SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
 

FORM 8-K
Current Report
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 22, 2006 (November 21, 2006)
RED LION HOTELS CORPORATION
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
         
Washington
(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation)
  001-13957
(Commission file number)
  91-1032187
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
201 W. North River Drive
Suite 100
Spokane, Washington 99201
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code)
(509) 459-6100
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
 
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
 
 

 


 

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors of Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
On November 21, 2006, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Red Lion Hotels Corporation (the “Company”) approved the following equity compensation awards to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and named executive officers under the Company’s 2006 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”):
                     
Name   Title   Award
        Non-Qualified Stock Options   Restricted Stock Units
 
                   
Art Coffey
  President and Chief Executive Officer     64,145       7,320  
 
                   
Anupam Narayan
  Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Financial Officer     33,306       3,801  
 
                   
John Taffin
  Executive Vice
President Hotel
Operations
    17,650       2,014  
 
                   
Tom McKeirnan
  Senior Vice President
General Counsel
    11,447       1,306  
The stock options vest at 25% per year over a four year period, beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date, and have an expiration date of November 21, 2016. The stock options were issued at an exercise price of $12.21 per share, the closing price reported for the Company’s common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on November 21, 2006.
The restricted stock units vest 25% per year over a four year period, beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date. Any restricted stock units that vest will be paid to the grantee in shares of Company common stock as soon as is administratively practicable following the date of vesting. The restricted stock units will vest only if the grantee remains in Continuous Service (as defined in the Plan) with the Company or one of its Affiliates through the applicable vesting date.
The form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for awards under the Plan is filed herewith.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits
(d) Exhibits.
           
 
  Exhibit No.     Exhibit  
 
10
    Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement  
 

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SIGNATURE
     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
         
  RED LION HOTELS CORPORATION
 
 
Dated: November 22, 2006  By:   /s/ Thomas L. McKeirnan    
    Thomas L. McKeirnan, Senior Vice   
    President General Counsel   
 

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EXHIBIT INDEX
           
 
  Exhibit No.     Exhibit  
 
10
    Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement  
 

 

 

EXHIBIT 10
RED LION HOTELS CORPORATION
RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT
NOTICE OF GRANT
     Red Lion Hotels Corporation (“Red Lion”) is pleased to inform you that you, [                                           ], have been granted the number of Restricted Stock Units (“ Restri cted Stock Units”) indicated below under Red Lion’s 2006 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and the terms of this Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (including the Notice of Grant and Appendix A, all of which are the “Agreement”). Subject to the provisions of the Agreement and the Plan, the principal features of this grant are as follows:
     
Grant Date:
   
 
   
Total Number of Restricted Stock Units:
   
 
   
Scheduled Vesting:
  25% of the total Restricted Stock Units vest on each anniversary of the Grant Date.
 
   
Acceptance Deadline:
  You must accept this grant of Restricted Stock Units prior to the Acceptance Deadline, which is sixty (60) days from the Grant Date.
     Except as otherwise provided in the Agreement or by the terms of the Plan, you will not vest in the Restricted Stock Units unless you remain employed by Red Lion or one of its Affiliates through the applicable vesting date.
     Your acceptance of this grant either by signature below or by electronic acceptance indicates your understanding that this grant is subject to all of the terms described in this Agreement, including Appendices A, and the Plan. Important additional information on vesting and forfeiture of the Restricted Stock Units covered by this grant is contained in paragraphs 3, 4 and 6 of Appendix A. PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ALL OF APPENDIX A, WHICH CONTAINS THE SPECIFIC TERMS OF THIS GRANT.
      THIS AGREEMENT MUST BE ACCEPTED BY YOU BY THE ACCEPTANCE DEADLINE, OR THIS GRANT OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE CANCELED.
         
RED LION HOTELS CORPORATION   GRANTEE
 
       
 
       
By:
       
 
       
 
       
Title:
       
 
       

 


 

APPENDIX A
TERMS OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS
     1.  Grant . Red Lion hereby grants to you under the Plan the number of Restricted Stock Units indicated in the Notice of Grant, subject to all of the terms in this Agreement and the Plan.
     2.  Red Lion’s Obligation to Pay . Unless and until the Restricted Stock Units have vested in the manner set forth in paragraphs 3 or 4, you will have no right to payment of the Restricted Stock Units.
     3.  Vesting Schedule . Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 of this Agreement, and subject to paragraph 6, the Restricted Stock Units are scheduled to vest in accordance with the vesting schedule shown in the Notice of Grant. Restricted Stock Units scheduled to vest on any date actually will vest only if you remain in Continuous Service with Red Lion or one of its Affiliates through the applicable vesting date, except to the extent otherwise provided in this Agreement, in a written agreement between Red Lion and you or in accordance with the then-applicable written policies of Red Lion. In all instances in which Restricted Stock Units continue to vest after you cease to be employed by Red Lion or one of its Affiliates, the payment of such accelerated Restricted Stock Units nevertheless will be made at the same time or times such Restricted Stock Units would have been paid had they vested in accordance with the vesting schedule shown in the Notice of Grant.
     4.  Administrator Discretion . The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of some or all of the Restricted Stock Units at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, the Restricted Stock Units will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator. If the Administrator, in its discretion, accelerates the vesting of any Restricted Stock Units, the payment of the accelerated Restricted Stock Units nevertheless will be made at the same time or times as if the Restricted Stock Units had vested in accordance with the vesting schedule shown on the Notice of Grant (whether or not you remain employed by Red Lion or one of its Affiliates).
     5.  Payment after Vesting . Any Restricted Stock Units that vest while you remain employed by Red Lion or one of its Affiliates in accordance with paragraph 3 will be paid to you (or in the event of your death, to your estate) in shares of Common Stock as soon as administratively practicable following the date of vesting, subject to paragraph 8. Any Restricted Stock Units that continue to vest after you cease to be employed by Red Lion or one of its Affiliates as provided in paragraph 3 or that vest in accordance with paragraph 4 will be paid to you (or in the event of your death, to your estate) in shares of Common Stock in accordance with the provision of such paragraphs, subject to paragraph 8. For each Restricted Stock Unit that vests, you will receive one share of Common Stock.
     6.  Forfeiture . Except as expressly provided herein, any Restricted Stock Units that have not vested at the time you cease to be employed by Red Lion or one of its Affiliates will be forfeited and automatically transferred to and reacquired by Red Lion at no cost to Red Lion.
     7.  Death . Any distribution or delivery to be made to you under this Agreement will, if you are then deceased, be made to the administrator or executor of your estate. The administrator or executor must furnish Red Lion with (a) written notice of his or her status as transferee, and (b) evidence satisfactory to Red Lion to establish the validity of the transfer and compliance with any applicable laws or regulations.
     8.  Withholding of Taxes . Regardless of any action Red Lion or the company that employs you (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, payment on account or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), you acknowledge that the ultimate

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liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by you is and remains your responsibility and that Red Lion and/or the Employer (1) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the grant of Restricted Stock Units, including the grant, vesting and lapse of repurchase rights, the subsequent sale of Shares and/or the receipt of any dividends; and (2) do not commit to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the grant of Restricted Stock Units to reduce or eliminate your liability for Tax-Related Items. When shares of Common Stock are issued as payment for vested Restricted Stock Units, you will recognize immediate U.S. taxable income if you are a U.S. taxpayer. If you are a non-U.S. taxpayer, you will be subject to applicable taxes in your jurisdiction. Red Lion or the Employer is required to withhold from you an amount that is sufficient to pay the minimum federal, state and local income, employment and any other applicable taxes required to be withheld by Red Lion or the Employer with respect to the shares of Common Stock issued to you. Red Lion or the Employer may, in its discretion, meet this withholding requirement in any one or more of the following ways:
          (a) by withholding or selling a portion of the shares that otherwise would be paid out for your vested Restricted Stock Units;
          (b) by withholding the amount necessary to pay the applicable taxes from your paycheck, with no withholding of shares;
          (c) by requiring you to make alternate arrangements to meet the withholding obligation; or
          (d) such other method as Red Lion or the Administrator may elect in compliance with local law.
No payment of shares will be made to you (or your estate) for Restricted Stock Units unless and until satisfactory arrangements (as determined by Red Lion) have been made by you to fulfill Red Lion’s (or the Employer’s) obligation to withhold or collect any income and other taxes with respect to the Restricted Stock Units. By accepting this grant, you expressly consent to and authorize the withholding of Shares and to any additional (or alternative) cash withholding as provided for in this paragraph 8. All income and other taxes related to the Restricted Stock Unit award and any shares delivered in payment thereof are your sole responsibility.
     9. Nature of Grant. In accepting the offer to acquire Shares, you acknowledge that: (a) the Plan is established voluntarily by Red Lion, it is discretionary in nature and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by Red Lion at any time, unless otherwise provided in the Plan and this Agreement; (b) the grant of Restricted Stock Units is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Restricted Stock Units, or benefits in lieu of such grants even if Restricted Stock Units have been granted repeatedly in the past; (c) all decisions with respect to future Restricted Stock Unit grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of Red Lion; (d) you are voluntarily participating in the Plan; (e) the grant of Restricted Stock Units is an extraordinary item that does not constitute compensation of any kind for services of any kind rendered to Red Lion or the Employer, and which is outside the scope of your employment contract, if any; (f) the Restricted Stock Units are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement benefits or similar payments; and (g) the future value of the shares of Common Stock issuable under this Agreement is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty.

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     10.  Address for Notices . Any notice to be given to Red Lion under the terms of this Agreement must be addressed to Red Lion, in care of its General Counsel, 201 W. North River Drive, Suite 100, Spokane, WA 99201, or at such other address as Red Lion may hereafter designate in writing.
     11.  Grant is Not Transferable . Except to the limited extent provided in paragraph 7 above, this grant (and the associated rights and privileges) cannot be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and will not be subject to sale under execution, attachment or similar process. Upon any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of this grant, or of any associated right or privilege, or upon any attempted sale under any execution, attachment or similar process, this grant and the associated rights and privileges will immediately become null and void.
     12.  Restrictions on Sale of Securities . The shares of Common Stock issued as payment for vested Restricted Stock Units will be registered under the U.S. federal securities laws and will be freely tradable upon receipt. However, your subsequent sale of the shares will be subject to any market blackout-period that may be imposed by Red Lion and must comply with Red Lion’s insider trading policies, and any other applicable securities and other laws.
     13.  Delay in Payment . Notwithstanding any other part of this Agreement, any Restricted Stock Unit otherwise payable to you pursuant to this Agreement will not be paid during the six-month period following your termination of employment unless Red Lion determines, in its good faith judgment, that the payment would not cause you to incur an additional tax under Section 409A of the Code and any temporary or final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance thereunder (“Section 409A”). If the payment of any amounts are delayed as a result of the previous sentence, any Restricted Stock Unit otherwise payable to you during the six (6) months following your termination will accrue during such six-month period and will become payable in shares of Common Stock on the date six (6) months and one (1) day following the date of your termination.
     14.  Binding Agreement . Subject to the limitation on the transferability of this grant contained herein, this Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, legatees, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties hereto.
     15.  Conditions for Issuance of Certificates for Stock . Any shares of Common Stock deliverable to you may be either previously authorized but unissued shares or issued shares that have been reacquired by Red Lion. Red Lion will not be required to issue any certificate or certificates for shares hereunder prior to fulfillment of all the following conditions: (a) the admission of the shares to listing on all stock exchanges on which the stock is listed; (b) the completion and continued effectiveness of any registration or other qualification of the shares under any U.S. state or federal law or under the rulings or regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory body that the Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion, deem necessary or advisable; (c) the obtaining of any approval or other clearance from any U.S. state or federal governmental agency or any other governmental regulatory body that the Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable; and (d) the lapse of a reasonable period of time following the date of vesting or other scheduled payout of the Restricted Stock Units as the Administrator may establish from time to time for reasons of administrative convenience.
     16. Plan Governs . This Agreement is subject to all terms and provisions of the Plan. In the event of a conflict between this Agreement and the Plan, the Plan will govern. Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Agreement will have the meaning set forth in the Plan.

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     17.  Captions . Captions used in this Agreement are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Agreement.
     18.  Agreement Severable . In the event that any provision in this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, the provision will be severable from, and the invalidity or unenforceability will not be construed to have any effect on, the remaining provisions of this Agreement.
     19.  Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. You expressly warrant that you are not executing this Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained in the Agreement.
     20.  No Effect on Employment or Service. YOU FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE THAT NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT CONSTITUTES A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT AND THAT YOU AND RED LION, INCLUDING ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES, EACH RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT OR SERVICE RELATIONSHIP AT ANY TIME AND FOR ANY REASON, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE AND WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE, WHEREVER ALLOWED BY LOCAL LAWS.
     21.  Notice of Governing Law . This grant of Restricted Stock Units is governed by, and will be construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Washington without regard to principles of conflict of laws. For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises directly or indirectly from the relationship of the parties evidenced by this grant or the Agreement, the parties agree to submit to and consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the State of California and agree that such litigation will be conducted only in the courts of Spokane County, Washington, or the federal courts for the United States for the Eastern District of Washington, and no other courts, where this grant is made and/or to be performed.

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