and annual guidance.
Liz Perkins: Thank you, Justin, and good morning. We are pleased to report another strong quarter for our portfolio of hotels, and that we were fortunate to not be adversely impacted by the recent hurricane activity and damage in the Southeast.
Justin Knight: Our hotels in the path of the hurricanes had no material structural damage and remained open, serving their communities and caring for guests and associates. While our hearts go out to all those impacted, they are also warmed by the acts of service, care, and hospitality that were extended by our team members and communities.
Justin Knight: For the quarter, Comparable Hotels' total revenue was $378 million for the third quarter and $1.1 billion year-to-date through September, both up approximately 2% as compared to the same period of 2023.
Justin Knight: With continued strength in leisure demand and additional recovery in business demand, third quarter Comparable Hotels Rep Par was $125, up approximately 1%.
Justin Knight: ADR was $163, up more than 1%, and occupancy was 77%, essentially flat as compared to the third quarter, 2023.
Justin Knight: A strong third quarter brought year-to-date through September Comparable Hotels REVPAR to $122, up more than 1%.
Justin Knight: up approximately 1% and Comparable Hotels ADR to $160 up nearly 1% to the same period of 2023.
Justin Knight: Uninterrupted by holidays or calendar shifts, August was our strongest month during the quarter, with year-over-year Comparable Hotels Red Park growth of more than 3%.
Justin Knight: Based on preliminary results, performance in October was even stronger, with occupancy of approximately 80% and continued improvement in ADR yielding approximately 4% REBPAR growth for the month.
Justin Knight: Looking at day-over-day trends, leisure travel continues to be resilient, with weekend occupancies down less than 1% during the third quarter.
Justin Knight: Weekday occupancy was down in July, driven primarily by disruption around the 4th of July holiday, but up nearly 2% in August and up slightly in September, bringing total weekday occupancy growth to 40 basis points for the quarter.
Justin Knight: With overall occupancy for the quarter essentially flat, Red Park growth was driven entirely by increase in rate.
Justin Knight: Weekend ADR for the quarter was essentially flat year over year while weekday ADR grew just over 1% with July weekday ADR down slightly and August and September weekday ADR up 2.3 and 1.8 percent respectively.
Justin Knight: Weekday absolute ADR continues to lag weekends, representing meaningful upside as midweek demand continues to strengthen, positioning us to move higher rates.
Justin Knight: Same store, room, night, channel mix, quarter over quarter, remained relatively stable with brand.com bookings at 40%.
Justin Knight: OTA bookings and Property Direct at 13% and 24% respectively, and GDS bookings representing 18% of our mix, up slightly to the second quarter.
Justin Knight: Third quarter same-store segmentation was largely consistent with the third quarter of 2023. Bar remained strong at 33%, other discounts represented 29% of our occupancy mix, group was 14%, and the negotiated segment represented 18% of our mix.
Justin Knight: Turning to expenses, Comparable Hotels' total hotel expenses increased year-over-year by 2.7% for the third quarter, decelerating from year-over-year total hotel expense growth of 3.5% in the second quarter and 4.2% in the first quarter.
Justin Knight: The deceleration was driven primarily by a reduction in fixed costs, with same-store property insurance costs down 20% year-over-year in the quarter.
Justin Knight: Total payroll per occupied room for our same store hotels was $40 for the quarter, up 5% to the third quarter 2023, with the most meaningful increases coming in sales and repairs and maintenance payroll, which were up 12% and 8% respectively.
Justin Knight: and with greater holiday disruption in the quarter adversely impacting cost per occupied room.
Justin Knight: Contract labor decreased during the quarter to 8.3% of total wages and was down 200 basis points or 16% versus the same period in 2023. We will continue to work with our management companies to enhance the efficiency of our operations over time.
Justin Knight: We achieved Comparable Hotels Adjusted Hotel EBITDA of approximately $139 million for the quarter and $402 million year to date, essentially flat as compared to the same periods of 2023.
Justin Knight: We are especially pleased with our Comparable Hotels Adjusted Hotel EBITDA Margin of 36.8% for the quarter and 36.7% year-to-date, down only 60 basis points and 90 basis points to the same period of 2023, which has consistently exceeded our expectations.
Justin Knight: Adjusted EBITRE was approximately $129 million for the quarter and $371 million year-to-date, up approximately 6% and 7% to the same period of 2023, respectively.
Justin Knight: MSFO for the quarter was $107 million and year-to-date was $312 million, up 3% and 6% as compared to the same periods of 2023, respectively.
Justin Knight: During the quarter, we paid distributions totaling $58 million, or $0.24 per common share. Together with our Board of Directors, we will continue to monitor our distribution rate and timing relative to the performance of our hotels and other potential uses of capital.
Justin Knight: Thank you.
Justin Knight: In August, we repaid in full one mortgage loan of approximately $20 million, increasing the number of unencumbered hotels in our portfolio to 210.
Justin Knight: At quarter end, our weighted average debt maturities were three years. We had cash on hand of approximately $6 million, availability under a revolving credit facility of approximately $540 million, and approximately 74% of our total debt outstanding was fixed or hedged.
Speaker Change: As Justin mentioned, we were active repurchasing shares in the third quarter, bringing the total shares repurchased year-to-date through September to approximately $2.4 million at a weighted average price of approximately $14.16 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $35 million.
Justin Knight: As of the end of September, we had approximately $301 million remaining under our Share Repurchase Program.
Justin Knight: We have updated our full year outlook for 2024, narrowing and refining the range to account for performance to date, the announced dispositions, and the timing of the Hotel 57 transition.
Justin Knight: At the midpoint, we are decreasing net income by $1 million, decreasing comparable hotels rep part change by just 12.5 basis points.
Justin Knight: increasing comparable hotels adjusted hotel EBITDA margin by 20 basis points and decreasing adjusted EBITDA RE by 1.5 million dollars.
Justin Knight: For the full year 2024, we anticipate the results will be in the following ranges. Net income between $204 million and $221 million.
Justin Knight: Comparable hotels REVPAR change between 0.75% and 2%.
Justin Knight: Comparable Hotels Adjusted Hotel EBITDA Margin between 35.3 and 35.9% and Adjusted EBITDA RA between $458 million and $469 million.
Justin Knight: This outlook is based on our current view and does not take into account any unanticipated developments in our business or changes in the operating environment, nor does it take into account any unannounced hotel acquisitions or dispositions.
Justin Knight: The changes reflect several puts and takes, including modest Red Park growth results in the third quarter, continued outperformance on the bottom line related to decelerating expense growth and the positive impact of the announced dispositions on margins, and a later transition date for Hotel 57.
Justin Knight: These modifications yield less than 1% change to comparable hotels adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA-RE.
Justin Knight: As we near the end of 2024, we are confident we are well positioned for continued strong operating fundamentals and bottom line performance.
Justin Knight: The operating environment is relatively stable with favorable supply and demand dynamics. Our recent capital allocation activity has enabled us to drive incremental value for shareholders, and our balance sheet continues to provide us with meaningful optionality.
Justin Knight: Our differentiated strategy has proven resilient through economic cycles, enabling us to preserve equity value in challenging environments and be uniquely positioned to improve value through opportunistic transactions when market conditions are more constructive.
Justin Knight: Our team works diligently to maximize the performance of our existing portfolio while staying ready to take advantage of market shifts and opportunities to further enhance returns for shareholders.
Justin Knight: That concludes our prepared remarks. We would now be happy to answer any questions you have for us this morning.
Speaker Change: Thank you. We will now be conducting a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star 2 if you would like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys.
Speaker Change: One moment, please, while we pull for questions.
Speaker Change: The first question is from Dory Keston from Wells Fargo. Please go ahead.
Dory Keston: Thanks, good morning. You highlighted a disconnect between business transient and leisure rates from their historic trends. Can you give us an update on where that spread is now, I guess versus history, and then where you believe that trend line is going?
Speaker Change: The gap continues to shrink both as a combination of slight pullback and weekend rates as we've mentioned, but more so as we start to see weekday continue to improve. Relative to 2019, year-to-date, our
Speaker Change: weekday ADR is up about 6% and that's, you know, shoulder nights included but up about 6% and then weekend still relative to 2019 is up about 18 so you can see that there's still a meaningful gap there to capitalize on as we move forward and continue to see business transient improve.
Speaker Change: Okay and then with October refs are up 4% I guess what is what's been assumed for November and December to get to the Q4 midpoint? We're just trying to figure out the swing between your assumptions around the election versus holiday travel.
Speaker Change: You know, when we look at November and our booking position, certainly we expect, you know, a softer week this week as people get out and vote. But as we look ahead at the rest of the month, we are seeing positive booking trends for November. So overall for November, not quite as much.
Justin Knight: as we are projecting in December. But, you know, still for both November and December at this point, based on booking position and current trends, projecting some rep bar growth.
Speaker Change: Okay and then just last question, how would you expect 2025 expense growth to compare to what's implied in your current 24 guidance?
Speaker Change: We're still super early in the process of budgeting with our management companies. That said, you know, I think absent a meaningful change in the environment, our sense is that current trends are likely to continue into the coming year.
Speaker Change: Okay, thank you.
Justin Knight: Here.
Justin Knight: The next question is from Austin Werschmidt from KeyBank Capital Markets. Please go ahead.
Austin Werschmidt: Hey, good morning everybody. So Justin, you highlighted towards the end of your prepared remarks that operating performance should continue to improve. I guess what are you most excited about turning the calendar into 2025 and what do you think changes?
Austin Werschmidt: you know, heading into next year, you know, that could look different, I guess, than how, you know, this year's played out.
Justin Knight: Similar to what I said in my prepared remarks, I think we continue to be pleased with the resilience of leisure travel.
Justin Knight: I think, looking across our portfolio, certainly performance varies by market, and we have seen pullback in some markets, but overall, the trend has continued to be favorable. And with that as a backdrop, we continue to build occupancy midweek, which positions us to continue to grow rates.
Justin Knight: were in a better position than we have been to begin to mix-manage in ways that will more dramatically move right mid-week. And I think when we think about a bull case for
Justin Knight: for the coming year. It continues to be really business travel related.
Justin Knight: with continued return to office, continued improvements in demand matched with, as I highlighted, a really favorable supply outlook positioning us to really take advantage of incremental growth on the demand side.
Speaker Change: You've talked a lot about the mixed-manage opportunity, Midweek. I guess, how far away are you from an occupancy perspective to really being able to, you know...
Speaker Change: Press the lever I guess on mix managing and really getting kind of rate growth You know moving
Speaker Change: Thank you. Thank you.
Speaker Change: It's interesting, as we look at blended midweek occupancy across months, part of the challenge we've had has been around
Speaker Change: holidays and more meaningful disruption around holidays.
Speaker Change: When we...
Speaker Change: you know, control for those and look solely at.
Justin Knight: at weeks that are unaffected by major holidays or calendar shifts.
Justin Knight: We're getting there in terms of an ability to more meaningfully move rate. I think as we turn the corner into next year, you know, assuming things continue as we've seen them as we round up this year, our expectation is that we're in a position now from an occupancy standpoint to begin to more meaningfully move the needle in that area.
Justin Knight: And Austin, you saw a little bit of that as we moved from sort of the occupancy ADR dynamic in Q2 to Q3. I think that our team really looked back at our mix between occupancy and rate growth in Q2 and really refocused around
Justin Knight: where we had some mixed management opportunity and started to capitalize on that. And I think continuing to focus there and build off of that momentum, we should be able to continue to mix manage based on occupancy levels moving forward as well.
Speaker Change: That's helpful. And then just last one, just, I guess, Justin, if we do kind of remain in this little, you know, slower Rev Park growth environment.
Speaker Change: maybe, you know, with mixed directions, I guess, on the direction of the economy. Is the decision to repurchase additional shares, is that just predicated on the ability to sell some of the slower-growth non-core assets at an attractive spread to where the stock's trading? Like, can you kind of just walk us through the latest thinking on buybacks and...
Speaker Change: To the extent the environment remains very similar heading into next year.
Speaker Change: Certainly. You know, I think I highlighted in my prepared remarks, we've been very pleased with our ability to positively execute.
Speaker Change: on the trade between asset sales and share acquisitions.
Speaker Change: I think looking back across the quarter certainly we're protective of our balance sheet and
Speaker Change: an ability to create liquidity through asset sales and to redeploy into share repurchases, especially given how we've traded recently.
Justin Knight: continues to be attractive to us. Certainly, we look to optimize the redeployment of that capital and are continually in market looking at potential acquisitions opportunities as well. And then I highlighted in my prepared remarks the really strong performance of recent acquisitions and we'll continue to look at both and deploy capital where we have confidence we can create the highest returns.
Speaker Change: Great, thank you.
Speaker Change: The next question is from Tyler Bahori from Oppenheimer & Company. Please go ahead.
Tyler Bahori: Good morning everyone, so I just want to follow up on the midweek.
Tyler Bahori: and mixed discussion. That's something that's important that a lot of investors are focused on. Can you give a little bit more numbers around, you know, how much room there is?
Tyler Bahori: for Occupancy Growth Midweek. I'm not sure if you can talk about kind of where you are now versus where you were.
Tyler Bahori: pre-COVID or where you'd ideally really, really like to be. And there's definitely a mix shift here where, you know, occupancy is growing midweek.
Tyler Bahori: It's offsetting some weakness, it sounds like, on the weekend. Do you think that continues going forward in terms of that makeshift? And what are the implications there as occupancy is moving around a little bit in terms of your ADR?
Speaker Change: A couple questions there. I'll start with the opportunity, you know, midweek or our peak travel day is Monday through Wednesday relative to 2019. You know, depending on the day, we still, year to date, looking through October, you know, we still have...
Tyler Bahori: you know, anywhere from, you know,
Tyler Bahori: 300 to 750 basis points of opportunity, or percent in opportunity, so still some room on the occupancy side.
Speaker Change: I think that there has been a mix shift and we've seen it as we have continued to rebuild business transient occupancy midweek.
Speaker Change: and trading that from a higher rated leisure traveler. And I think when you look at our rolled up results, that's put some pressure on our ADR growth. That said, as I mentioned a little bit earlier in response to Austin's question, we are starting to gain some traction where we have the higher occupancy levels.
Speaker Change: and really, you know, ensuring that we're pricing-based business appropriately and looking at, you know, where we can drive incremental rates. So we're starting to see some benefit there. And so I think that the sort of negative mix shift
Speaker Change: you know, impact, you know, will continue to decline over time.
Speaker Change: Thank you. And then a market specific question on Nashville.
Speaker Change: It was one of the software markets for you in the quarter, I think a software market year to date. You have the underdevelopment assets that's going to be coming online later in 2025. I know there's a decent amount of supply in Nashville. Just talk about your perspective on that market, how you're underwriting, how you're thinking about that pending acquisition as well.
Speaker Change: We continue to be very positive on the new development for a couple of reasons. One, I think our view on Nashville continues to be positive. Certainly the market has been absorbing.
Speaker Change: you know, a bit of new supply recently. Looking at performance during the quarter, there was also a slightly weaker event calendar that played into performance during the quarter.
Speaker Change: see performance of mottos as they open, we continue to feel really good about our underwriting for that asset specifically and for that brand.
Speaker Change: And you know part of our year-to-date and quarter-to-date performance in Nashville is also driven by our suburb concentration in Franklin that had some group business year over year. So I think in the pocket where we're developing the motto certainly from a demand perspective you know we continue to feel optimistic there.
Speaker Change: And we've had some sales turnover this year in the Nashville market So I think there's some upside there as we sort of get our get our footing back from a sales representation standpoint
Speaker Change: Very helpful. That's all from me. Thank you.
Speaker Change: Thank you.
Speaker Change: Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Thank you.
Speaker Change: The next question is from Jade Kornreich from Redbush Securities. Please go ahead.
Jade Kornreich: Thank you. Good morning.
Jade Kornreich: Can you talk about what you're seeing in the overall transaction marketplace? I guess with, you know, the volatility and interest rates, has it slowed down or are there opportunities still coming up that you're assessing and I guess just based on where your stock is trading and funding considerations, how do you think about your current interest and acquisitions?
Speaker Change: It's interesting, certainly there has been some volatility in the debt markets recently.
Speaker Change: We continue to be very active in underwriting deals. So in terms of total deals available and the volume there, there are ample opportunities for us to proceed.
Speaker Change: reluctant to adjust pricing for assets.
Speaker Change: As we've demonstrated over the past several months, that's made our shares more attractive on a relative basis. I think looking at the total transaction market, there continue to be fewer transactions than we would ordinarily anticipate in a market like this.
Speaker Change: and the bulk of the activity we've seen has been around
Speaker Change: smaller, lower total purchase price assets where in our experience we've been able to create more of a competitive bidding environment especially with local owner-operators.
Speaker Change: Zooming out, there continues to be significant interest in the space.
Speaker Change: but the bid-ask spread is wide. And I think absent a meaningful shift in operating performance for the assets and or.
Speaker Change: cost the capital for the potential buyers, we'll continue to see lower transaction volume through the end of the year.
Speaker Change: All right, thank you for that. And then just one follow-up. I also wanted to ask about the group component of your business, which I recognize is only 14% of demand. I'm curious if you're seeing any changes with that segment and if you if you have any read into how bookings are looking for next year relative to this time last year.
Speaker Change: Thank you.
Speaker Change: It's a good question. Our group acts a little bit differently than I think the industry at large talks about it from a larger group convention standpoint. We don't typically see our group...
Speaker Change: book as far out. So, we don't have a clear picture as to how that looks today, you know, versus same time last year for next year. We just don't see that much booking ahead of time. We, it's a shorter booking window. That said,
Speaker Change: our group business has consistently performed well. Since the onset of the pandemic, our percentage of group really hasn't fluctuated much. And so I think we have no reason to believe, based on both current trends and what we've seen over the past couple of years,
Speaker Change: we have no reason to believe that it wouldn't continue to be strong. And tends to be a mix between both small corporate group and Smurfer or leisure oriented group.
Speaker Change: Okay, appreciate it. Thanks, that's it for me.
Speaker Change: Thank you.
Speaker Change: The next question is from Michael Bellisario from Baird. Please go ahead.
Michael Bellisario: Thanks. Good morning, everyone.
Michael Bellisario: Morning.
Michael Bellisario: I just want to go back to the topic for Liz, just on the booking window and some of your visibility.
Michael Bellisario: Can you maybe unpack all the calendar shifts in 3Q, 4Q? Which way is the booking window moving? And then are you seeing any change in cancellations or rebooking activity occur?
Speaker Change: A lot of good questions there. I'd say, you know, if you sort of strip back some of the calendar shifts,
Speaker Change: I think average daily bookings remain positive, so we certainly remain encouraged by that.
Speaker Change: From a booking pattern perspective, you know, we have seen a slight shift as you've seen, you know, some occupancy trade from leisure to business transient, you know,
Speaker Change: come from more shorter term bookings, but even our leisure typically is shorter, you know, relatively shorter term, meaning most still comes in the month for the month. And so it might impact.
Speaker Change: for the week bookings with business transient, but nothing material. Beyond that, from a cancellation rate perspective,
Speaker Change: It's a little bit noisy with the storms in September, you know, we certainly probably had some impact from short-term cancellations in September, but overall as we've monitored cancellations throughout the year, you know, no material change in cancellation rate either.
Speaker Change: the wage growth rate at all.
Speaker Change: It's a good question. You know, I think
Speaker Change: Payroll preoccupied room for the third quarter. There was some opportunity with sort of changes in near-term bookings
Speaker Change: on a cost-per-occupied-room basis, meaning we have to stay on top of scheduling relative to forecasting. And so that's something our team works with.
Speaker Change: The management companies closely on is evaluating booking position relative to their internal forecast.
Speaker Change: to try to make sure, you know, we're flexing where appropriate and we're staffed where appropriate. And so, you know, as things shift, there's, you know, additional dynamics at play that the teams need to adjust for. And I think having, you know, an incremental week impacted by 4th of July sort of
Speaker Change: you know, maybe slightly more impact around Labor Day and then some of the shifts with potential cancellations around the hurricanes and storms. You know, I do think that that impacted our Q3 numbers slightly.
Speaker Change: Understood. And then just last one for me, for Justin, on capital allocation.
Speaker Change: turned the clock back a year ago, you were pretty aggressive on the buy side.
Speaker Change: Acquisition-wise, when the stock was higher, maybe push you a little bit here on the flip side. Why not be more aggressive on the sell side? I know you're selling four hotels, but smaller dollars. And if you can capture a turn-and-a-half spread, which I think is wider than the spread you captured.
Speaker Change: on the buy side, maybe why not move more aggressively on the sell side with assets? Thank you.
Speaker Change: I think that's a great question and I'll say two things. One,
Speaker Change: We're not buying exactly the same thing. So while I've been clear about our going in cap rates on the acquisitions and our recent performance, certainly our expectations are that these acquisitions will have stronger growth rates than our portfolio average. But then on the flip side,
Speaker Change: The reality is that the market has really only recently opened
Speaker Change: in a way that has enabled us to dispose of assets in a meaningful way.
Speaker Change: to the extent it stays open as it recently has been, you'll see us be much more aggressive selling assets and redeploying capital. I think, and we've highlighted this several times, our intent is to maintain the strength of our balance sheet.
Speaker Change: So, we're mindful of how and when we deploy capital and the incremental risk and required returns as we increase overall leverage in an environment where we can make a trade.
Speaker Change: of assets at a spread to the investment. That's an easy trade for us to make and I think moves the needle over time in terms of total returns we're able to provide shareholders.
Speaker Change: And then just one follow-up there, any portfolio premium emerging on the sell side or is it still all ones and twos?
Speaker Change: No way.
Speaker Change: Yeah, at this point, there's still not a portfolio premium to be had. I highlighted, in response to one of the earlier questions,
Speaker Change: and some of my prepared remarks.
Speaker Change: where we're able to create the most competitive buying environment is with local owner-operators.
Speaker Change: and really that's around individual assets or, you know, a pair of assets that are co-located.
Speaker Change: for the foreseeable future. We anticipate that to be the case, but certainly I think have demonstrated our ability to pivot and make adjustments to our tactical strategy in response to changing market conditions.
Speaker Change: All helpful. Thank you.
Speaker Change: Thank you.
Speaker Change: The next question is from Chris Darling from Green Street. Please go ahead.
Chris Darling: Thanks, good morning. Justin, is there any update you can provide on the land parcel you have out in Vegas and to the extent you're interested in developing is that something you would consider pursuing on balance sheet or would you more likely structure a deal maybe with a partner of some sort?
Justin Knight: So we continue to explore the opportunity there, and I've had extensive conversations with brands around opportunities as well as...
Justin Knight: with a potential developer. I hope that in the near term we will have an announcement to make there.
Speaker Change: I think it's worth highlighting that underwriting new construction, even in an environment where we own land, can be challenging. And I think in response to that,
Speaker Change: to the second part of your question, while we are not adamantly opposed to construction on balance sheet, we do have a strong...
Speaker Change: preference.
Speaker Change: to develop as we have done to date through fixed-price contracts with third-party developers. And we're fortunate to have worked with a number of groups who have capacity to perform in a market like Vegas and deliver at attractive pricing quality products. So that continues to be the most likely direction for that particular.
Speaker Change: development.
Speaker Change: Okay, that's helpful. And then maybe, you know, to the latter half of your answer there, I'd be curious, just on the development front, in terms of some of those takeout transactions that you've structured, what does the pipeline look like today? And, you know, would we potentially expect to see you enter more of those contracts over the next, you know, months and quarters?
Speaker Change: Um
Speaker Change: So we continue to be active in looking at a little bit less than a handful of potential developments that would be attractive to us.
Speaker Change: potentially. The reality is, and I highlighted in my prepared remarks and it's worth repeating, supply in our markets continues to be muted. You know with 54% of our markets
Speaker Change: to pencil deals, and I think that has limited our focus.
Speaker Change: to higher REBPAR markets where we can justify the higher construction costs and still achieve our return thresholds. Vegas happens to be a market where we have now first-hand experience with the Spring Hill Suites.
Speaker Change: I'm at a market that continues to perform very well and one in which I think over time we would like to increase our exposure. There are a handful of other markets that we feel similarly bullish about in terms of the opportunity to enter with new technology.
Speaker Change: newly constructed assets.
Speaker Change: But by and large, I think you will continue to see our focus where we have a cost of capital to justify acquisitions being around existing assets. I think we've demonstrated an ability to...
Speaker Change: to transact in ways that generate.
Speaker Change: attractive returns for investors in that area, certainly have, I believe, unparalleled capacity from a renovation standpoint, which really broadens the scope of what we can look at, and I think a significant portion of our forward pipeline.
Speaker Change: over the next several years will continue to be existing assets.
Speaker Change: All right. I appreciate the time. That's all for me.
Speaker Change: Absolutely
Speaker Change: As a reminder, to ask a question, please press star 1.
Speaker Change: The next question is from Flores Van Dyckum from Compass Point. Please go ahead.
Speaker Change: Hi, good morning. It's Ken Billingsley for Flores. Just expense questions. Your CapEx is listed at $75.85 for the year, so that leaves quite a bit in the fourth quarter, given where we are. My question is, how much is left to do and is some of that going to get pushed into $25, and are you looking for the same type of CapEx budget for next year?
Speaker Change: Good question. As we sit here today, we're in a similar position that we typically are in as we go into the fourth quarter from a total spend to anticipated spend perspective.
Speaker Change: Most of our renovations begin in the fourth quarter, some of which can, you know,
Speaker Change: fall over into the first quarter of the following year, so this year for 25.
Speaker Change: No reason, and we didn't update our full year guide as we do anticipate that we will be spending quite a bit relative to our renovations that are beginning now as we finish out the year. As we look at 2025, it's still early, as Justin mentioned, related to another expense question. We're in the midst of budgeting for next year, both from
Speaker Change: You know a property level perspective, but also capex perspective You know though if things continue much as they are we would anticipate you know our typical run rate of capex barring any changes
Speaker Change: okay and and then a question on the insurance given you said it was down 20% given where those have been priced over the last year or so can you talk about like what may be bringing that down it's something unique in your your mix or portfolio
Speaker Change: relative to the renewal that we had in April you know we did restructure the program a little bit trying to drive incremental capacity and that did yield some rate reductions year over year which were favorable you know also in the quarter we had a tougher or I guess I should say an easier comp year over year related to uninsured loss expense so premiums were down meaningfully in the quarter and have been since since April that said we also have had good loss experience this year so it's a combination of both
Speaker Change: Great, thank you.
Speaker Change: This concludes the question and answer session. I would like to turn the floor back over to Justin Knight for closing comments.
Justin Knight: We appreciate you making time for us this morning. If you haven't done so already, we would encourage you to get out and vote. And as always, as you travel,
Justin Knight: Please take the opportunity to stay with us at one of our hotels.
Speaker Change: at the upcoming conference in Vegas in a few weeks, and hope you have a wonderful day.
Speaker Change: This concludes today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.
Speaker Change: [music]