Leases

Taxable REIT Subsidiaries Leases

We lease substantially all of our hotels to a wholly owned subsidiary that qualifies as a taxable REIT subsidiary due to federal income tax restrictions on a REIT’s ability to derive revenue directly from the operation and management of a hotel.

Vornado Lease

On July 30, 2012, we leased the retail and signage components of the New York Marriott Marquis to Vornado Realty Trust (“Vornado”). Vornado will redevelop and expand the existing retail space and a portion of the parking garage into a high-end retail space, as well as create a 25,000 square foot, block front, LED signage. The lease has a 20-year term and, over the term of the lease, each party has options that, if exercised, would result in ownership of the retail space being conveyed to Vornado at a price based on the future cash flow of the leased property. Minimum rental revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. The future minimum rental revenue under the non-cancelable lease is $12.5 million on an annual basis. Percentage rent is accrued when the specified income targets have been met.

Ground Leases

As of December 31, 2014, all or a portion of 35 of our hotels are subject to ground leases, generally with multiple renewal options, all of which are accounted for as operating leases. For lease agreements with scheduled rent increases, we recognize the lease expense ratably over the term of the lease. Certain of these leases contain provisions for the payment of contingent rentals based on a percentage of sales in excess of stipulated amounts.

Hospitality Properties Trust

We owned a leasehold interest in 53 Courtyard by Marriott hotels, which were sold to Hospitality Properties Trust (“HPT”) and leased back to us in 1995. In connection with our conversion to a REIT, we entered into subleases with a subsidiary of Barceló Crestline Corporation (“Barceló”) for these properties and Barceló guaranteed rent payments to HPT as part of the sublease. We terminated the subleases effective July 6, 2010 and resumed acting as owner under the management agreements. Effective upon termination of the subleases, we recorded the operations of the hotels as opposed to rental income. We terminated the lease effective December 31, 2012. At the expiration of the lease in 2012, HPT paid us deferred proceeds related to the initial sale of approximately $51 million. Approximately $11 million related to tenant collections accounts and $5 million for working capital were received in 2013.

Other Lease Information

We also have leases on facilities used in our former restaurant business, all of which we subsequently subleased. These leases and subleases contain one or more renewal options, generally for five or ten-year periods. The restaurant leases are accounted for as operating leases. Our contingent liability related to these leases is $13 million as of December 31, 2014. However, management considers the likelihood of any material funding related to these leases to be remote. Our leasing activity also includes those entered into by our hotels for various types of equipment, such as computer equipment, vehicles and telephone systems. Equipment leases are accounted for either as operating or capital leases, depending on the characteristics of the particular lease arrangement. Equipment leases that are characterized as capital leases are classified as furniture and equipment and are depreciated over the life of the lease. The amortization expense applicable to capitalized leases is included in depreciation expense.

The following table presents the future minimum annual rental commitments required under non-cancelable leases for which we are the lessee (in millions):

	As of December 31, 2014
	Capital		Operating
	Leases		Leases
2015	$	1	$	46
2016		—		44
2017		—		44
2018		—		42
2019		—		40
Thereafter		—		1,572
Total minimum lease payments	$	1	$	1,788

Minimum payments for the operating leases have not been reduced by aggregate minimum sublease rentals from restaurants of approximately $10 million per year that are payable to us under non-cancelable subleases.

Rent expense is included in other property-level expenses on our consolidated statements of operations and consists of (in millions):

	Year ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Minimum rentals on operating leases	$	48		$	50		$	117
Additional rentals based on sales		32			32			31
Rental payments based on real estate tax assessments		—			24			23
Less: sublease rentals		(3	)		(3	)		(3	)
	$	77		$	103		$	168