Item 1. Business.
Overview
Hyatt Hotels Corporation is a global hospitality company with widely recognized, industry-leading brands and a tradition of innovation developed over our sixty-five year history.
Hyatt's portfolio of properties consists of full service hotels and resorts, select service hotels, all-inclusive resorts, and other properties, including timeshare, fractional, and other forms of residential, vacation, and condominium units. In 2021, we acquired Apple Leisure Group ("ALG" or the "ALG Acquisition"), a leading luxury resort-management services, travel, and hospitality group that also offers a paid membership program through the Unlimited Vacation Club and travel distribution and destination management services through ALG Vacations ("ALG Vacations"). At December 31, 2022, our hotel portfolio consisted of 1,263 hotels and all-inclusive resorts (304,108 rooms). See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Overview" for a categorized breakdown of our portfolio. Our colleagues and hotel general managers are supported by our regional management teams, located in cities around the world, and our executive management team, headquartered in Chicago.
Our offering includes brands in the Timeless Collection, including Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Residence Club, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, and UrCove; the Boundless Collection, including Miraval, Alila, Andaz, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, and Caption by Hyatt; the Independent Collection, including The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt, and JdV by Hyatt; and the Inclusive Collection, including Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts, and Sunscape Resorts & Spas. We also manage, provide services to, or license our trademarks with respect to residential units often adjacent to a Hyatt-branded full-service hotel. We consult with third parties in the design and development of such mixed-use projects. We license certain of our trademarks with respect to vacation ownership units, which are part of Hyatt Residence Club. Additionally, we provide services and, in some cases, manage the rental programs and/or homeowner associations associated with condominium units.
We primarily derive our revenues from hotel management services, licensing of our portfolio of brands to franchisees, owned and leased hotel operations, distribution and destination management services, and a paid membership club offering. For the year ended December 31, 2022, revenues totaled $5.9 billion, net income attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation totaled $455 million, and Adjusted EBITDA totaled $908 million. See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Key Business Metrics Evaluated by Management—Adjusted Earnings Before Interest Expense, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") and EBITDA" for our definition of Adjusted EBITDA, why we present it, and for a reconciliation of our net income (loss) attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation to consolidated Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented.
Our Purpose, Vision, Mission, and Values
Our Purpose
We care for people so they can be their best.
Our Vision
A world of understanding and care.
Our Mission
We deliver distinctive experiences for our guests.
Our Values
Empathy, integrity, respect, inclusion, experimentation, and wellbeing.
Our purpose, vision, mission, and values are brought to life by our colleagues, whom we refer to as the Hyatt family. We believe our colleagues around the world embody our purpose of caring for people, including one another, our guests and customers, property owners, and the communities in which our properties operate. We are strongly committed to advancing care for all of our stakeholders and creating personal connections to increase loyalty and drive results. High levels of guest satisfaction lead to increased guest preference for our brands, which we believe results in a strengthened revenue base over the long term. We also believe engaged colleagues will enhance the efficient operation of our properties, resulting in improved
financial results. Sustained adherence to these principles is a basis for our brand reputation and strongly contributes to our growth as our diverse group of owners and developers choose to invest in our portfolio of properties around the world.
Our Competitive Strengths
We have significant competitive strengths that support our mission to deliver distinctive experiences for our guests and customers, drive growth, and create value for our colleagues, guests, customers, owners, and stockholders.
•World Class Brands. Inspired by a deep understanding of customer and guest needs, we have developed, and in some cases acquired, a global suite of distinct brands.
•Global Platform with Compelling Growth Potential. Our existing global presence is widely distributed, our hotels operate in some of the most populous urban centers and highly desirable resort destinations around the globe, and we believe our existing hotels, located in key markets, provide us with a strong platform from which to selectively pursue new growth opportunities in markets where our brands are less prevalent.
•Deep Culture and Experienced Management Teams. The Hyatt family is united by shared values, a single purpose, and a deep commitment to listening, understanding, and personalizing experiences for our guests and customers – all of which we believe differentiates us from the competition, increases loyalty, and drives business results.
•Strong Capital Base and Disciplined Financial Approach. Our approach is to maintain appropriate levels of financial leverage through industry cycles and downturns. On December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $1.1 billion and an available borrowing capacity under our credit facility of approximately $1.5 billion. We believe our balance sheet strength positions us to take advantage of strategic opportunities to expand our presence and continue to grow our business over time.
•Diverse Exposure to Hotel Management, Franchising, and Ownership. Our global mix of managed, franchised, owned, and leased properties provides a broad and diverse base of revenues, profits, and cash flows and provides flexibility to evaluate growth opportunities across our lines of business.
•High-Quality Owned Hotels Located in Desirable Markets are a Source of Capital for New Growth Investments. We believe our owned assets provide us the opportunity to unlock additional shareholder value through targeted dispositions that provide cash proceeds to pay down debt incurred from the ALG Acquisition, fund additional strategic investments, or provide incremental return of capital to stockholders. We have realized over $4.0 billion in gross proceeds from the disposition of owned assets since our original disposition commitment was made in 2017, including approximately $721 million realized under the asset-disposition commitment announced in August 2021, in which we committed to sell $2 billion of owned assets by the end of 2024.
Our Business Strategy
Our strategy to drive long-term sustainable growth and create value for guests, customers, colleagues, owners, and stockholders is focused on the following areas:
•Maximize Our Core Business: We continue to grow and operate our core business with excellence in order to be best-in-class while generating profits to fuel our growth.
•Integrate New Growth Platforms: We seek to identify and integrate new opportunities to advance care for our guests and customers and strengthen loyalty to our brands.
•Optimize Capital Deployment: We take a comprehensive and disciplined approach to our deployment of capital to expand our management and franchising business, invest in new growth platforms, and, when appropriate, return capital to our stockholders.
Description of Brands
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Brand | | Segment | | Customer Base | | December 31, 2022 Rooms (1) | | Primary Selected Competitors | | |
% of Our Managed and Franchised Properties (1) | | Americas Region | | ASPAC Region | | EAME/SW Asia Region | |
Timeless Collection |
| | Luxury | | Leisure and business; small meetings | | 3% | | 1,823 | | 4,368 | | 2,424 | | Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, The Peninsula | | |
| | Luxury | | Leisure and business; large and small meetings, social events | | 11% | | 11,574 | | 15,474 | | 5,266 | | JW Marriott, Conrad, Fairmont, InterContinental | | |
| | Upper-Upscale | | Business and leisure; large and small meetings, social events, conventions, associations | | 32% | | 59,833 | | 20,557 | | 16,527 | | Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton, Renaissance, Westin | | |
| | Upper-Upscale | | Business and leisure; small meetings | | 1% | | 2,613 | | — | | 741 | | Marriott, Hilton, Westin | | |
| | Vacation Ownership | | Owners of vacation units, repeat Hyatt business and leisure | | —% | | — | | — | | — | | Hilton Vacation Club, Marriott Vacation Club | | |
| | Upscale | | Business and leisure; small meetings | | 20% | | 50,648 | | 5,465 | | 4,306 | | Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn | | |
| | Upscale | | Extended stay guests; business and leisure; small meetings | | 6% | | 16,454 | | 953 | | 954 | | Residence Inn by Marriott, Homewood Suites | | |
| | Upper-Midscale | | Business and leisure; small meetings | | 1% | | — | | 3,636 | | — | | ATOUR, Hampton Inn, Mercure | | |
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Brand | | Segment | | Customer Base | | December 31, 2022 Rooms (1) | | Primary Selected Competitors | | |
% of Our Managed and Franchised Properties (1) | | Americas Region | | ASPAC Region | | EAME/SW Asia Region | |
Boundless Collection |
| | Luxury/Wellness | | Leisure; small meetings | | <1% | | 383 | | — | | — | | Canyon Ranch, Blackberry Farms | | |
| | Luxury | | Leisure and business; small meetings, social events | | <1% | | 252 | | 1,105 | | 408 | | One&Only, Six Senses, Aman, Banyan Tree, COMO | | |
| | Luxury | | Leisure and business; small and medium meetings | | 2% | | 1,947 | | 1,713 | | 1,950 | | W, Edition, SLS, Viceroy, Pendry | | |
| | Luxury | | Leisure and business; small meetings | | 1% | | 3,592 | | — | | 175 | | W, Edition, SLS, Pendry, Soho House | | |
| | Upper-Upscale | | Leisure and business; small meetings | | 4% | | 7,757 | | 1,746 | | 1,787 | | ACE, Kimpton, 25 Hours, Renaissance | | |
| | Upscale | | Leisure and business | | <1% | | 136 | | — | | — | | Motto by Hilton, Moxy, AC Hotels, Aloft, 25 Hours | | |
Independent Collection |
| | Luxury | | Leisure and business; small meetings | | 2% | | 3,107 | | 1,558 | | 2,006 | | Luxury Collection (Marriott), Autograph Collection Hotels (Marriott), Vignette (IHR), LXR (Hilton) | | |
| | Luxury | | Leisure and business; large and small meetings, social events, associations | | 1% | | 3,257 | | — | | 351 | | Autograph Collection Hotels (Marriott), Curio Collection by Hilton, Design Hotels, M Gallery (Accor) | | |
| | Upper- Upscale | | Leisure and business; small meetings | | 3% | | 2,665 | | 342 | | 5,395 | | Autograph Collection Hotels (Marriott), Curio Collection by Hilton, Tribute Collection (Hilton), Kimpton (IHG) | | |
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Brand | | Segment | | Customer Base | | December 31, 2022 Rooms (1) | | Primary Selected Competitors | | |
% of Our Managed and Franchised Properties (1) | | Americas Region | | ASPAC Region | | EAME/SW Asia Region | |
Inclusive Collection |
| | Luxury All-Inclusive | | Leisure; small meetings, social events | | <1% | | 2,672 | | — | | — | | Beaches | | |
| | Luxury All-Inclusive | | Leisure; adult-only; small meetings, social events | | <1% | | 1,210 | | — | | — | | Sandals | | |
| | Luxury All-Inclusive | | Leisure; adult-oriented | | <1% | | 533 | | — | | 104 | | The Reserve at Paradisus, Sivory, Fairmont, Banyan Tree | | |
| | Luxury All-Inclusive | | Leisure; adult-only; meetings | | 3% | | 6,915 | | — | | 739 | | Excellence, Sandals, El Dorado, Royalton | | |
| | Luxury All-Inclusive | | Leisure; adult-only; social groups; meetings | | <1% | | 1,860 | | — | | — | | Hard Rock, Melia, Royalton Chic | | |
| | Luxury All-Inclusive | | Leisure; families, meetings | | 4% | | 10,001 | | — | | 1,600 | | Paradisus, Palace, Beaches, Royalton, Iberostar | | |
| | Luxury All-Inclusive | | Leisure; adult-only | | —% | | — | | — | | — | | Ocean by H10, Majestic Resorts, Couples Resorts, Paradisus Hotels | | |
| | Upscale All-Inclusive | | Leisure | | 3% | | — | | — | | 10,192 | | Iberostar, Occidental, Viva, RIU | | |
| | Upper-Upscale All-Inclusive | | Leisure | | <1% | | 1,807 | | — | | — | | Bahia Principe, RIU, Barcelo | | |
(1) Figures do not include vacation ownership units, residential units, condominium units, one unbranded property in the Americas with 800 rooms, or one all-inclusive property in the Americas with 427 rooms. The UrCove brand is owned by an unconsolidated hospitality venture between a Hyatt affiliate and a Chinese hospitality company. The Hyatt Regency room count includes two properties and the Secrets Resorts & Spas room count includes one property, that will rebrand under the Hyatt Regency and Secrets Resorts & Spas brands, respectively, in 2023. The JdV by Hyatt room count includes 31 properties that will rebrand under the JdV by Hyatt brand at a future date. The Alua Hotels & Resorts room counts include six properties that are non-branded properties managed by ALG.
Timeless Collection
Park Hyatt
Park Hyatt hotels provide discerning, global travelers with a refined home-away-from-home. Located in many of the world's premier destinations, each Park Hyatt hotel is custom designed to combine sophistication with understated luxury. Each property features well-appointed guestrooms, world-renowned artwork and design, and rare and immersive culinary experiences led by award-winning chefs, creating deeply enriching dining occasions for guests.
Grand Hyatt
Grand Hyatt hotels are distinctive hotels in major gateway cities and resort destinations. With a presence around the world and critical mass in Asia, Grand Hyatt hotels provide sophisticated business and leisure travelers with elegant accommodations; extraordinary restaurants; bars; luxury spas and fitness centers; and comprehensive business and meeting facilities. Signature elements of Grand Hyatt hotels include iconic architecture and design, state of the art technology, and facilities for an array of business or social gatherings of all sizes.
Hyatt Regency
Hyatt Regency hotels offer a full range of services, amenities, and facilities tailored to serve the needs of meeting and event planners, business travelers, and leisure guests. Hyatt Regency hotels in key urban markets around the world feature flexible meeting facilities of all sizes designed to provide a productive, connected environment. Hyatt Regency hotels in resort locations cater to couples seeking a getaway, families enjoying a vacation together, and corporate groups hosting meetings and events.
Hyatt
Hyatt hotels are smaller-sized properties conveniently located in diverse business and leisure areas. These hotels help guests make the most of their stay, whether for an important business meeting or social gathering, to explore a new city, or to reconnect with family and friends.
Hyatt Residence Club
Hyatt Residence Club is Hyatt's vacation ownership brand providing members opportunities in regionally inspired and designed residential-style properties. Hyatt vacation owners pre-purchase at Hyatt Residence Club and Hyatt Vacation Club properties and have the flexibility of usage, exchange, and rental. Members can choose to occupy their vacation home, exchange time among other Hyatt vacation ownership locations, trade their time for World of Hyatt loyalty program bonus points, or travel within the Hyatt portfolio.
Hyatt Place
Hyatt Place hotels offer a modern, comfortable, and seamless experience, combining style and innovation to create a casual hotel environment for today's multi-tasking traveler. Spacious, thoughtfully designed guestrooms feature distinct areas for sleep, work, and relaxation. Hyatt Place hotels also offer freshly prepared food around the clock, efficient service, and an easy to navigate experience. From the lobby to the guest rooms to in-hotel dining, every aspect of the hotel experience is designed with the high value business traveler in mind.
Hyatt House
Hyatt House hotels are designed to welcome short-term guests and extended stay residents. Apartment-style suites with fully equipped kitchens and separate living areas provide guests with living accommodations and the conveniences of home. Hyatt House hotels seek to keep guests comfortable with complimentary hot breakfast, H Bar food and beverage offerings, and indoor and outdoor communal spaces.
UrCove
The UrCove brand is designed specifically to meet aspiring travelers' preferences and growing expectations for a seamless, comfortable, and premium travel experience in the upper-midscale market in Mainland China. Hotels in the UrCove brand, which is short for "your cove," blend comfort and convenience for the modern traveler through thoughtful service, spacious rooms, delicious food, and a relaxed yet refined ambiance.
Boundless Collection
Miraval
The Miraval brand is a global leader in wellness resorts and spas. Nearly three decades ago, Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa in Tucson pioneered the destination wellness spa resort category with its comprehensive program of mindfulness activities, destination-inspired experiences, and personal spa treatments. The Miraval brand's commitment to inspire guests to create a life in balance, foster positivity, and cultivate mindfulness is the cornerstone of a distinct wellness offering within our portfolio of brands. This commitment reflects our focus on serving the high-end traveler by finding new ways to understand and care for them beyond the traditional hotel stay.
Alila
The Alila brand combines innovative design and luxury in unique locations, set apart by crafted artisanship, guest privacy, personalized hospitality, and bespoke journeys. Alila means "Surprise" in Sanskrit, which suitably describes the refreshing character of this brand. In support of sustainable tourism, Alila hotels and resorts adopt EarthCheck, which are operating standards, integrating the environments' natural, physical, and cultural elements. To stay at any Alila hotel or resort is to embark on a destination experience, which includes delighting in the flavors of the local cuisine, enhancing wellbeing through ancient healing arts, or enjoying the thrill of adventure sports.
Andaz
Global in scale while local in perspective, Andaz hotels draw on surrounding neighborhoods to craft distinctively local experiences, fully immersing guests in each inspiring destination through unique expressions of local culture. Every Andaz hotel is an elevated reflection of the destination's culture, featuring inspired architecture and facades, music in our signature Andaz lounges, local flavors in market-to-table restaurants, distinctive textures in guestrooms, and soothing aromas at the hotel spas, all in a barrier-free and non-traditional environment. Guests will experience personalized and unscripted service where they can become inspired by the spirit of the local community.
Thompson Hotels
Thompson Hotels have transformed conventional hospitality into dynamic cultural moments inspired by the surrounding streets since the brand's first hotel opened in downtown New York City more than 20 years ago. Today, the brand continues to channel local creative energy into its expanding international portfolio of properties, with restaurants featuring top culinary names, lobbies that double as cultural epicenters, boundary-pushing music programs, and more. The result is a magnetic hub built for collective gathering, where distinct design is an ethos and a signature part of the guest experience.
Hyatt Centric
Hyatt Centric hotels are full service lifestyle hotels located in prime destinations. Created for curious travelers who want to be in the heart of the action, Hyatt Centric hotels are thoughtfully designed to enable exploration and discovery so they never miss a moment of adventure. Located in the center of the action, each hotel serves as the perfect launch pad for exploring all the hidden gems and hot spots each destination has to offer. Hyatt Centric hotels feature artistically curated spaces throughout the hotel, thoughtfully designed to help guests work, relax, and socialize. The bar and restaurant are local hot spots where great conversations, locally inspired food and signature cocktails can be enjoyed.
Caption by Hyatt
Caption by Hyatt is a lifestyle brand within the select service category designed to redefine what hospitality looks like in the modern world, delivering on today's travelers' desires for an approachable, lively, and conscious environment where everyone is welcome. Be it an open-mic night or a pop-up art installation, each space within Caption by Hyatt hotels is programmed to reflect each destination and its community. At the heart of each Caption by Hyatt hotel is Talk Shop, an all-day spot where guests can eat, drink, get some work done, hang with friends, or just relax. Caption by Hyatt hotels combine the design and comfort of an upscale, lifestyle-forward hotel with the flexibility and efficiency of a select-service property.
Independent Collection
The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand is a portfolio of upper-upscale and luxury properties ranging from historic urban gems to revitalizing retreats and modern marvels. Each property provides thought-provoking environments that inspire guests seeking a sophisticated experience when they travel. The philosophy behind The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand is to
attract owners and developers who want their properties to maintain a distinct character and brand name, but gain the power of Hyatt's robust distribution, operational, and marketing resources; award-winning customer loyalty program; and trusted brand name and reputation.
Destination by Hyatt
The Destination by Hyatt brand is a portfolio of upper-upscale and luxury hotels, resorts, and residences that are individual yet connected by a commitment to draw on the spirit of each location. Each property is purposefully crafted to be a place of discovery and captures the unique essence of each location through immersive discoveries, authentic design, and welcoming service. The portfolio features renowned golf courses, indigenous spas, and exceptional food and beverage options including bars, restaurants, cafés, and rooftop venues. The Destination Residential Management business operates within this brand and provides services to, and in some cases manages, the rental programs and/or homeowner associations related to condominium units.
JdV by Hyatt
A community for the spirited, light-hearted, and young-at-heart, the JdV by Hyatt brand offers a collection of vibrant, independent hotels that are true reflections of the urban neighborhoods they call home. Each hotel provides an experience that is inclusive in spirit and space, effortlessly bringing people together with joy-driven service. Embracing its namesake of "joie de vivre," each property invites guests and locals to connect, live in the moment, and celebrate the joy of life.
Inclusive Collection
Hyatt Ziva
Hyatt Ziva all-inclusive resorts are designed for guests of all ages in premier leisure locations. These resorts offer a variety of on-site activities and opportunities to experience the local culture and destination. Hyatt Ziva resorts feature a wide array of food and beverage outlets emphasizing authentic local cuisine. In addition to leisure travelers, these resorts cater to special events and business groups with varied and well-appointed indoor and outdoor meeting and event facilities.
Hyatt Zilara
Hyatt Zilara adult-only all-inclusive resorts are located in sought-after resort destinations. These resorts offer a wide array of food and beverage services focusing on authentic local and global cuisines. The resorts offer premier spas, social activities, and live entertainment, as well as a variety of meeting and event spaces. The resorts are designed so couples or small groups can enjoy intimate, sophisticated surroundings.
Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts
Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts cater to those seeking luxury, privacy, and pampering in an all-inclusive, beachfront boutique setting. These resorts offer lavish accommodations, 24-hour concierge, gourmet cuisine, top-shelf spirits, and enrichment experiences. The resorts pay homage to the local cultures, nature, and art through indigenous spa treatments, sustainability practices, and distinguished art collections.
Secrets Resorts & Spas
Secrets Resorts & Spas offer adults-only, all-inclusive luxury focusing on romance in beachfront settings. Properties feature elegantly appointed rooms and suites, 24-hour concierge and room services, gourmet restaurants and lounges, and various day and evening activities. In addition to couples and honeymooners, Secrets resorts also cater to business groups and large leisure events with expansive and flexible settings and customized services.
Breathless Resorts & Spas
Breathless Resorts & Spas are adults-only, all-inclusive properties for guests seeking a luxurious beachfront experience in a social setting. These resorts offer modern accommodations, world-class spas, meetings and event spaces, and high-end dining and drink options with elevated levels of service. Entertainment lineups feature themed events, pool parties, live music, and cultural and art experiences. These resorts cater to singles, social groups, and couples looking for a balance of excitement and relaxation.
Dreams Resorts & Spas
Dreams Resorts & Spas are family-friendly, all-inclusive resorts located in a selection of beautiful beach destinations. Guests can participate in on-site activities, including clubs for kids. Gourmet dining options present a variety of worldly
cuisines, and themed bars serve top-shelf spirits. Meeting venues cater to business travelers, while private event spaces are perfect for social gatherings and wedding celebrations.
Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts
Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts are designed for the next generation traveler seeking engaging, adults-only, all-inclusive vacation experiences in a unique and down-to-earth atmosphere. The brand will offer crafted culinary experiences, wellness, and nutrition classes, as well as engaging activities and entertainment in a relaxed, casual setting.
Alua Hotels & Resorts
Alua Hotels & Resorts are designed for all types of travelers seeking an affordable, seaside getaway across Europe's top island destinations, including Spain's Mediterranean coast, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, and more. Guests can enjoy modern amenities, minimalistic-chic rooms, natural spaces, and worldly cuisine surrounded by local culture and enriching activities.
Sunscape Resorts & Spas
Sunscape Resorts & Spas offer budget-conscious vacations focused on family fun. These all-inclusive, family-friendly beachfront resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean provide a fun and energetic, yet relaxing setting. Each location offers a supervised kids club and teen zone for younger guests, along with an array of activities for the entire family. Sunscape provides comfortable accommodations, various dining options, including kid-friendly menus, and exciting features like waterparks and splash zones.
ALG Vacations, Amstar, and Trisept Solutions
ALG Vacations focuses on providing memorable vacation experiences around the world with an emphasis on Mexico and the Caribbean. As one of the largest sellers of vacation packages and charter flights in the U.S., ALG Vacations operates a number of leading brands in vacation and travel, including Apple Vacations, Funjet Vacations, Travel Impressions, Blue Sky Tours, CheapCaribbean.com, and BeachBound. ALG Vacations also markets and distributes certain products through affiliations with airline vacation brands Southwest Vacations and United Vacations.
The ALG Vacations business includes Amstar, a destination management business, and Trisept Solutions, a technology platform for travel merchandise and distribution. Amstar provides world-class expertise in destination services, transfers, and excursions to individuals, travel agencies, groups, corporations, tour operators, and meeting planners throughout nine countries and thirty-one destinations in the Americas.
Business Segment, Revenues, and Geographical Information
We manage our business within five reportable segments as described below:
•Owned and leased hotels, which consists of our owned and leased full service and select service hotels and, for purposes of segment Adjusted EBITDA, our pro rata share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures' Adjusted EBITDA, based on our ownership percentage of each venture;
•Americas management and franchising ("Americas"), which consists of our management and franchising of properties, including all-inclusive resorts under the Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara brand names, located in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America, as well as our residential management operations;
•ASPAC management and franchising ("ASPAC"), which consists of our management and franchising of properties located in Southeast Asia, Greater China, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, and Micronesia;
•EAME/SW Asia management and franchising ("EAME/SW Asia"), which consists of our management and franchising of properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Central Asia, and Nepal; and
•Apple Leisure Group, which consists of distribution and destination management services offered through ALG Vacations; management and marketing of primarily all-inclusive ALG resorts in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Europe; and the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program, which offers benefits exclusively at ALG resorts within Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.
As previously announced, effective January 1, 2023, our EAME/SW Asia and ASPAC segments have been geographically realigned, such that the EAME management and franchising ("EAME") segment now consists of our
management and franchising of properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, and the ASPAC management and franchising segment now consists of our management and franchising of properties located in Greater China; East and Southeast Asia including Japan and South Korea; the Indian subcontinent, including Nepal; and Oceania, including Australia, New Zealand, and Micronesia.
Within corporate and other, we include the results from our co-branded credit card programs and unallocated corporate expenses. For information regarding our five reportable business segments, revenues, and geographical information, see Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule—Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Hotel Management Agreements
We manage hotels worldwide pursuant to management agreements. Our hotel management agreements typically provide for a two-tiered fee structure that compensates us both for the revenue we generate for the property as well as for the profitability of hotel operations. In these two-tier fee structures, tier one base compensation is a fee that is usually an agreed-upon percentage of gross revenues from hotel operations, and tier two is an incentive fee that is typically calculated as a percentage of a hotel profitability measure, such as gross operating profit, adjusted profit, or the amount by which gross operating profit or adjusted profit exceeds a specified threshold. Outside of the United States, some management agreements have structures more dependent on hotel profitability measures, either through a single management fee structure where the entire fee is based on a profitability measure or because our two-tier fee structure is more heavily weighted toward the incentive fee than the base fee.
In addition to our management fees, we charge owners for certain services provided by us on a centralized or regional basis, including, without limitation, reservation functions, certain sales functions, digital and technology, digital media, national advertising, certain marketing and promotional services, human resource services, insurance programs, and other corporate services.
Terms and Renewals
The approximate average remaining term of our hotel management agreements with third-party owners and unconsolidated hospitality ventures (other than for properties currently under development) is 15 years for full service hotels in all regions, 14 years for select service hotels in all regions, and 11 years for all-inclusive resorts in all regions, in each case assuming no renewal options are exercised by either party. Including exercise of extension options in Hyatt's sole discretion, the approximate average remaining term of our hotel management agreements (other than for properties currently under development) is 18 years for full service hotels in all regions, 25 years for select service hotels in all regions, and 11 years for all-inclusive resorts in all regions.
We also participate in an unconsolidated hospitality venture with a Chinese hospitality company that owns the UrCove select service brand, and the average remaining term of the management agreements pursuant to which the hospitality venture operates the UrCove hotels is approximately 10 years. We license "by Hyatt" to the hospitality venture in connection with such hotel operations pursuant to a master license agreement wherein we are paid fees based upon the cumulative gross operating revenue of the UrCove hotels.
Franchise Agreements
Our franchise agreements grant our franchisees the limited right to use our name, marks, and systems in the operation of franchised full service hotels, select service hotels, and all-inclusive resorts under certain brands. We do not participate in the management of our franchised hotels; however, franchisees are required to operate franchised hotels consistent with our brand standards. We approve the plans for, and the location of, franchised hotels and review the operation of these hotels to ensure our standards are maintained.
In general, our franchisees pay us an initial application fee and/or a design services fee as well as ongoing royalty fees, the amount of which depends on the brand under which the franchised property is licensed as well as the region where the property is located. Royalty fees are typically a percentage of gross rooms revenue, typically ranging from 2.75% to 5%, or, in some cases, gross room revenue generated through Hyatt reservation and booking channels, typically 7%, or a combination of a percentage of gross rooms revenues and a percentage of gross food and beverage revenues, typically 6% of gross room revenue and 3% of gross food and beverage revenues. In some circumstances, and in particular, outside of the United States and Canada, we have negotiated other fee arrangements. In addition to our franchise fees, we charge franchisees for certain services arranged and, in most cases, provided by us. These services may include, without limitation, centralized reservation functions, certain sales functions, digital and technology, digital media, national advertising, certain marketing and promotional services, as well as various revenue management services.
Terms and Renewals
The standard term of our franchise agreements is typically 20 years, with one 10-year renewal option exercisable by the franchisee, assuming the franchisee has complied with franchise agreement requirements and standards. Certain of our franchise agreements have renewal options at Hyatt's option, generally triggered if the franchisee has failed to exercise its renewal option. Certain of our franchise agreements have renewal options upon the mutual agreement of the parties. We have the right to terminate franchise agreements upon specified events of default, including non-payment of fees and non-compliance with brand standards. In the event of early termination for any reason, our franchise agreements typically set forth liquidated damages our franchisees must pay to us upon termination.
The average remaining base term of our franchise agreements for our select service hotels, full service hotels, and all-inclusive resorts in all regions (other than those currently under development) is approximately 15 years, assuming no renewal options are exercised by either party. Including exercise of extension options in Hyatt's sole discretion, the average remaining term of our franchise agreements for our select service hotels, full service hotels, and all-inclusive resorts in all regions (other than those currently under development) is approximately 16 years.
Other Service Agreements
We provide services under the Destination Residential Management business pursuant to rental management agreements with individual property owners and/or homeowner associations, whereby the property owners and/or homeowner associations participate in our rental program. The agreements typically provide for our receipt of a percentage split of the total gross revenue generated from a property under the rental program, and expenses of the property are paid from such split. The agreement terms are typically one or two years, and before the expiration of such terms, on average approximately 90% of the agreements are renewed. Additionally, we provide association management services to the various homeowner associations where we manage the properties for a fee.
Sales and Revenue Management, Marketing, and Global Property and Guest Services
Sales and Revenue Management
We deploy a global sales team as well as regional and ALG sales teams. The global team is responsible for our largest and most significant accounts doing business globally. The regional teams are responsible for large accounts that typically do business within multiple hotels in one region. The global and regional sales teams coordinate efforts with the hotel sales teams. The in-house sales colleagues are focused on local and regional business opportunities, as well as securing business generated from our key global and regional accounts.
Our corporate sales organizations are focused on growing market share with key accounts, identifying new business opportunities, and maximizing our local customer base. Our key accounts consist of major corporations; national, state, and regional associations; specialty market accounts, including social, government, military, educational, religious, and fraternal organizations; travel agency and luxury organizations; and a broad and diverse group of individual consumers. Our global and regional sales teams target multiple brands to key customer accounts within these groups. No single customer is material to our business. Our global and regional teams consist of colleagues at global and regional sales offices around the world who are focused on group business, corporate and leisure traveler accounts, and travel agencies.
Sales colleagues at our regional offices and at many of our full service hotels use our proprietary sales tool to manage the group rooms forecast, maintain an inventory of definite and tentative group rooms booked each day, streamline the process of checking guest room availability and rate quotes, and determine meeting room availability.
We seek to maximize revenues in each hotel we operate through a team of revenue management professionals and also provide revenue management services to franchisees upon request. Our revenue management leaders use a proprietary technology tool to help set appropriate pricing in each hotel. Revenue management has also deployed a self-service analytical tool to better support its constituents. The goal of revenue management is to secure the right customers, on the right date, at the right price. Business opportunities are reviewed and agreed upon by the hotel's management team.
Marketing
We are focused on the high-end traveler, positioning our brands at the top of each segment in which we operate. Our marketing strategy is designed to drive loyalty and community. Building and differentiating each of our brands is critical to increasing Hyatt's brand preference. We are focused on targeting the distinct guest segments that each of our brands serves and supporting the needs of the hotels by thorough analysis and application of data and analytics. The World of Hyatt loyalty program and our digital platforms are also key components of building loyalty and driving revenue. The loyalty program focuses on deepening relationships with members, driving repeat stays, guest satisfaction, recognition, and differential services
and experiences for our most loyal guests. Our digital platforms are our primary distribution channels providing guests, customers, and members with an efficient source of information about our hotels, distinct brand experiences, and a seamless booking experience. With a combined focus on increasing brand awareness, building a community of loyalists, and enhancing digital engagement through personalized experiences, our marketing is aimed at Hyatt becoming the most preferred hospitality brand.
Global Property & Guest Services
We have a proprietary central reservation system that provides a comprehensive view of inventory, while allowing for local management of rates based on demand. Through this system, we are able to allow bookings and subsequent maintenance of bookings by hotels directly, via telephone through our global care centers, by travel agents, by corporate clients, and through digital platforms.
We have eleven global care centers that service our global guest, customer, and loyalty member base 24 hours per day, seven days per week and provide reservation and other services in over 25 languages. While we continue to provide full reservation services via telephone through these global care centers, we have made significant investments in internet booking capabilities and launched an online chat communication function on Hyatt.com and mobile platforms. Additionally, we continue to enhance the services and capabilities of our global care centers to better align with evolving technology and guest preference.
ALG operates call center services in the United States and collaborates with third-party call centers in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia to serve ALG resorts as well as ALG Vacations and Unlimited Vacation Club. ALG utilizes both proprietary and third-party booking engines and reservations are managed through a central reservations system. Within the Unlimited Vacation Club organization there are also call center services that support the membership program and its members, including back-office functions, some of which are provided by a third party.
Some of the rooms at hotels and resorts we manage or franchise are booked through internet travel intermediaries, partners, or online travel service providers. We also engage third-party intermediaries who collect fees by charging our hotels and resorts a commission on room revenues, including travel agencies, travel distribution providers, and meeting and event management companies.
World of Hyatt Loyalty Program
Inspired by our purpose, the World of Hyatt loyalty program aims to build community and engagement with high-end travelers. The program generates substantial repeat guest business by rewarding frequent stays with points that can be redeemed for hotel nights and other valuable rewards. Loyalty program members enjoy additional benefits and awards as they reach milestone rewards and advance through the three elite tiers based on qualifying nights or base points in a calendar year.
Members earn points based on their spend at our properties and through our experience platform FIND; by transacting with our strategic loyalty alliances, including American Airlines, Lindblad Expeditions, MGM Resorts International, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World; or in connection with spend on the World of Hyatt co-branded consumer and business credit cards. Loyalty program points can be redeemed at properties across our brands, converted into airline miles with numerous participating airlines, and redeemed with our strategic loyalty alliances, and other third parties.
The loyalty program is operated for the benefit of participating properties and is primarily funded through contributions from eligible revenues generated from loyalty program members. These funds are applied to reimburse hotels for room nights when members redeem loyalty program points and pay for administrative expenses and marketing initiatives to support the loyalty program.
At December 31, 2022, the loyalty program had approximately 36 million members, and during 2022, represented approximately 42% of total room nights system-wide, excluding properties in our Inclusive Collection.
Unlimited Vacation Club
ALG's Unlimited Vacation Club is a paid membership program that provides its members with preferred rates and benefits exclusively at ALG resorts within Latin America and the Caribbean. Through a variety of membership levels, members purchase the right to receive preferred rates, free hotel nights, discounts on spa and other hotel expenses, and special benefits with third-party travel alliances. The weighted-average term of an Unlimited Vacation Club membership, including upgrades, is approximately 31 years, assuming no renewal options are exercised, and fees are paid either upfront or collected over a contractual financing period of approximately four years. Membership agreements may generally be terminated without penalty within five days of signing, with limited termination rights thereafter. The average early termination rate of memberships sold
since 2010 is less than 8%. As of December 31, 2022, the Unlimited Vacation Club program had over 131,000 members, and during 2022, represented approximately 11% of total room nights at ALG resort properties.
Competition
There is intense competition in all areas of the hospitality industry. Competition exists for hotel, resort, and condominium guests; vacation membership customers; management and franchise agreements; sales of vacation and branded residential properties; and online travel customers, including leisure and business travelers as well as travel agencies and tour operators. Our principal competitors are other operators of full service, select service, extended stay, all-inclusive, and wellness properties, including other major hospitality chains with well-established and recognized brands, as well as cruise line operators. We also compete against small chains and independent and local owners and operators. Increasingly, we face competition from new channels of distribution in the travel industry. Additional sources of competition include large companies that offer online travel services as part of their business models, such as Alibaba, search engines such as Google, and peer-to-peer inventory sources that allow travelers to book stays on websites that facilitate the short-term rental of homes and apartments from owners, thereby providing an alternative to hotel rooms, such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
We compete for guests based primarily on brand name recognition and reputation, location, customer satisfaction, room rates, quality of service, health and cleanliness standards, amenities, quality of accommodations, security, and the ability to earn and redeem loyalty program points.
We compete for management agreements primarily based on the value and quality of our management services; our brand name recognition and reputation; the level of our management fees; the cost of payroll at managed properties where we are the employer; cost associated with system-wide services, including without limitation, sales, reservations, digital and technology, digital media, and marketing services (collectively, "system-wide services"); and the economic advantages to the property owner of retaining our management services and using our brand name. We compete for franchise agreements primarily based on brand name recognition and reputation; the room rate that can be realized; total revenues we can deliver to the properties; and the cost associated with our system-wide services. Other competitive factors for management and franchise agreements include relationships with property owners and investors, including institutional owners of multiple properties; marketing support; reservation and e-commerce system capacity and efficiency; and the ability to provide capital that may be necessary to obtain management and franchise agreements.
The number of branded lodging operators with a global reach and depth of products and offerings similar to us is limited. We believe our strong customer base, prominent brand recognition, strategic property locations, and global development team enable us to compete effectively. For additional information, see Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Because we operate in a highly competitive industry, our revenues, profits, or market share could be harmed if we are unable to compete effectively, and new distribution channels, alternatives to traditional hotels, and industry consolidation among our competitors may negatively impact our business."
Seasonality
The hospitality industry is typically seasonal in nature. The periods during which our properties experience higher revenues vary from property to property, depending principally on location, the customer base served, and potential impacts due to the timing of certain holidays. While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted historical seasonality patterns of our business, we experienced more normalized seasonality patterns beginning in the third and fourth quarter of 2022.
Cyclicality
The hospitality industry is cyclical and generally follows, on a lagged basis, the overall economy. There is a history of increases and decreases in demand for hotel rooms, in occupancy levels, and in rates realized by owners of hotels through economic cycles. Variability of results through some of the cycles in the past has been more severe due to changes in the supply of hotel rooms in given markets or in given categories of hotels. In the most recent cycle, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic drove immediate decreases in demand. Changes in industry demand related to economic conditions, other factors such as those experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic, or in the supply of hotel rooms, or any combination thereof, can result in significant volatility in results for owners, managers, and franchisors of hotel properties. The costs of running a hotel tend to be more fixed than variable. Because of this, in an environment of declining revenues, the rate of decline in earnings will be higher than the rate of decline in revenues. Conversely, in an environment of increasing demand and room rates, the rate of increase in earnings is typically higher than the rate of increase in revenues.
Intellectual Property
In the highly competitive hospitality industry in which we operate, trademarks, service marks, trade names, and logos are very important in the sales and marketing of our hotels, residential, vacation, condominium units and services, our distribution and destination management services business, and our paid vacation membership club. We have a significant number of trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, and pending registrations, and significant resources are expended each year on surveillance, registration, and protection of our trademarks, service marks, trade names, and logos, which we believe have become synonymous in the hospitality industry with a reputation for excellence in service and care. For additional information, see Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Any failure to protect our trademarks and intellectual property could reduce the value of our brand names and harm our business."
Government Regulation
We are subject to numerous foreign, federal, state, and local government laws and regulations, including those relating to employment practices, laws and regulations that govern the offer and sale of franchises, health and safety, competition, anti-bribery, and anti-corruption; the preparation and sale of food and beverages; building and zoning requirements; cybersecurity; data privacy; and general business license and permit requirements, in various jurisdictions. In addition, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, governmental agencies in various jurisdictions have issued evolving health and safety-related regulations and orders that affect our operations. We manage and own hotels with casino gaming operations as part of or adjacent to such hotels, but third parties manage and operate the casino operations with the exception of one hotel in Aruba where we are subject to the licensing and regulatory control of the agency responsible for such license and operations in Aruba because we maintain the casino gaming license and manage the casino. Compliance with these various laws and regulations can affect the revenues and profits of our portfolio of properties and could adversely affect our operations or our reputation. We believe our businesses are conducted in substantial compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Human Capital Resources and Corporate Responsibility Commitment
Our purpose – to care for people so they can be their best – is at the heart of how we care for our guests, customers, and colleagues. We recognize that Hyatt's success is dependent on the commitment to genuine service and care that our colleagues deliver to our guests and customers and that our colleagues and culture are at the core of our purpose. Therefore, one of our strategic priorities is to cultivate the best people and foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture that supports wellbeing, enables colleagues to reach their fullest potential, emphasizes career opportunity and development, and creates an environment for growth for all colleagues.
Employees
At December 31, 2022, there were approximately 189,000 colleagues working at our corporate and regional offices and our managed, franchised, owned, and leased properties, and we directly employ approximately 50,000 of these colleagues. The remaining colleagues are employed by third-party owners and franchisees of our properties. Approximately 18% of our employees (approximately 21% of our U.S.-based employees) were either represented by a labor union or had terms of employment that were determined under a labor agreement. We believe relations with our employees and colleagues are good.
World of Care
Over the past 65 years, care has been at the heart of everything that we do at Hyatt. In 2021, we launched World of Care, our global platform for communicating Hyatt's commitment to care for the planet, people, and responsible business.
Our focus areas and goals are defined by understanding what is important to our colleagues, guests, customers, owners, stockholders, and the communities in which our hotels operate. Our ongoing engagement with these stakeholders and our broader supply chain enables us to continue to evolve our strategy to address emerging needs. We also understand the importance of our focus areas supporting key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, helping us to further align with broader, long-term positive impact.
•Caring for the Planet: We are committed to advancing environmental action so that destinations around the world are vibrant now and for our future generations. Through our 2030 environmental goals, we seek to drive change in our communities with a focus on climate change and water conservation, waste and circularity, responsible sourcing, and thriving destinations.
•Caring for People: We believe in the power of kindness and empathy to drive equality, fairness, and wellbeing for our colleagues, guests, customers, owners, and communities. Our efforts are focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion ('DE&I"), supplier and business partner diversity, community engagement and volunteerism, wellbeing, and human rights.
•Caring for Responsible Business: We embrace our responsibility to create fair, ethical, and transparent business practices, both within and beyond our company and Hyatt properties. Our approach to responsible business spans policies and procedures around ethics, risk management, data privacy and security, and corporate governance globally.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We have a long history of focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are committed to holding ourselves accountable for continued change holistically across Hyatt's business. In 2021, we published our first DE&I report and in July 2022, published our second annual DE&I report, which summarizes current workforce data and describes our Change Starts Here commitments that were introduced in 2020. Our Change Starts Here goals are designed to accelerate our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by 2025 through: (i) doubling representation for women and people of color groups in key leadership roles, including doubling the representation of Black leaders; (ii) hiring 45% of participants in RiseHY – a global program providing career pathways for young people aged 16-24 who are disconnected from the economy either by not working or not going to school and who are frequently members of Black and African-American communities – in the United States by 2025; (iii) providing 1,000 hours of pro bono or volunteer support in Black communities in Chicago; and (iv) achieving 10% of Black spend as a percentage of all minority- and women-owned supplier spend in the United States. In addition, the Hyatt Hotels Foundation plans on making financial contributions totaling $1 million in support of strengthening Black communities in the United States by 2025 through the Change Starts Here grant program. As reported in our July 2022 DE&I report, in 2021, we saw an increase of women in leadership positions when compared to 2020 and an increase in representation of people of color across our U.S. workforce. Additionally, we made progress toward our goal of hiring 45% of RiseHY participants and surpassed our 2025 goal of 1,000 pro bono or volunteer hours in Black communities.
We also maintain a Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, chaired by our CEO, to shape and drive our diversity and inclusion strategy, and we sponsor eight colleague-led Diversity Business Resource Groups with chapters around the globe to provide career development programs and support workforce diversity. Hyatt colleagues are eager to learn, participate, and impact this space. To address this interest, Hyatt provides a Leading Inclusively training for all people managers at both the corporate and hotel-level. This training provides an opportunity for colleagues to reflect on potential biases and assumptions that may create barriers to practicing inclusion, seeking out and engaging in diverse perspectives, and collaborating to solve problems.
Colleague Wellbeing
To support our colleagues' physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, we prioritize offerings and opportunities for them to practice self-care, including providing complimentary access to the Headspace meditation and mindfulness mobile application, as one example. Our internal teams who are focused on colleague wellbeing evaluate and shape how we can continue to energize and engage colleagues through feedback collected from colleagues around the world. As an extension of our purpose of care and as part of our ongoing commitment to colleague wellbeing, we also utilize a mental wellbeing assessment tool — Hyatt Well-Check — to support our colleagues. The confidential and anonymous assessment tool can help colleagues better understand the state of their own mental wellbeing and point them toward resources that can help address their needs.
Environmental Matters
In connection with our ownership, management, and development of properties, we are subject to various foreign, federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations relating to environmental protection. Under some of these laws, a current or former owner or operator of real property may be held liable for the costs of investigating or remediating hazardous or toxic substances or wastes on, under, or in such real property, as well as third-party sites where the owner or operator sent wastes for disposal. Such laws may impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew, or was at fault in connection with, the presence or release of such hazardous substances or wastes. Although we are not aware of any current material obligations for investigating or remediating hazardous substances or wastes at our owned properties, the future discovery of substances or wastes at any of our owned properties, or the failure to remediate such contaminated property properly, could adversely affect our ability to develop or sell such real estate, or to borrow using such real estate as collateral. In addition, the costs of investigating or remediating contamination at our properties or at properties where we sent substances or wastes for disposal, may be substantial.
We are also subject to various requirements, including those contained in environmental permits required for our operations, governing air emissions, effluent discharges, the use, management, and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, and health and safety. From time to time, we may be required to manage, abate, or remove mold, lead, or asbestos-containing materials at our properties. We believe our properties and operations are in compliance, in all material respects, with all foreign, federal, state, and local environmental laws and ordinances. However, additional operating costs and capital expenditures could be incurred if additional or more stringent requirements are enacted in the future.
Insurance
Properties we manage, franchise, license, own, and lease outright or through hospitality ventures are insured under different insurance programs depending on whether the property participates in our insurance programs or in the insurance programs of the property owner, including hospitality ventures; franchisee; or licensee. We maintain insurance coverage for hotels owned and leased by the Company under our insurance programs for liability, property, workers compensation, and other risks with respect to our business. Our liability insurance provides coverage for most claims, including claims related to terrorism, operations, goods and services, and automobiles, but does not provide coverage for certain losses, including pandemics and/or epidemics, damage caused by microorganisms, asbestos, and war or warlike operations. Our property insurance provides coverage for all risks to our real properties including fire, windstorm, flood, earthquake, and terrorism. Property insurance also includes business interruption coverage, but does not provide coverage for certain losses, including pandemics and/or epidemics. Our workers compensation insurance provides coverage for employee injuries in the course and scope of employment. Hotels owned by hospitality ventures, hotels managed by the Company, and certain franchises are permitted to participate in our insurance programs by mutual agreement with our hospitality venture partners or third-party hotel owners and franchisees. The majority of hotels owned by hospitality ventures and managed hotels owned by third parties participate in our insurance programs. Our hospitality venture agreements and management agreements require hotels owned by hospitality ventures and managed hotels owned by third parties that do not participate in our insurance programs to be insured at coverage levels generally consistent with the coverage levels under our insurance programs, including liability, property, business interruption, workers compensation, and other insurance. Our franchise and license agreements require our franchisees and licensees to maintain liability, property, business interruption, workers compensation, and other insurance at our franchised or licensed properties. We are typically covered under insurance policies held by third-party property owners, franchisees, or licensees to the extent necessary and reasonable. We also maintain cyber-risk insurance for systems and data controlled by the Company. Cyber-risk insurance generally covers all Company-controlled systems and Company-controlled data in properties that the Company manages, franchises, licenses, owns, and leases, outright or through hospitality ventures.
We believe the Company's insurance policies, as well as those maintained by third-party owners and franchisees, including hospitality ventures, are adequate for foreseeable losses and on terms and conditions that are reasonable and customary with solvent insurance carriers. We also self-insure some of our risks generally through the use of deductibles and retentions. We believe these deductibles and retentions are reasonable and customary for our industry and our size. However, there are losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure. We use a U.S.-based and licensed captive insurance company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company to generally insure our deductibles and retentions, but we exclude most property insurance deductibles and retentions.
Stockholder Agreements
The following is a summary of the provisions of the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement, the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement, and the Global Hyatt Corporation 2007 Stockholders' Agreement (the "2007 Stockholders' Agreement"). The following descriptions of these agreements do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by, the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement, Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement, and 2007 Stockholders' Agreement, copies of which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and are incorporated by reference herein. For additional information regarding these agreements, please also refer to Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Share Ownership and Other Stockholder Matters."
Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement
The trustees of the U.S. situs trusts for the benefit of certain lineal descendants of Nicholas J. Pritzker, deceased, that own, directly or indirectly, shares of our common stock, and the adult beneficiaries of such trusts, including Mr. Thomas J. Pritzker, our executive chairman, and Mr. Jason Pritzker, one of our directors, and any of their successors that own, directly or indirectly, shares of our common stock, have entered into the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement pursuant to which they have agreed to, among other things, certain voting agreements and limitations on the sale of shares of our common stock. At January 31, 2023, Pritzker family business interests own, directly or indirectly, 56,988,322 shares, or 53.6%, of our total outstanding common stock and control approximately 89.1% of our total voting power. Specifically, such parties have agreed that until the date upon which more than 75% of the Company's fully diluted shares of common stock is owned by persons other than Pritzker family members and spouses (including any U.S. or non-U.S. situs trusts for the current or future, direct or indirect, vested or contingent, benefit of Pritzker family members and spouses), all Pritzkers (and their successors in interest, if applicable), but not the transferees by sale (other than Pritzkers who purchase directly from other Pritzkers), will vote all of their voting securities consistent with the recommendations of our board of directors with respect to all matters assuming agreement as to any such matter by a majority of a minimum of three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) or, in the case of transactions involving us and an affiliate, assuming agreement of all of such minimum of three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker). All Pritzkers have agreed to cast and submit by proxy to us
their votes in a manner consistent with the foregoing voting agreement at least five business days prior to the scheduled date of any annual or special meeting of stockholders.
In addition, such parties have agreed that until the date upon which more than 75% of the Company's fully diluted shares of common stock is owned by persons other than Pritzker family members and spouses (including any U.S. or non-U.S. situs trusts for the current or future, direct or indirect, vested or contingent, benefit of any Pritzker family members and spouses), all Pritzker family members and spouses (including U.S. and non-U.S. situs trusts for the current or future, direct or indirect, vested or contingent, benefit of any Pritzker family members and spouses or affiliates of any thereof) in a "beneficiary group" (including trusts only to the extent of the then current benefit of members of such beneficiary group) may sell up to 25% of their aggregate holdings of our common stock, measured as of November 4, 2009, the date of effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-161068) relating to our initial public offering of our Class A common stock, in each 12-month period following the date of effectiveness of such registration statement (without carry-overs), and shall not sell more than such amount during any such period. Upon the unanimous affirmative vote of our independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker), such 25% limitation may, with respect to each such 12 month period, be increased to a higher percentage or waived entirely. Sales of our common stock, including Class A common stock and Class B common stock, between and among Pritzkers is permitted without regard to the sale restrictions described above and such sales are not counted against the 25% sale limitation.
All shares of our common stock owned by each beneficiary group (including trusts only to the extent of the then current benefit of members of such beneficiary group) are freely pledgeable to an institutional lender and such institutional lender will not be subject to the sale restrictions described above upon default and foreclosure.
The Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement may be amended, modified, supplemented, or restated by the written agreement of the successors to Mr. Thomas J. Pritzker, Mr. Marshall E. Eisenberg, and Mr. Karl J. Breyer, solely in their capacity as co-trustees of the Pritzker family U.S. situs trusts, 75% of the adult beneficiaries named below and a majority of the other adult beneficiaries party to the agreement. Each of Thomas J. Pritzker, Nicholas J. Pritzker, Jennifer N. Pritzker, John A. Pritzker, Linda Pritzker, Karen L. Pritzker, Penny Pritzker, Daniel F. Pritzker, Anthony N. Pritzker, Gigi Pritzker Pucker, and Jay Robert Pritzker, and their respective lineal descendants and current spouse, if relevant, make up a "beneficiary group."
Disputes that relate to the subject matter of the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement are subject to arbitration pursuant to the terms of the agreement. The exclusive requirement to arbitrate under the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement shall not apply with respect to the manner in which Hyatt's operations are conducted to the extent the parties (in their capacities as stockholders) and non-Pritzker public stockholders are affected comparably; provided, however, that a party may participate in and benefit from any shareholder litigation initiated by a non-party to the agreement. A party to the agreement may not solicit others to initiate or be a named plaintiff in such litigation (i) unless two thirds of the independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) of a board of directors having at least three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) do not vote in favor of the matter that is the subject of the litigation or (ii) in the case of affiliated transactions reviewed by our board of directors, unless at least one independent director (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) did not approve the transaction.
Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement
The trustees of the non-U.S. situs trusts for the benefit of certain lineal descendants of Nicholas J. Pritzker, deceased, that own, directly or indirectly, shares of our common stock, and the adult beneficiaries of such trusts, including Mr. Thomas J. Pritzker and Mr. Jason Pritzker, and any of their successors that own, directly or indirectly, shares of our common stock, have entered into the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement pursuant to which they have agreed to, among other things, certain voting agreements and limitations on the sale of shares of our common stock. At January 31, 2023, Pritzker family business interests own, directly or indirectly, 56,988,322 shares, or 53.6%, of our total outstanding common stock and control approximately 89.1% of our total voting power. Specifically, such parties have agreed that until the date upon which more than 75% of the Company's fully diluted shares of common stock is owned by persons other than Pritzker family members and spouses (including any U.S. or non-U.S. situs trusts for the current or future, direct or indirect, vested or contingent, benefit of any Pritzker family members and spouses), all Pritzkers (and their successors in interest, if applicable), but not the transferees by sale (other than Pritzkers who purchase directly from other Pritzkers), will vote (or cause to be voted) all of the voting securities held directly or indirectly by them consistent with the recommendations of our board of directors with respect to all matters assuming agreement as to any such matter by a majority of a minimum of three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) or, in the case of transactions involving us and an affiliate, assuming agreement of all of such minimum of three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker). All Pritzkers have agreed to cast and submit by proxy to us their votes in a manner consistent with the foregoing voting agreement at least five business days prior to the scheduled date of any annual or special meeting of stockholders.
In addition, such parties have agreed that until the date upon which more than 75% of the Company's fully diluted shares of common stock is owned by persons other than Pritzker family members and spouses (including any U.S. or non-U.S. situs trusts for the current or future, direct or indirect, vested or contingent, benefit of any Pritzker family members and spouses), all Pritzker family members and spouses (including U.S. and non-U.S. situs trusts for the current or future, direct or indirect, vested or contingent, benefit of any Pritzker family members and spouses and/or affiliates of any thereof) in a "beneficiary group" (including trusts only to the extent of the then current benefit of members of such beneficiary group) may sell up to 25% of their aggregate holdings of our common stock, measured as of November 4, 2009, the date of effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-161068) relating to our initial public offering of our Class A common stock, in each 12-month period following the date of effectiveness of such registration statement (without carry-overs), and shall not sell more than such amount during any such period. Upon the unanimous affirmative vote of our independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker), such 25% limitation may, with respect to each such 12 month period, be increased to a higher percentage or waived entirely. Sales of our common stock, including Class A common stock and Class B common stock, between and among Pritzkers is permitted without regard to the sale restrictions described above and such sales are not counted against the 25% sale limitation.
All shares of our common stock owned directly or indirectly by each beneficiary group (including trusts only to the extent of the then current benefit of members of such beneficiary group) are freely pledgeable to an institutional lender and such institutional lender will not be subject to the sale restrictions described above upon default and foreclosure.
The Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement may be amended, modified, supplemented, or restated by the written agreement of 75% of the adult beneficiaries named below and a majority of the other adult beneficiaries party to the agreement. Each of Thomas J. Pritzker, Nicholas J. Pritzker, Jennifer N. Pritzker, John A. Pritzker, Linda Pritzker, Karen L. Pritzker, Penny Pritzker, Daniel F. Pritzker, Anthony N. Pritzker, Gigi Pritzker Pucker, and Jay Robert Pritzker, and their respective lineal descendants and current spouse, if relevant, make up a "beneficiary group."
Disputes that relate to the subject matter of the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement are subject to arbitration pursuant to the terms of the agreement. The exclusive requirement to arbitrate under the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement shall not apply with respect to the manner in which Hyatt's operations are conducted to the extent the parties (in their capacities as stockholders) and non-Pritzker public stockholders are affected comparably; provided, however, that a party may participate in and benefit from any shareholder litigation initiated by a non-party to the agreement. A party to the agreement may not solicit others to initiate or be a named plaintiff in such litigation (i) unless two thirds of the independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) of a board of directors having at least three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) do not vote in favor of the matter that is the subject of the litigation or (ii) in the case of affiliated transactions reviewed by our board of directors, unless at least one independent director (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) did not approve the transaction.
2007 Stockholders' Agreement
In connection with the issuance and sale of 100,000 shares of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to GS Sunray Holdings, L.L.C. ("GSSH") and GS Sunray Holdings Parallel, L.L.C. ("GSSHP" and collectively with GSSH, the "Goldman Sachs Funds"), affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co., and the execution of a Subscription Agreement in August 2007, we entered into the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement with Madrone GHC, LLC and affiliates (collectively, "Madrone"), the Goldman Sachs Funds, and an additional investor that provides for certain rights and obligations of these stockholders, as described below.
In May 2009, the shares of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock held by the Goldman Sachs Funds were converted into shares of common stock. Such shares of common stock, along with shares of common stock purchased by the Goldman Sachs Funds and Madrone in May 2009 pursuant to the Subscription Agreement and in the May 2009 private placement transaction, and any other shares of common stock held by the parties to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement prior to our initial public offering, were reclassified into shares of our Class B common stock upon the filing of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation on November 4, 2009, the date of our initial public offering. The Goldman Sachs Funds and Madrone no longer hold any shares of common stock subject to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement as a result of sales into the public market subject to applicable securities laws. At January 31, 2023, the additional investor party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement held 2,270,395 shares of Class B common stock.
Transfer Restrictions
No stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement may transfer (1) the legal or beneficial ownership of any common stock held by such stockholder unless such acquiring person's ownership of common stock is not reasonably likely to jeopardize any licensing from a governmental authority, as determined by our board of directors in its reasonable discretion, (2) any common stock to an aggregator (meaning a person who is required to file a Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act disclosing an interest other than for investment), (3) any common stock to a competitor of ours engaged in one or more of the
hospitality, lodging, and/or gaming industries or (4) any common stock that would cause a stockholder to violate any provision of the agreement. Such restrictions are qualified by the "actual knowledge" of the transferring stockholder in the case of transfers pursuant to an underwritten public offering or a broad distribution sale.
All other transfer restrictions set forth in the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement expired in May 2015. However, all shares held by such stockholders remain subject to the rights of first refusal (except as described below with respect to shares held by Madrone) and "drag along" rights described below.
Right of First Refusal
In the event that the number of shares of common stock proposed to be transferred by a stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement and its affiliates together with any shares of common stock then proposed to be transferred by the other stockholders party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement and their affiliates exceeds 2% of the then outstanding shares of common stock, then prior to consummating the sale of common stock to a third-party purchaser, such stockholder or stockholders shall offer to transfer the common stock to us at the applicable market value (as defined in the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement). If we do not accept the offer within a specified period of time, such stockholder or stockholders may transfer the shares of common stock to the third-party purchaser as long as such transfer occurs within the time periods specified in the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement and on terms and conditions no more favorable in the aggregate than those offered to us. We waived all rights of first refusal with respect to shares held by the Goldman Sachs Funds and Madrone in connection with the sales into the public market by such entities.
"Drag-Along" Right
In connection with a "change of control" (as defined in the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement) transaction, we have the right to require each stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement to participate in such change of control transaction on the same terms, conditions, and price per share of common stock as those applicable to the other holders of our common stock. In addition, upon our request, the stockholders party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement have agreed to vote in favor of such change of control transaction or similar transaction, and we have the right to require each stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement to vote for, consent to, and raise no objection to any such transaction.
"Tag-Along" Right
Subject to the fiduciary duties of our board of directors, we have agreed that we will not agree to consummate a change of control transaction with respect to which the stockholders party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement are not given the right to participate on the same terms, conditions, and price per share of common stock as those applicable to the other holders of our common stock.
Preemptive Rights
Each stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement has the right to purchase such stockholder's pro rata share of any new shares of common stock, or any other equity securities, that we may propose to sell and issue on comparable terms by making an election within the time periods specified in the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement, subject to certain excluded securities issuances described in the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement, including shares issued pursuant to equity compensation plans adopted by our board of directors and the issuance of shares of our common stock in a public offering. If not all stockholders elect to purchase their full preemptive allocation of new securities, then we will notify the fully-participating stockholders and offer them the right to purchase the unsubscribed new securities.
Voting Agreement
Until the date that Mr. Thomas J. Pritzker is no longer our chairman, each stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement has agreed to vote all of their shares of common stock consistent with the recommendations of a majority of our board of directors with respect to all matters. At January 31, 2023, the stockholders party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement own in the aggregate 2,270,395 shares of Class B common stock or approximately 3.9% of our Class B common stock, approximately 2.1% of the total outstanding shares of our common stock and approximately 3.6% of the total voting power of our outstanding common stock.
Standstill
Under the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement, each stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement agreed that, subject to certain limited exceptions, so long as such stockholder owns shares of common stock, neither such stockholder nor any of its related persons will in any manner, directly or indirectly:
•effect or seek, offer or propose (whether publicly or otherwise) to effect, or announce any intention to effect or cause or participate in or in any way assist, facilitate, or encourage any other person to effect or seek, offer or propose (whether publicly or otherwise) to effect or participate in, (a) any acquisition of any of our or our subsidiaries' securities (or beneficial ownership thereof) (except through the proper exercise of preemptive rights granted under the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement), or rights or options to acquire any of our or our subsidiaries' securities (or beneficial ownership thereof), or any of our or our subsidiaries' or affiliates' assets, indebtedness, or businesses, (b) any tender or exchange offer, merger, or other business combination involving us or any of our subsidiaries or affiliates or any assets constituting a significant portion of our consolidated assets, (c) any recapitalization, restructuring, liquidation, dissolution, or other extraordinary transaction with respect to us or any of our subsidiaries or affiliates, or (d) any "solicitation" of "proxies" (as such terms are used in the proxy rules under the Exchange Act) or written consents with respect to any of our or our affiliates' voting securities. For this purpose, the term "affiliates" means our affiliates primarily engaged in the hospitality, lodging, and/or gaming industries;
•form, join, or in any way participate in a "group" (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) with respect to us where such group seeks to acquire any of our equity securities;
•otherwise act, alone or in concert with others, to seek representation on or to control or influence our or our subsidiaries' management, board of directors, or policies;
•take any action which would or would reasonably be expected to force us to make a public announcement regarding any of the types of matters set forth in the first bullet point above;
•own more than 12% of the issued and outstanding common stock, unless such ownership arises as a result of any action not taken by or on behalf of such stockholder or a related person of such stockholder; or
•request that we or any of our representatives, directly or indirectly, amend or waive any of the foregoing provisions.
Each stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement has also agreed that, if at any time during the period such stockholder is subject to the foregoing provisions, such stockholder is approached by any third party concerning its participation in any transaction or proposed transaction involving the acquisition of all or any portion of the assets, indebtedness, or securities of, or any business of, ours or any of our subsidiaries, such stockholder will promptly inform us of the nature of such transaction and the parties involved.
Termination
The 2007 Stockholders' Agreement terminates (1) with respect to any individual stockholder, on the first date when such stockholder no longer holds any shares of common stock and (2) in its entirety, upon the first to occur of all of our equity securities being owned by a single person or the agreement in writing by us and each stockholder party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement.
Our Website and Availability of SEC Reports and Other Information
The Company maintains a website at the following address: www.hyatt.com. The information on the Company's website is not incorporated by reference in, or otherwise to be regarded as part of, this annual report. In addition, we reference certain sources included on our website, including our DE&I reports, in this annual report, and none of these are incorporated by reference in, or are otherwise to be regarded as part of, this annual report.
We make available on or through our website certain reports and amendments to those reports we file with or furnish to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. These include our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and our current reports on Form 8-K. We make this information available on our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the information with, or furnish it to, the SEC.
Investors and others should note that we routinely announce material information to investors and the marketplace using SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls, webcasts, and the Hyatt Investor Relations website. We use these channels as well as social media channels (e.g., the Hyatt Facebook account (facebook.com/hyatt); the Hyatt Instagram account (instagram.com/hyatt); the Hyatt Twitter account (twitter.com/hyatt); the Hyatt LinkedIn account (linkedin.com/company/hyatt); and the Hyatt YouTube account (youtube.com/user/hyatt)) as a means of disclosing information about our business to our guests, customers, colleagues, investors, and the public. While not all of the information that we post to the Hyatt Investor Relations website or on our social media channels is of a material nature, some information could be deemed to be material. Accordingly, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in Hyatt to review the information that we share at the Hyatt Investor Relations website and on our social media channels. The information on the Hyatt Investor Relations website
and the Company's social media channels is not incorporated by reference in, or otherwise to be regarded as part of, this annual report.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
In addition to the other information set forth in this annual report, you should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Risk Factors Summary
The following is a summary of the principal risks and uncertainties described in more detail in this annual report:
•Global economic conditions and the cyclical nature of the hospitality industry could adversely affect demand for travel and lodging, and hospitality-related businesses, and, as a result, our revenues, profitability, and future growth.
•The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material adverse impact on the travel industry generally and, as a result, on our business and results of operations, and, while the recovery accelerated in 2022, the pace and consistency of the global recovery remains uncertain, and the impacts of the pandemic may persist or become more pronounced in the future.
•Risks relating to natural or man-made disasters, weather and climate-related events, contagious diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist activity, and war could reduce the demand for lodging and hospitality-related businesses, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
•We operate in a highly competitive industry and our revenues, profits, or market share could be harmed if we are unable to compete effectively.
•New distribution channels, alternatives to traditional hotels, significant increases in the volume of sales made through third-party internet travel intermediaries, and industry consolidation among our competitors could have an adverse impact on consumer loyalty to our brands and hospitality-related businesses and may negatively impact our business.
•If we are unable to establish and maintain key distribution arrangements for our properties and hospitality-related businesses, the demand for our rooms, hospitality-related services, and revenues could decrease.
•Because we derive a portion of our revenues from operations outside the United States, we are subject to various risks of doing business internationally.
•If we are unable to successfully operate the World of Hyatt loyalty program or further evolve the development and implementation of our digital platforms, loyalty for our brands, and our revenues, could be negatively impacted.
•The success of the Unlimited Vacation Club membership program is dependent on offering preferred rate hotel inventory, providing members unique engagement experiences and benefits, as well as access to on-site sale opportunities and other key sales locations, and could be negatively impacted by lack of resort inventory, member terminations, or a failure to collect membership fees.
•Adverse incidents at, or adverse publicity concerning, our businesses or our corporate responsibilities could harm our brands and reputation, as well as adversely affect our market share, business, financial condition, or results of operations.
•Labor shortages could restrict our ability to operate our properties or grow our business or result in increased labor costs that could reduce our profits.
•If we are unable to maintain good relationships with third-party property owners and franchisees and/or if our management or franchise agreements terminate, our revenues could decrease and our costs could increase.
•Our growth strategy depends on attracting third-party owners and franchisees to our platform, and future arrangements with these third parties may be less favorable to us, depending on the terms offered by our competitors.
•Some of our existing development pipeline may not be developed into new hotels or may not open on the anticipated timeline, which could affect our growth prospects.
•If we or our third-party owners or franchisees are not able to maintain our brand standards or develop, redevelop, or renovate properties successfully, our business, profitability, and ability to compete effectively could be harmed.
•We may be unable to sell selected owned properties at acceptable terms and conditions, if at all, or within targeted timeframes, and are exposed to risks resulting from significant investments in owned and leased real estate.
•We may seek to expand our business through acquisitions of and investments in other businesses and properties, or through alliances, and these activities may be unsuccessful or divert our management's attention, or the integration process of acquisitions may take longer or be more difficult than anticipated.
•If we or our third-party owners, franchisees, or development partners are unable to repay or refinance loans secured by the mortgaged properties, access the capital necessary to fund current operations, or implement our plans for growth, our revenues, profits, and capital resources could be reduced and our business could be harmed.
•If we become liable for losses related to loans we have provided or guaranteed to third parties or contractual arrangements with third-party owners and franchisees, our profits could be reduced.
•Cyber risk and the failure to maintain the integrity of customer, colleague, or Company data could adversely affect our business, harm our reputation, and/or subject us to costs, fines, penalties, investigations, enforcement actions, or lawsuits.
•Information technology system failures, delays in the operation of our information technology systems, or system enhancement failures could reduce our revenues and profits and harm the reputation of our brands and our business.
•We have a limited ability to manage third-party risks associated with our hospitality venture investments, which could reduce our revenues, increase our costs, lower our profits, and/or increase our liabilities.
•Our debt service obligations may adversely affect our cash flow and reduce our operational flexibility, and we are exposed to counterparty and credit risk and fluctuations in the market values of our investment portfolio.
•Our failure, or the failure by third-party owners, franchisees, or hospitality venture partners, to comply with applicable laws and regulations may increase our costs, reduce our profits, or limit our growth.
•Adverse judgments or settlements resulting from legal proceedings in which we may be involved could reduce our profits or limit our ability to operate our business.
•Changes in federal, state, local, or foreign tax law, interpretations of existing tax law, or agreements or disputes with tax authorities could affect our profitability and financial condition by increasing our tax costs.
•Any failure to protect our trademarks and intellectual property could reduce the value of our brand names and harm our business.
•There can be no assurance that we will declare or pay dividends in the future or that we will repurchase shares pursuant to our share repurchase program consistent with historical amounts or at all.
•Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law, as well as agreements with our major stockholders, may discourage or prevent a change of control transaction or any attempt by stockholders to replace or remove our board of directors or management.
•Pritzker family business interests have substantial control over us and have the ability to control the election of directors and other matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
Risks Related to the Hospitality Industry
We are subject to macroeconomic and other factors beyond our control, as well as the business, financial, operating, and other risks of the hospitality industry, all of which may adversely affect our financial results and growth.
Macroeconomic and other factors beyond our control as well as the business, financial, operating, and other risks of the hospitality industry can adversely affect demand for hospitality products and services. These factors include:
•changes and volatility in general economic conditions, including as a result of rising interest rates, and the impact on consumer discretionary spending, including the severity and duration of any economic downturn in the U.S., Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, or global economy and financial markets;
•war, political conditions or uncertainty, civil unrest, protests, terrorist activities or threats, and heightened travel security measures instituted in response to these events;
•global outbreaks of pandemics, epidemics, endemics, or contagious diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or fear of such outbreaks;
•climate change and resource scarcity, such as water and energy scarcity;
•natural or man-made disasters, weather and climate-related events, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, floods, wildfires, oil spills, and nuclear incidents;
•changes in the desirability of particular locations or travel patterns of customers;
•decreased corporate budgets and spending and cancellations, deferrals, or renegotiations of group business;
•decreased demand for business-related travel for in-person meetings due to technological advancements in, and consumer acceptance and adaptation to, virtual meetings and conferences and/or changes in guest and consumer preferences;
•global supply chain constraints and interruptions, rising costs of construction-related labor and materials, and increased costs due to inflation or other factors that may not be fully offset by increases in revenues in our business;
•low consumer confidence, high levels of unemployment, and depressed housing prices;
•the financial condition of the airline, automotive, and other transportation-related industries and its impact on travel;
•decreased airline capacities and routes;
•increasing awareness around sustainability, corporate responsibility, the impact of air travel on climate change and the impact of over-tourism;
•travel-related accidents;
•oil prices and travel costs;
•statements, actions, or interventions by governmental officials related to travel and corporate travel-related activities and the resulting negative public perception of such travel and activities;
•domestic and international political and geo-political conditions, including changes in trade policy;
•changes in taxes and governmental regulations that influence or set wages, prices, interest rates, or construction and maintenance procedures and costs;
•the costs and administrative burdens associated with compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
•changes in operating costs, including, but not limited to, labor (including minimum wage increases), energy, food, workers' compensation, benefits, insurance, and unanticipated costs resulting from force majeure events;
•significant increases in cost for healthcare coverage for employees and potential government regulation with respect to health coverage;
•the lack of availability, or increase in the cost, of capital for us or our existing and potential property owners;
•the attractiveness of our properties and services to consumers and potential owners and competition from other hotels and alternative lodging marketplaces, including online accommodation search and/or reservation services, and hospitality-related businesses;
•cyclical over-building in the hotel, all-inclusive, and vacation ownership industries; and
•organized labor activities, which could cause a diversion of business from hotels involved in labor negotiations and loss of group business for our hotels generally as a result of certain labor tactics.
These factors, and the reputational repercussions of these factors, can adversely affect, and from time to time have adversely affected, individual properties, particular regions, or our business as a whole. How we manage any one or more of these factors, or any crisis, could limit or reduce demand for the services we provide or the rates our portfolio of properties are able to charge for rooms or services, which could adversely affect our financial results and growth. These factors can also increase our costs or affect our ability to develop new properties or maintain and operate our existing portfolio of properties.
The hospitality industry is cyclical and adverse global economic conditions or low levels of economic growth could adversely affect our revenues and profitability as well as cause a decline in or limitation of our future growth.
Consumer demand for our products and services is closely linked to global and regional economic conditions and is sensitive to business and personal discretionary spending levels. Changes in consumer demand and general business cycles can subject, and have subjected, our revenues to significant volatility. Adverse general economic conditions, health and safety concerns, risks or restrictions affecting or reducing travel patterns, lower consumer confidence, high unemployment, or adverse political conditions can result in a decline in consumer demand, which can lower the revenues and profitability of our owned and leased properties, decrease the amount of management and franchise fee revenues we are able to generate from our managed and franchised properties, reduce sales and revenues associated with Unlimited Vacation Club memberships, and decrease the demand for vacation packages sold through ALG Vacations. In addition, a portion of our expenses associated with managing, franchising, licensing, owning, or leasing hotels as well as residential, vacation, and condominium units are fixed. These costs include personnel costs, interest, rent, property taxes, insurance, and utilities, all of which may increase at a greater rate than our revenues and/or may not be able to be reduced at the same rate as declining revenues. Where cost-cutting efforts are insufficient to offset declines in revenues, we could experience a material decline in margins and reduced or negative cash flows. If we are unable to decrease costs significantly or rapidly when demand for our hotels and other properties decreases, the decline in our revenues could have a particularly adverse impact on our net cash flows and profits. Economic downturns generally affect the results derived from owned and leased properties more significantly than those derived from managed and franchised properties due to the proportion of fixed costs associated with operating an owned or leased property and the greater exposure owners have to the properties' performance. Our proportion of owned and leased properties, compared to the number of properties we manage or franchise for third-party owners and franchisees, is larger than that of many of our competitors and, as a result, an environment of depressed demand could have a greater adverse effect on our results of operations. As a result, changes in consumer demand and general business cycles can subject, and have subjected, our revenues, earnings, and results of operations to significant volatility.
Uncertainty regarding the future rate and pace of economic growth in different regions of the world makes it difficult to predict future profitability levels. Additionally, if economic weakness were to affect any particular regions of the world, it could have an adverse impact on our revenues and negatively affect our profitability.
In addition to general economic conditions, new hotel room supply is an important factor that can affect the hospitality industry's performance. Excessive growth in lodging supply could result in returns that are substantially below expectations or result in losses, which could materially and adversely affect our revenues, profitability, and future growth prospects.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material adverse impact on the travel industry generally and, as a result, on our business and results of operations, and, while the recovery accelerated in 2022, the pace and consistency of the global recovery remains uncertain, and the impacts of the pandemic may persist or become more pronounced in the future.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a complex and evolving situation and has resulted in significant disruption and additional risks to our business; the lodging, hospitality, and travel industries; and the global economy. While our business is experiencing continued and accelerated recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic led by robust leisure demand and growing momentum in group and business transient travel, future demand may be varied and uneven as the pace and consistency of the global recovery continues to progress and remains uncertain. The extent, duration, and magnitude of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its eventual transition to a global endemic, will depend on various factors, all of which are uncertain and difficult to predict, including, but not limited to, the pace and consistency of the ongoing recovery; the impact on global and
regional economies, travel demand and economic activity; levels of consumer confidence; the efficacy of vaccines and treatments as new COVID-19 variants emerge; the ability of our third-party owners, franchisees, or hospitality venture partners to successfully navigate the effects of the pandemic; and actions taken by governments, businesses, and individuals in response to the pandemic and any additional COVID-19 resurgences or variants. In addition, as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, differing actions taken by governments around the world with respect to travel bans or restrictions or economic activity could result in varying impacts to the results of operations of our reportable segments. For instance, our ASPAC management and franchising segment has lagged in the overall global recovery as certain governments in the region imposed strict COVID-19 restrictions.
The COVID-19 pandemic has subjected our business, operations, and financial condition to a number of significant risks, including with respect to:
•reduced revenues and profitability of our managed and franchised properties, owned and leased properties, and hospitality-related businesses;
•the ability of our managed and franchised hotels, owned and leased hotels, and hospitality-related businesses to meet expenses, including to service, repay or refinance existing indebtedness or similar obligations such as loans or guaranty advances we have made to or for them;
•the potential for more expensive or restrictive debt financing alternatives or access to capital, which may be required to preserve financial flexibility, repay maturing indebtedness, or manage debt maturities;
•operational challenges, including with respect to enhanced health and safety measures, global care and cleanliness certifications, and our ability to maintain brand standards across our portfolio;
•actions taken, or that we may take in the future, to reduce costs for us or our third-party owners or franchisees that may cause us to experience operational challenges, and may negatively impact guest loyalty, owner preference, or our ability to attract and retain colleagues;
•adverse impacts on the pace and timing of our growth, including as a result of difficulty for certain third-party owners and franchisees to obtain commercially viable financing;
•persistent construction and opening delays as a result of business activity restrictions, supply chain interruptions, and rising costs of construction-related labor and materials, which could result in some portion of our current development pipelines not to be completed and developed into new hotels;
•the growth rate of our development pipeline, and the potential for properties in our existing system-wide inventory to exit, which would negatively impact our net rooms growth.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the volatile regional and global economic conditions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, any additional resurgence, or COVID-19 variants could precipitate, aggravate, or impact the other risk factors included in this annual report, which in turn could further materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, and profitability, including in ways that are not currently known to us or that we do not currently consider to present significant risks.
Risks relating to natural or man-made disasters, weather and climate-related events, contagious diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist activity, and war could reduce the demand for lodging, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, droughts, wildfires, and other man-made or natural disasters, as well as the spread or fear of the spread of contagious diseases in locations where we own, lease, manage, or franchise significant properties and areas of the world from which we draw a large number of guests, could cause a decline in the level of business and leisure travel in certain regions or as a whole and reduce the demand for lodging, which may adversely affect our financial and operating performance, as has been the case with the COVID-19 pandemic. See also "Risks Related to the Hospitality Industry— The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material adverse impact on the travel industry generally and, as a result, on our business and results of operations, and while the recovery accelerated in 2022, the pace and consistency of the global recovery remains uncertain, and the impacts of the pandemic may persist or become more pronounced in the future." Actual or threatened war, terrorist activity, political unrest, civil strife, and other geopolitical uncertainty could have a similar effect on our financial condition or our growth strategy. Any one or more of these events may reduce the overall demand for hotel rooms or limit the prices we can obtain for them, both of which could adversely affect our profits and financial results.
We are also subject to the risks associated with the physical effects of climate change, including changes in sea levels, water shortages, storms, flooding, droughts, wildfires, extreme temperature events, and other natural disasters. Such disasters may become more frequent or intense as a result of climate change. Climate change may also result in chronic physical effects, including rising sea levels and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. As a result of the foregoing, we may experience increased costs or decreased availability of certain products important to our operations, including but not limited to insurance, water, and energy.
Risks Related to Our Business
Competition Risks
Because we operate in a highly competitive industry, our revenues, profits, or market share could be harmed if we are unable to compete effectively, and new distribution channels, alternatives to traditional hotels, and industry consolidation among our competitors may negatively impact our business.
The segments of the hospitality industry in which we operate are subject to intense competition. Our principal competitors are other operators of full service, select service, extended stay, and all-inclusive properties, including other major hospitality chains with well-established and recognized brands, as well as cruise line operators. Some of these major hospitality chains are larger than we are based on the number of properties or rooms they manage, franchise, own, or lease or based on the number of geographic locations in which they operate. Some of our competitors also have significantly more members participating in their loyalty programs or paid vacation programs which may enable them to attract more customers and more effectively retain such guests. Our competitors may also have greater financial and marketing resources than we do, which could allow them to improve their properties and expand and improve their marketing efforts in ways that could adversely affect our ability to compete for guests effectively. In addition to these competitors, we also compete against smaller hotel chains and independent and local hotel owners and operators.
Increasingly, we also face competition from new channels of distribution in the travel industry. Additional sources of competition include large companies that offer online travel services as part of their business model, such as Alibaba, search engines such as Google, and peer-to-peer inventory sources that allow travelers to book stays on websites that facilitate the short-term rental of homes and apartments from their owners, thereby providing an alternative to hotel rooms, such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
The hospitality industry has experienced significant consolidation, and we expect this trend may continue as companies attempt to strengthen or hold their market positions in a highly competitive and evolving industry. Consolidation by our competitors would give them increased scale and may enhance their capacity, abilities, and resources and lower their cost structure, causing us to be at a competitive disadvantage. If we lose market share or are not able to successfully attract third-party hotel owners to our brands as a result of this consolidation, our results of operations, cash flow, business, and overall financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Significant increases in the volume of sales made through third-party internet travel intermediaries could have an adverse impact on consumer loyalty to our brand and could negatively affect our revenues and profits.
We expect to continue to derive most of our business from our direct channels of distribution, including our digital platforms. However, consumers worldwide routinely use internet travel intermediaries such as Expedia.com, Priceline.com, Booking.com, Travelocity.com, and Orbitz.com, as well as lesser-known online travel service providers, to book travel. These intermediaries initially focused on leisure travel, but now also provide offerings for corporate travel and group meetings. Some of these intermediaries are attempting to increase the importance of generic quality indicators (such as "four-star downtown hotel") at the expense of brand identification. These intermediaries hope that consumers will eventually develop brand loyalties to their reservation systems rather than to our brands. Some of these intermediaries have launched their own loyalty programs to further develop loyalties to their reservation systems. In addition, these intermediaries typically obtain higher commissions or other potentially significant contract concessions, increasing the overall cost of these third-party distribution channels. If the volume of sales made through internet travel intermediaries continues to increase, consumers may develop stronger loyalties to these intermediaries rather than to our brands, our distribution costs could increase significantly, and our business revenues and profits could be harmed.
If we are unable to establish and maintain key distribution arrangements for our properties or hospitality-related businesses, the demand for our rooms, hospitality-related services, and revenues could decrease.
Increasingly, the rooms at hotels and resorts that we manage, franchise, own, or lease are booked through third-party internet travel intermediaries and online travel service providers. We also engage third-party intermediaries, including travel agencies and meeting and event management companies, who collect fees by charging our hotels and resorts a commission on
room revenues. A failure by our distributors to attract or retain their customer bases could lower demand for hotel rooms and, in turn, reduce our revenues. In addition, some of our distribution agreements are not exclusive, are short term, are terminable at will, or are subject to early termination provisions. The loss of distributors, increased distribution costs, or the renewal of distribution agreements on less favorable terms could adversely impact our business.
In addition, the success of ALG Vacations is dependent on distribution arrangements with various third parties such as hotel companies, travel agencies, and tour operators who provide the various components of vacation packages offered to customers, and certain cooperative marketing agreements with governments in various jurisdictions to market a particular destination for travel. In addition, our marketing and distribution agreements with airline vacation brands are generally terminable at will by either party with short notice periods. The loss of participation by third-party providers or the failure to maintain distribution arrangements or cooperative agreements on favorable terms could adversely impact these businesses.
We compete for guests, customers, management and franchise agreements, and residential, vacation, and condominium units based on a variety of factors.
We compete for guests at hotels and resorts and for customers of our services and paid vacation program, based primarily on brand name recognition and reputation, location, customer satisfaction, room rates, quality of service, amenities, quality of accommodations, security, our cancellation policy, the ability to earn and redeem loyalty program points, and access preferred rate hotel inventory.
We compete for management agreements based primarily on the value and quality of our management services, our brand name recognition and reputation, the level of our management fees, room rate expectations, the cost of our system-wide services, the terms of our management agreements, including compared to the terms our competitors offer, and the economic advantages to the property owner of retaining our management services and using our brand name. We compete for franchise agreements primarily based on brand name recognition and reputation, the room rate that can be realized, the cost of our system-wide services, and the royalty fees charged. Other competitive factors for management and franchise agreements are relationships with property owners and investors, availability and affordability of financing, marketing support, loyalty programs, reservation and e-commerce system capacity and efficiency, distribution channels, limitations on the expansion of one or more of our brands in certain geographic areas due to restrictions previously agreed to in order to secure management and franchise opportunities, and the ability to provide capital that may be necessary to obtain management and franchise agreements.
The residential, vacation, and condominium units which we manage, own, or to which we provide services or license our trademarks compete with other properties principally on the basis of location, quality of accommodations, price, financing terms, quality of service, terms of property use, opportunity to exchange for time at other vacation properties, as applicable, and brand name recognition and reputation. In addition, our residential and condominium units compete with peer-to-peer inventory sources that allow travelers to book stays on websites that facilitate the short-term rental of homes and apartments from owners, such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and Vacasa, and residential projects affiliated with branded hospitality companies. Our vacation ownership business also competes with national and independent vacation ownership club operators and owners reselling their interests in these properties, which could reduce demand or prices for new vacation ownership properties.
Operational Risks
The risks of doing business internationally, or in a particular country or region, could lower our revenues, increase our costs, reduce our profits, or disrupt our business.
Our operations outside the United States represented approximately 23% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our properties outside of the United States represent approximately 50% of the rooms in our system-wide inventory at December 31, 2022. Over the long term, we expect our international operations may account for an increasing portion of our total revenues and rooms.
As a result, we are subject to the risks of doing business outside the United States, including:
•the costs of complying with laws, regulations, and policies, including taxation policies, of foreign governments relating to investments and operations; the costs or desirability of complying with local practices and customs; and the impact of various anti-corruption and other laws affecting the activities of U.S. companies abroad;
•currency exchange rate fluctuations or currency restructurings;
•evolving local data residency requirements that require data to be stored only in and, in some cases, also to be accessed only from within a certain jurisdiction;
•U.S. taxation of income earned abroad;
•limitations on the redeployment of non-U.S. earnings;
•import and export licensing requirements and regulations, as well as unforeseen changes in regulatory requirements, including the imposition of tariffs or embargoes, export regulations, controls, and other trade restrictions;
•political and economic instability;
•health and safety protocols, including global care and cleanliness certifications, at our portfolio of properties;
•the complexity of managing an organization doing business in many jurisdictions;
•uncertainties as to local laws and enforcement of contract and intellectual property rights and occasional requirements for onerous contract clauses; and
•rapid changes in government, economic, and political policies; political or civil unrest; acts of war or terrorism; or the threat of international boycotts or U.S. anti-boycott legislation.
While these factors and the impact of these factors are difficult to predict, any one or more of them could lower our revenues, affect our operations, increase our costs, reduce our profits, or disrupt our business.
In addition, conducting business in currencies other than U.S. dollars subjects us to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, currency devaluations, or restructurings that could have a negative impact on our financial results. Our exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations or currency restructurings is expected to continue to grow if the relative contribution of our operations outside the United States increases.
We occasionally enter into foreign exchange hedging agreements with financial institutions to reduce certain of our exposures to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. However, these hedging agreements may not eliminate foreign currency risk entirely and involve costs and risks of their own, such as ongoing management time and expertise and external costs related to executing hedging agreements.
The World of Hyatt loyalty program and our digital platforms build loyalty for our brands and drive hotel revenue which could be negatively impacted if we are unable to successfully operate the World of Hyatt loyalty program or further evolve the development and implementation of our digital platforms.
The World of Hyatt loyalty program is a platform for engagement with our most loyal guests, providing increased benefits and recognition as they continue to engage with Hyatt. We believe World of Hyatt will continue to develop loyalty by fostering personal relationships and creating emotional connections that inspire brand preference. The success of our business depends in part on attracting new consumers, enhancing digital platforms that are preferred by guests, and driving continued participation in the loyalty program. If guests, third-party owners, or franchisees do not accept the loyalty platform or if we are unable to operate the loyalty program successfully, our business could be adversely impacted. Further, our digital platforms are focused on driving outstanding guest experiences that differentiate Hyatt and drive revenue through direct bookings, but may not deliver all or part of the expected benefits. If our digital platforms do not evolve in a way that is able to adapt to future technology or keep pace with changes in consumer preferences, our hotel performance could become increasingly challenged.
In addition, as part of the ALG Acquisition, we continue to identify ways in which the World of Hyatt loyalty program and the Unlimited Vacation Club membership program will continue to offer added value and unique benefits to loyalty members and Unlimited Vacation Club members. The expected benefits and added value from the two programs, however, may take longer to realize, or may require additional resources than originally expected, which could adversely affect our relationships with guests, customers, Unlimited Vacation Club members, and third-party owners or franchisees, as well as our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
The Unlimited Vacation Club is a paid membership program that is dependent on offering preferred rate hotel inventory, and access to key sales locations, including on-site sale opportunities and could be negatively impacted by lack of resort inventory, member terminations, or a failure to collect membership fees.
Unlimited Vacation Club memberships are sold onsite at ALG resorts and other select locations and the failure to maintain good relationships with third-party owners to continue selling Unlimited Vacation Club memberships onsite and negotiate other favorable sales locations could have a material adverse effect on the success and future growth of the Unlimited Vacation Club membership program. In addition, if future sales efforts are not successful, if third-party owners do not accept
the Unlimited Vacation Club program, or if we are unable to operate the program successfully, our business could be adversely impacted.
Unlimited Vacation Club memberships are generally long-term in nature with membership fees being paid either upfront or collected over time, and are subject to certain termination rights. If new members are not enrolled, memberships are not renewed, memberships are canceled, or we are unable to timely collect membership fees, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be negatively impacted.
Adverse incidents at, or adverse publicity concerning, our businesses or our corporate responsibilities could harm our brands and reputation, as well as adversely affect our market share, business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Our brands and our reputation are among our most important assets. Our reputational value is based, in part, on the external perceptions of Hyatt, the quality of our hotels and services, and our corporate and management integrity. We may experience harm to our reputation, loss of consumer confidence, or a negative impact to our results of operations as a result of an incident involving the potential safety or security of our guests, customers, or colleagues; adverse publicity regarding safety or security of travel destinations around the globe or at our competitors' properties, or in respect of our third-party vendors or owners and the industry; or any media coverage resulting therefrom.
Additionally, our reputation could be harmed if we fail, or are perceived to fail, to comply with various regulatory requirements or if we fail to act responsibly or are perceived as not acting responsibly in a number of areas such as health, safety and security; data security; diversity and inclusion; group events with controversial groups or speakers; sustainability; responsible tourism; environmental stewardship; supply chain management; climate change; human rights; philanthropy and support for local communities; and corporate governance. We manage a broad range of corporate responsibility matters, taking into consideration their expected impact on the sustainability of our business over time, and the potential impact of our business on society and the environment. Despite our efforts, consumer travel preferences may shift due to sustainability-related concerns or costs. In addition, stakeholder expectations regarding such matters are evolving, and we may experience engagement from stakeholders of differing views on these matters. Adverse incidents with respect to our corporate responsibility efforts could impact the value of our brands or our reputation, the cost of our operations, and relationships with investors and stakeholders, all of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The continued expansion in the use and influence of social media has compounded the potential scope of negative publicity that could be generated, lead to litigation or governmental investigations, or damage our reputation. Adverse incidents have occurred in the past and may occur in the future. Negative incidents could lead to tangible adverse effects on our business, including lost sales, boycotts, reduced enrollment and/or participation in the loyalty program, or paid membership program, disruption of access to our digital platforms, loss of development opportunities, or reduced colleague retention and increased recruiting difficulties. Any decline in the reputation or perceived quality of our brands or corporate image could adversely affect our market share, business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Labor shortages could restrict our ability to operate our properties or grow our business or result in increased labor costs that could reduce our profits.
Our success depends in large part on the ability to attract, retain, train, manage, and engage our colleagues. Our properties are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by thousands of colleagues around the world. If we and our third-party owners or franchisees are unable to attract, retain, train, and engage skilled colleagues, the ability to manage and staff properties adequately could be impaired, which could reduce customer satisfaction and limit our ability to grow and expand our business.
We have experienced challenges hiring for certain on-property and corporate positions due to various factors, such as competition for labor from other industries, and these circumstances could continue or worsen in the future to an extent and for durations that we are not able to predict. Labor shortages have resulted and could continue to result in higher wages and initial hiring costs, increasing our labor costs at our hotels, which could reduce our revenues and profits.
Management, Franchising, Ownership, Development, and Financing Risks
If we are unable to maintain good relationships with third-party property owners and franchisees and/or if we terminate agreements with defaulting third-party property owners and franchisees, our revenues could decrease and we may be unable to maintain or expand our presence.
We earn fees for managing and franchising hotels and other properties and expect franchise ownership to continue to increase over time. The viability of our management and franchising business depends on our ability to establish and maintain good relationships with third-party property owners and franchisees. Third-party developers, property owners, and franchisees are focused on maximizing the value of their investment and working with a management company or franchisor that can help
them be successful. The effectiveness of our management, the value of our brands, and the rapport we maintain with our third-party property owners and franchisees impact renewals of existing agreements and are also important factors for existing or new third-party property owners or franchisees considering doing business with us. Our relationships with these third parties generate additional management and franchise agreement expansion opportunities that support our growth. As such, if we are unable to maintain good relationships with these third parties, our revenues could decrease or we may be unable to maintain or expand our presence. In addition, if third-party property owners or franchisees breach the terms of our agreements with them, we may elect to exercise our termination rights, which would eliminate our revenues from these properties and cause us to incur expenses related to terminating these relationships. These risks become more pronounced during economic downturns.
Contractual and other disagreements with third-party property owners or franchisees could make us liable to them or result in litigation costs or other expenses, which could lower our profits.
Our management and franchise agreements require us and third-party property owners or franchisees to comply with operational and performance conditions that are subject to interpretation and could result in disagreements. Additionally, some courts have applied principles of agency law and related fiduciary standards to managers of third-party hotel properties like us, which means, among other things, that property owners may assert the right to terminate management agreements even where the agreements do not expressly provide for termination. In the event of any such termination, we may need to enforce our right to damages or negotiate damages that may not equal expected profitability over the term of the agreement.
We generally seek to resolve any disagreements with our third-party property owners or franchisees amicably. Formal dispute resolution occurs through arbitration, if provided under the applicable management or franchise agreement, or through litigation. We cannot predict the outcome of any such arbitration or litigation, the effect of any adverse judgment of a court or arbitrator against us, or the amount of any settlement we may enter into with any third party.
If our management or franchise agreements terminate prematurely or we elect to make cure payments due to failures to meet performance tests or upon the occurrence of other stated events, our revenues could decrease and our costs could increase.
Our management and franchise agreements may terminate prematurely in certain cases. Some of our management agreements provide early termination rights to owners of the hotels we manage upon the occurrence of a stated event, such as the sale of the hotel or our failure to meet a specified performance test, and some of our management agreements grant hotel owners the right to terminate the hotel management agreement and convert the hotel to a Hyatt franchise.
Generally, termination rights under performance tests are based on the property's individual performance, its performance when compared to a specified set of competitive hotels branded by other hotel operators, or both. Some agreements require a failure of one test, and other agreements require a failure of more than one test, before termination rights are triggered. These termination rights are usually triggered if we do not meet the performance tests over multiple years. Generally, we have the option to cure performance failures by making an agreed-upon cure payment. However, our cure rights may be limited, and the failure to meet the performance tests may result in the termination of our management agreement. In the past, we have (1) failed performance tests, received notices of termination, and elected to make cure payments, (2) failed performance tests and negotiated an alternative resolution, and (3) failed performance tests and elected not to make a cure payment. When any termination notice is received, we evaluate all relevant facts and circumstances at the time in deciding whether to cure. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule—Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for more information related to performance test payments. In addition, some of our management agreements give third-party property owners the right to terminate upon payment of a termination fee to us after a certain period of time, upon sale of the property, or another stated event. Our franchise agreements typically require franchisees to pay a fee to us before terminating. In addition, if an owner files for bankruptcy, our management and franchise agreements may be terminable under applicable law. If a management or franchise agreement terminates, we would lose the revenues we derive from that agreement and could incur costs related to ending our relationship with the third party and exiting the property.
Our growth strategy depends on attracting third-party owners and franchisees to our platform, and future arrangements with these third parties may be less favorable to us, depending on the terms offered by our competitors.
Our growth strategy includes entering into and maintaining various arrangements with property owners. The terms of our management agreements and franchise agreements are influenced by contract terms offered by our competitors, among other things. We cannot assure you that any of our current arrangements will continue or that we will be able to enter into future arrangements, renew agreements, or enter into new agreements in the future on terms that are as favorable to us as those that exist today.
Some of our existing development pipeline may not be developed into new hotels or may not open on the anticipated timeline, which could materially adversely affect our growth prospects.
At December 31, 2022, our executed contract base consisted of approximately 580 hotels, or approximately 117,000 rooms. The commitments of owners and developers with whom we have agreements are subject to numerous conditions, and the eventual development and construction of our pipeline not currently under construction is subject to numerous risks, including, in certain cases, obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals and adequate financing. As a result, we cannot assure you that our entire development pipeline will be completed and developed into new hotels or that those hotels will open when anticipated, which may impact our net rooms growth. We also cannot assure you that consumer demand will meet the new supply as hotels open. The current macroeconomic environment, rising interest rates, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in, and could continue to result in, difficulties for certain hotel owners and franchisees to obtain commercially viable financing, which may negatively impact our future development pipeline.
If we or our third-party owners or franchisees are not able to maintain our current brand standards or we are not able to develop new initiatives, including new brands, successfully, our business and profitability could be harmed.
We manage and franchise properties owned by third parties under the terms of management and franchise agreements and expect franchise ownership to continue to increase significantly over time. These agreements require third-party property owners or franchisees to comply with standards that are essential to maintaining our brand integrity and reputation. We depend on third-party property owners or franchisees to comply with these requirements by maintaining and improving properties through investments, including investments in furniture, fixtures, amenities, and personnel. If our third-party property owners or franchisees fail to make investments necessary to maintain or improve the properties we manage or franchise, our brand preference and reputation could suffer. Moreover, third-party owners or franchisees may be unwilling or unable to incur the cost of complying with brand standards for new and existing brands as such brands may evolve from time to time. This could result in poor hotel performance, cause us to absorb costs to ensure that brand standards come to market in a timely fashion, or result in us exerting resources to terminate agreements with such third-party owners or franchisees. Moreover, as we continue to increase our franchised hotel presence, our ability to maintain brand standards may become increasingly challenging.
In addition, we are continually evaluating and executing new initiatives, including new brands or marketing programs. We have invested capital and resources in owned and leased real estate, property development, brand development, and brand promotion. If such initiatives are not well received by our colleagues, guests, and owners, they may not have the intended effect. We may not be able to recover the costs incurred in developing and launching new brands or other initiatives or to realize their intended or projected benefits, which could lower our profits.
Certain of our contractual arrangements with third-party owners require us to guarantee payments to the owners if specified levels of operating profit are not achieved by their hotels.
The terms of certain guarantees to hotel owners may require us to fund shortfalls if the hotels do not attain specified levels of operating profit. This guaranteed funding to hotel owners may not be recoverable to us and could lower our profits and reduce our cash flows. For example, we acquired certain management agreements in the ALG Acquisition with performance guarantees expiring between 2023 and 2045. These performance guarantees are based on annual performance levels and we could be required to make payments, which could be material, pursuant to these guarantees. While neither the cumulative payments to date, nor expected payments, under this and other guarantees have been, or are expected to be, significant to our liquidity, future payments under these performance guarantees may adversely affect our financial performance and results of operations. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule—Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for more information related to our guarantees.
We are exposed to the risks resulting from significant investments in owned and leased real estate, which could increase our costs, reduce our profits, limit our ability to respond to market conditions, or restrict our growth strategy.
Our proportion of owned and leased properties, compared to the number of properties that we manage or franchise for third-party owners and franchisees, is larger than that of many of our competitors. Real estate ownership and leasing is subject to risks not applicable to managed or franchised properties which could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flow, business, and overall financial condition, including:
•governmental regulations relating to real estate ownership;
•real estate, insurance, zoning, tax, environmental, and eminent domain laws;
•the ongoing need for owner-funded capital improvements and expenditures to maintain or upgrade properties;
•risks associated with mortgage debt, including the possibility of default, fluctuating interest rate levels, and the availability of replacement financing;
•risks associated with the possibility that cost increases will outpace revenue increases and that in the event of an economic slowdown, the high proportion of fixed costs will make it difficult to reduce costs to the extent required to offset declining revenues;
•fluctuations in real estate values or potential impairments in the value of our assets; and
•the relative illiquidity of real estate compared to some other assets.
We plan to sell selected properties; however, we may be unable to sell selected owned properties at acceptable terms and conditions, if at all, or within targeted timeframes.
As part of our capital strategy, including our additional commitment announced in August 2021 to realize $2.0 billion of proceeds from the sale of owned assets by December 31, 2024, we plan, from time to time, to sell certain properties, subject to a management or franchise agreement, with the primary purpose of reinvesting the proceeds to support the growth of our business. As we actively market and look to sell selected properties, general economic conditions, rising interest rates, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and/or property-specific issues may negatively affect the value of our properties, prevent us from selling the property on acceptable terms, or prevent us from selling properties within our previously announced timeframe. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to consummate any such sales on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that we will realize any anticipated benefits from such sales. Real estate investments often cannot be sold quickly. Dispositions of real estate assets can be particularly difficult in a challenging economic environment as financing alternatives are often limited for potential buyers. As a result, economic conditions and rising interest rates may prevent potential purchasers from obtaining financing on acceptable terms, if at all, thereby delaying or preventing our ability to sell the properties selected for disposition. Our inability to sell assets, or to sell such assets at attractive prices, could have an adverse impact on our ability to realize proceeds for reinvestment, return capital to stockholders, repay our debt, and/or execute on our long-term strategy. In addition, even if we are successful in consummating sales of selected properties, such dispositions may result in losses.
We may seek to expand our business through acquisitions of and investments in other businesses and properties, or through alliances, and these activities may be unsuccessful or divert our management's attention.
We consider strategic and complementary acquisitions of and investments in other businesses, properties, brands, or other assets as part of our growth strategy. For instance, in 2021, we completed the ALG Acquisition, and in February 2023, we completed the acquisition of Dream Hotel Group's lifestyle hotel brand and management platform. We may also pursue opportunities in alliance with existing or prospective owners of managed or franchised properties. In many cases, we will be competing for these opportunities with third parties that may have substantially greater financial resources than we do. Acquisitions of or investments in hospitality companies, businesses, properties, brands, or assets, as well as these alliances, are subject to risks that could affect our business, including risks related to:
•spending cash and incurring debt;
•assuming contingent liabilities;
•contributing properties or related assets to hospitality ventures that could result in recognition of losses;
•creating additional transactional and operating expenses; or
•issuing shares of stock that could dilute the interests of our existing stockholders.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to identify opportunities or complete transactions on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that we will realize any anticipated benefits from such acquisitions, investments, or alliances. There may be high barriers to entry in many key markets and scarcity of available development and investment opportunities in desirable locations. Similarly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain financing for acquisitions or investments on attractive terms or at all, or that the ability to obtain financing will not be restricted by the terms of our revolving credit facility, our outstanding notes or bonds, or other indebtedness we may incur.
The success of any such acquisitions or investments will also depend, in part, on our ability to integrate the acquisition or investment with our existing operations. Inability to integrate completed acquisitions in an efficient and timely manner could result in reputational harm or have an adverse impact on our results of operations. Integration efforts may also take longer than we anticipate and involve unexpected costs. If we are unable to successfully integrate an acquired business, we may not realize
the benefits that were expected at the time of acquisition. We may experience difficulty with integrating acquired businesses, properties, or other assets, including difficulties relating to:
•coordinating sales, distribution, loyalty, membership, and marketing functions;
•the failure to integrate and or interface internal systems, programs, and internal controls;
•the application of different account policies, assumptions, or judgments with respect to operational or financial results;
•effectively and efficiently integrating information technology and other systems;
•issues not discovered as part of the transactional due diligence process and/or unanticipated liabilities or contingencies of acquired businesses, including with respect to commercial disputes or cyber incidents and information technology failures or other matters; and
•preserving the important licensing, distribution, marketing, owner, customer, labor, and other relationships of the acquired assets.
In addition, as a result of any acquisition activity, we may assume management and franchise agreements with terms that are not as favorable as other agreements within our portfolio and may result in loss of business over time. Any such acquisitions, investments, or alliances could also demand significant attention from our management team that would otherwise be available for our regular business operations, which could harm our business.
Timing, budgeting, and other risks could result in delays or cancellations of our efforts to develop, redevelop, or renovate the properties that we own or lease, or make these activities more expensive, which could reduce our profits or impair our ability to compete effectively.
We must maintain and renovate the properties that we own and lease in order to remain competitive, maintain the value and brand standards of our properties, and comply with applicable laws and regulations. We also selectively undertake ground-up construction of properties together with hospitality venture partners in an effort to expand our brand presence. These efforts are subject to a number of risks, including:
•construction delays or cost overruns, including labor and materials, that may increase project costs;
•obtaining zoning, occupancy, and other required permits or authorizations;
•changes in economic conditions that may result in weakened or lack of demand or negative project returns;
•governmental restrictions on the size or kind of development;
•multi-year urban redevelopment projects, including temporary hotel closures, that may significantly disrupt hotel profits;
•force majeure events, including earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tsunamis, or pandemics; and
•design defects that could increase costs.
Additionally, developing new properties typically involves lengthy development periods during which significant amounts of capital must be funded before the properties begin to operate and generate revenue. If the cost of funding new development exceeds budgeted amounts and/or the time period for development is longer than initially anticipated, our profits could be reduced. Further, due to the lengthy development cycle, intervening adverse economic conditions may alter or impede our development plans, thereby resulting in incremental costs to us or potential impairment charges. Moreover, during the early stages of operations, charges related to interest expense and depreciation may substantially detract from, or even outweigh, the profitability of certain new property investments.
Similarly, the cost of funding renovations and capital improvements may exceed budgeted amounts. Additionally, the timing of renovations and capital improvements can affect, and historically has affected, property performance, including occupancy and ADR, particularly if we need to close a significant number of rooms or other facilities, such as ballrooms, meeting spaces, or restaurants. Moreover, the investments that we make may fail to improve the performance of the properties in the manner that we expect.
Economic and other conditions may adversely impact the valuation of our assets resulting in impairment charges that could have a material adverse impact on our results from operations.
We hold significant amounts of goodwill, intangible assets, property and equipment, and investments. On a regular basis, we evaluate our assets for impairment based on various factors, including actual operating results, trends of projected revenues and profitability, and potential or actual terminations of underlying management and franchise agreements. During times of economic distress, declining demand and declining earnings often result in declining asset values. As a result, we have incurred impairment charges, and may incur charges in the future, which could be material and may adversely affect our earnings.
If our third-party property owners and franchisees, including our hospitality venture partners, are unable to repay or refinance loans secured by the mortgaged properties, our revenues, profits, and capital resources could be reduced and our business could be harmed.
Many of the properties owned by third parties, franchisees, or our hospitality ventures are pledged as collateral for mortgage loans entered into when such properties were purchased or refinanced. If our third-party property owners, franchisees, or our hospitality venture partners are unable to repay or refinance maturing indebtedness on favorable terms or at all, the lenders could declare a default, accelerate the related debt, and repossess the property. Any sales or repossessions could, in certain cases, result in the termination of our management or franchise agreements and eliminate anticipated income and cash flows, which could negatively affect our results of operations.
If we or our third-party owners, franchisees, or development partners are unable to access the capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth, our profits could be reduced and our ability to compete effectively could be diminished.
The hospitality industry is a capital-intensive business requiring significant capital expenditures to develop, operate, maintain, and renovate properties. Access to the capital that we or our third-party owners, franchisees, or development partners need to finance the construction of new properties or to maintain and renovate existing properties is critical to the continued growth of our business and our revenues.
The availability of capital or the conditions under which we or our third-party owners, franchisees, or development partners can obtain capital can have a significant impact on the overall level, cost, and pace of future development and therefore, the ability to grow our revenues. The current economic downturn has caused credit markets to experience significant disruption severely reducing liquidity and credit availability, and the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in, and could continue to result in, difficulties for certain third-party hotel owners and franchisees to obtain commercially viable financing. Such disruptions may diminish the ability and desire of existing and potential development partners to access capital necessary to develop properties. Our ability to access additional capital could also be limited by the terms of our revolving credit facility, our outstanding notes, bonds, or other indebtedness we may incur, which restricts or may restrict our ability to incur debt under certain circumstances. Additionally, if one or more of the financial institutions that support our revolving credit facility fail, we may not be able to find a replacement, which would reduce the availability of funds that we can borrow under the facility.
If we are forced to spend larger than anticipated amounts of cash from operating activities to operate, maintain, or renovate existing properties, then our ability to use cash for other purposes, including acquisition or development of other businesses, properties, brands, or other assets could be limited and our profits could be reduced. Similarly, if we cannot access the capital we need to fund our operations or implement our growth strategy, we may need to postpone or cancel planned renovations or developments, which could impair our ability to compete effectively and harm our business.
If we become liable for losses related to loans we have provided or guaranteed to third parties, our profits could be reduced.
At times, we make loans to our third-party hotel owners, franchisees or hospitality venture partners, and in other circumstances, we may provide senior secured financing or subordinated forms of financing to third-party owners or franchisees. We could suffer losses if third-party property owners or franchisees default on loans we provide. Additionally, we may provide financial guarantees to third-party lenders related to the timely repayment of all or a portion of the associated debt on certain properties. The guarantees may be for the full amount of the debt or may be limited to a portion of the debt. We typically obtain reimbursement agreements from our hospitality venture partners or other third parties with the intent to limit our exposure to our share of the debt. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule—Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for more information related to our loans and other financing arrangements and "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule—Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for more information related to our guarantees.
We are exposed to counterparty and credit risk and fluctuations in the market values of our investment portfolio.
Cash balances not required to fund our daily operating activities are invested in interest-bearing investments with a greater focus placed on capital preservation than on investment return. The majority of our cash and cash equivalent balances are held on deposit with high quality financial institutions that hold long-term ratings of at least BBB or Baa from Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC, a subsidiary of McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. ("S&P") or Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), respectively, and in AAA-rated money market funds. As such, we are exposed to counterparty risk on our cash and cash equivalent balances. We also have established investment accounts for purposes of investing portions of cash resources for the World of Hyatt loyalty program, certain benefit programs, and our captive insurance company. Although we have not recognized any significant losses to date on these investments, any significant declines in their market values could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results. Credit ratings and pricing of these investments can be negatively affected by liquidity, credit deterioration, financial results, economic risk, political risk, sovereign risk, or other factors. As a result, the value and liquidity of our investments could decline and result in impairments, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results.
Technology and Information Systems Risks
Cyber risk and the failure to maintain the availability or security of our systems or customer, colleague, or Company data could adversely affect our business, harm our reputation, and/or subject us to costs, fines, penalties, investigations, enforcement actions, or lawsuits.
We collect, use, and retain large volumes of customer data, including payment card numbers and other personal information for business, marketing, and other purposes, and our various information technology systems capture, process, summarize, and report such data. We also maintain personal information and other data about our colleagues. We store and process such customer, colleague, and Company data both at onsite facilities and at third-party owned facilities including, for example, in third-party hosted cloud environments. We also rely on the availability of information technology systems to operate our business, including communications; reservations; digital platforms, including the loyalty program and paid membership program; guest services; payments; and other general operations. The availability and protection of customer, member, colleague, and Company data, as well as the continuous operation of our systems, are critical to our business. Our customers and colleagues expect that we, as well as our third-party owners, franchisees, licensees, hospitality venture partners, and service providers, will adequately protect their personal information and that our services will be continuously available.
The regulations and contractual obligations applicable to security and privacy are increasingly demanding, both in the United States and in other jurisdictions where we operate, and cyber threat actors regularly target the hospitality industry. In addition, the scope and complexity of the cyber-threat landscape could affect our ability to adapt to and comply with changing regulatory obligations and expectations. Because of the scope and complexity of our information technology structure, our reliance on third party hardware, software, and services to support and protect our structure and data, and the constantly evolving cyber-threat landscape, our systems may be vulnerable to disruptions, failures, unauthorized access, cyber-terrorism, adverse action by state actors, human error, negligence, fraud, or other misuse. Moreover, our systems, colleagues, and customers may be targeted by social engineering attacks or account takeover tactics that may, among other things, aim to obtain funds or information fraudulently. These or similar occurrences, whether accidental or intentional, could result in an interruption in the operation of our systems or theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, destruction, encryption by ransomware, loss, and fraudulent or unlawful use of customer, colleague, or Company data, all of which could impact our business, result in operational inefficiencies or loss of business, create negative publicity, cause harm to our reputation, or subject us to remedial and other costs, fines, penalties, investigations, enforcement actions, or lawsuits. Additionally, we increasingly rely on third-party owners, franchisees, licensees, and hospitality venture partners who operate their own networks and systems and engage with their own service providers, and a security incident involving such networks or systems could lead to an interruption in, or other adverse effects on, our business, resulting in operational inefficiencies, potential exposure to fines or litigation, or loss of business, and negative publicity and reputational harm.
In addition, we may be subject to data risks and cyber security vulnerabilities as part of acquisition activities, including with respect to the ALG Acquisition. Our due diligence and post-acquisition assessments of an acquiree's cyber security controls and procedures and information technology systems may not be sufficient to detect current or prior security incidents that have not yet been detected or to identify security measures that are not sufficient to appropriately address security risks to data and business continuity. Any such security incidents may pose material cyber security risks, including risks of theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, loss, and fraudulent use of customer colleague, or Company data.
We have previously detected and disclosed prior incidents involving cyber threat actors who have attacked our systems, as well as those operated by third-parties. We expect ongoing attempts to gain access to our systems and those operated by our third-party owners, franchisees, licensees, hospitality venture partners, and vendors. We also may be victims of current or future
software supply-chain incidents, even if those incidents are not directly targeted at Hyatt. We continue to use an evolving privacy and security risk management framework utilizing risk assessments to identify priorities for enhancements. While we implement security measures designed to safeguard our systems and data and have business continuity measures, and intend to continue implementing additional measures in the future, our implementation efforts may be incomplete or our measures may not be sufficient to maintain the confidentiality, security, or availability of the data we collect, store, and use to operate our business. We work to continuously evaluate our security posture throughout our business and make appropriate changes to our operating processes and improve our defenses. Although we carry cyber insurance that is designed to protect us against certain losses related to cyber risks, that insurance coverage may not be sufficient or available to cover all expenses or other losses (including fines) or all types of claims that may arise in connection with cyberattacks, security compromises, and other related incidents. Any future occurrences could result in costs and business impacts that may not be covered or may be in excess of any available insurance that we, or our third-party owners, franchisees, licensees, or hospitality venture partners, may have arranged. Furthermore, in the future such insurance may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. As a result, future incidents could have a material impact on our business and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Information technology system failures, delays in the operation of our information technology systems, or system enhancement failures could reduce our revenues and profits and harm the reputation of our brands and our business.
Our success depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our information technology systems and technology services delivered to Hyatt by third-party or cloud providers. For example, we depend on our central reservation system, which allows bookings by hotels directly, via telephone through our global care centers, by travel agents, through our digital platforms, and through online reservations agencies. In addition, we depend on information technology to run our day-to-day operations, including, among others, hotel services and amenities such as guest check-in and check-out, housekeeping and room service, and systems for tracking and reporting our financial results and the financial results of our hotels.
Our information technology systems and technology services delivered to Hyatt by third-party or cloud providers are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, floods, hurricanes, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, break-ins, and similar events. The occurrence of any of these natural or man-made disasters or unanticipated problems at any of our information technology facilities or any of our global care centers or at our third-party or cloud providers could cause interruptions or delays in our business, loss of data, or render us unable to process reservations.
In addition, if our information technology systems or technology services delivered to Hyatt by third-party or cloud providers are unable to provide the information communications capacity that we need or if these information technology systems suffer problems caused by installing system enhancements, we could experience similar failures or interruptions. If our information technology systems or technology services delivered to Hyatt by third-party or cloud providers fail and redundant systems or disaster recovery plans are not adequate to address such failures or if our property and business interruption insurance does not sufficiently compensate us for any losses that we may incur, our revenues and profits could be reduced and the reputation of our brands and our business could be harmed.
If we fail to stay current with developments in technology necessary for our business, our operations could be harmed and our ability to compete effectively could be diminished.
Sophisticated information technology and other systems are instrumental for the hospitality industry, including systems used for our central reservations, revenue management, property management, and global loyalty program, as well as technology systems that we make available to our guests. These information technology and other systems include not only our own, but also any systems that we obtain through acquisition activity, and all such systems must be refined, updated, or replaced with more advanced systems on a regular basis. Developing and maintaining these systems may require significant capital. If we are unable to replace or introduce information technology and other systems as quickly as our competitors or within budgeted costs or schedules when these systems become outdated or require replacement or if we are unable to achieve the intended benefits of any new information technology or other systems, our operations could be harmed and our ability to compete effectively could be diminished.
Hospitality Venture Risks
We have a limited ability to manage third-party risks associated with our hospitality venture investments, which could reduce our revenues, increase our costs, lower our profits, and/or increase our liabilities.
We participate in numerous hospitality ventures with third parties. We may also buy and develop properties in hospitality ventures with the sellers of the properties, affiliates of the sellers, developers, or other third parties. Our hospitality venture partners may have shared or majority control over the operations of our hospitality ventures. As a result, our investments in
hospitality ventures involve risks that are different from the risks involved in investing in real estate independently. These risks include the possibility that our hospitality ventures or our partners:
•go bankrupt or otherwise are unable to meet their capital contribution obligations, especially in times of adverse economic conditions;
•have economic or business interests or goals that are or become inconsistent with our business interests or goals;
•are in a position to take action contrary to our instructions, our requests, our policies, our objectives, or applicable laws;
•subject the property to liabilities exceeding those contemplated;
•take actions that reduce our return on investment; or
•take actions that harm our reputation or restrict our ability to run our business.
For these and other reasons, it could be more difficult for us to sell our interest in any hospitality venture or to pursue the venture's activities, which could reduce our ability to address any problems we may have with those properties or respond to market conditions in the future and could lead to impairments of such investments. As a result, our investments in hospitality ventures could lead to impasses with our partners or situations that could harm the hospitality venture, which could reduce our revenues, increase our costs, and lower our profits.
In addition, in conjunction with financing obtained for our hospitality ventures, we may provide completion guarantees, debt repayment guarantees, or standard indemnifications to lenders for loss, liability, or damage occurring as a result of our actions or actions of the other hospitality venture owners.
If our hospitality ventures fail to provide accurate and/or timely information that is required to be included in our financial statements, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results.
Preparing our financial statements requires us to have access to information regarding the results of operations, financial position, and cash flows of our hospitality ventures. Any deficiencies in our hospitality ventures' internal controls over financial reporting may affect our ability to report our financial results accurately or prevent fraud. Such deficiencies could also result in restatements of, or other adjustments to, our previously reported or announced financial results, which could diminish investor confidence and reduce the market price for our shares. Additionally, if our hospitality ventures are unable to provide this information for any meaningful period or fail to meet expected deadlines, we may be unable to satisfy our financial reporting obligations or file our periodic reports in a timely manner.
Cash distributions from our hospitality ventures could be limited by factors outside our control that could reduce our return on investment and our ability to generate liquidity from these hospitality ventures.
Although our hospitality ventures may generate positive cash flow, in some cases, these hospitality ventures may be unable to distribute that cash to the hospitality venture partners. Additionally, in some cases, our hospitality venture partners control distributions and may choose to leave capital in the hospitality venture rather than distribute it. Because our ability to generate liquidity from our hospitality ventures depends on the hospitality ventures' ability to distribute capital to us, tax considerations or decisions of our hospitality venture partners could reduce our return on these investments. We include our pro rata share of unconsolidated owned and leased hospitality ventures' Adjusted EBITDA in our consolidated Adjusted EBITDA regardless of whether the cash flow of those ventures is, or can be, distributed to us.
Indebtedness Risks
Our indebtedness exposes us to a variety of financial and operational risks.
The terms of the indenture governing our Senior Notes, as defined in Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Senior Notes," and those of our revolving credit facility subject us to the following:
•a risk that cash flow from operations will be insufficient to meet required payments of principal and interest;
•restrictive covenants, including covenants related to maintaining certain financial ratios; and
•the risk that any additional increases in benchmark rates by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other international central banks, as occurred during 2022 and could continue in 2023, will result in higher interest rates applicable to
our fluctuating rate indebtedness, including borrowings under our revolving credit facility, which in turn could reduce our cash flows available for other corporate purposes, including investments in our portfolio, limit our ability to refinance existing debt when it matures, or increase interest costs on any debt that is refinanced.
See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources" for further information related to restrictions under our financial covenants, and Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule—Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for a description of the terms of the indenture governing our Senior Notes.
Although we anticipate we will be able to repay or refinance our existing indebtedness when it matures, there can be no assurance we will be able to do so, or that the terms of such refinancing will be favorable. Similarly, although we do not expect changes in interest rates to have a material effect on income or cash flows in 2023, primarily due to our current limited reliance on borrowings tied to fluctuating rates, there can be no assurance that interest rates will not increase significantly from current levels.
A substantial decrease in operating cash flow or consolidated EBITDA as defined in our revolving credit facility, or a substantial increase in our expenses may make it difficult for us to meet our existing debt service requirements and restrictive covenants. As a result, we could be forced to sell assets and/or modify our operations. Our existing leverage may also impair our ability to obtain additional financing for acquisitions, working capital, capital expenditures, or other purposes, if necessary, or require us to accept terms otherwise unfavorable to us.
Rating agency downgrades may increase our cost of capital.
The interest rate on borrowings and the facility fee under our revolving credit facility are determined by a pricing grid, which is dependent in part on our credit ratings by S&P, Moody's, and Fitch. Lower ratings result in a higher cost of funds. Therefore, if these independent rating agencies were to downgrade our credit ratings or if we no longer have a credit rating from any agency, the cost of our borrowing and the amount of the facility fee under our revolving credit facility will increase as specified in the pricing grid. Additionally, any future downgrade of our credit ratings by the rating agencies could reduce or limit our access to capital and further increase our cost of capital.
Risks Related to Laws, Regulations, and Insurance
Our failure, or the failure by third-party owners, franchisees, or hospitality venture partners, to comply with applicable laws and regulations may increase our costs, reduce our profits, or limit our growth.
Our businesses, properties, and colleagues are subject to a variety of laws and regulations around the globe. Generally, these laws and regulations address our sales and marketing and advertising efforts, our handling of privacy issues and customer data, our anti-corruption efforts, our ability to obtain licenses for business operations such as sales of food and liquor, and matters relating to immigration, the environment, health and safety, health care, gaming, competition, and trade, among other things. Regulations related to our Unlimited Vacation Club business varies by jurisdictions and future regulations or changes to existing regulations may affect the business and the growth prospects of the Unlimited Vacation Club membership program.
Our collection and use of personal data are governed by privacy laws and regulations, and privacy law is an area that changes often and varies significantly by jurisdiction. Increasingly, there is potential for increased exposure to fines, penalties, and civil judgments as a result of new privacy regulations. Compliance with applicable privacy regulations may increase our operating costs and/or adversely impact our ability to market our properties and services to our guests.
Our franchising and licensing businesses and our international operations are also subject to laws and regulations affecting those businesses:
Franchising Business
Our franchising business is subject to various laws, as well as to regulations enacted by the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"). The FTC also regulates the manner and substance of our disclosures to prospective franchisees. In addition, a number of U.S. states and foreign countries require franchisors to register the franchise offering with the applicable governmental body and/or to make extensive disclosures to potential franchisees in connection with offers and sales of franchises in those states and countries. Further, a number of U.S. states and countries have "franchise relationship laws" or "business opportunity laws" that, among other restrictions, limit the ability of franchisors to terminate franchise agreements or to withhold consent to the renewal or transfer of agreements. Failure to comply with those laws, where applicable, can limit a franchisor's ability to enter into new franchise agreements or enforce the terms of existing franchise agreements and may create liability for fines, penalties, and civil judgments.
Vacation Ownership
Our licensed vacation ownership properties are subject to extensive state regulation in both the state in which the property is located and the states in which the property is marketed and sold. Marketing for these properties is also subject to federal regulation of certain marketing practices, including federal telemarketing regulations.
International Operations
Our business operations in countries outside the United States are subject to a number of U.S. federal laws and regulations, including restrictions imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") as well as trade sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") and the Commerce Department. The FCPA is intended to prohibit bribery of foreign officials or parties and requires public companies in the United States to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect those companies' transactions. OFAC and the Commerce Department administer and enforce economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign states, organizations, and individuals. Some of our business operations are also subject to the laws and regulations of non-U.S. jurisdictions, including the U.K. Bribery Act and anti-corruption legislation in the countries in which we conduct operations.
If we, our hospitality ventures, or our third-party owners fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could be exposed to claims for damages, financial penalties, reputational harm, incarceration of our colleagues, or restrictions on our operation or ownership of hotels and other properties, including the termination of our management, franchise, and ownership rights. These restrictions could increase our costs of operations, reduce our profits, or cause us to forgo development opportunities that would otherwise support our growth.
Adverse judgments or settlements resulting from legal proceedings in which we may be involved in the normal course of our business could reduce our profits or limit our ability to operate our business.
In the normal course of our business, we are often involved in various legal proceedings. The outcome of these proceedings cannot be predicted. If any of these proceedings were to be determined adversely to us or a settlement involving a payment of a material sum of money were to occur, there could be a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, we could become the subject of future claims by third parties, including current or former third-party property owners or franchisees, guests who use our properties, our employees, our investors, or regulators. Any significant adverse judgments or settlements would reduce our profits and could limit our ability to operate our business. Further, we may incur costs related to claims for which we have appropriate third-party indemnity if such third parties fail to fulfill their contractual obligations.
Changes in federal, state, local, or foreign tax law, interpretations of existing tax law, or agreements or disputes with tax authorities could affect our profitability and financial condition by increasing our tax costs.
Our global operations subject us to income taxes (e.g., corporate income, withholding and other taxes in lieu of corporate income tax) and non-income taxes (e.g., sales, use, value added, goods and services, payroll, property, and franchise taxes in numerous jurisdictions). Our future tax expenses and liabilities could be affected by changes in tax laws or the interpretation of the tax laws, as well as changes in our business operations. Our future tax expense could be affected by changes in the composition of earnings in jurisdictions with differing tax rates, changes to our transfer pricing methodologies, changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, including net operating losses, or changes in determinations regarding the jurisdictions in which we are subject to tax. From time to time, the U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign governments make substantive changes to tax rules and the application thereof, such as the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project ("BEPS") being undertaken by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, including the proposed global minimum tax that may apply as early as 2024. Furthermore, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was enacted in August 2022 and imposes a 15% minimum corporate income tax on certain corporations and a 1% U.S. federal excise tax on certain stock buybacks and similar corporate actions. Legislative and tax treaty changes and the interpretation thereof could result in materially higher corporate taxes than would be incurred under existing or prior tax law or interpretation and could adversely impact profitability. As tax authorities increase their efforts to increase revenue, changes in tax laws and the frequency of tax audits could increase our future tax liabilities.
We are subject to on-going and periodic audits by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") and various state, local, and foreign tax authorities and currently are engaged in disputes with certain of such tax authorities. We are a party to certain agreements with tax authorities that reduce or defer the amount of tax we pay. The ultimate results of these agreements, or the expiration of such agreements, or changes in circumstances or in the interpretation of such agreements, could increase our tax costs. We believe we have established adequate reserves for potential tax liabilities, but the final amount of taxes, interest and penalties, in connection with any tax audit, could exceed the amount of such reserves, which could reduce our profits and cash position.
Negotiations of collective bargaining agreements, attempts by labor organizations to organize additional groups of our colleagues, or changes in labor laws could disrupt our operations, increase our labor costs, or interfere with the ability of our management to focus on executing our business strategies.
Certain of our properties are subject to collective bargaining agreements, similar agreements, or regulations enforced by governmental authorities. If relationships with our colleagues, other field personnel, or the unions that represent them become adverse, the properties we manage, own, or lease could experience labor disruptions such as strikes, lockouts, and public demonstrations. Labor disruptions, which are generally more likely when collective bargaining agreements are being renegotiated, could harm our relationship with our colleagues or cause us to lose guests. Further, adverse publicity in the marketplace related to union messaging could further harm our reputation and reduce customer demand for our services. Labor regulation, including minimum wage legislation, could lead to higher wage and benefit costs, changes in work rules that raise operating expenses, legal costs, and limitations on our ability or the ability of our third-party property owners and franchisees to take cost saving measures during economic downturns. Collective bargaining agreements may also limit our ability to make timely staffing or labor changes in response to declining revenues.
We and our third-party property owners and franchisees may also become subject to additional collective bargaining agreements in the future. Potential changes in the federal regulatory scheme could make it easier for unions to organize groups of our colleagues. If such changes take effect, more of our colleagues or other field personnel could be subject to increased organizational efforts, which could potentially lead to disruptions or require more of our management's time to address unionization issues. These or similar agreements, legislation, or changes in regulations could disrupt our operations, hinder our ability to cross-train and cross-promote our colleagues due to prescribed work rules and job classifications, reduce our profitability, or interfere with the ability of our management to focus on executing our business strategies.
Our franchisees and their hotel operators also currently may be or may become subject to collective bargaining agreements. Labor disruptions, labor regulation, and negotiation of labor agreements may be disruptive to a franchisee's operations which could impact our franchised fee income or harm our reputation. We do not participate in the negotiations of collective bargaining agreements covering unionized labor employed by third-party property owners and franchisees.
Any failure to protect our trademarks and intellectual property could reduce the value of our brand names and harm our business.
The reputation and perception of our brands are critical to our success in the hospitality industry. We regularly apply to register our trademarks in the United States and other countries. However, we cannot assure you that those trademark registrations will be granted or that the steps we take to protect our trademarks or intellectual property in the United States and other countries will be adequate to prevent others, including third parties or former colleagues, from copying or using our trademarks or intellectual property without authorization. Our intellectual property is also vulnerable to unauthorized use in some countries outside the United States, where we may not be adequately protected by local law. If our trademarks or intellectual property are copied or used without authorization, the value of our brands, their reputation, our competitive advantages, and our goodwill could be harmed.
Monitoring the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult. We may need to resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights. Litigation of this type could be costly, force us to divert our resources, lead to counterclaims or other claims against us, or otherwise harm our business.
Third-party claims that we infringe on their intellectual property rights could subject us to damages and other costs and expenses.
Third parties may make claims against us for infringing their intellectual property rights. Any such claims, even those without merit, could:
•be expensive and time consuming to defend;
•force us to stop providing products or services that use the intellectual property that is being challenged;
•force us to redesign or rebrand our products or services;
•divert our management's attention and resources;
•force us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements to obtain the right to use a third-party's intellectual property; or
•force us to pay significant damages.
In addition, we may be required to indemnify third-party owners and franchisees of the hotels we manage or franchise for any losses they incur as a result of any such third-party infringement claims. Any necessary royalty or licensing agreements may not be available to us on acceptable terms. Any costs, lost revenues, changes to our business, or management attention related to intellectual property claims against us, whether successful or not, could impact our business.
The extensive environmental requirements to which we are subject could increase our environmental costs and liabilities, reduce our profits, or limit our ability to run our business.
Our operations and properties are subject to extensive environmental laws and regulations of various federal, state, local, and foreign governments, including requirements addressing:
•health and safety;
•the use, management, storage, and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes;
•discharges of waste materials into the environment, such as refuse or sewage;
•water discharge and supply;
•air emissions;
•pollution; and
•climate change.
We could be subject to liability under some of these laws for the costs of investigating or remediating hazardous substances or wastes on, under, or in real property we currently or formerly manage, own, or develop, or third-party sites where we sent hazardous substances or wastes for disposal. We could be held liable under these laws regardless of whether we knew of, or were at fault in connection with, the presence or release of any such hazardous or toxic substances or wastes. Some of these laws make each covered person responsible for all of the costs involved, even if more than one person may have been responsible for the contamination. Furthermore, a person who arranges for hazardous substances or wastes to be transported, disposed of, or treated offsite, such as at disposal or treatment facilities, may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation if those substances are released into the environment by third parties at such disposal or treatment facilities. The presence or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, or the failure to properly clean up such materials, could cause us to incur significant costs, or jeopardize our ability to develop, use, sell, or rent real property we own, lease, or operate or to borrow using such property as collateral.
Other laws and regulations require us to manage, abate, or remove materials containing hazardous substances such as mold, lead, or asbestos during demolitions, renovations, or remodeling at properties that we manage, own, lease, or develop or to obtain permits for certain of our equipment or operations. The costs of such management, abatement, removal, or permitting could be substantial. Further, we may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from violations of environmental regulations or from contamination associated with one or more of our properties. Complying with these laws and regulations, or addressing violations arising under them, could increase our environmental costs and liabilities, reduce our profits, or limit our ability to run our business. The identification of new areas of contamination, a change in the extent or known scope of contamination, a change in cleanup requirements, or the adoption of new requirements governing our operations could have a material adverse effect on our results or operations, financial condition, and business.
In addition, existing environmental laws and regulations may be revised or reinterpreted or new more stringent laws and regulations related to global climate change, air quality, or other environmental, health, and safety concerns may be adopted or become applicable to us. For example, compliance with future corporate responsibility and other climate-related legislation and regulation, and our efforts to achieve science-based emissions reduction targets, could be difficult and costly. As a result, we may experience significant increased operating and compliance costs, and operating disruptions or limitations, which could adversely affect our results or operations, financial condition, and business.
If the insurance that we, our third-party owners, hospitality ventures, franchisees, or licensees carry does not sufficiently cover damage or other potential losses or liabilities involving properties that we own, lease, manage, or franchise, our profits could be reduced.
We, our third-party owners, hospitality ventures, franchisees, and licensees carry insurance from solvent insurance carriers that we believe is adequate for foreseeable losses and with terms and conditions that are reasonable and customary. Nevertheless, market forces beyond our control could limit the scope of the insurance coverage that we, our third-party owners, hospitality ventures, franchisees, or licensees can obtain or restrict our ability, our third-party owners', our hospitality ventures',
our franchisees', or our licensees' ability to buy insurance coverage at reasonable rates. In the event of a substantial loss, the insurance coverage that we, our third-party owners, hospitality ventures, franchisees, or licensees carry may not be sufficient to pay the full value of our financial obligations, our liabilities, or the replacement cost of any lost investment or property loss. In addition, there are other risks or losses that may fall outside of the general coverage limits of our policies, may be uninsurable, or for which the cost of insurance is too expensive to justify. In some cases, these factors could result in certain losses being completely uninsured. As a result, we could lose some or all of the capital we have invested in a property as well as the anticipated future revenues, profits, management fees, franchise fees, or license fees from the property; we could remain obligated for performance guarantees in favor of third-party property owners and franchisees or for their debt or other financial obligations; we could suffer an uninsured or underinsured property loss; or we may not have sufficient insurance to cover awards or damages resulting from our liabilities. If the insurance that we, our third-party owners, hospitality ventures, franchisees, or licensees carry does not sufficiently cover damages or other losses or liabilities, our profits could be adversely affected.
The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 could result in investigations by the U.S. Government against our Company and could harm our reputation and brands.
The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 ("ITRSHR Act") expanded sanctions against Iran and Syria. In addition, the ITRSHR Act instituted disclosure requirements in annual and quarterly reports for public companies engaged in, or affiliated with an entity engaged in certain activities involving the Government of Iran, involving other entities and persons targeted under certain OFAC sanctions, or otherwise involving specified activities under the ITRSHR Act. A company subject to Section 219 of the ITRSHR Act must make detailed disclosures about certain activities knowingly conducted by it or any of its affiliates. We did not identify any 2022 activities required to be disclosed. In the event Hyatt were to engage in certain activities that are subject to disclosure pursuant to Section 219 of the ITRSHR Act and Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act, we would be required to separately file, concurrently with any ITRSHR Act disclosure, a notice to the SEC that such activities were disclosed in our quarterly or annual report filings, which notice must also contain the information required by Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act. The SEC is required to post this notice of disclosure on its website and send the report to the President and certain Congressional committees. The President thereafter is required to initiate an investigation and, within 180 days of initiating such an investigation, to determine whether sanctions should be imposed on the Company. Disclosure of such activities, even if they are not subject to sanctions under applicable law, and any sanction actually imposed on us or our affiliates as a result of these activities, could harm our reputation and brands and have a negative impact on our results of operations.
Risks Related to Share Ownership and Other Stockholder Matters
Our stock price has been and is likely to continue to be volatile, and holders of Class A common stock may not be able to resell shares at or above the price paid.
The stock market in general, and hospitality companies in particular, including us, have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the underlying businesses. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market, or political conditions, could reduce the market price of shares of our Class A common stock in spite of our operating performance. In addition, companies that own or lease a greater proportion of properties have at times experienced disproportionate volatility and price and volume fluctuations, and we expect this dynamic to continue. These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.
In addition to the risks described in this section, several factors that could cause the price of our Class A common stock in the public market to fluctuate significantly include, among others, the following:
•quarterly variations in our operating results compared to market expectations;
•annual variations in our operating results compared to our guidance;
•withdrawals or suspensions of our guidance;
•announcements of acquisitions of or investments in other businesses and properties or dispositions;
•announcements of new services or products or significant price reductions by us or our competitors;
•size of our public float;
•future conversions to and sales of our Class A common stock by current holders of Class B common stock in the public market, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of Class B common stock intend to sell shares;
•stock price performance of our competitors;
•fluctuations in stock market prices and volumes in the United States and abroad;
•low investor confidence;
•default on our indebtedness or foreclosure of our properties;
•changes in senior management or key personnel;
•downgrades or changes in financial estimates by securities analysts or negative reports published by securities analysts about our business or the hospitality industry in general;
•negative earnings or other announcements by us or other hospitality companies;
•downgrades in our credit ratings or the credit ratings of our competitors;
•issuances or repurchases of equity or debt securities;
•a decision to pay or not to pay dividends;
•cyber incidents and information technology failures;
•terrorist activities or threats of such activities, civil or political unrest, or war; and
•global economic, legal, and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance.
Volatility in the market price of our Class A common stock may prevent investors from being able to sell their Class A common stock at or above the price at which they purchased the stock. As a result, investors may suffer a loss on their investment.
Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company's securities. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs, reduce our profits, divert our management's attention and resources, and harm our business.
There can be no assurance that we will declare or pay dividends in the future or that we will repurchase shares pursuant to our share repurchase program consistent with historical amounts or at all.
Our dividend policy or share repurchase program may change from time to time, and we may not declare dividends or repurchase shares in any particular amounts, in amounts consistent with historical practice, or at all. Our repurchase program does not obligate the Company to repurchase any specific dollar amount or to acquire any specific number of shares and the timing and amount of repurchases, if any, will depend on several factors, including market and business conditions, applicable debt covenants, the timing and amount of cash proceeds from asset dispositions, the timing and amount of any like-kind exchange transactions and other tax-planning matters, the trading price of our common stock, the nature of other investment opportunities, and other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. Dividend payments or repurchase activity could have a negative effect on our stock price, increase volatility, or fail to enhance shareholder value. The actual declaration and payment of future dividends, the amount of any such dividends, and the establishment of record and payment dates, if any, are subject to determination by our board of directors after its review of our business strategy, applicable debt covenants, financial performance and position, and other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. Our declaration and payment of future dividends is subject to risks and uncertainties, including: deterioration of our financial performance or position, inability to declare a dividend in compliance with applicable laws or debt covenants, an increase in our cash needs or decrease in available cash, and the business judgment of the board of directors that a declaration of a dividend is not in the best interest of our stockholders.
Reports published by securities or industry analysts, including projections in those reports that exceed our actual results, could adversely affect our stock price and trading volume.
Securities research analysts have established and publish their own quarterly projections for our business. These projections may vary widely from one another and may not accurately predict the results we actually achieve. Our stock price
may decline if our actual results do not match securities research analysts' projections. Similarly, if one or more of the analysts who writes reports on us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, or the hospitality industry in general, our stock price could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our Company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, our stock price or trading volume could decline.
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law, as well as agreements with our major stockholders, may discourage or prevent a change of control, even if a sale of Hyatt would be beneficial to our stockholders, which could cause our stock price to decline and prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current board of directors or management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as agreements with our major stockholders, contain provisions that may make it difficult to remove our board of directors and management and may discourage or delay "change of control" transactions that certain stockholders may view as beneficial or could involve the payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our Class A common stock. These provisions include, among others:
•Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for a dual class ownership structure, in which our Class B common stock is entitled to ten votes per share and our Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share. As a result of this structure, our major stockholders have significant influence or actual control over matters requiring stockholder approval.
•Voting agreements entered into with or among our major stockholders require these stockholders to vote their shares consistent with the recommendation of our board of directors, assuming in certain instances that a majority of a minimum of three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) or, in the case of transactions involving us and an affiliate, all of such minimum of three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) agree with the recommendation. While the voting agreements are in effect, they may provide our board of directors with effective control over matters requiring stockholder approval.
•Lock-up agreements entered into with stockholders party to our 2007 Stockholders' Agreement limit the ability of these stockholders to sell their shares to any person who would be required to file a Schedule 13D with the SEC disclosing an intent to acquire the shares other than for investment purposes and, in certain instances, to competitors of ours in the hospitality, lodging, or gaming industries.
•Stockholders party to our 2007 Stockholders' Agreement have agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, to "standstill" provisions that prevent the stockholders from acquiring additional shares of our common stock, making or participating in acquisition proposals for us, or soliciting proxies in connection with meetings of our stockholders, unless the stockholders are invited to do so by our board of directors.
•Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with each class serving for a staggered three-year term, which prevents stockholders from electing an entirely new board of directors at an annual meeting.
•Our directors may be removed only for cause, which prevents stockholders from being able to remove directors without cause other than those directors who are being elected at an annual meeting.
•Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide for cumulative voting in the election of directors. As a result, holders of our Class B common stock will control the election of directors and the ability of holders of our Class A common stock to elect director candidates will be limited.
•Vacancies on our board of directors, and any newly created director positions created by the expansion of the board of directors, may be filled only by a majority of remaining directors then in office.
•Actions to be taken by our stockholders may only be effected at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders and not by written consent.
•Special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by the Chairman of the Board or by our corporate secretary at the direction of our board of directors.
•Advance notice procedures that stockholders must comply with in order to nominate candidates to our board of directors and propose matters to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer's own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our Company.
•Our board of directors may, without stockholder approval, issue series of preferred stock, or rights to acquire preferred stock, that could dilute the interest of, or impair the voting power of, holders of our common stock or could also be used as a method of discouraging, delaying, or preventing a change of control.
•An affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock entitled to vote is required to amend any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws.
Pritzker family business interests have substantial control over us and have the ability to control the election of directors and other matters submitted to stockholders for approval, which will limit your ability to influence corporate matters or result in actions that you do not believe to be in our interests or your interests.
Our Class B common stock is entitled to ten votes per share and our Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share. At January 31, 2023, Pritzker family business interests beneficially own, in the aggregate, 56,647,354 shares, or approximately 96.2%, of our Class B common stock, and 340,968 shares, or approximately 0.7%, of Class A common stock, representing approximately 53.6% of the outstanding shares of our common stock and approximately 89.1% of the total voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, consistent with the voting agreements contained in the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement and the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement, Pritzker family business interests will be able to exert a significant degree of influence or actual control over our management and affairs and over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, a merger, consolidation, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets and any other significant transaction. While the voting agreements are in effect, they may provide our board of directors with the effective control over matters requiring stockholder approval. Because of our dual class ownership structure, Pritzker family business interests will continue to exert a significant degree of influence or actual control over matters requiring stockholder approval, even if they own less than 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters, and the interests of Pritzker family business interests may not coincide with our interests or your interests. As a result, we may take actions that you do not believe to be in our interests or your interests and that could depress our stock price. See also "—Voting agreements entered into with or among our major stockholders, including Pritzker family business interests, will result in a substantial number of our shares being voted consistent with the recommendation of our board of directors, and may limit your ability to influence the election of directors and other matters submitted to stockholders for approval."
In addition, the difference in the voting rights between our Class A common stock and Class B common stock could diminish the value of the Class A common stock to the extent that investors or any potential future purchasers of our common stock ascribe value to the superior voting rights of the Class B common stock.
Disputes among Pritzker family members and among Pritzker family members and the trustees of the Pritzker family trusts may result in significant distractions to our management, disrupt our business, have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock, and/or generate negative publicity about Hyatt and the Pritzker family.
In the past, disputes have arisen between and among certain Pritzker family members, and between and among beneficiaries of the Pritzker family trusts and the trustees of such trusts, with respect to, among other things, the ownership, operation, governance, and management of certain Pritzker family business interests. In connection with certain of these disputes, claims were alleged, and in certain cases, proceedings were initiated, against certain Pritzker family members, including Thomas J. Pritzker, our executive chairman, and other Pritzker family members, some of whom have been or are our directors, and against the trustees, including Thomas J. Pritzker in his former capacity as a co-trustee of the Pritzker family U.S. situs trusts. Such past allegations related to, among others, trust management and administration and violations of certain trustee duties, including fiduciary duties. Some of these disputes led to significant negative publicity for the Pritzker family. These disputes were resolved with no admissions or finding of any misconduct.
Disputes among Pritzker family members, and between and among beneficiaries of the Pritzker family trusts and the trustees of such trusts, including with respect to Hyatt, may arise or continue in the future. If such disputes occur, they may result in significant distractions to our management, disrupt our business, have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock, and/or generate negative publicity about Hyatt and Pritzker family members, including Pritzker family members involved with Hyatt.
Voting agreements entered into with or among our major stockholders, including Pritzker family business interests, will result in a substantial number of our shares being voted consistent with the recommendation of our board of directors, and may limit your ability to influence the election of directors and other matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
Pritzker family business interests, which beneficially own at January 31, 2023, directly or indirectly, 56,988,322 shares, or 53.6%of our total outstanding common stock and control approximately 89.1% of our total voting power, have entered into a voting agreement with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by Pritzker family business interests. During
the term of the voting agreement, which expires on the date upon which more than 75% of the Company's fully diluted shares of common stock is owned by non-Pritzker family business interests, Pritzker family business interests have agreed to vote their shares of our common stock consistent with the recommendation of our board of directors with respect to all matters assuming agreement as to any such matter by a majority of a minimum of three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker) or, in the case of transactions involving us and an affiliate, assuming agreement of all of such minimum of three independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker). In addition, at January 31, 2023, the stockholders party to the 2007 Stockholder's Agreement beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 3.9% of our outstanding Class B common stock, representing approximately 3.6% of the total voting power of our outstanding common stock. Pursuant to the 2007 Stockholder's Agreement, the stockholders party thereto have entered into a voting agreement with us, with respect to the shares of common stock that they beneficially own, and have agreed to vote their shares of common stock consistent with the recommendation of our board of directors, without any separate requirement that our independent directors agree with the recommendation. These voting agreements expire on the date that Thomas J. Pritzker is no longer chairman of our board of directors. See Part I, Item 1, "Business—Stockholder Agreements."
While the voting agreements are in effect, they may provide our board of directors with effective control over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, a merger, consolidation, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets and any other significant transaction. This is because the number of our shares that are required by the voting agreements to be voted consistent with the recommendation of our board of directors will be sufficient to determine the outcome of the election of directors and other matters submitted to stockholders for approval. This will limit your ability to influence the election of directors and other matters submitted to stockholders for approval, even if you do not believe those actions to be in our interests or your interests. For instance, the voting agreements may have the effect of delaying or preventing a transaction that would result in a change of control, if our board of directors does not recommend that our stockholders vote in favor of the transaction, even if you or some or all of our major stockholders believe that the transaction is in our interests or your interests. On the other hand, the voting agreements may result in our stockholders approving a transaction that would result in a change of control, if our board of directors recommends that our stockholders vote in favor of the transaction, even if you or some or all of our major stockholders believe that the transaction is not in our interests or your interests.
A significant number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock could be sold into the market, which could depress our stock price even if our business is doing well.
Future sales in the public market of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of Class B common stock intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our Class A common stock. At January 31, 2023, we had 47,334,299 shares of Class A common stock outstanding and 58,917,749 shares of Class B common stock outstanding.
At January 31, 2023, 47,330,403 shares of Class A common stock are freely tradable in the public market without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") unless these shares are held by any of our "affiliates," as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act ("Rule 144"). The remaining 3,896 outstanding shares of Class A common stock and 58,917,749 outstanding shares of Class B common stock are deemed "restricted securities," as that term is defined in Rule 144. Restricted securities may be sold in the public market only if they are registered under the Securities Act or they qualify for an exemption from registration under Rule 144 or Rule 701 under the Securities Act ("Rule 701"). Of these restricted securities, 2,270,395 shares of Class B common stock are held by stockholders party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement and are otherwise eligible to be sold at any time, subject to the applicable rights of first refusal, "drag along" rights and other restrictions contained in the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement. See Part I, Item 1, "Business—Stockholder Agreements—2007 Stockholders' Agreement." Another 3,896 shares of Class A common stock that are deemed restricted securities are otherwise eligible to be sold at any time.
The rest of the restricted securities, consisting of 56,647,354 shares of Class B common stock, together with 340,968 shares of Class A common stock previously registered, are subject to contractual lock-up and certain other restrictions contained in the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement and the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement as described in Part I, Item 1, "Business—Stockholder Agreements." These contractual restrictions may be amended, waived, or terminated by the parties to those agreements in accordance with the terms of such agreements without our consent and without notice; the 25% limitation on sales of our common stock may, with respect to each 12 month period, be increased to a higher percentage or waived entirely by the unanimous affirmative vote of our independent directors (excluding for such purposes any Pritzker). All such shares of Class A common stock, including shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Class B common stock, will be eligible for resale in compliance with Rule 144 or Rule 701 to the extent the lock-up restrictions contained in the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement or the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement, as applicable, are waived or terminated with respect to such shares.
Assuming the lock-up restrictions contained in the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement and the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement are not amended, waived, or terminated and that there are no transfers of shares amongst Pritzker family stockholders, and further assuming the parties to these agreements sell the maximum amount permitted to be sold during the first time period that such shares are eligible to be sold as set forth below, and subject to any applicable restrictions contained in such agreements and the provisions of Rule 144 and/or Rule 701, the securities eligible to be sold by Pritzker family stockholders under the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement and the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement will be available for sale in the public market as follows: | | | | | |
Time Period | Number of Shares* |
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2022 through November 4, 2023 | 15,716,348 | |
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2023 through November 4, 2024 | 11,837,502 | |
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2024 through November 4, 2025 | 6,996,539 | |
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2025 through November 4, 2026 | 6,419,886 | |
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2026 through November 4, 2027 | 6,419,886 | |
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2027 through November 4, 2028 | 6,271,290 | |
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2028 through November 4, 2029 | 3,255,514 | |
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2029 through November 4, 2030 | 71,357 | |
*The foregoing numbers are based on information at January 31, 2023 and assume that the maximum number of shares permitted to be sold during each period set forth above are, in fact, sold during each such period. To the extent any shares are not sold during the first time period that such shares are eligible to be sold as described above, the number of shares that may be sold in subsequent time periods may change.
In addition, at December 31, 2022, 4,557,675 shares of our Class A common stock were reserved for issuance under the Fourth Amended and Restated Hyatt Hotels Corporation Long-Term Incentive Plan (as amended, the "LTIP"). These shares of Class A common stock will become eligible for sale in the public market once those shares are issued or awarded under our LTIP, subject to provisions of various award agreements and Rule 144, as applicable. In addition, 811,317 shares of our Class A common stock were reserved for issuance under the Hyatt Hotels Corporation Second Amended and Restated Employee Stock Purchase Plan ("ESPP"), 1,169,195 shares of our Class A common stock remained available for issuance pursuant to the Amended and Restated Hyatt Corporation Deferred Compensation Plan ("DCP"), and 300,000 shares of Class A common stock remained available for issuance pursuant to the Hyatt International Hotels Retirement Plan, commonly known as the Field Retirement Plan ("FRP").
If any of these holders causes a large number of securities to be sold in the public market, the sales could reduce the trading price of our Class A common stock. These sales also could impede our ability to raise future capital. See also "—If holders of shares of our Class B common stock convert their shares of Class B common stock into shares of Class A common stock and exercise their registration rights, a significant number of shares of our Class A common stock could be sold into the market, which could reduce the trading price of our Class A common stock and impede our ability to raise future capital."
We also may issue shares of our Class A common stock from time to time as consideration for future acquisitions and investments. If any such acquisition or investment is significant, the number of shares that we may issue may in turn be significant.
If holders of shares of our Class B common stock convert their shares of Class B common stock into shares of Class A common stock and exercise their registration rights, a significant number of shares of our Class A common stock could be sold into the market, which could reduce the trading price of our Class A common stock and impede our ability to raise future capital.
Holders of 58,917,749 shares of our Class B common stock or 55.5% of our total outstanding shares of common stock at January 31, 2023, including Pritzker family business interests, have rights, subject to certain conditions, to require us to file registration statements registering sales of shares of Class A common stock acquired upon conversion of such Class B common stock or to include sales of such shares of Class A common stock in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or for other stockholders. In order to exercise such registration rights, the holder must be permitted to sell shares of its common stock under applicable lock-up restrictions. See "—A significant number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock could be sold into the market, which could depress our stock price even if our business is doing well" and Part I, Item 1, "Business—Stockholder Agreements" for additional information with respect to these lock-up provisions. Subject to compliance with applicable lock-up agreements, shares of Class A common stock sold under the registration statements can be freely sold in the public market. In the event such registration rights are exercised and a large number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Class B common stock are sold in the public
market, such sales could reduce the trading price of our Class A common stock. These sales also could impede our ability to raise future capital. Additionally, we will bear all expenses in connection with any such registrations other than underwriting discounts.
Following our decision in May 2020 to file a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act, certain stockholders party to the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of October 12, 2009, among Hyatt and the Pritzker family business interests party thereto, elected to exercise their piggyback registration rights with respect to 13,347,885 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Class B common stock. On May 21, 2020, the Company filed an automatic effective shelf registration statement with the SEC to register the resale of such aggregate 13,347,885 shares. In connection with such registration, all other holders of registration rights, including trustees of trusts for the benefit of Thomas J. Pritzker and his lineal descendants, including Jason Pritzker, elected not to exercise their piggyback registration rights.
Subsequent to November 2022, a trust for the benefit of Karen L. Pritzker and/or certain of her lineal descendants engaged in sales representing an aggregate of 100,000 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Class B common stock. After giving effect to these transactions, as well as sales, charitable contributions, and similar transactions prior to November 2022 by (a) limited partnerships and trusts, each for the benefit of Daniel F. Pritzker and/or certain of his lineal descendants, and Daniel F. Pritzker, individually, that resulted in such entities holding fewer shares than are registered for resale on the May 2020 shelf registration statement, and (b) the Anthony N. Pritzker Family Foundation that resulted in such entity no longer holding any shares registered for resale on the May 2020 shelf registration statement, as of the date of this filing, 9,421,600 shares of the 13,347,885 shares originally registered for resale on the May 2020 shelf registration statement continue to be eligible to be sold pursuant to the May 2020 shelf registration statement during the 12 month period commencing November 5, 2022 through November 4, 2023 under the lock-up restrictions contained in the Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement and the Amended and Restated Foreign Global Hyatt Agreement. Subsequent to November 4, 2023, and assuming no further sales, 9,521,600 shares of the 13,347,885 shares originally registered for resale on the May 2020 shelf registration statement will continue to be eligible to be sold pursuant to the May 2020 shelf registration statement. Additional shares may be registered on the shelf registration statement in the future as such shares are eligible to be sold in accordance with the registration rights agreements and lock-up restrictions. See "—A significant number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock could be sold into the market, which could depress our stock price even if our business is doing well" for additional information with respect to the lock-up provisions.
The sale of shares registered under the registration statement in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur could reduce the trading price of our Class A common stock or impede our ability to raise future capital.
Non-U.S. holders who own more than 5% of our Class A common stock or substantial amounts of our Class B common stock may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain realized on the disposition of such stock.
Because we have significant U.S. real estate holdings, we may be a "United States real property holding corporation" ("USRPHC") for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but we have made no determination to that effect. There can be no assurance that we do not currently constitute or will not become a USRPHC. As a result, a "non-U.S. holder" may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain realized on a disposition of our Class A common stock if such non-U.S. holder has owned, actually or constructively, through certain family members, related entities, and options, more than 5% of our Class A common stock at any time during the shorter of (a) the five-year period ending on the date of disposition and (b) the non-U.S. holder's holding period in such stock.
If we were, or were to become, a USRPHC, a non-U.S. holder may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain realized on the disposition of our Class B common stock. Such tax would apply if on the date such non-U.S. holder actually or constructively acquired Class B common stock, and on any date on which such non-U.S. holder acquires additional Class B common stock, the aggregate fair market of the Class B common stock it actually and constructively owns is greater than 5% of the fair market value of our Class A common stock on such date. Certain dispositions of substantial amounts of Class B common stock by non-U.S. holders may be subject to withholding under section 1445 of the Internal Revenue Code.
General Risk Factors
The loss of our senior executives or key field personnel, such as our general managers, could significantly harm our business.
Our ability to maintain our competitive position is dependent to a large degree on the efforts and skills of our senior executives. We have entered into employment letter agreements with certain of our senior executives. However, we cannot guarantee that these individuals will remain with us. Finding suitable replacements for our senior executives could be difficult. We currently do not have a life insurance policy or key person insurance policy with respect to any of our senior executives.
Losing the services of one or more of these senior executives could adversely affect our strategic relationships, including relationships with our third-party property owners, franchisees, hospitality venture partners, and vendors, and limit our ability to execute our business strategies.
We also rely on the general managers to run daily operations and oversee our colleagues. These general managers are trained professionals in the hospitality industry and have extensive experience in many markets worldwide. The failure to retain, train, or successfully manage our general managers, either by us or our third-party owners or franchisees, could negatively affect our operations.