Chatham Lodging Trust announces 3rd Quarter 2023 results: September/October RevPAR exceeds 2019
Adjusted FFO per share beats estimates.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. – Chatham Lodging Trust, a lodging real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in upscale, extended-stay hotels and premium-branded, select-service hotels, announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023.
Third Quarter 2023 Operating Results
Portfolio Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) – Decreased 2.6 percent to $147 compared to 2022 third quarter RevPAR of $151. Average daily rate (ADR) declined 1.3 percent to $184, and occupancy lessened 1.2 percent to 80 percent for the 39 hotels owned as of September 30, 2023. The Courtyard Charleston/Summerville was under renovation during the quarter and adversely impacted RevPAR by 30 basis points.
– RevPAR of $147 compared to $149 in 2019. ADR was up 5 percent to 2019.
– Excluding the five tech-driven hotels in Silicon Valley and Bellevue, Wash., RevPAR improved 3 percent versus last year and 7 percent versus the 2019 third quarter.
Net Income – Earned net income of $7.5 million compared to net income of $12.4 million in the 2022 third quarter. Net income per diluted common share was $0.11 versus $0.21 during the 2022 third quarter.
Hotel EBITDA Margin – Generated margins of 37.9 percent in the 2023 third quarter compared to 2022 third quarter margins of 43.6 percent. Excluding the five tech-driven hotels, hotel EBITDA margins were 37.0 percent in the 2023 third quarter versus 40.0 percent last year.
Adjusted EBITDA – Declined $4.5 million to $30.6 million from $35.1 million in the 2022 third quarter.
Adjusted FFO – Produced adjusted FFO of $20.2 million in the 2023 third quarter versus adjusted FFO of $25.2 million last year. Adjusted FFO per diluted share was $0.40, compared to $0.50 in the 2022 third quarter.
Debt Repayments and Issuance – Repaid in full $60 million of maturing mortgage debt secured by the Hyatt Place Pittsburgh, Penn., and the Residence Inn Bellevue, Wash. Also during the quarter, Chatham issued $83 million of fixed-rate debt through five separate loans.
The following chart summarizes the consolidated financial results for the three- and nine-months ended September 30, 2023, and 2022, based on all properties owned during those periods ($ in millions, except margin percentages and per share data):
Three Months Ended
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
September 30,
2023
2022
2023
2022
Net income
$7.5
$12.4
$11.8
$12.0
Diluted net income per common share
$0.11
$0.21
$0.11
$0.12
GOP Margin
44.9%
50.1%
44.7%
46.9%
Hotel EBITDA Margin
37.9%
43.6%
37.1%
39.5%
Adjusted EBITDA
$30.6
$35.1
$80.2
$79.4
AFFO
$20.2
$25.2
$49.8
$49.4
AFFO per diluted share
$0.40
$0.50
$0.99
$0.98
Dividends per common share
$0.07
$0.00
$0.21
$0.00
Jeffrey H. Fisher, Chatham’s president and chief executive officer, highlighted, “We were pleased to beat consensus estimates for the third quarter. It was an unusual quarter for us given the loss of 2022 intern related room revenue and operating profit of approximately $8 million and $5 million, respectively, as tech companies earlier this year significantly cut expenses amid massive layoffs, hiring freezes and cost cutting initiatives. More recently, these same tech companies have announced plans to increase hiring and make substantial investments in artificial intelligence, chip manufacturing and product development.
“Despite that meaningful year-over-year loss, portfolio occupancy and ADR were each only down 1 percent versus last year, which is encouraging and implies that underlying business travel trends are continuing to strengthen. For example, once we got past the intern heavy months of July and August, versus 2019, September and October RevPAR for our entire portfolio grew 4 percent and less than 1 percent, respectively.
“Also during the quarter, we continued to make meaningful progress on our upcoming debt maturities, issuing $83 million of debt and repaying maturing debt of $60 million. At this point, with available cash and borrowing capacity under our unsecured credit facility, we can repay all debt due through 2025. Our net debt to hotel investment ratio of 25 percent is the lowest level in a decade, and we are well positioned to acquire or develop hotels or make other hotel investments,” Fisher concluded.
Hotel RevPAR Performance
The below chart summarizes key hotel financial statistics for the hotels owned as of September 30, 2023, compared to the 2022 and 2019 third quarter:
Q3 2023 RevPAR
Q3 2022 RevPAR
Q3 2019 RevPAR
Occupancy
80%
81%
85%
ADR
$184
$187
$175
RevPAR
$147
$151
$149
The below chart summarizes RevPAR statistics by month for the company’s hotels:
July
August
September
October
Occupancy – 2023
81%
79%
79%
78%
ADR – 2023
$188
$180
$185
$187
RevPAR – 2023
$153
$142
$145
$147
RevPAR – 2022
$157
$146
$148
$145
% Change in RevPAR vs. prior year
(3)%
(3)%
(2)%
2%
% Change in RevPAR vs. 2019
(3)%
(5)%
4%
<1%
Fisher commented, “Relative to 2019, excluding 2022 intern revenue, September and October weekday RevPAR improved to its highest levels since the pandemic, further evidence that business travel is accelerating across the country. Weekend RevPAR remains strong, and it too is at its highest levels compared to 2019 levels since the pandemic.”
RevPAR performance for Chatham’s largest markets comprise 68 percent of trailing twelve-month hotel EBITDA (based on EBITDA contribution over the last twelve months) is presented below:
% OF LTM EBITDA
Q3 2023 RevPAR
Change vs. Q3 2022
Q3 2022 RevPAR
Q3 2019 RevPAR
39 – Hotel Portfolio
$147
(3)%
$151
$149
Silicon Valley
13%
$137
(25)%
$182
$205
Coastal Northeast
10%
$253
(1)%
$257
$225
Los Angeles
9%
$181
1%
$179
$174
Washington, D.C.
8%
$144
8%
$134
$152
Greater New York
7%
$178
7%
$166
$153
San Diego
6%
$206
(1)%
$207
$185
Austin
6%
$115
(11)%
$129
$125
Dallas
5%
“Excluding our Silicon Valley, Austin and Seattle markets, four of our remaining six top markets produced year-over-year RevPAR growth, and all but Washington, D.C. generated RevPAR over 2019. It should be noted that Washington, D.C. RevPAR growth has been robust over the past few months” stated Dennis Craven, Chatham’s chief operating officer. “With respect to the replacement of our lost intern business, on our first quarter earnings call, we estimated that demand was sufficient to make up 50 to 75 percent of the loss in Silicon Valley and Seattle. In fact, we made up 52 percent of the lost revenue and 75 percent of the rooms sold. Excluding the intern impact, September demand was up 10 percent. Importantly, in a clean comp month, October RevPAR at these five hotels was up 11 percent over last year with occupancy of approximately 72 percent.”
Approximately 61 percent of Chatham’s hotel EBITDA over the last twelve months was generated from its extended-stay hotels, the highest concentration of extended-stay rooms of any public lodging REIT.
Hotel Operations Performance
The below chart summarizes key hotel operating performance measures for the three months ended September 30, 2023, 2022 and 2019.
Craven remarked, “Hotel EBITDA margins declined approximately 570 basis points in the quarter, and the loss of intern business in the five primarily tech-driven hotels adversely impacted portfolio hotel EBITDA margin performance by approximately 270 basis points. Operating margins at those five hotels were 64 percent last year versus 50 percent this year and were 62 percent in the 2019 third quarter.
“We have absorbed significant pay increases since 2019, but the good news is that wage pressures seem to be subsiding as we head towards 2024. At the 34 comparable hotels excluding Silicon Valley and Bellevue, wage and benefits costs adversely impacted margins by approximately 140 basis points. Other adverse impacts on margins were caused by increased maintenance expenses (40 basis points), commissions (40 basis points), complimentary food and beverage costs (20 basis points) and insurancecosts (20 basis points).”
Hotel Investments
During the 2023 third quarter, the company incurred capital expenditures of $5.8 million. Chatham’s 2023 capital expenditure budget is approximately $30.6 million. The renovation of the Courtyard by Marriott Charleston Summerville, S.C., was completed during the third quarter. The renovations of the Hilton Garden Inn Marina Del Rey, Calif., Homewood Suites San Antonio, Texas, and Hyatt Place Denver Cherry Creek, Colo., will commence during the 2023 fourth quarter.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.