Hyatt Reports Second-Quarter 2018 Results

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (“Hyatt” or the “Company”) (NYSE: H) today reported second-quarter 2018 financial results. Net income attributable to Hyatt was $77 million, or $0.66 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2018, compared to $103 million, or $0.81 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2017. Adjusted net income attributable to Hyatt was $84 million, or $0.72 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2018, compared to $65 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2017. Refer to the table on page 4 of the schedules for a summary of special items impacting Adjusted net income and Adjusted earnings per share in the three months ended June 30, 2018.

Mark S. Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, said, “Strong second-quarter results demonstrate continued upward momentum in our management and franchising business, underpinned by 4.0% comparable system-wide RevPAR growth and 7.4% net rooms growth. Management and franchise fees grew approximately 13% in the quarter on a constant-currency basis, fueling the evolution of our earnings to be increasingly fee-driven.”

Second quarter of 2018 financial highlights as compared to the second quarter of 2017 are as follows:

• Net income decreased 24.6% to $77 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA decreased 2.7% to $218 million, down 3.1% in constant currency.
• Comparable system-wide RevPAR increased 4.0%, including an increase of 4.1% at comparable owned and leased hotels. Excluding the impact of Easter holiday timing, comparable system-wide and comparable owned and leased RevPAR increased 3.7%.
• Comparable U.S. hotel RevPAR increased 3.4%; full service and select service hotel RevPAR increased 4.0% and 2.1%, respectively. Excluding the impact of Easter holiday timing, comparable U.S. hotel RevPAR increased 3.0%; full service and select service U.S. hotel RevPAR increased 3.4% and 2.1%, respectively.
• Net rooms growth was 7.4%.
• Comparable owned and leased hotel operating margin increased 160 basis points to 27.2%.
• Adjusted EBITDA margin of 34.2% increased 280 basis points in constant currency.

Mr. Hoplamazian continued, “Disciplined execution of our long-term growth strategy continues to drive strong operating results and new hotel openings, sustaining solid earnings growth and meaningful shareholder capital returns as we pivot to an asset-lighter business model. Based on current booking trends, we expect a solid finish to 2018 and have raised our guidance accordingly.”

Second quarter of 2018 financial results as compared to the second quarter of 2017 are as follows:

Management, Franchise and Other Fees

Management, franchise and other fees increased 9.6% (8.9% in constant currency) to $142 million, driven by improved performance at existing hotels, new hotels added to the system, and hotel conversions from owned to managed. Base management fees increased 13.5% to $59 million and incentive management fees increased 12.3% to $38 million. Franchise fees increased 15.4% to $35 million. Other fees decreased 23.9% to $10 million, reflecting a $5 million conversion fee for a hotel that converted to a franchise in the second quarter of 2017.

Americas Management and Franchising Segment

Americas management and franchising segment Adjusted EBITDA increased 4.2% (4.3% in constant currency). RevPAR for comparable Americas full service hotels increased 4.0%; occupancy increased 70 basis points and ADR increased 3.1%. RevPAR for comparable Americas select service hotels increased 2.6%; occupancy increased 40 basis points and ADR increased 2.2%. Revenue from management, franchise and other fees increased 2.6% (2.8% in constant currency).

Transient rooms revenue at comparable U.S. full service hotels increased 1.6%; room nights decreased 2.3% and ADR increased 4.0%. Group rooms revenue at comparable U.S. full service hotels increased 4.9%; room nights increased 1.8% and ADR increased 3.1%.

Americas net rooms increased 6.3% compared to the second quarter of 2017.

Southeast Asia, Greater China, Australia, South Korea, Japan and Micronesia (ASPAC) Management and Franchising Segment

ASPAC management and franchising segment Adjusted EBITDA increased 6.6% (1.8% in constant currency). RevPAR for comparable ASPAC full service hotels increased 4.2%, driven by increased occupancy across the region, most notably in Greater China. Occupancy increased 220 basis points and ADR increased 1.1%. Revenue from management, franchise and other fees increased 11.7% (7.8% in constant currency).

ASPAC net rooms increased 8.8% compared to the second quarter of 2017.

Europe, Africa, Middle East and Southwest Asia (EAME/SW Asia) Management and Franchising Segment

EAME/SW Asia management and franchising segment Adjusted EBITDA increased 50.3% (48.4% in constant currency). RevPAR for comparable EAME/SW Asia full service hotels increased 6.5%, driven primarily by Russia, Switzerland, and France. Occupancy increased 230 basis points and ADR increased 2.9%. Revenue from management, franchise and other fees increased 20.6% (19.8% in constant currency).

EAME/SW Asia net rooms increased 11.9% compared to the second quarter of 2017.

Owned and Leased Hotels Segment

Total owned and leased hotels segment Adjusted EBITDA decreased 12.1% (12.2% in constant currency) including a 3.4% decrease in pro rata share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures Adjusted EBITDA. The decrease in segment Adjusted EBITDA was driven by transaction activity in 2017 and 2018. Refer to the table on page 17 of the schedules for a detailed list of portfolio changes and the year-over-year net impact to total owned and leased hotels segment Adjusted EBITDA.

Owned and leased hotels segment revenues decreased 15.8% (16.4% in constant currency). RevPAR for comparable owned and leased hotels increased 4.1%. Occupancy increased 100 basis points and ADR increased 2.8%.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and other Adjusted EBITDA increased 7.4% (consistent in constant currency).

Corporate and other revenues increased 21.0% (consistent in constant currency), primarily driven by the acquisition of Exhale Enterprises, Inc. (“exhale”) in August 2017.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general, and administrative expenses decreased 8.0%, inclusive of rabbi trust impact and stock- based compensation. Adjusted selling, general, and administrative expenses decreased 5.9%, primarily due to marketing initiatives completed during 2017. Refer to the table on page 10 of the schedules for a reconciliation of selling, general, and administrative expenses to Adjusted selling, general, and administrative expenses.

OPENINGS AND FUTURE EXPANSION

Seventeen hotels (or 4,686 rooms) were added in the second quarter of 2018. The Company’s net rooms increased 7.4%, compared to the second quarter of 2017. The Company is on pace to add approximately 60 hotels in the 2018 fiscal year.

As of June 30, 2018, the Company had executed management or franchise contracts for approximately 340 hotels, or approximately 73,000 rooms, consistent with expectations at the end of the first quarter. This represents development pipeline growth of approximately 10%, compared to the second quarter of 2017.

SHARE REPURCHASE / DIVIDEND

During the second quarter of 2018, the Company repurchased a total of 6,505,807 shares for approximately $513 million, consisting of 4,078,807 shares of Class A common stock and 2,427,000 shares of Class B common stock. The Company ended the second quarter with 43,489,266 Class A and 68,069,643 Class B shares issued and outstanding. Year to date through June 30, 2018, the Company repurchased approximately $588 million of common stock, excluding $20 million in the first quarter of 2018 related to the settlement of the November 2017 accelerated share repurchase plan.

From July 1 through July 27, 2018, the Company repurchased 237,408 shares of Class A common stock for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $19 million. As of July 27, 2018, the Company had approximately $257 million remaining under its share repurchase authorization.

The Company’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.15 per share for the third quarter of 2018. The dividend is payable on September 20, 2018 to Class A and Class B stockholders of record as of September 6, 2018.

CAPITAL STRATEGY UPDATE

There were no material transactions in the second quarter of 2018. However, subsequent to the end of the quarter, the Company completed the following transaction:

• On July 19, 2018, the Company acquired the 693-room Hyatt Regency Phoenix, Arizona for approximately $140 million. Hyatt previously operated the hotel under a management agreement due to expire in December 2020. The acquisition was part of the Company’s ongoing asset recycling program.

The Company remains on track to successfully execute plans to sell approximately $1.5 billion of real estate by the end of 2020 as part of its capital strategy. To date, the Company has sold approximately $1.1 billion of real estate under the program.

BALANCE SHEET / OTHER ITEMS

As of June 30, 2018, the Company reported the following:

• Total debt of $1,440 million.
• Pro rata share of unconsolidated hospitality venture debt of approximately $560 million, substantially all of which is non-recourse to Hyatt and a portion of which Hyatt guarantees pursuant to separate agreements.
• Cash and cash equivalents, including investments in highly-rated money market funds and similar investments, of $628 million, short-term restricted cash of $254 million and short-term investments of $154 million.
• Undrawn borrowing availability of $1.5 billion under Hyatt’s revolving credit facility.

2018 OUTLOOK

The Company is revising the following information for the 2018 fiscal year:

• Net income is expected to be approximately $508 million to $550 million, compared to previous expectation of $495 million to $553 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be approximately $775 million to $785 million, compared to previous expectation of approximately $765 million to $785 million. These estimates include a favorable impact from foreign currency of approximately $0 to $5 million, compared to previous expectation of $5 million to $10 million. Refer to the table on page 3 of the schedules for a reconciliation of Net Income Forecast to Adjusted EBITDA Forecast.
• Comparable system-wide RevPAR is expected to increase approximately 3.0% to 4.0% compared to previous expectation of 2.0% to 3.5%.
• The Company expects to return approximately $800 million to shareholders, compared to a previous expectation of at least $700 million, through a combination of share repurchases and cash dividends on its common stock.

The Company is reaffirming the following information for the 2018 fiscal year:

• Adjusted selling, general, and administrative expenses are expected to be approximately $300 million, consistent with previous guidance. This excludes approximately $32 million of stock-based compensation expense, which reflects a $2 million to $3 million decrease from the Company’s previous expectation, and any potential expenses related to benefit programs funded through rabbi trusts.
• Depreciation and amortization expense is expected to be approximately $320 million to $324 million.
• Interest expense is expected to be approximately $76 million.
• Other income (loss), net is expected to be negatively impacted by approximately $65 million to $75 million related to performance guarantee expense for the four managed hotels in France.
• The effective tax rate is expected to be approximately 27% to 29%.
• The Company expects to grow net rooms by approximately 6.5% to 7.0%. The number of hotel openings remains at approximately 60.
• Capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $375 million.

No additional disposition or acquisition activity beyond what has been completed as of the date of this release has been included in the outlook. The Company’s outlook is based on a number of assumptions that are subject to change and many of which are outside the control of the Company. If actual results vary from these assumptions, the Company’s expectations may change. There can be no assurance that Hyatt will achieve these results.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

The Company will hold an investor conference call tomorrow, August 1, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. CT. All interested persons may listen to a simultaneous webcast of the conference call, which may be accessed through the Company’s website at investors.hyatt.com, or by dialing 647.689.4468 or 833.238.7946, passcode #8544936, approximately 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available from 1:30 p.m. CT on August 1, 2018 through August 2, 2018 at midnight by dialing 416.621.4642, passcode #8544936. Additionally, an archive of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website for 90 days.

AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ON HYATT’S WEBSITE

Investors and others should note that Hyatt routinely announces material information to investors and the marketplace using U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, press releases, public conference calls, webcasts and the Hyatt Investor Relations website. While not all of the information that the Company posts to the Hyatt Investor Relations website is of a material nature, some information could be deemed to be material. Accordingly, the Company encourages investors, the media, and others interested in Hyatt to review the information that it shares at the Investor Relations link located at the bottom of the page on hyatt.com. Users may automatically receive email alerts and other information about the Company when enrolling an email address by visiting “Sign up for Email Alerts” in the “Investor Resources” section of Hyatt’s website at investors.hyatt.com.

DEFINITIONS

Adjusted Earnings Before Interest Expense, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (Adjusted EBITDA) and EBITDA

We use the terms Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA throughout this earnings release. Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA, as the Company defines them, are non-GAAP measures. We define consolidated Adjusted EBITDA as net income attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation plus its pro rata share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures Adjusted EBITDA based on its ownership percentage of each venture, adjusted to exclude the following items:

• interest expense;
• provision for income taxes;
• depreciation and amortization;
• amortization of management and franchise agreement assets constituting payments to customers (Contra revenue);
• revenues for the reimbursement of costs incurred on behalf of managed and franchised properties;
• costs incurred on behalf of managed and franchised properties;
• equity earnings (losses) from unconsolidated hospitality ventures;
• stock-based compensation expense;
• gains (losses) on sales of real estate;
• asset impairments; and
• other income (loss), net

Effective January 1, 2018, we made two modifications to our definition of Adjusted EBITDA with the implementation of ASU 2014-09 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Our definition has been updated to exclude Contra revenue which was previously recognized as amortization expense. As this is strictly a matter of financial presentation, we have excluded Contra revenue in order to be consistent with our prior treatment and to reflect the way in which we manage our business. We have also excluded revenues for the reimbursement of costs incurred on behalf of managed and franchised properties and costs incurred on behalf of managed and franchised properties. These revenues and costs previously netted to zero within Adjusted EBITDA. Under ASU 2014-09, the recognition of certain revenue differs from the recognition of related costs, creating timing differences that would otherwise impact Adjusted EBITDA. We have not changed our management of these revenues or expenses, nor do we consider these timing differences to be reflective of our core operations. These changes reflect how our management evaluates each segment’s performance and also facilitate comparison with our competitors. We have applied this change to 2017 historical results to allow for comparability between the periods presented.

We calculate consolidated Adjusted EBITDA by adding the Adjusted EBITDA of each of our reportable segments and eliminations to corporate and other Adjusted EBITDA. Our board of directors and executive management team focus on Adjusted EBITDA as a key performance and compensation measure both on a segment and on a consolidated basis. Adjusted EBITDA assists us in comparing our performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis because it removes from our operating results the impact of items that do not reflect our core operations both on a segment and on a consolidated basis. Our president and chief executive officer, who is our chief operating decision maker, also evaluates the performance of each of our reportable segments and determines how to allocate resources to those segments, in significant part, by assessing the Adjusted EBITDA of each segment. In addition, the compensation committee of our board of directors determines the annual variable compensation for certain members of our management based in part on consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, segment Adjusted EBITDA or some combination of both. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it provides investors the same information that the Company uses internally for purposes of assessing operating performance and making compensation decisions.

Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA are not substitutes for net income attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation, net income, or any other measure prescribed by GAAP. There are limitations to using non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA. Although we believe that Adjusted EBITDA can make an evaluation of our operating performance more consistent because it removes items that do not reflect our core operations, other companies in our industry may define Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do. As a result, it may be difficult to use Adjusted EBITDA or similarly named non-GAAP measures that other companies may use to compare the performance of those companies to our performance. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a measure of the income generated by our business. Our management compensates for these limitations by reference to its GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA supplementally.

Adjusted EBITDA Margin

We define Adjusted EBITDA margin as Adjusted EBITDA divided by total revenues excluding Contra revenue and revenues for the reimbursement of costs incurred on behalf of managed and franchised properties. We believe Adjusted EBITDA margin is useful to investors because it provides investors the same information that the Company uses internally for purposes of assessing operating performance.

Adjusted Net Income

Adjusted net income, as we define it, is a non-GAAP measure. We define Adjusted net income as net income attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation excluding special items, which are those items deemed not to be reflective of ongoing operations. We consider Adjusted net income to be an indicator of operating performance because excluding special items allows for period-over-period comparisons of our ongoing operations.

Adjusted net income is not a substitute for net income attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation, net income, or any other measure prescribed by GAAP. There are limitations to using non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted net income. Although we believe that Adjusted net income can make an evaluation of our operating performance more consistent because it removes special items that are deemed not to be reflective of ongoing operations, other companies in our industry may define Adjusted net income differently than we do. As a result, it may be difficult to use Adjusted net income or similarly named non-GAAP measures that other companies may use to compare the performance of those companies to our performance. Because of these limitations, Adjusted net income should not be considered as a measure of the income generated by our business. Our management compensates for these limitations by reference to its GAAP results and using Adjusted net income supplementally.

Adjusted Selling, General, and Administrative (SG&A) Expenses

Adjusted SG&A expenses, as we define it, is a non-GAAP measure. Adjusted SG&A expenses exclude the impact of expenses related to deferred compensation plans funded through rabbi trusts and stock-based compensation expense. Adjusted SG&A expenses assist us in comparing our performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis because it removes from our operating results the impact of items that do not reflect our core operations, both on a segment and consolidated basis.

Comparable Owned and Leased Hotels Operating Margin

We define comparable owned and leased hotels operating margin as the difference between comparable owned and leased hotels revenues and comparable owned and leased hotels expenses. Comparable owned and leased hotels revenues is calculated by removing non-comparable hotels revenues from owned and leased hotels revenues as reported in our condensed consolidated statements of income. Comparable owned and leased hotels expenses is calculated by removing both non-comparable owned and leased hotels expenses and the impact of expenses funded through rabbi trusts from owned and leased hotels expenses as reported in our condensed consolidated statements of income. We believe comparable owned and leased hotels operating margin is useful to investors because it provides investors the same information that the Company uses internally for purposes of assessing operating performance.

Comparable Hotels

“Comparable system-wide hotels” represents all properties we manage or franchise (including owned and leased properties) and that are operated for the entirety of the periods being compared and that have not sustained substantial damage, business interruption or undergone large scale renovations during the periods being compared or for which comparable results are not available. We may use variations of comparable system-wide hotels to specifically refer to comparable system-wide Americas full service or select service hotels for those properties that we manage or franchise within the Americas management and franchising segment, comparable system-wide ASPAC full service or select service hotels for those properties that we manage or franchise within the ASPAC management and franchising segment, or comparable system-wide EAME/SW Asia full service or select service hotels for those properties that we manage or franchise within the EAME/SW Asia management and franchising segment. “Comparable owned and leased hotels” represents all properties we own or lease and that are operated and consolidated for the entirety of the periods being compared and have not sustained substantial damage, business interruption or undergone large scale renovations during the periods being compared or for which comparable results are not available. Comparable system-wide hotels and comparable owned and leased hotels are commonly used as a basis of measurement in our industry. “Non-comparable system-wide hotels” or “non-comparable owned and leased hotels” represent all hotels that do not meet the respective definition of “comparable” as defined above.

Constant Dollar Currency

We report the results of our operations both on an as reported basis, as well as on a constant dollar basis. Constant dollar currency, which is a non-GAAP measure, excludes the effects of movements in foreign currency exchange rates between comparative periods. We believe constant dollar analysis provides valuable information regarding our results as it removes currency fluctuations from our operating results. We calculate constant dollar currency by restating prior-period local currency financial results at the current period’s exchange rates. These adjusted amounts are then compared to our current period reported amounts to provide operationally driven variances in our results.

Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR)

RevPAR is the product of the average daily rate (ADR) and the average daily occupancy percentage. RevPAR does not include non-room revenues, which consist of ancillary revenues generated by a hotel property, such as food and beverage, parking, and other guest service revenues. Our management uses RevPAR to identify trend information with respect to room revenues from comparable properties and to evaluate hotel performance on a regional and segment basis. RevPAR is a commonly used performance measure in our industry. RevPAR changes that are driven predominantly by changes in occupancy have different implications for overall revenue levels and incremental profitability than do changes that are driven predominantly by changes in average room rates. For example, increases in occupancy at a hotel would lead to increases in room revenues and additional variable operating costs (including housekeeping services, utilities and room amenity costs), and could also result in increased ancillary revenues (including food and beverage). In contrast, changes in average room rates typically have a greater impact on margins and profitability as there is no substantial effect on variable costs.

Average Daily Rate (ADR)

ADR represents hotel room revenues, divided by the total number of rooms sold in a given period. ADR measures average room price attained by a hotel and ADR trends provide useful information concerning the pricing environment and the nature of the customer base of a hotel or group of hotels. ADR is a commonly used performance measure in our industry, and we use ADR to assess the pricing levels that we are able to generate by customer group, as changes in rates have a different effect on overall revenues and incremental profitability than changes in occupancy, as described above.

Occupancy

Occupancy represents the total number of rooms sold divided by the total number of rooms available at a hotel or group of hotels. Occupancy measures the utilization of a hotel’s available capacity. We use occupancy to gauge demand at a specific hotel or group of hotels in a given period. Occupancy levels also help us determine achievable ADR levels as demand for hotel rooms increases or decreases.