Company: BHR-PD
Filing Date: 2025-03-12
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001574085-25-000024
Chunk: 136

Company: Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-12
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 136
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 TRSs. A TRS lessee will not be treated as a “related party tenant,” and will not be treated as directly operating a lodging facility, which is prohibited, to the extent the TRS lessee leases properties from us that are managed by an “eligible independent contractor.”

We believe that the rent paid by our TRS lessees is qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests and that our TRSs qualify to be treated as TRSs for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge this treatment or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If we failed to meet either the asset or gross income tests, we would likely lose our REIT qualification for U.S. federal income tax purposes, unless certain relief provisions applied. 

If our hotel managers, including Ashford Hospitality Services LLC (“AHS”) and its subsidiaries (including Remington Hospitality), do not qualify as “eligible independent contractors,” we would fail to qualify as a REIT. Each of the hotel management companies that enters into a management contract with our TRS lessees must qualify as an “eligible independent contractor” under the REIT rules in order for the rent paid to us by our TRS lessees to be qualifying income for our REIT 

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income test requirements. Among other requirements, in order to qualify as an eligible independent contractor a manager must not own more than 35% of our outstanding shares (by value) and no person or group of persons can own more than 35% of our outstanding shares and the ownership interests of the manager, taking into account only owners of more than 5% of our shares and, with respect to ownership interests in such managers that are publicly-traded, only holders of more than 5% of such ownership interests. Complex ownership attribution rules apply for purposes of these 35% thresholds. Although we intend to monitor ownership of our shares by our hotel managers and their owners, it is possible that these ownership levels could be exceeded. Additionally, we and AHS and its subsidiaries, including Remington Hospitality, must comply with the provisions of the private letter ruling we obtained from the IRS in connection with Ashford Inc.’s acquisition of Remington Hospitality to ensure that AHS and its subsidiaries, including Remington Hospitality, continue to qualify as “eligible independent contractors.”

Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities.

To qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax