COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

As discussed in Note 8 to the financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company’s qualified retirement plan incurred increased lump-sum distributions during 2013, partially due to the transfer of a large number of the retirement plan participants to Marriott in connection with the REIT conversion, which resulted in an increase in the number of participants eligible for distributions. In 2013, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) notified the Company that due to a purported cessation of management operations at the Company as a result of the management transition to Marriott, the Company may be required to take certain actions regarding the plan, including possibly accelerating funding or providing security for future plan liabilities. The Company responded to the PBGC, stating the reasons that it does not believe that the Company’s REIT conversion represents a cessation of management operations, and contesting any liability vigorously. The Company does not currently believe that any of the measures proposed by the PBGC are required or warranted. The staff of the PBGC has indicated that it disagrees with the Company’s position. In addition, legislation has been introduced in Congress that would impose a moratorium on PBGC actions to enforce this type of asserted liability. At this time, the Company believes that possible outcomes include a dispute and protracted litigation, a settlement requiring the Company to prefund future plan obligations and/or establish a letter of credit or provide other security to satisfy future obligations, or legislation being adopted that would impose a moratorium on PBGC actions to enforce this type of asserted liability or otherwise repeal or limit the applicability of the existing legislation on which the PBGC assertion is based.

The Company is self-insured up to a stop loss for certain losses related to workers’ compensation claims and general liability claims through September 30, 2012, and for certain losses related to employee medical benefits through December 31, 2012. The Company’s insurance program subsequently transitioned to a low or no deductible program. The Company has purchased stop-loss coverage in order to limit its exposure to any significant levels of claims relating to workers’ compensation, employee medical benefits and general liability for which it is self-insured.

The Company has entered into employment agreements with certain officers, which provide for severance payments upon certain events, including certain terminations in connection with a change of control.

The Company, in the ordinary course of business, is involved in certain legal actions and claims on a variety of matters. It is the opinion of management that such legal actions will not have a material effect on the results of operations, financial condition or liquidity of the Company.