| (1) | July 2020 results are preliminary and may be adjusted during the Company’s month-end close process. |
| (2) | The 19 Hotel Portfolio includes all hotels owned by the Company as of July 31, 2020. In addition to the Six Open Hotels, four other hotels were open with reduced operations during various times in July. |
Due to continued uncertainty regarding the duration and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company cannot provide further assurances regarding the pandemic’s effect on the Company’s results, and the Company does not intend to provide further updates unless deemed appropriate.
Dividend Update
On July 31, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors declared cash dividends of $0.434375 per share payable to its Series E cumulative redeemable preferred stockholders and $0.403125 per share payable to its Series F cumulative redeemable preferred stockholders. The dividends will be paid on October 15, 2020 to stockholders of record as of September 30, 2020.
The Company has suspended its quarterly common stock cash dividends. The resumption in quarterly common dividends will be determined by the Company’s Board of Directors after considering the Company’s obligations under its various financing agreements, projected taxable income, long-term operating projections, expected capital requirements, and risks affecting the Company’s business.
Supplemental Disclosures
Contemporaneous with this release, the Company has furnished a Form 8-K with unaudited financial information. This additional information is being provided as a supplement to the information in this release and other filings with the SEC. The Company has no obligation to update any of the information provided to conform to actual results or changes in the Company’s portfolio, capital structure or future expectations.
Earnings Call
The Company will host a conference call to discuss second quarter 2020 financial results on August 4, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (9:00 a.m. Pacific Time). A live webcast of the call will be available via the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.sunstonehotels.com. Alternatively, investors may dial 1-334-323-0501 and reference confirmation code 6173021 to listen to the live call. A replay of the webcast will also be archived on the website.
About Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.
Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. is a lodging real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that as of the date of this release has interests in 19 hotels comprised of 9,988 rooms. Sunstone’s business is to acquire, own, asset manage and renovate or reposition hotels considered to be Long-Term Relevant Real Estate®, the majority of which are operated under nationally recognized brands, such as Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt. For further information, please visit Sunstone’s website at www.sunstonehotels.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws and regulations. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will” and other similar terms and phrases, including opinions, references to assumptions and forecasts of future results. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks include, but are not limited to: the impact on the Company’s business of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the response of governments and the Company to the outbreak; increased risks related to employee matters, including increased employment litigation and claims for severance or other benefits tied to termination or furloughs as a result of temporary hotel suspensions or reduced hotel operations due to COVID-19; general economic and business conditions, including a U.S. recession, trade conflicts and tariffs between the U.S. and its trading partners, changes in the European Union or global economic slowdown, which may diminish the desire for leisure travel or the need for business travel, as well as any type of flu or disease-related pandemic or the adverse effects of climate change, affecting the lodging and travel industry, internationally, nationally and locally; the Company’s need to operate as a REIT and comply with other applicable laws and regulations, including new laws, interpretations or court decisions that may change the federal or state tax laws or the federal or state income tax consequences of the Company’s qualification as a REIT; rising hotel operating costs due to labor costs, workers’ compensation and health-care related costs, including the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or its potential replacement, utility costs, insurance and unanticipated costs such as acts of nature and their consequences and other factors that may not be offset by increased room rates; relationships with, and the requirements and reputation of, the Company’s franchisors and hotel brands; relationships with, and the requirements, performance and reputation of, the managers of the Company’s hotels; the ground, building or airspace leases for four of the 19 Hotels the Company has interests in as of the date of this release; competition for the