Morgans Hotel Group Co (MHGC)

[Enterprising Investor]

Morgans Hotel Group Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Results (3/10/16)

NEW YORK, March 10, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ:MHGC) (the “Company” or “Morgans”) today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015.

Fourth Quarter 2015 Highlights

• Adjusted EBITDA, excluding the Company’s ownership interests in The Light Group (“TLG”) and Mondrian SoHo, was $14.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to $15.3 million for the same period in 2014, a decrease of 4.3%.

• Revenue per available room (“RevPAR”) for System-Wide Comparable Hotels decreased 5.4% during the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2014. System-Wide Comparable Hotels room revenues plus resort and facility fees decreased by 4.5% quarter over quarter.

Full Year Highlights

• Adjusted EBITDA, excluding the Company’s ownership interests in TLG and Mondrian SoHo, was $46.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, a $0.7 million or 1.6% increase as compared to same period in 2014.

• RevPAR for System-Wide Comparable Hotels decreased 4.1% for the year ended December 31, 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014. System-Wide Comparable Hotels’ room revenues plus resort and facility fees, implemented at certain hotels in the second half of 2014, decreased 1.5% during 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014.

Fourth Quarter 2015 Operating Results

Adjusted EBITDA, defined below, excluding the Company’s ownership interests in TLG and Mondrian SoHo, which the Company no longer held effective during the first quarter of 2015, was $14.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to $15.3 million for the same period in 2014, a decrease of 4.3%. Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2014, including the ownership interests in TLG and Mondrian SoHo, was $17.7 million.

RevPAR at System-Wide Comparable Hotels decreased by 5.4% in the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014, due to a 4.5% decrease in average daily rate (“ADR”) and a 1.0% decrease in occupancy. System-Wide Comparable Hotels room revenues plus resort and facility fees, implemented at certain hotels in the second half of 2014, decreased by 4.5% quarter over quarter.

RevPAR from System-Wide Comparable Hotels in New York decreased 4.5% for the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014, due to a 5.0% decrease in ADR slightly offset by a 0.5% increase in occupancy. RevPAR at Hudson decreased 4.3% during the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014, driven by a 5.8% ADR decrease primarily due to new supply in New York City and a stronger U.S. dollar, which impacted international travel.

RevPAR from System-Wide Comparable Hotels in Miami decreased 10.8% in the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2014. Delano South Beach experienced a RevPAR decrease of 8.8% during the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014, due to lower ADR, which was primarily the result of new supply in South Beach.

Clift’s RevPAR increased 3.0% in the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2014 due to a 4.5% increase in ADR.

The Company’s managed hotels in London are non-comparable due to major renovations at Sanderson and St Martins Lane in 2014 and the first half of 2015, and the opening of Mondrian London on September 30, 2014. For the three months ended December 31, 2015, with renovations now complete, Sanderson and St Martins Lane generated RevPAR growth of 4.2% (in constant dollars) as compared to the same period in 2014.

Management fees decreased by $2.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014 due to the sale of TLG in January 2015. On a comparable basis, management fees increased $0.2 million, or 4.6%.

Operating margins at the Company’s Owned Hotels and leased food and beverage operations increased by approximately 30 basis points quarter over quarter, despite the decline in revenues.

Corporate expenses, excluding stock compensation expenses, decreased by $0.6 million, or 12.0% in the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014 primarily due to the sale of TLG.

During the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company recorded a $50.6 million income tax benefit related to the release of a portion of the Company’s valuation allowance as a result of the plan to sell both the Hudson and Delano South Beach real estate assets.

The Company recorded net income of $49.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to a net loss of $6.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, primarily as a result of the income tax benefit, discussed above.

Full Year Operating Results

For the full year 2015, Adjusted EBITDA, excluding the Company’s ownership of TLG and Mondrian SoHo, was $46.7 million, an increase of 1.6% from 2014, as revenue declines were offset by operational efficiencies in 2015.

RevPAR at System-Wide Comparable Hotels decreased by 4.1% in 2015 as compared to 2014, driven by a 3.5% decrease in ADR and a 0.6% decrease in occupancy. System-Wide Comparable Hotels’ room revenues plus resort and facility fees, implemented at certain hotels in the second half of 2014, decreased 1.5% during 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014.

Operating margins at the Company’s Owned Hotels and leased food and beverage operations were relatively flat year over year. Interest expense decreased $6.2 million, or 11.5% in 2015 as compared to 2014, due primarily to a lower outstanding debt balance throughout 2015.

The Company recorded net income of $22.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to a net loss of $50.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 due primarily to the income tax benefit recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015, decreased interest expense, cost savings, and settlement income, discussed below.

Strategic Update

On November 4, 2015, the Company’s Board of Directors announced a plan to monetize its Hudson and Delano South Beach real estate assets and commence a search for a permanent chief executive officer. Monetizing these assets is expected to further focus the Company’s business on an asset-light, brand-centered model with lower leverage.

In connection with the plan to monetize the real estate assets, in December 2015, the Company retained a leading hotel brokerage firm, Hodges Ward Elliott LLC, to market the Hudson and Delano South Beach hotels. The marketing process is underway and a call for offers is expected by the end of the first quarter of 2016. The Company currently expects to complete the process during the second quarter of 2016.

Balance Sheet

The Company’s total consolidated debt at December 31, 2015 was $606.4 million, which includes $101.5 million of capital lease obligations primarily related to Clift. Outstanding Series A preferred securities and undeclared dividends totaled $130.6 million.

At December 31, 2015, the Company had approximately $45.9 million in cash and cash equivalents and $12.9 million in restricted cash.

In February 2016, the Company prepaid $28.2 million to reduce the principal balance on its mortgage debt secured by Hudson and Delano South Beach (the “Hudson/Delano Mortgage Loan”) by the same amount and extended the maturity of this debt until February 2017. The prepayment reduced the aggregate principal amount of indebtedness outstanding under the Hudson/Delano Mortgage Loan from $450.0 million to approximately $421.8 million, which provides the Company with lower leverage and expected annual interest expense savings of approximately $1.7 million.

During the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company received $10.0 million related to the settlement of outstanding litigation surrounding Mondrian SoHo.

As of December 31, 2015, the Company had approximately $433.0 million of remaining Federal tax net operating loss carryforwards to offset future income, enabling us to dispose of assets in a tax-efficient manner. As of December 31, 2015, the Company estimates that the tax basis of Delano South Beach is approximately $67.0 million and the tax basis in Hudson is approximately $142.0 million.

Development

The Company has signed management agreements for five hotels in various stages of development, including two hotels under construction consisting of Mondrian Doha, currently scheduled to open in late 2016 and Delano Dubai, currently scheduled to open in late 2017.

Investor Conference Call

The Company will also host a conference call to review the quarter’s results on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. The call will be webcast live over the Internet and will be accessible at www.morganshotelgroup.com under the Investors section. Participants should follow the instructions provided on the website for the download and installation of audio applications necessary to join the webcast.

The call will also be accessible live over the phone by dialing [phone] (within U.S.) or [phone] (outside U.S.) and providing the following passcode: 9798485. A playback of the conference call will be available beginning at 8:00 PM Eastern Time, Thursday, March 10, 2016, through Thursday, March 17, 2016. To access the playback, please dial [phone] (within U.S.) or [phone] (outside U.S.) and enter passcode 9798485.

Additional Definitions

“Adjusted EBITDA” means adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as further defined below.

“EBITDA” means earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization.

“Owned Hotels” means Hudson in New York, Delano South Beach in Miami Beach and Clift in San Francisco, which the Company leases under a long-term lease.

“System-Wide Comparable Hotels” means all Morgans Hotel Group branded hotels operated by the Company, except for hotels added or under major renovation during the current or the prior year period, development projects and hotels no longer managed by the Company. System-Wide Comparable Hotels for the periods ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 exclude Sanderson and St Martins Lane in London, which were both under major renovations in 2014 and the first half of 2015, Mondrian London, Delano Las Vegas and 10 Karaköy, all of which are newly opened hotels in 2014, and Mondrian SoHo, which the Company no longer managed effective April 27, 2015.

About Morgans Hotel Group

Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ:MHGC) is widely credited as the creator of the first “boutique” hotel and a continuing leader of the hotel industry’s boutique sector. Morgans Hotel Group operates Delano in South Beach, Mondrian in Los Angeles, South Beach and London, Hudson in New York, Morgans and Royalton in New York, Clift in San Francisco, Shore Club in South Beach and Sanderson and St Martins Lane in London. Morgans Hotel Group has ownership interests in several of these hotels. Morgans Hotel Group also licenses its brand through Delano in Las Vegas and 10 Karaköy in Istanbul, Turkey. Morgans Hotel Group has other hotels in various stages of development to be operated under management or franchise agreements, including a Mondrian property in Doha, Qatar and a Delano in Dubai. For more information please visit www.morganshotelgroup.com.

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