Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies:

Consolidation

Basis of Presentation.    These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of HPT and its subsidiaries, all of which are 100% owned directly or indirectly by HPT. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior year's financial statements to conform to the current year's presentation. In addition, we have presented our 2010 loss on asset impairment as a component of operating income rather than below such line as previously reported.

        We have determined that each of our taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs, is a variable interest entity, or VIE, as defined under the Consolidation Topic of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification^TM, or the Codification. We have concluded that we must consolidate each of our TRSs because we are the entity with the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact such VIEs' performance and we have the obligation to absorb the majority of the potential variability in gains and losses of each VIE, with the primary focus on losses, and are therefore, the primary beneficiary of each VIE.

        We account for our investment in Affiliates Insurance Company, or AIC, using the equity method of accounting. Significant influence is present through common representation on the boards of trustees or directors of us and AIC. Our Managing Trustees are also owners of Reit Management & Research LLC, or RMR, which is the manager of us and AIC, and each of our Trustees is a director of AIC. See Note 8 for a further discussion of our investment in AIC.

Real Estate Properties

Real Estate Properties.    We record real estate properties at cost less impairments, if any. We record the cost of real estate acquired at the fair value of building, land, furniture, fixtures and equipment, and, if applicable, acquired in place leases, above or below market leases and customer relationships. We allocate the excess, if any, of the consideration over the fair value of the assets acquired to goodwill. We depreciate real estate properties on a straight line basis over estimated useful lives of up to 40 years for buildings and improvements and up to 12 years for personal property and we amortize finite lived intangible assets over the shorter of their useful lives or the term of the associated lease.

        We regularly evaluate whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could indicate an impairment in the value of our real estate properties. If there is an indication that the carrying value of a property is not recoverable, we estimate the projected undiscounted cash flows of the asset to determine if an impairment loss should be recognized. We determine the amount of an impairment loss by comparing the historical carrying value of the property to its estimated fair value. We estimate fair value by evaluating recent financial performance and projecting discounted cash flows of properties using standard industry valuation techniques. In addition to consideration of impairment upon the events or changes in circumstances described above, we regularly evaluate the remaining lives of our real estate properties. If we change estimated lives, we depreciate or amortize the carrying values of affected assets over the revised remaining lives. In connection with our decision to pursue the sale of 21 hotels, we recorded a $11,418, or $0.09 per share, loss on asset impairment during 2011 to reduce the carrying value of certain of these hotels to their estimated fair value. Also, in performing our periodic evaluation of real estate assets for impairment during 2011, we revised our assumptions regarding our expected ownership period of certain hotels we were considering selling as part of our agreement with InterContinental (see Note 5). As a result of this change we recorded a $4,966, or $0.04 per share, loss on asset impairment during 2011 to reduce the carrying value of these hotels to their estimated fair value. See Note 12 for further information regarding hotels currently held for sale.

Intangible Assets and Liabilities

Intangible Assets and Liabilities.    Intangible assets consist of acquired trademarks and tradenames and below market ground leases. Intangible liabilities consist of acquired above market ground leases. We include intangible assets in other assets, net, and intangible liabilities in accounts payable and other liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.

        At December 31, 2011 and 2010, our intangible assets and liabilities were as follows:

	As of December 31,
	2011		2010
Assets:
Tradenames and trademarks	$	89,375	$	89,375
Below market ground leases, net of accumulated amortization of $21,198 and $19,027, respectively		27,879		30,050
	$	117,254	$	119,425
Liabilities:
Above market ground leases, net of accumulated amortization of $5,511 and $4,816, respectively	$	5,139	$	5,834

        We amortize above and below market ground leases on a straight line basis over the term of the associated lease (20 and 14 years on a weighted average basis for intangible assets and liabilities, respectively). For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, amortization relating to intangible assets was $2,171, $2,172 and $2,171, respectively, and amortization relating to intangible liabilities was $695, $726 and $734, respectively. As of December 31, 2011, we estimate future amortization relating to above and below market ground leases as follows:

	Below Market Ground Leases		Above Market Ground Leases
2012	$	2,170	$	(695	)
2013		2,170		(653	)
2014		2,170		(653	)
2015		2,170		(653	)
2016		2,170		(653	)
Thereafter		17,029		(1,832	)
	$	27,879	$	(5,139	)

        We do not amortize our indefinite lived trademarks and tradenames, but we review the assets at least annually for impairment and reassess their classification as indefinite lived assets. In addition, we regularly evaluate whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could indicate impairment in value. We determine the amount of an impairment loss, if any, by comparing the historical carrying value of the intangible asset to its estimated fair value.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents.    We consider highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Restricted Cash

Restricted Cash.    Restricted cash, or FF&E reserve escrows, consists of amounts escrowed pursuant to the terms of our management agreements and leases to fund periodic renovations and improvements at our hotels.

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred Financing Costs.    We capitalize costs incurred to borrow and we amortize those costs as interest expense on a straight line basis over the term of the related borrowing. Deferred financing costs were $12,542 and $9,101 at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, net of accumulated amortization of $30,364 and $26,933, respectively, and are included in other assets, net, in our consolidated balance sheets. We estimate that future amortization of deferred financing fees with respect to our loans as of December 31, 2011 will be approximately $3,487 in 2012, $3,205 in 2013, $2,974 in 2014, $1,921 in 2015, $613 in 2016 and $342 thereafter.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition.    We report hotel operating revenues for managed hotels in our consolidated statements of income. We generally recognize hotel operating revenues, consisting primarily of room and food and beverage sales, when services are provided. Our share of the net operating results of our managed hotels in excess of the minimum returns due to us, or additional returns, are generally determined annually. We recognize additional returns due to us under our management agreements at year end when all contingencies are met and the income is earned. We earned no additional returns in 2011, 2010 and 2009.

        We recognize rental income from operating leases on a straight line basis over the term of the lease agreements. Rental income includes $4,789 of adjustments necessary to record rent on a straight line basis for the year ended December 31, 2011. These adjustments relate to our lease with TA for 145 travel centers. See Note 8 for further information relating to our TA leases.

        We determine percentage rent due to us under our leases annually and recognize it at year end when all contingencies are met and the rent is earned. We earned percentage rental income of $1,879, $1,450 and $1,426 in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

        We own all the FF&E reserve escrows for our hotels. We report deposits by our third party tenants into the escrow accounts as FF&E reserve income. We do not report the amounts which are escrowed as FF&E reserves for our managed hotels as FF&E reserve income.

Per Common Share Amounts

Per Common Share Amounts.    We compute per common share amounts using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. We had no dilutive common share equivalents during the periods presented.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates.    The preparation of financial statements in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates in our consolidated financial statements include the allowance for doubtful accounts, purchase price allocations, useful lives of real estate and impairment.

Segment Information

Segment Information.    As of December 31, 2011, we have two reportable business segments: hotel and travel center real estate investments.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes.    We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code, and, as such, are generally not subject to federal and most state income taxation on our operating income provided we distribute our taxable income to our shareholders and meet certain organization and operating requirements. We are subject to income tax in Canada, Puerto Rico and certain states despite our REIT status. Further, we lease our managed hotels to our wholly owned TRSs that, unlike most of our subsidiaries, file a separate consolidated tax return and are subject to federal, state and foreign income taxes. Our consolidated income tax provision (or benefit) includes the income tax provision (or benefit) related to the operations of our TRSs and certain state and foreign income taxes incurred by us despite our REIT status.

        The Income Taxes Topic of the Codification prescribes how we should recognize, measure and present in our consolidated financial statements uncertain tax positions that have been taken or are expected to be taken in a tax return. Deferred tax benefits are recognized to the extent that it is "more likely than not" that a particular tax position will be sustained upon examination or audit. To the extent the "more likely than not" standard has been satisfied, the benefit associated with a tax position is measured as the largest amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Our tax returns filed for the 2008 through 2011 tax years are subject to examination by taxing authorities. We classify interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions, if any, in our consolidated financial statements as a component of general and administrative expense.