Business and Property Management Agreements with RMR LLC

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Real Estate [Abstract]

Business and Property Management Agreements with RMR LLC

Note 8. Business and Property Management Agreements with RMR LLC

We have no employees. The personnel and various services we require to operate our business are provided to us by RMR LLC. We have two agreements with RMR LLC to provide management services to us: (1) a business management agreement, which relates to our business generally, and (2) a property management agreement, which currently relates to our property level operations of our net lease portfolio, excluding properties leased to TA, and the office building component of one of our hotels. See Note 9 for further information regarding our relationship, agreements and transactions with RMR LLC.

Management Agreements with RMR LLC. Our management agreements with RMR LLC provide for an annual base management fee, an annual incentive management fee and property management and construction supervision fees, payable in cash, among other terms:

• Base Management Fee. The annual base management fee payable to RMR LLC by us for each applicable period is equal to the lesser of:

◦ the sum of (a) 0.7% of the average aggregate historical cost of our real estate investments up to $250,000, plus (b) 0.5% of the average aggregate historical cost of our real estate investments exceeding $250,000; and

◦ the sum of (a) 0.7% of the average closing price per share of our common shares on the stock exchange on which such shares are principally traded, during such period, multiplied by the average number of our common shares outstanding during such period, plus the daily weighted average of the aggregate liquidation preference of each class of our preferred shares outstanding during such period, plus the daily weighted average of the aggregate principal amount of our consolidated indebtedness during such period, or, together, our Average Market Capitalization, up to $250,000, plus (b) 0.5% of our Average Market Capitalization exceeding $250,000.

The average aggregate historical cost of our real estate investments includes our consolidated assets invested, directly or indirectly, in equity interests in or loans secured by real estate and personal property owned in connection with such real estate (including acquisition related costs and costs which may be allocated to intangibles or are unallocated), all before reserves for depreciation, amortization, impairment charges or bad debts or other similar non-cash reserves.

• Incentive Management Fee. The incentive management fee which may be earned by RMR LLC for an annual period is calculated as follows:

◦ An amount, subject to a cap based on the value of our common shares outstanding, equal to 12% of the product of:

- our equity market capitalization on the last trading day of the year immediately prior to the relevant three year measurement period, and

- the amount (expressed as a percentage) by which the total return per share, as defined in the business management agreement and further described below, of our common shareholders (i.e., share price appreciation plus dividends) exceeds the total shareholder return of the SNL U.S. REIT Hotel Index, or the benchmark return per share, for the relevant measurement period.

For purposes of the total return per share of our common shareholders, share price appreciation for a measurement period is determined by subtracting (1) the closing price of our common shares on Nasdaq on the last trading day of the year immediately before the first year of the applicable measurement period, or the initial share price, from (2) the average closing price of our common shares on the 10 consecutive trading days having the highest average closing prices during the final 30 trading days in the last year of the measurement period.

◦ The calculation of the incentive management fee (including the determinations of our equity market capitalization, initial share price and the total return per share of our common shareholders) is subject to adjustments if additional common shares are issued, or if we repurchase our common shares during the measurement period.

◦ No incentive management fee is payable by us unless our total return per share during the measurement period is positive.

◦ The measurement periods are three year periods ending with the year for which the incentive management fee is being calculated.

◦ If our total return per share exceeds 12% per year in any measurement period, the benchmark return per share is adjusted to be the lesser of the total shareholder return of the SNL U.S. REIT Hotel Index for such measurement period and 12% per year, or the adjusted benchmark return per share. In instances where the adjusted benchmark return per share applies, the incentive management fee will be reduced if our total return per share is between 200 basis points and 500 basis points below the SNL U.S. REIT Hotel Index by a low return factor, as defined in the business management agreement, and there will be no incentive management fee paid if, in these instances, our total return per share is more than 500 basis points below the SNL U.S. REIT Hotel Index.

◦ The incentive management fee is subject to a cap. The cap is equal to the value of the number of our common shares which would, after issuance, represent 1.5% of the number of our common shares then outstanding multiplied by the average closing price of our common shares during the 10 consecutive trading days having the highest average closing prices during the final 30 trading days of the relevant measurement period.

◦ Incentive management fees we paid to RMR LLC for any period may be subject to “clawback” if our financial statements for that period are restated due to material non-compliance with any financial reporting requirements under the securities laws as a result of the bad faith, fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence of RMR LLC and the amount of the incentive management fee we paid was greater than the amount we would have paid based on the restated financial statements.

Pursuant to our business management agreement with RMR LLC, we recognized net business management fees of $41,607, $39,942 and $40,694 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The net business management fees we recognized are included in general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income for these periods. The net business management fees we recognized for each of the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 reflect a reduction of $3,585 for each of those years for the amortization of the liability we recorded in connection with our prior investment in RMR Inc., as further described in Note 9.

Pursuant to our business management agreement, in January 2019 and 2018, we paid RMR LLC an incentive management fee of $53,635 and $74,753 for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. We did not incur an incentive management fee payable to RMR LLC for the year ended December 31, 2019. In calculating the incentive management fee payable by us, our total shareholder return per share was adjusted in accordance with the business management agreement to reflect aggregate net increases in the number of our common shares outstanding as a result of certain share issuances and repurchases by us during the three year measurement period. In addition, the calculation of our benchmark return per share was also adjusted for these issuances and repurchases in accordance with the business management agreement.

• Property Management and Construction Supervision Fees. The property management fees payable to RMR LLC by us for each applicable period are equal to 3.0% of gross collected rents and the construction supervision fees payable to RMR LLC by us for each applicable period are equal to 5.0% of construction costs for our net lease portfolio, excluding properties leased to TA, and the office building component of one of our hotels that are subject to our property management agreement with RMR LLC.

Pursuant to our property management agreement with RMR LLC, we recognized aggregate property management and construction supervision fees of $1,399, $64 and $45 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. These amounts are included in hotel operating expenses in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

• Expense Reimbursement. We are generally responsible for all of our operating expenses, including certain expenses incurred by RMR LLC on our behalf. We are generally not responsible for payment of RMR LLC’s employment, office or administrative expenses incurred to provide management services to us, except for the employment and related expenses of RMR LLC employees assigned to work exclusively or partly at our net lease properties (excluding properties leased to TA), and the office building component of one of our hotels, our share of the wages, benefits and other related costs of RMR LLC’s centralized accounting personnel, our share of RMR LLC’s costs for providing our internal audit function, and as otherwise agreed. Our Audit Committee appoints our Director of Internal Audit and our Compensation Committee approves the costs of our internal audit function. Our property level operating expenses are generally incorporated into rents charged to our tenants, including certain payroll and related costs incurred by RMR LLC. We reimbursed RMR LLC $620, $399 and $482 for these expenses and costs for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. We included these amounts in other operating expenses and selling, general and administrative expense, as applicable, for these periods.

• Term. Our management agreements with RMR LLC have terms that end on December 31, 2039, and automatically extend on December 31st of each year for an additional year, so that the terms of our management agreements thereafter end on the 20th anniversary of the date of the extension.

• Termination Rights. We have the right to terminate one or both of our management agreements with RMR LLC: (i) at any time on 60 days’ written notice for convenience, (ii) immediately on written notice for cause, as defined therein, (iii) on written notice given within 60 days after the end of an applicable calendar year for a performance reason, as defined therein, and (iv) by written notice during the 12 months following a change of control of RMR LLC, as defined therein. RMR LLC has the right to terminate the management agreements for good reason, as defined therein.

• Termination Fee. If we terminate one or both of our management agreements with RMR LLC for convenience, or if RMR LLC terminates one or both of our management agreements for good reason, we have agreed to pay RMR LLC a termination fee in an amount equal to the sum of the present values of the monthly future fees, as defined therein, for the terminated management agreement(s) for the term that was remaining prior to such termination, which, depending on the time of termination would be between 19 and 20 years. If we terminate one or both of our management agreements with RMR LLC for a performance reason, we have agreed to pay RMR LLC the termination fee calculated as described above, but assuming a 10 year term was remaining prior to the termination. We are not required to pay any termination fee if we terminate our management agreements with RMR LLC for cause or as a result of a change of control of RMR LLC.

• Transition Services. RMR LLC has agreed to provide certain transition services to us for 120 days following an applicable termination by us or notice of termination by RMR LLC, including cooperating with us and using commercially reasonable efforts to facilitate the orderly transfer of the management and real estate investment services provided under our business management agreement and to facilitate the orderly transfer of the management of the managed properties under our property management agreement, as applicable.

• Vendors. Pursuant to our management agreements with RMR LLC, RMR LLC may from time to time negotiate on our behalf with certain third party vendors and suppliers for the procurement of goods and services to us. As part of this arrangement, we may enter agreements with RMR LLC and other companies to which RMR LLC or its subsidiaries provides management services for the purpose of obtaining more favorable terms from such vendors and suppliers.

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Investment Opportunities. Under our business management agreement with RMR LLC, we acknowledge that RMR LLC may engage in other activities or businesses and act as the manager to any other person or entity (including other REITs) even though such person or entity has investment policies and objectives similar to ours and we are not entitled to preferential treatment in receiving information, recommendations and other services from RMR LLC.