EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1468174
Filing Year: 2025
Filename: 1468174_10-K_2025_0001468174-25-000009.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
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 more than 65-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 and vacation units. We also offer distribution and destination management services through ALG Vacations and distribution services through Mr & Mrs Smith, a boutique and luxury global travel platform. At December 31, 2024, our hotel portfolio consisted of 1,442 hotels and all-inclusive resorts (347,301 rooms). See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Overview" for a 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 across five distinct portfolios. The Luxury Portfolio, includes Park Hyatt, Alila, Miraval, Impression by Secrets, and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt; the Lifestyle Portfolio, includes Andaz, Thompson Hotels, The Standard, Dream Hotels, The StandardX, Breathless Resorts & Spas, JdV by Hyatt, Bunkhouse Hotels, and Me and All Hotels; the Inclusive Collection, includes Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Sunscape Resorts & Spas, and Alua Hotels & Resorts; the Classics Portfolio, includes Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Destination by Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Vacation Club, and Hyatt; and the Essentials Portfolio, includes Caption by Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hyatt Studios, and UrCove. 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 units, which are part of Hyatt Vacation Club. We offer a short-term vacation rental platform, Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt, that features direct booking for short-term private home rentals in the United States ("U.S.").
We primarily derive our revenues from the provision of management, franchising, and hotel services, licensing of our portfolio of brands to franchisees and other hospitality-related businesses, including the Unlimited Vacation Club, operation of our owned and leased hotel portfolio, and provision of distribution and destination management services. For the year ended December 31, 2024, revenues totaled $6,648 million, net income attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation totaled $1,296 million, and Adjusted EBITDA totaled $1,096 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")" for our definition of Adjusted EBITDA, how we utilize it, why we present it, and material limitations on its usefulness, as well as 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, experimentation, inclusion, integrity, respect, 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 so they can be their best. This includes caring for 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 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 across five portfolios. We believe our brand portfolios are differentiated from competitors and intently focused on serving the high-end guest and customer in each segment in which our brands operate.
•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 intently 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. Across our organization, we have a culture of learning and innovation.
•Strong Capital Base and Disciplined Financial Approach. Our approach is to maintain appropriate levels of financial leverage through industry cycles and downturns. At December 31, 2024, we had $1,383 million of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments and approximately $1.5 billion of available borrowing capacity under our credit facility. 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 Management and Hotel Services, 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 dispositions that provide cash proceeds to fund additional strategic investments or provide incremental return of capital to stockholders. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we exceeded our commitment announced in August 2021 to realize $2.0 billion of gross proceeds from the disposition of owned assets, net of acquisitions.
Our Business Strategy
Our strategy to drive long-term sustainable growth and create value for guests, customers, colleagues, owners, and stockholders is guided and refined by our desired outcome 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.
Our strategy is guided and refined based on the outcome we seek-that each of our stakeholders choose Hyatt more over time and consider Hyatt to be the most preferred hospitality brand serving guests at the high-end of each segment in which our brands operate.
Description of Brands
Brand (3) Chain Scale (4) Customer Base December 31, 2024 Rooms (1)(2)
Managed (5) Franchised Owned and Leased (6)
Luxury Portfolio
Luxury Leisure and business; meetings 8,390 - 549
Luxury Leisure and business; meetings; social events 1,942 - -
Luxury/Wellness Leisure; meetings - - 383
Luxury All-Inclusive Leisure 323 - -
Luxury Leisure and business; meetings 3,104 5,282 -
Lifestyle Portfolio
Luxury Leisure and business; meetings 5,904 715 507
Luxury Leisure and business; meetings 3,329 662 -
Upper Upscale Leisure and business; meetings 942 580 -
Upper Upscale Leisure and business; meetings 808 178 -
Upper Upscale Leisure 187 - -
Luxury All-Inclusive Leisure;
adult-only; social events; meetings 2,311 - -
Upper Upscale Leisure and business; meetings 2,224 6,270 -
Upper Upscale Leisure 598 - -
Upper Upscale Leisure and business - 1,137 -
Inclusive Collection
Luxury All-Inclusive Leisure;
adult-oriented 541 - -
Luxury All-Inclusive Leisure; meetings; social events; families 438 2,234 -
Luxury All-Inclusive Leisure; adult-only; meetings; social events 291 919 -
Luxury All-Inclusive Leisure; adult-only; meetings 9,719 - -
Luxury All-Inclusive Leisure; families; meetings 13,741 - -
Upper Upscale All-Inclusive Leisure;
adult-only 400 - -
Upper Upscale All-Inclusive Leisure 3,803 - -
Upscale All-Inclusive Leisure 6,760 - 2,325
Classics Portfolio
Luxury Leisure and business; meetings; social events 32,495 1,331 903
Upper Upscale Business and leisure; meetings; social events; conventions; associations 72,136 20,981 3,355
Luxury Leisure and business; meetings; social events; associations 2,670 3,769 -
Upper Upscale Leisure and business; meetings 6,887 6,811 138
Vacation
Ownership Owners of
vacation units; leisure - - -
Upper Upscale Business and leisure; meetings 1,087 1,151 1,298
Essentials Portfolio
Upscale Leisure and business 390 377 -
Upscale Business and leisure; meetings 13,447 49,403 794
Upscale Extended-stay guests; business and leisure; meetings 3,268 16,328 -
Upper Midscale Extended-stay guests; business transient - - -
Upper Midscale Business and leisure; meetings - 8,083 -
(1) Figures include eight properties that Hyatt currently intends to rebrand to the respective brand at a future date and six non-branded managed properties. Figures do not include the following:
•21 properties with 11,685 rooms under the Bahia Principe brand owned by a consolidated hospitality venture between a Hyatt affiliate and an unrelated third party;
•2 unbranded properties in the Americas with 1,018 rooms;
•22 vacation units with 1,997 rooms; and
•1,031 unaffiliated Mr & Mrs Smith properties with 36,347 rooms available through hyatt.com. At December 31, 2024, the Mr & Mrs Smith platform included 2,251 properties and approximately 105,000 rooms that pay commissions through our distribution segment revenues.
(2) At December 31, 2024, we had 43 residential units with 5,174 rooms, certain of which are included in the figures above.
(3) The UrCove brand is owned by an unconsolidated hospitality venture between a Hyatt affiliate and an unrelated third party.
(4) Chain scale primarily represents industry standard hotel groupings with the exception of wellness, all-inclusive, and vacation ownership, which represent internal designations.
(5) Includes properties that we manage or provide services to.
(6) Figures do not include unconsolidated hospitality ventures.
Luxury Portfolio
Park Hyatt
Park Hyatt hotels provide discerning, global travelers with a refined home-away-from-home. Located in several 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 unique and immersive culinary experiences led by award-winning chefs, creating deeply enriching dining occasions for guests.
Alila
Founded in 2001, the Alila brand redefines luxury with its experience-driven philosophy that blends transformative moments, innovative design, and personalized service. Every property embraces a culturally rich and environmentally conscious approach. Recognized for award-winning practices, Alila hotels protect and celebrate the natural, cultural, and architectural heritage of their destinations, which leads to unmatched guest experiences. A stay at an Alila property invites you to immerse yourself in the essence of each place-through local flavors, restorative wellness rituals, invigorating adventures, and experiences waiting to be uncovered.
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.
Impression by Secrets
The Impression by Secrets brand is a boutique, adult-only, luxury all-inclusive brand where guests can experience personalized restoration and luxury, offering escapes designed to exceed expectations of guests. Impression by Secrets resorts are the next generation of exclusive luxury offering intimate escapes from daily life amidst breathtaking surroundings and picturesque oceanscapes. Guests will enjoy a high-touch, preference-focused experience complete with the utmost level of personalized service and amenities.
The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
More than a compilation of independent, one-of-a-kind luxury hotels, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand is a thoughtful curation of stories worth collecting. Whether it is a modern marvel, a historic gem, or a revitalizing retreat, each property provides thought-provoking environments and experiences that inspire unforgettable moments for guests seeking a sophisticated yet unscripted service when they travel.
Lifestyle Portfolio
Andaz
Andaz, translated from Hindi, means "personal style." Designed for those with a global sensibility, Andaz hotels are grounded in their local surroundings and infused with local culture. The brand's personalized, attentive service leave guests feeling empowered and energized to explore themselves and the world around them, leaving enriched and energized.
Thompson Hotels
Thompson Hotels provide a sophisticated home base when traveling. The brand is focused on the classics done with a refined sensibility and a distinctive sense of style. All housed where culture thrives. Thompson Hotels cater to discerning visitors traveling for business, leisure, and special events along with socially connected locals in each market.
The Standard
The Standard hotels create culturally-inspired, socially-driven entertainment destinations in some of the world's most inspiring destinations. From its carefully-curated food and beverage offerings to vibrant events that engage both locals and travelers, over the past 25 years, The Standard brand has become one of the most celebrated brands in the industry.
Dream Hotels
Dream Hotels bring the party to its guests with eye-catching aesthetics and vibrant social spaces where guests and locals mingle in search of a good time. Dream Hotels are located in urban destinations and emerging neighborhoods surrounding city centers. Each location's distinct influence creates a lively and amplified hospitality experience.
The StandardX
The StandardX brand brings The Standard brand's signature "cool factor" to smaller hotels, and up-and-coming neighborhoods, with properties that pack style, culture, and attitude into a smaller footprint. Each The StandardX hotel embodies a stripped-back, potent sense of style, often located in areas on the cusp of transformation, where X marks the spot for the next big thing.
Breathless Resorts & Spas
Breathless Resorts & Spas are adult-only, all-inclusive properties for guests seeking an activated beachfront experience in a social setting. These resorts offer modern accommodations, spas, meetings and event spaces, and compelling dining and drink options. The experience is infused with a spirit of escape people expect from a beach-side destination, layered with unexpected moments of delight.
JdV by Hyatt
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, that brings people together with joy-driven service. Embracing its namesake of "joie de vivre," each property invites guests and locals to connect and celebrate the joys of life and travel.
Bunkhouse Hotels
Bunkhouse is a brand that is rooted in the heart of the communities it serves, offering an authentic sense of place. With a passion for distinctive design and a focus on building relationships with locals, Bunkhouse properties offer soulful travel experiences that connect deeply with guests. The brand's commitment to community-centered food and beverage experiences and engaging events creates spaces where locals and visitors alike come together to share stories and make memories.
Me and All Hotels
At Me and All Hotels, everyone is invited. Me and All hotels are centrally located and inextricably linked with their city's local social dynamics. Urban design meets fun cultural programming to create an engaging environment for travelers and locals.
Inclusive Collection
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, environmentally conscious practices, and distinguished art collections.
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.
Secrets Resorts & Spas
Secrets Resorts & Spas offer adult-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, the resorts also cater to business groups and large leisure events with expansive and flexible settings and customized services.
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, adult-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.
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.
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.
Classics Portfolio
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 leisure and business travelers with elegant accommodations, extraordinary restaurants and 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.
Destination by Hyatt
The Destination by Hyatt brand is a portfolio of luxury hotels and resorts 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.
Hyatt Centric
Hyatt Centric is a brand of 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. With streamlined, modern rooms, each hotel serves as a launch pad for exploring all the hidden gems and hot spots each destination has to offer. Hyatt Centric hotels offer social spaces to connect with others in the lobby, while the bar and restaurant are local hot spots where great conversations, locally-inspired food, and signature cocktails can be enjoyed.
Hyatt Vacation Club
Hyatt Vacation 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 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
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 to attend an important business meeting or social gathering, explore a new city, or reconnect with family and friends.
Essentials Portfolio
Caption by Hyatt
The Caption by Hyatt brand is designed to be part of the community, not just in it, Caption by Hyatt hotels hire local, buy local, and vibe local. 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.
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, efficient service, and an easy to navigate experience.
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.
Hyatt Studios
Hyatt Studios is an upper-midscale, extended-stay brand conceived in direct collaboration with hotel developers and operators and by listening closely to the needs of guests. The Hyatt Studios brand distinguishes itself through efficient design and a lean operating model. Each hotel will deliver spacious studio guest rooms with all the necessities for a convenient and comfortable extended-stay experience, including complimentary grab-and-go breakfast, a state-of-the-art self-service marketplace, laundry and fitness areas, and outdoor patio 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.
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 United States, 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 eight countries and 39 destinations in the Americas.
Mr & Mrs Smith
Mr & Mrs Smith is a boutique and luxury global travel platform offering direct booking access to a carefully curated and growing collection of approximately 2,200 boutique and luxury properties in some of the world's most desirable locations, of which approximately 1,000 are available through hyatt.com. Hotel listing is by invitation only through a selective process, including required site visits by a diverse community of trusted tastemakers.
Business Segment, Revenues, and Geographical Information
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we realigned our operating and reportable segments to align with our business strategy, certain organizational changes within our leadership team, and the manner in which our chief operating decision maker ("CODM") assesses performance and makes decisions regarding the allocation of resources. A summary of our reportable segments is as follows:
•Management and franchising, which consists of the provision of management, franchising, and hotel services, or the licensing of our intellectual property to, (i) our property portfolio, (ii) our co-branded credit card programs, and (iii) other hospitality-related businesses, including the Unlimited Vacation Club following the UVC Transaction;
•Owned and leased, which consists of our owned and leased hotel portfolio and, for purposes of owned and leased segment Adjusted EBITDA, our pro rata share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures' Adjusted EBITDA based on our ownership percentage of each venture; and
•Distribution, which consists of distribution and destination management services offered through ALG Vacations and the boutique and luxury global travel platform offered through Mr & Mrs Smith. Prior to the UVC Transaction, this segment also included the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program.
Within overhead, we include unallocated corporate expenses.
Segment operating information for the years ended December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022 have been recast to reflect these segment changes. For information regarding our three reportable business segments, revenues, and geographical information, see Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements." For the definition of the UVC Transaction, see Part I, Item 1, "Business-Unlimited Vacation Club."
Management and Hotel Services Agreements
We manage and provide hotel services to hotels worldwide pursuant to management and hotel services agreements. Our management and hotel services 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 is a base 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 and hotel services agreements have structures more dependent on hotel profitability measures, either (i) through a single management fee structure where the entire fee is based on a profitability measure or (ii) because our two-tier fee structure is more heavily weighted toward the incentive fee than the base fee. Certain of our hotel services agreements provide for a single-tier fee structure based on either an agreed-upon percentage of revenue generated from the hotel or a percentage of revenue in excess of an agreed-upon threshold amount.
In addition to our management and hotel services 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 management and hotel services agreements with third-party owners and consolidated and unconsolidated hospitality ventures (other than for properties currently under development) is 16 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 management and hotel services agreements (other than for properties currently under development) in all regions is 19 years for full service hotels, 22 years for select service hotels, and 11 years for all-inclusive resorts.
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 revenues, typically ranging from 2.75% to 5%, or, in some cases, gross room revenues 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 revenues 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, 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, or 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 14 years.
Sales and Revenue Management, Marketing, and Reservation Systems and Global Care Centers
Sales and Revenue Management
We deploy a global sales team as well as regional 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 we also provide revenue management services to franchisees upon request. Our revenue management leaders are currently using or transitioning to a new proprietary technology tool called Hyatt PrO. The new software is intended to allow colleagues to benefit from enhanced modularity and flexibility, increased automation and efficiency, and the ability to drive deeper collaboration across commercial teams. The goal of revenue management is to secure the right customers, on the right date, at the right price.
Marketing
We are focused on the high-end traveler, positioning our offerings at the top of each segment in which our brands operate. Our marketing strategy is designed to drive loyalty and community through global, regional, field, and digital marketing efforts. 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 serve 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 differentiated 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.
Reservation Systems and Global Care Centers
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 are in the process of migrating to a new central reservation system, which we expect will enhance our reservation capabilities, streamline operations, and deliver a seamless and efficient experience for guests, including a faster search and booking process. The new system is designed to make the guest search and booking process even smoother and increase visibility for property availability through flexible calendar search, an enhanced rooms rates and view, and an efficient booking process.
We have 15 global care centers that service our global guest, customer, and loyalty member base 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Hyatt 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 all-inclusive resorts as well as ALG Vacations and the Unlimited Vacation Club business that we manage. Hyatt utilizes both proprietary and third-party booking engines, and reservations are managed through a central reservations system. While we continue to provide full reservation services via telephone through these global care centers, we continue to make significant investments in internet booking capabilities as well as an online chat communication function on hyatt.com and mobile platforms. We also continue to enhance the services and capabilities of our global care centers to better align with evolving technology and guest preference. Some of the rooms at hotels and resorts we manage, franchise, or provide services to are booked through internet travel intermediaries 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 award-winning 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; by transacting with our strategic loyalty alliances, including American Airlines and Peloton; 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, 2024, World of Hyatt had approximately 53.5 million members. During 2024, member stays represented approximately 45% of total system-wide room nights, excluding our all-inclusive properties.
Unlimited Vacation Club
The Unlimited Vacation Club is a paid membership program that provides its members with preferred rates and benefits exclusively at participating Hyatt branded all-inclusive resorts primarily within Latin America and the Caribbean. Through a variety of membership levels, members purchase the right to receive certain benefits which may include preferred rates on future reservations, free hotel nights, discounts on spa and other hotel offerings, and special benefits with third-party travel alliances.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we completed a restructuring of the entity that owns the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program business and sold 80% of the entity to an unrelated third party. As a result of the transaction, we deconsolidated the entity (the "UVC Transaction"). We continue to manage the Unlimited Vacation Club business under a
long-term management agreement and license and royalty agreement. For information regarding the UVC Transaction, see Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 4 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Competition
There is intense competition in all areas of the hospitality industry. Competition exists for hotel and resort guests, vacation membership customers, management and hotel services agreements 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 smaller hotel chains and independent and local owners and operators and face competition from new distribution channels 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, financial services providers such as credit card issuers, 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 at hotels and resorts and for customers of our services based primarily on brand name recognition and reputation, location, customer satisfaction, room rates, quality of service, amenities, quality of accommodations, security, our cancellation policy, and the ability to earn and redeem loyalty program points.
We compete for management and hotel services agreements based primarily on the value and quality of our management and hotel services, our brand name recognition and reputation, loyalty program penetration, the level of our management fees, room rate expectations, costs associated with system-wide services, including without limitation, sales and revenue management, marketing, global care centers (including reservation and customer support), digital and technology, and digital media (collectively, "system-wide services"), the terms of our management and hotel services agreements, including compared to the terms our competitors offer, and the economic advantages to the property owner of retaining our management and hotel services and using our brand name. We compete for franchise agreements based primarily on brand name recognition and reputation, loyalty program penetration, the room rate that can be realized, costs associated with system-wide services, and the royalty fees charged. Other competitive factors for management and hotel services agreements 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 hotel services agreements 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.
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. 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 and vacation units and services, our distribution and destination management services business, and the paid membership program. 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, data localization, the handling of personally identifiable information, and general business license and permit requirements, in various jurisdictions. We manage hotels with casino gaming operations as part of or adjacent to such hotels, but third parties manage and operate the casino operations. 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-we care for people so they can be their best-is at the heart of how we care for our guests, customers, and colleagues. Every Hyatt colleague plays a distinct and important role in executing our strategy, and we recognize that our success is dependent on our colleagues delivering care to our guests and customers, therefore our colleagues, and creating a culture of belonging, warmth, and safety, is at the core of our purpose. One of our strategic priorities is to "cultivate the best people and evolve the culture." We execute on this priority by investing in our recruitment and retention process and ensuring our talent, culture, and capabilities have us best positioned for company success and to win in the marketplace. This includes providing access to personal and professional development resources and creating inclusive environments where colleagues feel a sense of belonging and care.
Employees
At December 31, 2024, there were approximately 227,000 colleagues working at our corporate and regional offices, our managed, franchised, owned, and leased properties, the Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts-branded properties that are managed by a consolidated hospitality venture, and the Unlimited Vacation Club business that we manage. We directly employ approximately 52,000 of these colleagues. The remaining colleagues are employed by third-party owners and franchisees of our properties. Approximately 17% 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
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 reflect our continuous engagement with colleagues, guests, customers, owners, investors, and communities to understand what is important to them. Through ongoing listening with these stakeholders, as well as annual World of Care reporting, we are able to evolve our strategy and continue to drive positive impact across communities-now and well into the future.
•Caring for the Planet: We are committed to advancing environmental action so destinations around the world are vibrant for our colleagues, guests, customers, owners, investors, and communities. 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 care for the wellbeing of our colleagues, guests, customers, owners, and communities and are committed to advancing a culture of opportunity. Our efforts are focused on colleague development, wellbeing, human rights, inclusion, and community engagement and volunteerism.
•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 fair and ethical business practices as reflected through our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, working with other businesses, including our Supplier Code of Conduct, data privacy and security, risk management, and reporting.
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 asbestos, mold, lead, or other hazardous materials or conditions 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, provide services to, 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 our owned and leased hotels under our insurance programs for liability, property, workers' compensation, and other risks with respect to our business. Hotels owned by hospitality ventures, hotels we manage, and certain franchises are permitted to participate in our insurance programs by mutual agreement with our hospitality venture partners or third-party 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 and hotel services 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 owners, franchisees, or licensees to the extent necessary and reasonable. We also maintain cyber-risk insurance for systems and data controlled by us. Cyber-risk insurance generally covers all Company-controlled systems and Company-controlled data in properties that we manage, franchise, provide services to, license, own, and lease outright or through hospitality ventures.
We believe our 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, 2025, Pritzker family business interests own, directly or indirectly, 52,008,958 shares, or 54.1%, of our total outstanding common stock and control approximately 88.8% 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, 2025, Pritzker family business interests own, directly or indirectly, 52,008,958 shares, or 54.1%, of our total outstanding common stock and control approximately 88.8% 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
One investor remains party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement, which provides for certain rights and obligations as described below. At January 31, 2025, the investor party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement held 2,270,395 shares of Class B common stock.
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, 2025, the stockholders party to the 2007 Stockholders' Agreement own in the aggregate 2,270,395 shares of Class B common stock or approximately 4.2% of our Class B common stock, approximately 2.4% of the total outstanding shares of our common stock and approximately 3.9% 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 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. Additionally, certain information we may disclose, particularly in the corporate responsibility context, is informed by the expectations of various stakeholders or third-party frameworks and, as such, may not necessarily be material for purposes of our filings under U.S. federal securities laws, even if we use "material" or similar language in discussing such matters. 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 LinkedIn account (linkedin.com/company/hyatt); the Hyatt TikTok account (tiktok.com/@hyatt); the Hyatt X account (x.com/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 Investor Relations link located at the bottom of the page on hyatt.com and on our social media channels. The
information on the Hyatt Investor Relations website and our social media channels are not incorporated by reference in, or otherwise to be regarded as part of, this annual report.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
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.
•Risks relating to natural or man-made disasters, weather and climate-related events, contagious diseases, 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.
•Adverse incidents at, or adverse publicity concerning, our hotels or businesses or our corporate responsibility efforts 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 owners and franchisees and/or if our management and hotel services agreements 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, and are exposed to risks resulting from 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, divert management's attention, or take longer or be more difficult than anticipated to integrate, including with respect to the implementation of internal controls over financial reporting.
•If we or our third-party owners, franchisees, or development partners are unable to repay or refinance loans secured by 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 ability to successfully manage the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program is dependent on offering preferred rate hotel inventory and access to key sales locations, including onsite sale opportunities. The operating results and cash flows of the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program could be negatively impacted by lack of resort inventory, member terminations, or a failure to collect membership fees, which could reduce our revenues.
•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 hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, droughts, floods, wildfires, oil spills, and nuclear incidents;
•changes in the desirability of particular locations or travel patterns of customers;
•decreased corporate profits, which may negatively impact corporate budgets and spending allocated to group and individual business travel;
•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 geopolitical 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 and healthcare, insurance, and unanticipated costs resulting from force majeure events;
•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, and 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, adverse political conditions, among other factors, 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, franchise, and license fee revenues we are able to generate from our managed and franchised properties, strategic alliances, and the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program, and decrease the demand for vacation packages sold through ALG Vacations. In addition, a portion of our expenses associated with managing, franchising, providing services to, licensing, owning, or leasing hotels as well as residential and vacation units are fixed. These costs include certain 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. While we have reduced the proportion of our earnings from owned and leased properties significantly since 2017, our proportion of owned and leased properties, compared to the number of properties we manage, franchise, or provide services to 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 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.
Risks relating to natural or man-made disasters, weather and climate-related events, contagious diseases, 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, franchise, or provide services to significant properties and areas of the world from which we draw a large number of guests, could cause property damage or 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 condition and operating performance. In addition, potential concerns about public health or contagious diseases may impact travel demand and consumer confidence in the future, as we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 or other factors, which may also result in changes to the cost or availability of insurance. Climate change may also result in chronic physical effects, including rising sea levels and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. These risks may also have impacts on our properties' access to, and costs with respect to, energy, and may impose additional requirements on our properties, including energy efficiency requirements. In addition, a variety of legislation and regulations are being enacted, or considered for enactment, relating to energy and climate change, such as carbon dioxide emissions control and building codes that impose energy efficiency standards. Moreover, as climate change concerns continue to grow, legislation and regulations of this nature are expected to continue and to make compliance more costly. 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, all-inclusive, and wellness 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 in their portfolios 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 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.
We also face competition from new distribution channels 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, financial services providers such as credit card issuers, 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 owners and franchisees 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 distribution channels, 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.
The rooms at hotels and resorts that we manage, franchise, provide services to, own, or lease may be 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 non-exclusive, short term, terminable at will, or 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 hotel services agreements, franchise agreements, and residential and vacation units based on a variety of factors.
We compete for guests at hotels and resorts and for customers of our services as well as the Unlimited Vacation Club business that we manage based primarily on brand name recognition and reputation, location, customer satisfaction, room rates, quality of service, amenities, quality of accommodations, security, our cancellation policy, and the ability to earn and redeem loyalty program points.
We compete for management and hotel services agreements based primarily on the value and quality of our management and hotel services, our brand name recognition and reputation, loyalty program penetration, the level of our management fees, room rate expectations, costs associated with system-wide services, the terms of our management and hotel services agreements, including compared to the terms our competitors offer, and the economic advantages to the property owner of retaining our management and hotel services and using our brand name. We compete for franchise agreements primarily based on brand name recognition and reputation, loyalty program penetration, the room rate that can be realized, costs associated with system-wide services, and the royalty fees charged. Other competitive factors for management and hotel services agreements 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 hotel services agreements and franchise agreements.
The residential and vacation 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 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 units.
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 24% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024. Our properties outside of the United States represent approximately 54% of the rooms in our system-wide inventory at December 31, 2024. Over the long term, we expect our international operations will continue to 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 fire, life, and safety, 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 an experience platform for engagement with our most loyal guests and customers, 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 customers, and driving continued participation in the loyalty program. If guests, customers, 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 and customer needs, our hotel performance could become increasingly challenged.
Adverse incidents at, or adverse publicity concerning, our hotels or businesses or our corporate responsibility efforts 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, colleagues, or visitors at our properties; 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 meet stakeholder expectations 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; circular economy; biodiversity and natural capital; geopolitical crises; philanthropy and support for local communities; and corporate governance. Various policymakers, including the European Union and State of California, have adopted or are considering adopting requirements for companies to undertake certain disclosures or other actions regarding climate or other environmental and social matters that have historically been addressed primarily through corporate responsibility programs. Policymakers' approaches are not uniform, which may increase the cost or complexity of compliance and any associated risks. 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. Such efforts can be costly and complex, and we may not ultimately accomplish our desired goals or initiatives, either as intended or at all. 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 navigating these issues will require us to successfully manage engagement with stakeholders of differing, or in some cases conflicting, 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 at our properties 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 that we manage, 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. Many of our suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders may be subject to similar risks, which may expand or create new risks, including in ways that may not be known to us.
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 and Hotel Services, Franchising, Ownership, Development, and Financing Risks
If we are unable to maintain good relationships with third-party owners and franchisees and/or if we terminate agreements with defaulting third-party owners and franchisees, our revenues could decrease and we may be unable to maintain or expand our presence.
We earn fees for the provision of management, franchising, and hotel services to 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 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 owners and franchisees impact renewals of existing agreements and are also important factors for existing or new third-party owners or franchisees considering doing business with us. Our relationships with these third parties generate additional management and hotel services agreement 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 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 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 hotel services agreements and franchise agreements require us and third-party 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 and hotel services 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 owners or franchisees amicably. Formal dispute resolution occurs through arbitration, if provided under the applicable management and hotel services agreement 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 and hotel services agreements 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 hotel services agreements and franchise agreements may terminate prematurely in certain cases. Some of our management and hotel services agreements provide early termination rights to owners of the hotels we manage or provide services to 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 and hotel services agreements grant hotel owners the right to terminate the agreement and convert the hotel to a Hyatt franchise agreement.
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 and hotel services 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 cure payments. In addition, some of our management and hotel services agreements give third-party 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 hotel services agreements and franchise agreements may be terminable under applicable law. If a management and hotel services agreement 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 and hotel services 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, 2024, our executed contract base consisted of approximately 720 hotels, or approximately 138,000 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 and rising interest rates 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, franchise, and provide services to properties owned by third parties under the terms of management and hotel services agreements and franchise agreements and expect franchise ownership to continue to increase significantly over time. These agreements require third-party owners or franchisees to comply with standards that are essential to maintaining our brand integrity and reputation. We depend on third-party 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 owners or franchisees fail to make investments necessary to maintain or improve the properties we manage, franchise, or provide services to, 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 for new and acquired brands. 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, launching, or promoting new or acquired 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. Through acquisitions, we acquired certain management and hotel services agreements with performance guarantees based on annual performance levels and with expiration dates between 2027 and 2045. We have in the past, and could in the future, 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 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, franchise, or provide services to 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 continue to sell selected properties; however, we may be unable to sell selected owned properties at acceptable terms and conditions, if at all.
As part of our capital strategy, we have sold, and plan to continue from time to time to sell, certain properties, subject to a management and hotel services agreement or franchise agreement, with the primary purpose of reinvesting the proceeds to support the growth of our business and to repay indebtedness. As we actively market and look to sell selected properties, general economic conditions, rising interest rates, and/or property-specific issues may negatively affect the value of our properties, prevent us from selling properties on acceptable terms or at expected values, or prevent us from selling properties within committed timeframes. 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.
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, and the success of any acquisition will depend, in part, on our ability to integrate the acquisition with our existing operations, including with respect to the implementation of internal controls over financial reporting.
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, (i) in 2021, we acquired Apple Leisure Group ("ALG" or the "ALG Acquisition"), a leading luxury resort-management services, travel, and hospitality group, which also included the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program and ALG Vacations; (ii) in 2023, we completed the acquisitions of Dream Hotel Group's lifestyle hotel brands and management platform and Mr & Mrs Smith's boutique and luxury global travel platform, and (iii) in 2024, we completed the acquisition of Standard International's lifestyle hotel brands and management platform and acquired a controlling financial interest in a consolidated hospitality venture that manages Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts-branded properties and owns the Bahia Principe brand. 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 transaction, integration, 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 will also depend, in part, on our ability to integrate the acquisition with our existing operations. The 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 accounting 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 delays, matters related to data privacy, data localization, and the handling of personally identifiable information or other matters; and
•preserving the important licensing, distribution, marketing, owner, customer, labor, and other relationships of the acquired assets.
Further, we are required to assess the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting for companies we acquire or that are consolidated in our financial reporting pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley Act"). In order to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we will need to implement or enhance internal control over financial reporting at any company we acquire or consolidate, and we may identify control deficiencies that require remediation as part of our evaluation and testing of internal controls. Companies we acquire or consolidate may not have had previous public reporting obligations and therefore may not have instituted or evaluated internal controls in the context of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Implementing, remediating, or enhancing effective internal controls as part of our integration of acquisitions or investments may be time-consuming, and we may encounter difficulties assimilating or integrating internal controls. We may be required to hire or engage additional resources and incur substantial costs to implement the necessary new internal controls as part of our acquisition or investment activities. Any failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in material weaknesses in our internal controls, and could result in a material misstatement of our financial statements or otherwise cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or stock price.
In addition, as a result of any acquisition activity, we may assume management and hotel services agreements 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 revenues. 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 has in the past, and could in the future, affect 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, operating lease right-of-use ("ROU") assets, and investments. On a quarterly basis, we evaluate our assets for impairment based on various factors, including actual operating results, trends of projected revenues and profitability, potential or actual terminations of underlying management and hotel services agreements and franchise agreements, pending third-party offers, and significant adverse changes in the business climate. 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 owners and franchisees, including our hospitality venture partners, are unable to repay or refinance loans secured by 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 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 and hotel services agreements 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. Credit markets have, and may continue, to experience significant disruption severely reducing liquidity and credit availability which has in the past, and could continue to, result in difficulties for certain third-party 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 of our owned or leased properties, 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 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 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. 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 S&P Global ("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 of operations.
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, as well as other forms of proprietary business information such as trade secrets. 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 the paid membership program that we manage; 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, including our business. 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 are vulnerable to disruptions, failures, unauthorized access, cyber-terrorism, adverse action by state actors, malfeasance by insiders, human error, negligence, fraud, or other misuse.
Moreover, our systems, colleagues, and customers have been, and we expect will continue to 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, have in the past, and could in the future, 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 has in the past, and could in the future, impact our business, result in operational interruptions, 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 cybersecurity vulnerabilities as part of acquisition activities. Our due diligence and post-acquisition assessments of an acquiree's cybersecurity 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 cybersecurity 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 and security updates. 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 or timely enough 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 changes to our operating processes and improve our defenses. Nonetheless, there can be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls, or procedures, will be fully implemented, complied with, or effective in protecting our systems and information. Attackers are also increasingly sophisticated and using techniques and tools, including artificial intelligence ("AI"), that can circumvent security controls, evade detection, and remove forensic evidence. As a result, we may be unable to detect, investigate, remediate, or recover from future attacks or incidents, or to avoid a material adverse impact to our systems, information, or business. Furthermore, 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 that may occur, such as brand and reputational damage, loss of customers, loss of business partners, regulatory investigations, penalties and fines, legal claims brought by customers or employees, significant system or data restoration, hardware replacement, remediation or compliance costs, and/or other liabilities 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. We are in the process of migrating to a new central reservation system, which we expect to be able to facilitate a more efficient booking process for our hotels; however, we may experience delays or system interruptions in connection with the migration over the course of 2025. Integration of complex systems and technology presents significant challenges in terms of costs, human resources, and development of effective internal controls. Integration of a third-party system also presents the risk of operational or security inadequacy or interruption, which could materially affect our ability to effectively operate our business. 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, guest room access, 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, the exploitation of security "bugs," misconfigurations and critical vulnerabilities, break-ins, critical software failures, 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.
We incorporate AI solutions into our information systems, offerings, services, and features, and these solutions, and possible future generative AI solutions, may become more important in our operations over time. The ever-increasing use and evolution of technology, including cloud-based computing and AI, creates opportunities for the potential loss or misuse of personal data that forms part of any data set and was collected, used, stored, or transferred to run our business, and unintentional dissemination or intentional destruction of confidential information stored in our or our third-party providers' systems, portable media, or storage devices, which may result in significantly increased business and security costs, a damaged reputation, administrative penalties, or costs related to defending legal claims. If the content, analyses, or recommendations that AI programs assist in producing are or are alleged to be deficient, misleading, inaccurate, or biased, our business, financial condition, and results of operations and our reputation may be adversely affected. AI programs may be costly and require significant expertise to develop, may be difficult to set up and manage, and require periodic upgrades. There is also a risk that we may not have access to the technology and qualified AI personnel resources to adequately incorporate ongoing advancements into our AI initiatives, including access to the licensing of key intellectual property from third parties. Our competitors or other third parties may incorporate AI into their offerings more quickly or more successfully than us, which could impair our ability to compete effectively and adversely affect our results of operations. Our competition may have access to greater financial and technological resources, giving them a competitive advantage in recruiting, motivating, and retaining sought-after AI professionals. AI also presents emerging ethical issues and if our use of AI becomes controversial, we may experience brand or reputational harm, competitive harm, or legal liability. The rapid evolution of AI, including potential government regulation of AI, will require significant resources to develop, test, and maintain our platform, offerings, services, and features to help us implement AI ethically in order to minimize unintended, harmful impact.
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 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.
As a part of the UVC Transaction, we agreed to guarantee a portion of our hospitality venture partner's investment upon the occurrence of certain events, and we agreed to indemnify the unconsolidated hospitality venture, the primary obligor to the foreign taxing authorities, for obligations the entity may incur as a result of pre-existing uncertain tax positions as of the date of the UVC Transaction.
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.
Our ability to successfully manage the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program is dependent on offering preferred rate hotel inventory and access to key sales locations, including onsite sale opportunities. The operating results and cash flows of the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program could be negatively impacted by lack of resort inventory, member terminations, or a failure to collect membership fees, which could reduce our revenues.
Unlimited Vacation Club memberships are sold onsite at our participating all-inclusive resorts and other select locations, and our inability to manage and 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. If we are unable to manage the program successfully through sales efforts, including the ability to enroll new members, upgrade memberships, or maintain current members, our relationships with third-party owners, or the timely collection of membership fees, our results of operations, including our fee revenues, and cash flows could be negatively impacted.
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 flows 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 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, 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 flows 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 the capital markets 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 the Unlimited Vacation Club business that we manage varies by jurisdictions and future regulations or changes to existing regulations may affect the business and the growth prospects of the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program.
Privacy
In the operation of our business, we collect, store, use, and transmit large volumes of personal data regarding colleagues, guests, customers, owners, licensees, franchisees, and our own business operations, including credit card numbers, reservation and loyalty data, and other personal data, in various information systems that we maintain and in systems maintained by third
parties, including those of our owners, franchisees, licensees, and service providers. The integrity and protection of this personal data is critical to our business. The information, security, and privacy requirements imposed by global laws and governmental regulation, our contractual obligations, and the requirements of the payment card industry continue to change often, have become increasingly stringent in many jurisdictions and may vary significantly by jurisdiction. Our systems and the systems maintained or used by our owners, franchisees, licensees, and service providers may not be able to satisfy these changing legal and regulatory requirements or may require significant additional investments or time to do so. We have incurred, and may in the future incur, significant additional costs to meet these requirements, obligations, and expectations, and in the event of alleged or actual noncompliance, we may experience increased operating costs, increased exposure to payment obligations and litigation, and increased risk of damage to our reputation and brand.
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 Units
Our licensed vacation units 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 and franchisees 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 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 expenses 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.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ("OECD") introduced Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Pillar Two rules that impose a global minimum tax rate of 15%. Numerous countries, including European Union member states, enacted legislation effective as of January 1, 2024, with general implementation of a global minimum tax by January 1, 2025. We do not expect a material impact to our effective tax rate or cash flows based on currently enacted legislation and will continue to closely monitor evolving legislation and guidance that could change our current assessment.
Furthermore, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was enacted in August 2022 and imposed 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 ongoing 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 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 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 franchise fee revenues or harm our reputation. We do not participate in the negotiations of collective bargaining agreements covering unionized labor employed by third-party 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, franchise, or provide services to 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
•environmental sustainability considerations, including biodiversity 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 of 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 and other 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 of 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, franchise, or provide services to, 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 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 2024 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 could be volatile in the future, 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 could 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, 2025, Pritzker family business interests beneficially own, in the aggregate, 51,242,183 shares, or approximately 95.8%, of our Class B common stock, and 766,775 shares, or approximately 1.8%, of Class A common stock, representing approximately 54.1% of the outstanding shares of our common stock and approximately 88.8% 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, 2025, directly or indirectly, 52,008,958 shares, or 54.1% of our total outstanding common stock and control approximately 88.8% 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, 2025, the stockholders party to the 2007 Stockholder's Agreement beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 4.2% of our outstanding Class B common stock, representing approximately 3.9% 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, 2025, we had 42,645,073 shares of Class A common stock outstanding and 53,512,578 shares of Class B common stock outstanding.
At January 31, 2025, 42,662,820 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 22,253 outstanding shares of Class A common stock and 53,512,578 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 22,253 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 51,242,183 shares of Class B common stock, together with 766,775 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 (1)
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2024 through November 4, 2025 15,124,572
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2025 through November 4, 2026 10,526,011
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 6,419,886
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2028 through November 4, 2029 6,419,886
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2029 through November 4, 2030 4,988,290
During the 12 month period from November 5, 2030 through November 4, 2031 2,110,427
(1) The foregoing numbers are based on information at January 31, 2025 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, 2024, 7,817,712 shares of our Class A common stock were reserved for issuance under the Fifth 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, 695,210 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 53,512,578 shares of our Class B common stock or 55.7% of our total outstanding shares of common stock at January 31, 2025, 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 2023 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 9,245,902 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Class B common stock. On May 19, 2023, the Company filed an automatic effective shelf registration statement with the SEC to register the resale of such aggregate 9,245,902 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 2024, (i) certain trusts for the benefit of Karen L. Pritzker and/or certain of her lineal descendants engaged in sales representing an aggregate of 217,000 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock, and (ii) a trust for the benefit of Jennifer N. Pritzker and/or certain of her lineal descendants engaged in charitable contributions representing an aggregate of 19,001 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock. After giving effect to these transactions, as well as sales prior to November 2024 by certain trusts for the benefit of Jennifer N. Pritzker and/or certain of her lineal descendants that resulted in such entities holding fewer shares than are registered for resale on the May 2023 shelf registration statement, as of the date of this filing, 8,594,255 shares of the 9,245,902 shares originally registered for resale on the May 2023 shelf registration statement continue to be eligible to be sold pursuant to the May 2023 shelf registration statement during the 12 month period commencing November 5, 2024 through November 4, 2025 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, 2025, and assuming no further sales, 8,811,255 of the 9,245,902 shares originally registered for resale on the May 2023 shelf registration statement will continue to be eligible to be sold pursuant to the May 2023 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 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 hotel 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.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties.
The following table sets forth a description of each owned or leased property in our portfolio of properties at December 31, 2024.
Property Location Rooms
Owned and leased hotels
Andaz West Hollywood (1) West Hollywood, CA 240
Hyatt Centric The Pike Long Beach (2) Long Beach, CA 138
Hyatt Grand Central New York (2) New York, NY 1,298
Hyatt Place Atlanta / Buckhead (3) Atlanta, GA 171
Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor (2) Baltimore, MD 488
Hyatt Regency Irvine Irvine, CA 516
Hyatt Regency Long Beach (2) Long Beach, CA 531
Hyatt Regency Phoenix Phoenix, AZ 693
Hyatt Regency San Francisco (1) San Francisco, CA 821
Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa Tucson, AZ 145
Miraval Austin Resort and Spa Austin, TX 117
Miraval Berkshires Resort and Spa Lenox, MA 121
Park Hyatt Chicago Chicago, IL 182
Park Hyatt New York New York, NY 211
United States 5,672
Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 436
Grand Hyatt São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil 467
Hyatt Place Macaé Macaé, Brazil 141
Hyatt Place Sao Jose do Rio Preto São José do Rio Preto, Brazil 152
Americas (excluding United States) 1,196
Andaz London Liverpool Street (4) London, England 267
Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport (1) Amsterdam, Netherlands 330
Hyatt Regency Cologne (1) Cologne, Germany 306
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme Paris, France 156
Europe 1,059
Owned and leased all-inclusive resorts (5)
Alua Atlántico Golf Resort Tenerife, Spain 410
Alua Calas de Mallorca Resort (1) Mallorca, Spain 474
Alua Illa de Menorca (1) Menorca, Spain 228
AluaSoul Menorca (1) Menorca, Spain 133
AluaSoul Orotava Valley Tenerife, Spain 202
AluaSun Cala Antena (1) Mallorca, Spain 334
AluaSun Far Menorca (1) Menorca, Spain 34
AluaSun Mediterraneo (1) Menorca, Spain 72
Alua Tenerife Tenerife, Spain 438
Europe 2,325
Total owned and leased hotels and all-inclusive resorts (6) 10,252
Property Location Rooms Ownership (7)
Unconsolidated hospitality venture hotels
Caption by Hyatt Beale Street Memphis Memphis, TN 136 50 %
Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta Atlanta, GA 218 50 %
Hyatt Centric Center City Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA 332 40 %
Hyatt House Denver / Downtown Denver, CO 113 50 %
Hyatt Place Atlanta / Centennial Park Atlanta, GA 175 50 %
Hyatt Place Boston / Seaport District (2) Boston, MA 297 50 %
Hyatt Place Denver / Downtown Denver, CO 248 50 %
Hyatt Regency Columbus (2) Columbus, OH 633 24 %
Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport Arlington, VA 686 50 %
Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa Huntington Beach, CA 519 40 %
Hyatt Regency Miami (2) Miami, FL 615 50 %
United States 3,972
Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya Playa del Carmen, Mexico 214 40 %
Americas (excluding United States) 214
Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere Vienna, Austria 303 50 %
Park Hyatt Milan Milan, Italy 108 30 %
Europe 411
Andaz Bali Bali, Indonesia 149 10 %
Andaz Delhi (2) New Delhi, India 401 39 %
Grand Hyatt Bali Bali, Indonesia 636 10 %
Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences Mumbai, India 548 39 %
Hyatt Place Hampi (2) Bellary, India 115 39 %
Hyatt Raipur Raipur, India 105 39 %
Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad Ahmedabad, India 269 39 %
Hyatt Regency Bali Bali, Indonesia 373 10 %
Hyatt Regency Lucknow Lucknow, India 205 39 %
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) 2,801
Total unconsolidated hospitality venture hotels (8) 7,398
(1) Property is accounted for as an operating lease and we own a 100% interest in the entity that is the operating lessee.
(2) Our ownership interest in the property is subject to a third-party ground lease on the land.
(3) Property is accounted for as a finance lease.
(4) Our ownership interest is derived through a long leasehold interest in the hotel building, with a nominal annual rental payment.
(5) Certain resorts in Europe operate under a hybrid all-inclusive model, which includes various all-inclusive package options as well as rooms-only options.
(6) We have a 100% ownership interest in all owned hotels and all-inclusive resorts.
(7) Unless otherwise indicated, ownership percentages include both the property and the underlying land.
(8) Excludes six UrCove hotels where we own a 49% interest in an unconsolidated hospitality venture that is the operating lessee.
Below is a summary of our managed, franchised, and owned and leased system-wide hotels and all-inclusive resorts by geography for all periods presented.
December 31, 2024
Managed (1) Franchised Owned and Leased (2) Total
Properties Rooms Properties Rooms Properties Rooms Properties Rooms
United States 183 65,053 524 89,104 14 5,672 721 159,829
Americas (excluding United States) 35 9,655 39 6,009 4 1,196 78 16,860
Greater China 107 32,387 78 13,004 - - 185 45,391
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) 129 31,407 11 2,839 - - 140 34,246
Europe 51 11,863 69 11,551 4 1,059 124 24,473
Middle East & Africa 43 10,243 2 551 - - 45 10,794
System-wide hotels (3) 548 160,608 723 123,058 22 7,927 1,293 291,593
Americas (excluding United States) 90 37,916 8 3,153 - - 98 41,069
Europe (4) 42 12,314 - - 9 2,325 51 14,639
System-wide all-inclusive resorts 132 50,230 8 3,153 9 2,325 149 55,708
System-wide (5) 680 210,838 731 126,211 31 10,252 1,442 347,301
Mr & Mrs Smith (6) 1,031 36,347
Hyatt Vacation Club 22 1,997
Residential 43 5,174
December 31, 2023
Managed (1) Franchised Owned and Leased (2) Total
Properties Rooms Properties Rooms Properties Rooms Properties Rooms
United States 170 61,319 510 86,151 18 9,278 698 156,748
Americas (excluding United States) 33 9,329 36 5,660 5 1,555 74 16,544
Greater China 101 30,988 52 9,718 - - 153 40,706
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) 115 30,195 11 2,954 - - 126 33,149
Europe 47 11,171 66 11,012 5 1,197 118 23,380
Middle East & Africa 41 9,937 1 250 - - 42 10,187
System-wide hotels (3) 507 152,939 676 115,745 28 12,030 1,211 280,714
Americas (excluding United States) 70 25,588 8 3,153 - - 78 28,741
Europe (4) 40 11,411 - - 6 1,275 46 12,686
System-wide all-inclusive resorts 110 36,999 8 3,153 6 1,275 124 41,427
System-wide (5) 617 189,938 684 118,898 34 13,305 1,335 322,141
Hyatt Vacation Club 22 1,997
Residential 39 4,407
December 31, 2022
Managed (1) Franchised Owned and Leased (2) Total
Properties Rooms Properties Rooms Properties Rooms Properties Rooms
United States 165 60,897 488 80,445 18 9,303 671 150,645
Americas (excluding United States) 34 9,358 33 5,283 5 1,555 72 16,196
Greater China 95 28,559 31 5,499 - - 126 34,058
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) 109 29,368 8 2,636 - - 117 32,004
Europe 49 11,578 61 10,493 5 1,197 115 23,268
Middle East & Africa 40 9,627 1 250 - - 41 9,877
System-wide hotels (3) 492 149,387 622 104,606 28 12,055 1,142 266,048
Americas (excluding United States) 62 21,543 10 3,882 - - 72 25,425
Europe (4) 43 11,356 - - 6 1,279 49 12,635
System-wide all-inclusive resorts 105 32,899 10 3,882 6 1,279 121 38,060
System-wide (5) 597 182,286 632 108,488 34 13,334 1,263 304,108
Hyatt Vacation Club 22 2,383
Residential 39 4,522
(1) Includes properties that the Company manages or provides services to.
(2) Figures do not include unconsolidated hospitality ventures.
(3) Figures do not include all-inclusive properties.
(4) Certain resorts in Europe operate under a hybrid all-inclusive model, which includes various all-inclusive package options as well as rooms-only options.
(5) Figures do not include vacation and certain residential units.
(6) Represents unaffiliated Mr & Mrs Smith properties available through hyatt.com, which are not reflected in the system-wide figures above. At December 31, 2024, the Mr & Mrs Smith platform included 2,251 properties and approximately 105,000 rooms that pay commissions through our distribution segment revenues.
Corporate Headquarters and Regional Offices
Our corporate headquarters are located at 150 North Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL, pursuant to an operating lease. At December 31, 2024, we lease approximately 262,000 square feet.
In addition to our corporate headquarters, we lease space for our regional offices, service centers, data centers, and sales offices in multiple domestic and international locations, including Cancún, Mexico; Chandler, AZ; Coral Gables, FL; Franklin Park, IL; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong, People's Republic of China; Melbourne, Australia; Moore, OK; New York, NY; Omaha, NE; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Shenzhen, China; Tokyo, Japan; and Zurich, Switzerland.
We believe our existing office properties are in good condition and are sufficient and suitable for the conduct of our business. In the event we need to expand our operations, we believe suitable space will be available on commercially reasonable terms.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
We are involved in various claims and lawsuits arising in the normal course of business, including proceedings involving tort and other general liability claims, workers' compensation and other employee claims, intellectual property claims, and claims related to our management of certain hotel properties. Most occurrences involving liability, claims of negligence, and employees are covered by insurance, in each case, with solvent insurance carriers. We record a liability when we believe the loss is probable and reasonably estimable. We currently believe that the ultimate outcome of such lawsuits and proceedings will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or liquidity.
See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 14 and Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for more information related to tax and legal contingencies, respectively.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
Information about our Executive Officers.
The following chart names each of the Company's executive officers and their ages and positions at February 13, 2025. Also included below is biographical information relating to each of the Company's executive officers. Each of the executive officers is elected by and serves at the pleasure of the board of directors.
Name
Age
Position
Thomas J. Pritzker 74 Executive Chairman of the Board
Mark S. Hoplamazian 61 President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)
Javier Águila 49 Executive Vice President, Group President-EAME
Joan Bottarini 53 Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
James K. Chu 61 Executive Vice President, Chief Growth Officer
Margaret C. Egan 55 Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Amar Lalvani 50 Executive Vice President, President & Creative Director, Lifestyle
Malaika L. Myers 57 Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
Peter J. Sears 60 Executive Vice President, Group President-Americas
David Udell 64 Executive Vice President, Group President-Asia Pacific
Mark R. Vondrasek 57 Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer
Thomas J. Pritzker has been a member of our board of directors since August 2004 and our Executive Chairman since August 2004. Mr. Pritzker served as our Chief Executive Officer from August 2004 to December 2006. Mr. Pritzker was appointed President of Hyatt Corporation in 1980 and served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hyatt Corporation from 1999 to December 2006. Mr. Pritzker is Executive Chairman of The Pritzker Organization, LLC ("TPO"), the principal financial and investment advisor to certain Pritzker family business interests. Mr. Pritzker served as a Director of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. until May 2020. He served as a Director of TransUnion Corp., a credit reporting service company, until June 2010 and as Chairman of Marmon Holdings, Inc. until March 2014. Mr. Pritzker is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Center for Strategic & International Studies; Director and Vice President of The Pritzker Foundation, a charitable foundation; Director and President of the Pritzker Family Philanthropic Fund, a charitable organization; and Director, Chairman and President of The Hyatt Foundation, a charitable foundation which established The Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Mark S. Hoplamazian was appointed to our board of directors in November 2006 and named President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation in December 2006. Prior to being appointed to his present position, Mr. Hoplamazian served as President of TPO. During his 17 year tenure with TPO, he served as an advisor to various Pritzker family-owned companies, including Hyatt Hotels Corporation and its predecessors. He previously worked in international mergers and acquisitions at The First Boston Corporation in New York. Mr. Hoplamazian serves on the Board of Directors and as a member of the Talent & Compensation and Finance committees of the Board of Directors of VF Corporation. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of World Business Chicago, and the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute. Mr. Hoplamazian is a member of the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council, a member of the Discovery Class of the Henry Crown Fellowship, and a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, where he also serves as co-chair of the Committee's Public Safety Task Force.
Javier Águila was appointed Executive Vice President, Group President-EAME in October 2022. In this role, Mr. Águila is responsible for leading the strategic growth and overall operations of Hyatt's portfolio in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Effective March 1, 2025, Mr. Águila will also serve as President, Inclusive Collection, leading Hyatt's global all-inclusive portfolio. Most recently, he served as Group President, AMResorts Europe and Global Strategy at ALG, which became part of Hyatt in 2021. Prior to that, Mr. Águila founded Alua Hotels and Resorts, a Spanish hotel group of all-inclusive and leisure properties and served as Chief Executive Officer until the company was acquired by ALG in 2019. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Orizonia Corporation, a vertically integrated travel group in Spain. Before starting his career in the hospitality and travel sector Mr. Águila worked for more than 10 years in private equity and management consulting at The Carlyle Group, McKinsey & Company, and Booz Allen Hamilton.
Joan Bottarini was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in November 2018. In this role, Ms. Bottarini is responsible for the global finance function, including financial reporting, planning, treasury, tax, investor relations, internal audit, asset management, and procurement. Ms. Bottarini previously served as the Company's Senior Vice President, Finance-Americas from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that position, Ms. Bottarini served as Vice President, Hotel Finance-Asia
Pacific (Hong Kong) of the Company from 2014 to 2016 and as Vice President, Strategic Financial Planning and Analysis of the Company from 2007 to 2014. Prior to her roles at Hyatt, Ms. Bottarini served as the Controller - Development at Essex Property Trust and an Assurance Manager at KPMG LLP. Ms. Bottarini serves as co-chair of the No Room for Trafficking Council of the American Hotel and Lodging Association Foundation and as an advisory board member of Salt and Light Coalition in Chicago.
James K. Chu was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Growth Officer in May 2022. His current responsibilities include overseeing Hyatt's global strategy for development and owner relations, transactions, global product and design strategy, as well as the company's Global Franchise and Owner Relations Group. Prior to his current position, he served as the Company's Executive Vice President of Global Franchising and Development. He also served as the Company's Global Head of Development from 2018 to 2021 and Global Head of Select Service and Franchise Strategy from 2016 to 2018. Before joining Hyatt, Mr. Chu held various roles with Wyndham International, including General Manager, Vice President of Sales, and Senior Vice President of Business Development.
Margaret C. Egan was appointed Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in January 2018. Ms. Egan is responsible for Hyatt's global legal and corporate secretarial services. Ms. Egan previously served as Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Hyatt from March 2013 to January 2018 overseeing the Company's legal global transactions teams. From October 2003 to March 2013, Ms. Egan held a series of increasingly responsible positions at Hyatt. Prior to entering the hospitality industry, Ms. Egan practiced law in the litigation practice group of DLA Piper in Chicago, Illinois from 1996 to 2000 and again from 2002 to 2003 and also held a position as Attorney Advisor with the United States Department of Justice in London, United Kingdom from January 2001 to January 2002. Ms. Egan serves on the Board of Directors of Sarah's Circle and ADL Midwest.
Amar Lalvani was appointed Executive Vice President, President & Creative Director, Lifestyle in October 2024 following the Company's acquisition of Standard International. Mr. Lalvani leads a dedicated lifestyle group headquartered in New York City that pairs Hyatt's best-in-class operational and loyalty infrastructure with distinct leadership across key functions including experience creation, design, marketing, programming, public relations, restaurants, nightlife, and entertainment. Mr. Lalvani began his career in hospitality over 25 years ago at Starwood Capital Group, where he served as Assistant to Chairman Barry Sternlicht and later led Global Development for W Hotels. In 2013, Mr. Lalvani acquired The Standard brand and formed Standard International. In 2015, Mr. Lalvani led Standard International's acquisition of a majority stake in The Bunkhouse Group and he served on the Board of Directors and as CEO of both companies until 2021, guiding their strategic and creative direction, capital raising efforts, team and infrastructure development, and global expansion.
Malaika L. Myers was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer in September 2017. In this role, Ms. Myers is responsible for setting and implementing Hyatt's global human resources enterprise strategy. Ms. Myers joined Hyatt with over 25 years of experience in human resources across a diverse group of industries. Prior to assuming her role at Hyatt, Ms. Myers served as Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Jarden Corporation, a global consumer products company, where she was responsible for the effectiveness of human resources strategies and programs for Jarden Corporation worldwide. Prior to Jarden, Ms. Myers served as Chief Human Resources Officer for Arysta LifeScience, a global agricultural chemical company. Ms. Myers also previously served in various senior management roles at Diageo PLC and PepsiCo. Ms. Myers serves on the Board of Directors of Skills for Chicagoland's Future, Cielo, Inc., Wella Company, and HR Policy Association.
Peter J. Sears was appointed Executive Vice President, Group President-Americas in September 2014. Mr. Sears is responsible for the growth and successful operation of Hyatt's portfolio in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Prior to his current role, he was the Senior Vice President-Operations, Asia Pacific. Mr. Sears began his career with Hyatt as a Corporate Management Trainee at Hyatt Regency San Antonio in 1987 and went on to hold numerous positions of increasing operational responsibility. These positions included serving as general manager of five full service hotels in North America at properties located in San Francisco, Orange County, and Lake Tahoe. In 2006, he became Senior Vice President of Field Operations for the Central Region, and in 2009, he became Senior Vice President, Operations for North America.
David Udell was appointed Executive Vice President, Group President-Asia Pacific in July 2014. Mr. Udell is responsible for overseeing operations and strategic growth of properties in Greater China, East and Southeast Asia, India and Southwest Asia, and Oceania. Prior to his current role, Mr. Udell was the Senior Vice President, Operations for the Company's Global Operations Center. Mr. Udell has also served as Senior Vice President-Operations, Asia Pacific, where he was responsible for overseeing the operation of all hotels within the region. Prior to that, Mr. Udell held senior management positions in Hyatt properties in Bangkok, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, including as the opening General Manager of Park Hyatt Tokyo and General Manager of Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. He began his career with Hyatt as a Corporate Management Trainee at Hyatt Regency Singapore in 1982.
Mark R. Vondrasek was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer in March 2018. In this role, Mr. Vondrasek oversees global sales, revenue management, distribution strategy, corporate marketing, brands, communications, digital, consumer insights, and analytics, global care centers, information technology, and the World of Hyatt loyalty platform. He is also charged with integrating and scaling new business opportunities, products, and services. Mr. Vondrasek joined Hyatt in September 2017 with 15 years of hospitality leadership experience at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, where he most recently served in a similar role as Senior Vice President, Commercial Services Officer. Prior to entering the hospitality industry, he spent 10 years in the Financial Services industry, overseeing operational teams at Fidelity Investments and Kemper Financial Services. Mr. Vondrasek serves on the Board of Directors of Denny's Corporation.
Pursuant to our employment letter with Mr. Thomas J. Pritzker, we have agreed that so long as he is a member of our board of directors we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to appoint him as our executive chairman provided he is willing and able to serve in that office. If he is not re-appointed as executive chairman, he will be entitled to terminate his employment with the rights and entitlements available to him under our severance policies as if his employment was terminated by us without cause.
Pursuant to our employment letter with Mr. Mark S. Hoplamazian, we have agreed that so long as he is the president and chief executive officer of Hyatt, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to nominate him for re-election as a director prior to the end of his term. If he is not re-elected to the board of directors, he will be entitled to terminate his employment with the rights and entitlements available to him under our severance policies as if his employment was terminated by us without cause.
Part II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
On November 5, 2009, our Class A common stock began trading publicly on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "H." Prior to that time, there was no public market for our Class A common stock. At January 31, 2025, our Class A common stock was held by 25 stockholders of record, and there were 42,645,073 shares of Class A common stock outstanding. This stockholder figure does not include a substantially greater number of "street name" holders or beneficial holders of our Class A common stock whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers, and other financial institutions.
There is no established public trading market for our Class B common stock. At January 31, 2025, our Class B common stock was held by 54 stockholders of record, and there were 53,512,578 shares of Class B common stock outstanding.
Dividends
We currently pay a quarterly cash dividend and expect to continue paying regular dividends on a quarterly basis. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, capital requirements, restrictions contained in current or future financing instruments, and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statements Schedule-Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
Performance Graph
The following performance graph and related information shall not be deemed "soliciting material" or to be "filed" with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.
The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return since December 31, 2019, with the S&P 500 Index ("S&P 500") and the Russell 1000 Hotel/Motel Index (the "Russell 1000 Hotel"). The graph assumes the value of the investment in our Class A common stock and each index was $100 at December 31, 2019 and all dividends and other distributions were reinvested.
12/31/2019 12/31/2020 12/31/2021 12/31/2022 12/31/2023 12/31/2024
Hyatt Hotels Corporation 100.0 83.0 107.2 101.1 146.3 176.8
S&P 500 100.0 118.4 152.3 124.7 157.5 196.9
Russell 1000 Hotel 100.0 94.8 125.1 104.5 141.3 178.8
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The following table sets forth information regarding our purchases of shares of Class A common stock on a settlement date basis during the quarter ended December 31, 2024:
Total number of shares purchased (1) Weighted-average price paid per share Total number of shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans Maximum number (or approximate dollar value) of shares that may yet be purchased under the program
October 1 to October 31, 2024 - $ - - $ 982,007,137
November 1 to November 30, 2024 - - - $ 982,007,137
December 1 to December 31, 2024 69,194 158.99 69,194 $ 971,005,888
Total 69,194 $ 158.99 69,194
(1) On May 8, 2024, our board of directors approved an expansion of our share repurchase program. Under the approval, we are authorized to purchase up to an additional $1,000 million of Class A and Class B common stock in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, or otherwise, including pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or an accelerated share repurchase ("ASR") transaction. The share repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares, and the program may be suspended or discontinued at any time and does not have an expiration date. At December 31, 2024, we had approximately $971 million remaining under the share repurchase program. See Part IV, Item 15 "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. (Removed and Reserved).

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Consolidated Financial Statements." During the year ended December 31, 2024, we realigned our operating and reportable segments and revised certain financial statement line items. As a result, segment operating information and certain financial statement line items within our consolidated results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 have been recast to reflect these changes and are included herein. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 1 and Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for further information. For our discussion and analysis of our liquidity and capital resources for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, see Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our 2023 Form 10-K. In addition to historical data, this discussion contains forward-looking statements about our business, operations, and financial performance based on current expectations that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to those discussed in "Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" included elsewhere in this annual report.
Overview
At December 31, 2024, our hotel portfolio consisted of 1,442 properties (347,301 rooms), including:
•637 managed properties (191,898 rooms), including 110 all-inclusive resorts (38,327 rooms), all of which we operate under management and hotel services agreements with third-party owners;
•672 franchised properties (117,767 rooms), including 8 all-inclusive resorts in which we hold common shares (3,153 rooms), all of which are owned by third parties that have franchise agreements with us and are operated by third parties;
•31 owned and leased properties (10,252 rooms), including 17 owned hotels (6,059 rooms), 6 operating leased all-inclusive resorts (1,275 rooms), 4 operating leased hotels (1,697 rooms), 3 owned all-inclusive resorts (1,050 rooms), and 1 finance leased hotel (171 rooms), all of which we manage;
•21 managed properties and 2 franchised properties owned or leased by unconsolidated hospitality ventures (7,398 rooms);
•57 franchised properties (8,083 rooms) operated by an unconsolidated hospitality venture in connection with a master license agreement by Hyatt; 6 of these properties (1,246 rooms) are leased by the unconsolidated hospitality venture; and
•22 all-inclusive resorts (11,903 rooms), operated by a consolidated hospitality venture.
Our property portfolio also included:
•22 vacation units (1,997 rooms) under the Hyatt Vacation Club brand and operated by third parties; and
•43 residential units (5,174 rooms), which consist of branded residences and serviced apartments. We manage all of the serviced apartments and those branded residential units that participate in a rental program with an adjacent Hyatt-branded hotel.
Additionally, we provide certain reservation and/or loyalty program services to hotels that are unaffiliated with our hotel portfolio and operate under other trade names or marks owned by such hotels or licensed by third parties. We also offer distribution and destination management services through ALG Vacations and distribution services through Mr & Mrs Smith, a boutique and luxury global travel platform.
We believe our business model allows us to pursue more diversified revenue and income streams balancing both the advantages and risks associated with these lines of business. Our expertise and experience in each of these areas gives us the flexibility to evaluate growth opportunities across our lines of business. Growth in the number of management and hotel services agreements and franchise agreements and earnings therefrom typically results in higher overall returns on invested capital because the capital investment under a typical management and hotel services agreement or franchise agreement is not significant. The capital required to build and maintain hotels we manage, franchise, or provide services to for third-party owners and franchisees is typically provided by the owner of the respective property with minimal capital required by us as the manager or franchisor. In certain instances, Hyatt has provided funding to owners for the acquisition and development of hotels
that Hyatt will manage, franchise, or provide services to in the form of cash, debt repayment or performance guarantees, preferred equity, or mezzanine debt. During periods of increasing demand, we do not share fully in the incremental profits of hotel operations for hotels we manage for third-party owners as our arrangements generally include a base fee that is, typically, a percentage of revenue from the subject hotel and an incentive fee that is, typically, a percentage of hotel profits (in certain circumstances, after satisfying certain financial return thresholds to be earned by the owner), depending on the structure and terms of the management and hotel services agreement. We do not share in the benefits of increases in profits from franchised properties because franchisees pay us an initial application fee and ongoing royalty fees that are calculated as a percentage of gross room revenues, and also at times, as a percentage of food and beverage revenues, with no fees based on profits. Disputes or disruptions may arise with third-party owners and franchisees of hotels we manage, franchise, provide services to, or license to, and these disputes can result in the termination of the relevant agreement.
With respect to property ownership, we believe ownership of selected hotels in key markets enhances our ability to control our brand presence in these markets. Ownership of hotels allows us to capture the full benefit of increases in operating profits during periods of increasing demand and room rates. The cost structure of a typical hotel includes fixed costs, and therefore, as demand and room rates increase over time, the growth rate of operating profits typically is higher than the growth rate of revenues. The profits realized from our owned and leased hotels are generally more significantly affected by economic downturns and declines in revenues than the fee revenues earned from the properties we manage, franchise, or provide services to. This is because we absorb the full impact of declining profits for our owned and leased hotels, whereas our management and franchise fees do not have the same level of downside exposure to declining hotel profitability. Hotel ownership is more capital intensive than managing or franchising hotels for third-party owners and franchisees as we are responsible for the costs and capital expenditures for our owned and leased hotels. See also "-Principal Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations-Expenses" and Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business-We are exposed to the risks resulting from 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."
For the years ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, 75.8%, 76.1%, and 77.4% of our revenues, respectively, were derived from operations in the United States. At December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, 65.3% and 73.9% of our long-lived assets, respectively, were located in the United States.
We report our consolidated operations in U.S. dollars. Amounts are reported in millions, unless otherwise noted. Percentages may not recompute due to rounding, and percentage changes that are not meaningful are presented as "NM." Constant currency disclosures used throughout Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are not measures recognized in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). See "-Key Business Metrics Evaluated by Management-Constant Dollar Currency" for further discussion of constant currency disclosures.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we presented a new financial statement line item, transaction and integration costs, to provide enhanced visibility on our consolidated statements of income, and accordingly, we revised our definition of Adjusted EBITDA to exclude transaction and integration costs. We recast prior-period results to provide comparability. The revised definition excludes integration costs, which were previously recognized in integration costs during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and general and administrative expenses during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, and transaction costs, which were previously recognized in general and administrative expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. Previously, only transaction costs recognized in gains (losses) on sales of real estate and other and other income (loss), net were excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. As these costs may vary in frequency or magnitude, we believe the revised definition presents a more representative measure of our core operations, assists in the comparability of results, and provides information consistent with how our management evaluates operating performance. See "-Key Business Metrics Evaluated by Management-Adjusted EBITDA" for an explanation of how we utilize Adjusted EBITDA, why we present it, and material limitations on its usefulness. See "-Principal Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations-Expenses" for a description of transaction and integration costs.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we realigned our operating and reportable segments to align with our business strategy, certain organizational changes within our leadership team, and the manner in which our CODM assesses performance and makes decisions regarding the allocation of resources. A summary of our reportable segments is as follows:
•Management and franchising, which consists of the provision of management, franchising, and hotel services, or the licensing of our intellectual property to, (i) our property portfolio, (ii) our co-branded credit card programs, and (iii) other hospitality-related businesses, including the Unlimited Vacation Club following the UVC Transaction;
•Owned and leased, which consists of our owned and leased hotel portfolio and, for purposes of owned and leased segment Adjusted EBITDA, our pro rata share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures' Adjusted EBITDA based on our ownership percentage of each venture; and
•Distribution, which consists of distribution and destination management services offered through ALG Vacations and the boutique and luxury global travel platform offered through Mr & Mrs Smith. Prior to the UVC Transaction, this segment also included the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program.
Within overhead, we include unallocated corporate expenses.
In conjunction with the segment realignment, certain financial statement line item descriptions were revised within our consolidated statements of income. With the exception of the new transaction and integration costs financial statement line item described above, the composition of the accounts within these financial statement line items remains unchanged. Additionally, we created new financial statement line items, distribution revenues and distribution expenses, which include the results of ALG Vacations, previously recognized in distribution and destination management revenues and expenses, and the results of Mr & Mrs Smith, previously recognized in other fee revenues and selling, general, and administrative expenses.
Segment operating information for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 have been recast to reflect these segment changes. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 1 and Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for further discussion of our segment structure and financial statement line item changes.
Key Business Metrics Evaluated by Management
Revenues
We primarily derive our revenues from provision of management, franchising, and hotel services, licensing of our portfolio of brands to franchisees and other hospitality-related businesses, including the Unlimited Vacation Club, operation of our owned and leased hotel portfolio, and provision of distribution and destination management services. Management uses gross fee revenues, owned and leased revenues, distribution revenues, and other revenues to assess the overall performance of our business and to analyze trends such as consumer demand, brand preference, and competition. For a detailed discussion of our primary revenue sources, see "-Principal Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations-Revenues."
Adjusted EBITDA
We use the term Adjusted EBITDA throughout this annual report. Adjusted EBITDA, as we define it, is a non-GAAP measure. We define consolidated Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation plus net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and our pro rata share of unconsolidated owned and leased hospitality ventures' Adjusted EBITDA based on our ownership percentage of each owned and leased venture, adjusted to exclude the following items:
•management and hotel services agreement and franchise agreement assets ("key money assets") amortization and performance cure payments, which constitute payments to customers ("Contra revenue");
•revenues for reimbursed costs;
•stock-based compensation expense;
•transaction and integration costs;
•depreciation and amortization;
•reimbursed costs that we intend to recover over the long term;
•equity earnings (losses) from unconsolidated hospitality ventures;
•interest expense;
•gains (losses) on sales of real estate and other;
•asset impairments;
•other income (loss), net; and
•benefit (provision) for income taxes.
We calculate consolidated Adjusted EBITDA by adding the Adjusted EBITDA of each of our reportable segments and eliminations to unallocated overhead expenses.
Our board of directors and executive management team focus on Adjusted EBITDA as one of the key performance and compensation measures both on a segment and on a consolidated basis. Adjusted EBITDA assists us in comparing our performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis because it removes from our operating results the impact of items that do not reflect our core operations both on a segment and on a consolidated basis. Our President and Chief Executive Officer, who is our CODM, also evaluates the performance of each of our reportable segments and determines how to allocate resources to those segments, in part, by assessing the Adjusted EBITDA of each segment. In addition, the compensation committee of our board of directors determines the annual variable compensation for certain members of our management based in part on consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, segment Adjusted EBITDA, or some combination of both.
We believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it provides investors with the same information that we use internally for purposes of assessing our operating performance and making compensation decisions and facilitates our comparison of results with results from other companies within our industry.
Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain items that can vary widely across different industries and among companies within the same industry, including interest expense and benefit or provision for income taxes, which are dependent on company specifics, including capital structure, credit ratings, tax policies, and jurisdictions in which they operate; depreciation and amortization, which are dependent on company policies including how the assets are utilized as well as the lives assigned to the assets; Contra revenue, which is dependent on company policies and strategic decisions regarding payments to hotel owners; and stock-based compensation expense, which varies among companies as a result of different compensation plans companies have adopted.
We exclude revenues for reimbursed costs and reimbursed costs which relate to the reimbursement of payroll costs and for system-wide services and programs that we operate for the benefit of our hotel owners as contractually we do not provide services or operate the related programs to generate a profit over the terms of the respective contracts. If we collect amounts in excess of amounts spent, we have a commitment to our hotel owners to spend these amounts on the related system-wide services and programs. Additionally, if we spend in excess of amounts collected, we have a contractual right to adjust future collections or expenditures to recover prior-period costs. These timing differences are due to our discretion to spend in excess of revenues earned or less than revenues earned in a single period to ensure that the system-wide services and programs are operated in the best long-term interests of our hotel owners. Over the long term, these programs and services are not designed to impact our economics, either positively or negatively. Therefore, we exclude the net impact when evaluating period-over-period changes in our operating results. Adjusted EBITDA includes reimbursed costs related to system-wide services and programs that we do not intend to recover from hotel owners. Finally, we exclude other items that are not core to our operations and may vary in frequency or magnitude, such as transaction and integration costs, asset impairments, unrealized and realized gains and losses on marketable securities, and gains and losses on sales of real estate and other.
Adjusted EBITDA is not a substitute for net income (loss) attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation, net income (loss), or any other measure prescribed by GAAP. There are limitations to using non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA. Although we believe that Adjusted EBITDA can make an evaluation of our operating performance more consistent because it removes items that do not reflect our core operations, other companies in our industry may define Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do. As a result, it may be difficult to use Adjusted EBITDA or similarly named non-GAAP measures that other companies may use to compare the performance of those companies to our performance. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a measure of the income (loss) generated by our business. Our management compensates for these limitations by referencing our GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA supplementally. See our consolidated statements of income (loss) in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report.
See "-Non-GAAP Measure Reconciliation" for a reconciliation of net income (loss) attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation to consolidated Adjusted EBITDA.
Adjusted General and Administrative Expenses
Adjusted general and administrative expenses, as we define it, is a non-GAAP measure. Adjusted general and administrative expenses exclude the impact of deferred compensation plans funded through rabbi trusts and stock-based compensation expense. Adjusted general and administrative expenses assist us in comparing our performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis because it removes from our operating results the impact of items that do not reflect our core operations, both on a segment and consolidated basis. See "-Results of Operations" for a reconciliation of general and administrative expenses to Adjusted general and administrative expenses.
ADR
ADR represents hotel room revenues, divided by the total number of rooms sold in a given period. ADR measures the average room price attained by a hotel, and ADR trends provide useful information concerning the pricing environment and the nature of the customer base of a hotel or group of hotels. ADR is a commonly used performance measure in our industry, and we use ADR to assess the pricing levels that we are able to generate by customer group, as changes in rates have a different effect on overall revenues and incremental profitability than changes in occupancy, as described below.
Comparable system-wide and Comparable owned and leased
"Comparable system-wide" represents all properties we manage, franchise, or provide services to, including owned and leased properties, that are operated for the entirety of the periods being compared and that have not sustained substantial damage, business interruption, or undergone large-scale renovations during the periods being compared. Comparable system-wide also excludes properties for which comparable results are not available. We may use variations of comparable system-wide to specifically refer to comparable system-wide hotels or our all-inclusive resorts, for those properties that we manage, franchise, or provide services to within the management and franchising segment. "Comparable owned and leased" represents all properties we own or lease that are operated and consolidated for the entirety of the periods being compared and have not sustained substantial damage, business interruption, or undergone large-scale renovations during the periods being compared. Comparable owned and leased also excludes properties for which comparable results are not available. We may use variations of comparable owned and leased to specifically refer to comparable owned and leased hotels or our all-inclusive resorts, for those properties that we own or lease within the owned and leased segment. Comparable system-wide and comparable owned and leased are commonly used as a basis of measurement in our industry. "Non-comparable system-wide" or "non-comparable owned and leased" represent all properties that do not meet the respective definition of "comparable" as defined above.
Constant Dollar Currency
We report the results of our operations both on an as-reported basis, as well as on a constant dollar basis. Constant Dollar Currency, which is a non-GAAP measure, excludes the effects of movements in foreign currency exchange rates between comparative periods. We believe constant dollar analysis provides valuable information regarding our results as it removes currency fluctuations from our operating results. We calculate Constant Dollar Currency by restating prior-period local currency financial results at current-period exchange rates. These restated amounts are then compared to our current-period reported amounts to provide operationally driven variances in our results.
Net Package ADR
Net Package ADR represents net package revenues divided by the total number of rooms sold in a given period. Net package revenues generally include revenue derived from the sale of packages at all-inclusive resorts comprised of rooms, food and beverage, and entertainment revenues, net of compulsory tips paid to employees. Net Package ADR measures the average room price attained by a hotel, and Net Package ADR trends provide useful information concerning the pricing environment and the nature of the customer base of a hotel or group of hotels. Net Package ADR is a commonly used performance measure in our industry, and we use Net Package ADR to assess the pricing levels that we are able to generate by customer group, as changes in rates have a different effect on overall revenues and incremental profitability than changes in occupancy, as described below.
Net Package Revenue Per Available Room ("RevPAR")
Net Package RevPAR is the product of the Net Package ADR and the average daily occupancy percentage. Net Package RevPAR generally includes revenue derived from the sale of packages comprised of rooms, food and beverage, and entertainment revenues, net of compulsory tips paid to employees. Our management uses Net Package RevPAR to identify trend information with respect to room revenues from comparable properties and to evaluate hotel performance on a geographical and segment basis. Net Package RevPAR is a commonly used performance measure in our industry.
Occupancy
Occupancy represents the total number of rooms sold divided by the total number of rooms available at a property or group of properties. Occupancy measures the utilization of a property's available capacity. We use occupancy to gauge demand at a specific property or group of properties in a given period. Occupancy levels also help us determine achievable ADR levels as demand for property rooms increases or decreases.
RevPAR
RevPAR is the product of the ADR and the average daily occupancy percentage. RevPAR does not include non-room revenues, which consist of ancillary revenues generated by a hotel property, such as food and beverage, parking, and other guest service revenues. Our management uses RevPAR to identify trend information with respect to room revenues from comparable properties and to evaluate hotel performance on a geographical and segment basis. RevPAR is a commonly used performance measure in our industry.
RevPAR changes that are driven predominantly by changes in occupancy have different implications for overall revenue levels and incremental profitability than do changes that are driven predominantly by changes in average room rates. For example, increases in occupancy at a hotel would lead to increases in room revenues and additional variable operating costs, including housekeeping services, utilities, and room amenity costs, and could also result in increased ancillary revenues, including food and beverage. In contrast, changes in average room rates typically have a greater impact on margins and profitability as average room rate changes result in minimal impacts to variable operating costs.
Principal Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
Our revenues and expenses are affected by a variety of factors. Revenues are principally affected by consumer demand, which is closely linked to economic conditions and is sensitive to business and personal discretionary spending levels. Certain expenses associated with our business, including interest, rent, property taxes, insurance, certain salaries and wages, and utilities costs, are relatively fixed and 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. The fixed-cost nature of these expenses limits our ability to offset reductions in revenue through cost-cutting measures, which could adversely affect our net cash flows and profits. This effect can be especially pronounced during periods of economic contraction or slow economic growth, and when demand rapidly and significantly decreases, as we experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic. See Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to the Hospitality Industry," and "Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Business."
Revenues
We primarily derive our revenues from the following sources:
Gross fees. Represents revenues derived from management fees earned from managed hotels and residential units, usually under long-term management and hotel services agreements; franchise fees received in connection with the franchising of our brands, usually under long-term franchise agreements; license fees received in connection with the licensing of the Hyatt brand names through our co-branded credit card programs and vacation units; management and royalty fees related to the management and licensing of certain of our brands to the Unlimited Vacation Club business; fees from hotel services provided to certain all-inclusive resorts within Latin America and the Caribbean; and termination fees. For a detailed discussion of our management and franchise fees, see Part I, Item 1, "Business-Management and Hotel Services Agreements" and Part I, Item 1, "Business-Franchise Agreements."
Owned and leased revenues. Represents revenues derived from hotel operations, including room rentals and food and beverage sales and other ancillary revenues at our owned and leased properties. Revenues from the majority of our hotel operations depend heavily on demand from group and transient travelers.
Revenues from room rentals and ancillary revenues are primarily derived from three categories of customers: transient, group, and contract. Transient guests are individual travelers who are traveling for business or leisure. Our group guests are traveling for group events that reserve a minimum of 10 rooms for meetings or social functions sponsored by associations, corporate, social, military, educational, religious, or other organizations. Group business usually includes a block of room accommodations as well as other ancillary services, such as catering and banquet services. Our contract guests are traveling under a contract negotiated for a block of rooms for more than 30 days in duration at agreed-upon rates. Airline crews are typical generators of contract demand for our hotels.
Distribution revenues. Represents revenues derived from the offering of travel products and services through ALG Vacations, including some or all of the following: air transportation, hotel accommodations primarily provided by third-party resorts, travel insurance, ground transportation, car rental reservations, and excursions provided by third parties. Distribution revenues also include commission fees related to Mr & Mrs Smith for bookings made directly through platform and through third-party partners.
Other revenues. Represents revenues related to our co-branded credit card programs as well as the paid membership program prior to the UVC Transaction and the Destination Residential Management business, which was sold during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Revenues for reimbursed costs. Represents revenues for the reimbursement of costs incurred on behalf of third-party owners and franchisees. These reimbursed costs relate primarily to payroll at managed properties where we are the employer, as well as costs associated with system-wide services and the loyalty program operated on behalf of owners.
Intersegment eliminations. Represents management fee revenues and expenses related to our owned and leased hotels, commission fee revenues and expenses related to certain ALG Vacations bookings, and promotional award redemption revenues and expenses related to our co-branded credit card programs at our owned and leased hotels, all of which are eliminated in consolidation.
RevPAR and Net Package RevPAR Statistics
The tables below include comparable system-wide RevPAR and comparable system-wide Net Package RevPAR by geography. See "-Segment Results" for detailed discussion of RevPAR by segment.
RevPAR
Year Ended December 31,
Number of comparable hotels (1) 2024 vs. 2023
(in constant $)
Comparable system-wide hotels 1,080 $ 142 4.6 %
United States 645 $ 147 1.8 %
Americas (excluding United States) 66 $ 177 9.3 %
Greater China 121 $ 90 (0.1) %
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) 106 $ 146 15.3 %
Europe 103 $ 167 10.9 %
Middle East & Africa 39 $ 134 6.7 %
Net Package RevPAR
Year Ended December 31,
Number of comparable resorts (2) 2024 vs. 2023
(in reported $)
Comparable system-wide all-inclusive resorts 93 $ 244 4.4 %
Americas (excluding United States) 59 $ 278 3.0 %
Europe 34 $ 142 14.0 %
(1) Consists of hotels that we manage, franchise, own, lease, or provide services to, excluding all-inclusive properties.
(2) Consists of all-inclusive properties that we manage, franchise, lease, or provide services to.
The increase in comparable system-wide hotels RevPAR for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by higher demand and increased ADR across all geographies, except Greater China, with notable increases from Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) and Europe, in part due to the Paris Summer Olympics.
The increase in comparable all-inclusive resorts Net Package RevPAR for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was driven by higher Net Package ADR and demand.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we continued to see strong growth in business transient and group travel. Demand for leisure transient travel remained strong and above prior year levels. Compared to 2023, group bookings production increased at our Americas full service managed hotels, including our owned and leased hotels.
RevPAR
Year Ended December 31,
Number of comparable hotels (1) 2023 vs. 2022
(in constant $)
Comparable system-wide hotels 994 $ 141 17.0 %
United States 638 $ 145 8.2 %
Americas (excluding United States) 62 $ 172 16.6 %
Greater China 102 $ 99 89.5 %
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) 97 $ 133 43.5 %
Europe 58 $ 183 19.8 %
Middle East & Africa 37 $ 128 8.3 %
Net Package RevPAR
Year Ended December 31,
Number of comparable resorts (2) 2023 vs. 2022
(in reported $)
Comparable system-wide all-inclusive resorts 85 $ 242 15.3 %
Americas (excluding United States) 56 $ 268 14.5 %
Europe 29 $ 134 23.3 %
(1) Consists of hotels that we manage, franchise, own, lease, or provide services to, excluding all-inclusive properties.
(2) Consists of all-inclusive properties that we manage, franchise, lease, or provide services to.
The increase in comparable system-wide hotels RevPAR for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily driven by strong demand and ADR across all geographies, with the most significant increase in Greater China.
The increase in comparable all-inclusive resorts Net Package RevPAR for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily driven by strong demand and Net Package ADR.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, leisure transient travel remained strong, and we continued to see strong growth in group travel, with group rooms revenue exceeding pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Compared to 2022, group bookings production increased at our Americas full service managed hotels, including our owned and leased hotels, and business transient demand continued to improve.
Competition. The hospitality industry is highly competitive. Increased supply can put significant pressure on ADR at our properties as well as those of our competitors. We face competition from new distribution channels in the travel industry, including large companies that offer travel services as part of their business model, peer-to-peer inventory sources, and industry consolidation. We believe our brand strength and ability to manage our operations in an efficient manner will help us to continue competing successfully within the hospitality industry.
Agreements with third-party owners and franchisees and relationships with developers. We depend on our long-term management and hotel services agreements and franchise agreements with third-party owners and franchisees for a significant portion of our management and franchise fees revenues. The viability of our management and franchising business depends on our ability to establish and maintain good relationships with third-party owners and franchisees. Our relationships with these third parties generate additional management and hotel services agreement and franchise agreement expansion opportunities as well as new relationships with developers and opportunities for property development, all of which can support our growth. We believe we have good relationships with our third-party owners, franchisees, and developers in all of our segments and are committed to the continued growth and development of these relationships. These relationships exist with a diverse group of third-party owners, franchisees, and developers and are not heavily concentrated with any particular third party.
Access to capital. The hospitality industry is a capital-intensive business requiring significant capital expenditures to develop, operate, maintain, and renovate properties. Third-party owners and franchisees are required to fund capital expenditures for the properties they own in accordance with the terms of the applicable management and hotel services agreement or franchise agreement. 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.
Expenses
We primarily incur the following expenses:
General and administrative expenses. Consists primarily of compensation expenses, including deferred compensation plans funded through contributions to rabbi trusts for certain employees, for our colleagues at our corporate and regional offices, including those that support our management and franchising segment; professional fees, including consulting, audit, and legal fees; travel and entertainment expenses; sales and marketing expenses; credit loss reserves on certain accounts receivables; and office administrative and related expenses, including rent expenses.
Owned and leased expenses. Reflects the expenses incurred to operate our owned and leased hotels, including rooms expenses, food and beverage costs, other support costs, and property expenses. Rooms expenses generally includes compensation costs or third-party service costs for housekeeping, laundry, and front desk staff and supply costs for guest room amenities and laundry. Food and beverage costs include costs for wait and kitchen staff and food and beverage products. Other support costs consist of expenses associated with property-level management, including deferred compensation plans funded through contributions to rabbi trusts for certain employees, utilities, sales and marketing, hotel spa operations, parking and other guest recreation, entertainment, and services. Property expenses include property taxes, repairs and maintenance, rent, and insurance.
Distribution expenses. Consists of expenses related to ALG Vacations, including costs directly related to selling travel products and related services such as chartered air expenses, credit card fees, and commission expenses, as well as destination management cost of sales. Distribution expenses also include compensation expenses, professional fees, sales and marketing expenses, and technology expenses related to ALG Vacations and Mr & Mrs Smith.
Other direct costs. Represents expenses related to direct costs associated with our co-branded credit card programs as well as the paid membership program prior to the UVC Transaction and the Destination Residential Management business, which was sold during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Transaction and integration costs. Consists of expenses related to transaction costs for potential and completed transactions, primarily related to professional fees incurred for acquisitions and dispositions, as well as integration costs incurred primarily related to the integration of recently acquired businesses, including certain compensation expenses, professional fees, sales and marketing expenses, and technology expenses. Transaction costs incurred during the period of a completed disposition are recognized in gains (losses) on sales of real estate and other.
Depreciation and amortization expenses. Depreciation expenses represent non-cash depreciation of fixed assets such as buildings, furniture, fixtures, and equipment at our consolidated owned and leased properties and our corporate headquarters and regional offices. Amortization expenses primarily consist of amortization of customer relationships intangibles and management and hotel services agreement and franchise agreement intangibles. Changes in depreciation and amortization expenses may be driven by renovations of existing properties, acquisition or development of new properties and/or businesses, or the disposition of existing properties through sale or closure.
Reimbursed costs. Represents costs incurred on behalf of third-party owners and franchisees. These reimbursed costs relate primarily to payroll at managed properties where we are the employer, as well as costs related to system-wide services and the loyalty program operated on behalf of owners of managed and franchised properties.
Other Items
Asset impairments
We hold significant amounts of goodwill, intangible assets, property and equipment, operating lease ROU assets, and investments. We evaluate these assets on a quarterly basis for impairment as further discussed in "-Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates." These evaluations have, in the past, resulted in impairment charges of certain assets based on the specific facts and circumstances surrounding those assets. In the future, we may be required to take additional impairment charges if there are declines in our asset and/or investment fair values.
Acquisitions, dispositions, and significant renovations
From time to time, we may acquire businesses to support our long-term growth strategy. We also routinely acquire, dispose, or undertake large-scale renovations of hotel properties. The results of operations derived from these properties do not, therefore, meet the definition of comparable as defined in "-Key Business Metrics Evaluated by Management-Comparable system-wide and Comparable owned and leased." The results of operations from these properties, however, may have a material effect on our results from period to period and are, therefore, discussed separately in "-Results of Operations," when material.
In 2024, we entered into the following key transactions:
•sold Hyatt Regency Orlando and an adjacent undeveloped land parcel for approximately $723 million, net of cash disposed, closing costs, and proration adjustments, received a $265 million preferred equity investment, issued $50 million of seller financing for the adjacent undeveloped land parcel, and entered into a long-term management agreement;
•sold Park Hyatt Zurich for Swiss Francs ("CHF") 220 million (approximately $244 million), net of closing costs and proration adjustments, issued CHF 41 million (approximately $45 million) of seller financing, and entered into a long-term management agreement;
•sold Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk for $226 million, net of closing costs and proration adjustments, and entered into a long-term management agreement;
•sold the shares of the entities that own Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino for $173 million of proceeds, net of cash disposed, closing costs, and proration adjustments, issued $41 million of seller financing, and entered into a long-term management agreement;
•completed the UVC Transaction in exchange for $41 million, net of cash disposed, retained 20% ownership in the unconsolidated hospitality venture, and entered into a long-term management agreement and license and royalty agreement;
•sold Hyatt Regency O'Hare Chicago for $11 million, net of closing costs and proration adjustment, issued $20 million of seller financing, and entered into a long-term franchise agreement;
•sold Hyatt Regency Green Bay for $3 million, net of closing costs and proration adjustments, and entered into a long-term franchise agreement;
•acquired a controlling financial interest in a hospitality venture that manages Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts-branded properties and owns the Bahia Principe brand for €359 million (approximately $374 million) and €60 million of deferred consideration (the "Bahia Principe Transaction");
•acquired Standard International for $151 million and up to an additional $185 million of contingent consideration;
•acquired Alua Atlántico Golf Resort, Alua Tenerife, and AluaSoul Orotava Valley (the "Alua Portfolio") for €61 million (approximately $65 million) and assumed $53 million of long-term debt; and
•acquired the Me and All Hotels brand name for $28 million, inclusive of closing costs.
In 2023, we entered into the following key transactions:
•acquired Dream Hotel Group for $125 million and up to an additional $175 million of contingent consideration;
•acquired Mr & Mrs Smith for £58 million (approximately $72 million); and
•sold our interests in the entities that own the Destination Residential Management business for $2 million of base consideration and up to an additional $48 million of contingent consideration.
In 2022, we entered into the following key transactions:
•sold The Confidante Miami Beach for approximately $227 million, net of closing costs and proration adjustments, and entered into a long-term management agreement;
•sold Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa for approximately $136 million, net of closing costs and proration adjustments, and entered into a long-term management agreement;
•sold The Driskill for approximately $119 million, net of closing costs and proration adjustments, and entered into a long-term management agreement;
•sold Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk for approximately $109 million of cash, net of closing costs; a $19 million held-to-maturity ("HTM") debt security; and $18 million release of restricted cash and entered into a long-term management agreement;
•sold Hyatt Regency Greenwich for approximately $38 million, net of closing costs and proration adjustments, and entered into a long-term management agreement; and
•acquired Hyatt Regency Irvine for $135 million, net of closing costs and proration adjustments.
See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 4 and Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for further discussion on these key transactions.
Effect of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations
A significant portion of our operations are conducted in functional currencies other than our reporting currency, which is the U.S. dollar. As a result, we are required to translate those results from the functional currency into U.S. dollars at market-based average exchange rates during the period reported. When comparing our results of operations between periods, there may be material portions of the changes in our revenues or expenses that are derived from fluctuations in exchange rates experienced between those periods. See Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors-Risks Related to our Business-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."
Results of Operations
Years Ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022
Discussion on Consolidated Results
For additional information regarding our consolidated results, refer to our consolidated statements of income included in Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Consolidated Financial Statements." See "-Segment Results" for further discussion.
The impact from our investments in marketable securities held to fund our deferred compensation plans through rabbi trusts was recognized on the following financial statement line items and had no impact on net income: revenues for reimbursed costs; general and administrative expenses; owned and leased expenses; reimbursed costs; and net gains (losses) and interest income from marketable securities held to fund rabbi trusts.
Fee revenues.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
2024 vs. 2023 Better / (Worse)
2023 vs. 2022
Base management fees $ 399 $ 374 $ 319 $ 25 6.6 % $ 55 17.5 %
Incentive management fees 242 232 192 10 4.0 % 40 21.0 %
Franchise and other fees 458 364 297 94 25.8 % 67 22.4 %
Gross fees 1,099 970 808 129 13.2 % 162 20.2 %
Contra revenue (69) (47) (31) (22) (45.4) % (16) (51.2) %
Net fees $ 1,030 $ 923 $ 777 $ 107 11.6 % $ 146 18.9 %
The increase in base management fees during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by increased transient and group demand, ADR, and portfolio growth, most notably in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China). The increase in incentive management fees during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by strong performance in Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China), Europe, and Middle East & Africa, partially offset by a decline in hotel performance in the United States, in part due to certain properties undergoing renovations.
The increases in base and incentive management fees during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, were due to increased demand, ADR, and portfolio growth, with the largest increases in Asia Pacific, most notably in Greater China due to eased travel restrictions, partially offset by decreased incentive management fees in the Americas (excluding United States) as hotel profits were negatively impacted by currency translation. The year ended December 31, 2022 was also negatively impacted by travel disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the beginning of 2022.
The increase in franchise and other fees during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by franchise fees in the Americas and Europe due to increased demand and portfolio growth, management and royalty fees related to the management of and licensing of certain of our brands to the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program following the UVC Transaction, and increased license fees related to our co-branded credit card programs.
The increase in franchise and other fees during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily driven by franchise fees, most notably in the United States due to increased demand and ADR and increased license fees related to our co-branded credit card programs. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in other fees in Europe as the year ended December 31, 2022 included fees from the termination of a management contract for a hotel in the pipeline.
The increase in Contra revenue during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, compared to the same period in the prior years, was primarily due to incremental amortization of key money assets. The year ended December 31, 2024 also included an accrued performance cure payment and accelerated amortization associated with certain key money assets.
Owned and leased revenues.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 Better / (Worse) Currency Impact
Comparable owned and leased revenues $ 843 $ 799 $ 44 5.6 % $ (2)
Non-comparable owned and leased revenues 331 540 (209) (38.8) % (2)
Owned and leased revenues $ 1,174 $ 1,339 $ (165) (12.3) % $ (4)
The increase in comparable owned and leased revenues during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by continued strength in business transient and group demand, with notable increases in New York due to strong demand, Chicago due to the Democratic National Convention, and Paris due to the Summer Olympics.
The decrease in non-comparable owned and leased revenues during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by dispositions of owned hotels, partially offset by increased revenues at a renovated hotel in the United States.
Year Ended December 31,
2023 2022 Better / (Worse) Currency Impact
Comparable owned and leased revenues $ 1,303 $ 1,114 $ 189 16.9 % $ 10
Non-comparable owned and leased revenues 36 121 (85) (70.2) % -
Owned and leased revenues $ 1,339 $ 1,235 $ 104 8.4 % $ 10
The increase in comparable owned and leased revenues during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was driven by increased demand and higher ADR, which contributed to increased rooms and food and beverage revenues. The year ended December 31, 2022 was also negatively impacted by travel disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the beginning of 2022.
The decrease in non-comparable owned and leased revenues during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by net disposition activity in 2022, partially offset by increased revenues at a renovated hotel in the United States.
Distribution revenues. During the year ended December 31, 2024, distribution revenues decreased $24 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily driven by ALG Vacations due to the normalization of demand and higher pricing in 2023 as well as lower booking and departure volume in 2024, in part due to hurricane activity in the Caribbean, and decreased breakage recognized related to ALG Vacations travel credits. These declines were partially offset by increased revenues related to Amstar, in part due to product mix and a higher volume of passenger transfers, and commission fee revenues related to Mr & Mrs Smith, which was acquired in 2023.
During year ended December 31, 2023, distribution revenues increased $61 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to revenues from ALG Vacations and commission fee revenues related to Mr & Mrs Smith. The increase in ALG Vacations was primarily due to higher pricing, partially offset by normalized demand and certain credits recognized in 2022, which did not recur in 2023. The year ended December 31, 2022 was also negatively impacted by travel disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the beginning of 2022.
Other revenues. During the year ended December 31, 2024, other revenues decreased $231 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, driven by the UVC Transaction and the sale of the Destination Residential Management business in 2023, partially offset by an increase in revenues related to our co-branded credit card programs.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, other revenues increased $27 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program due to amortization of incremental membership contracts, which were signed at higher average prices, and our co-branded credit card programs. These increases were partially offset by the Destination Residential Management business, which was sold in 2023, and prior to the sale, experienced a decline in operations as certain properties were negatively impacted by the Maui wildfires during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Revenues for reimbursed costs.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Change
2024 vs. 2023 Change
2023 vs. 2022
Revenues for reimbursed costs $ 3,352 $ 3,058 $ 2,620 $ 294 9.7 % $ 438 16.7 %
Less: rabbi trust impact (1) (23) (27) 35 4 14.7 % (62) (175.7) %
Revenues for reimbursed costs, excluding rabbi trust impact $ 3,329 $ 3,031 $ 2,655 $ 298 9.9 % $ 376 14.1 %
(1) The change is driven by the market performance of the underlying invested assets and offsets with the rabbi trust impact within reimbursed costs.
Revenues for reimbursed costs increased during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, compared to the same period in the prior years, driven by higher reimbursements for payroll and related expenses at managed properties where we are the employer and an increase in reimbursed costs related to system-wide services provided to managed and franchised properties. In 2024, the higher reimbursements for expenses were due to increased demand at our existing properties and portfolio growth. In 2023, the higher reimbursements for expenses were due to improved hotel operating performance, the recovery from the COVID-19 Omicron variant that negatively impacted travel in the beginning of 2022, and portfolio growth.
Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, revenues for reimbursed costs increased due to higher point redemptions related to the loyalty program.
General and administrative expenses.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Change
2024 vs. 2023 Change
2023 vs. 2022
General and administrative expenses $ 548 $ 578 $ 435 $ (30) (5.1) % $ 143 33.1 %
Less: rabbi trust impact (1) (46) (49) 67 3 10.2 % (116) (174.7) %
Less: stock-based compensation expense (58) (72) (60) 14 15.8 % (12) (18.8) %
Adjusted general and administrative expenses $ 444 $ 457 $ 442 $ (13) (2.9) % $ 15 3.5 %
(1) The change is driven by the market performance of the underlying invested assets and offsets with the rabbi trust impact within net gains (losses) and interest income from marketable securities held to fund rabbi trusts.
General and administrative expenses decreased $30 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily driven by the UVC Transaction. Excluding the impact of the UVC Transaction, general and administrative expenses increased $16 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily driven by credit loss reserves on certain receivables and payroll and related costs, partially offset by decreases in professional fees and stock-based compensation expense.
General and administrative expenses increased during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by the performance of the underlying investments in marketable securities held to fund our deferred compensation plans through rabbi trusts, increased payroll and related costs, stock-based compensation expense, and travel expenses, partially offset by the reversal of credit loss reserves on certain receivables.
Adjusted general and administrative expenses exclude the impact of deferred compensation plans funded through rabbi trusts and stock-based compensation expense. See "-Key Business Metrics Evaluated by Management-Adjusted General and Administrative Expenses" for further discussion.
Owned and leased expenses.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 Better / (Worse)
Comparable owned and leased expenses $ 694 $ 659 $ (35) (5.2) %
Non-comparable owned and leased expenses 228 357 129 36.3 %
Rabbi trust impact (1) 3 6 3 24.0 %
Owned and leased expenses $ 925 $ 1,022 $ 97 9.4 %
(1) The change is driven by the market performance of the underlying invested assets and offsets with the rabbi trust impact within net gains (losses) and interest income from marketable securities held to fund rabbi trusts.
The increase in comparable owned and leased expenses during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily due to increased variable expenses at certain hotels, most notably payroll and related costs.
The decrease in non-comparable owned and leased expenses during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by dispositions of owned hotels, partially offset by increased expenses at a renovated hotel in the United States.
Year Ended December 31,
2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
Comparable owned and leased expenses $ 971 $ 831 $ (140) (16.9) %
Non-comparable owned and leased expenses 45 93 48 50.8 %
Rabbi trust impact (1) 6 (8) (14) (160.9) %
Owned and leased expenses $ 1,022 $ 916 $ (106) (11.6) %
(1) The change is driven by the market performance of the underlying invested assets and offsets with the rabbi trust impact within net gains (losses) and interest income from marketable securities held to fund rabbi trusts.
The increase in comparable owned and leased expenses during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily due to increased fixed and variable expenses, most notably payroll and related costs. The year ended December 31, 2022 was impacted by travel disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the beginning of 2022, which contributed to lower variable expenses.
The decrease in non-comparable owned and leased expenses during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily driven by net disposition activity in 2022, partially offset by certain properties that underwent significant renovations in 2023.
Distribution expenses. During the year ended December 31, 2024, distribution expenses increased $16 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily driven by payroll and related costs and marketing costs related to Mr & Mrs Smith, which was acquired in 2023, and increases in certain variable costs related to ALG Vacations and Amstar, in part due to a change in product mix as well as an increased volume of passenger transfers, partially offset by lower marketing costs.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, distribution expenses increased $84 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to ALG Vacations due to increases in certain variable costs and the recovery from the COVID-19 Omicron variant that negatively impacted travel in the beginning of 2022, as well as expenses related to Mr & Mrs Smith.
Other direct costs. During the year ended December 31, 2024, other direct costs decreased $242 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, driven by the UVC Transaction and the sale of the Destination Residential Management business, offset by an increase in expenses related to our co-branded credit card programs.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, other direct costs increased $56 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program and our co-branded credit card programs. The increase in the Unlimited Vacation Club paid membership program expenses was primarily due to increased marketing and overhead costs from incremental contract sales as well as increased amortization of deferred commission expenses related to membership contract sales, while the increase in our co-branded credit card programs was driven by a higher volume of point transfers. These increases were partially offset by the Destination Residential Management business, which was sold in 2023, and prior to the sale, experienced a decline in operations as certain properties were negatively impacted by the Maui wildfires that occurred during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Transaction and integration costs. During the year ended December 31, 2024, transaction and integration costs were flat, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to transaction and integration costs related to the Bahia Principe Transaction and the acquisition of Standard International in 2024, offset by transaction costs related to Dream Hotel Group and Mr & Mrs Smith as well as integration costs related to Dream Hotel Group in 2023.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, transaction and integration costs increased $7 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to transaction costs related to the acquisitions of Dream Hotel Group and Mr & Mrs Smith, transaction costs associated with dispositions that did not close in the period, and integration costs related to Dream Hotel Group, all of which were partially offset by integration costs related to ALG in 2022. See Part I, Item 1, "Financial Statements-Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
Depreciation and amortization expenses. Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased $64 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the UVC Transaction and dispositions of owned hotels, partially offset by assets placed into service.
Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased $29 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the use of an accelerated amortization method for certain intangible assets, which resulted in increased amortization expense in 2022, as well as dispositions of owned hotels.
Reimbursed costs.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Change
2024 vs. 2023 Change
2023 vs. 2022
Reimbursed costs $ 3,457 $ 3,144 $ 2,632 $ 313 9.9 % $ 512 19.4 %
Less: rabbi trust impact (1) (23) (27) 35 4 14.7 % (62) (175.7) %
Reimbursed costs, excluding rabbi trust impact $ 3,434 $ 3,117 $ 2,667 $ 317 10.1 % $ 450 16.9 %
(1) The change is driven by the market performance of the underlying invested assets and offsets with the rabbi trust impact within revenues for reimbursed costs.
Reimbursed costs increased during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, compared to the same period in the prior years, driven by increased payroll and related expenses at managed properties where we are the employer and expenses related to system-wide services provided to managed and franchised properties. In 2024, the higher expenses were due to increased demand at our existing properties and portfolio growth. In 2023, the higher expenses were due to improved hotel operating performance, the recovery from the COVID-19 Omicron variant that negatively impacted travel in the beginning of 2022, and portfolio growth.
Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, reimbursed costs increased related to the loyalty program.
Net gains (losses) and interest income from marketable securities held to fund rabbi trusts.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
2024 vs. 2023 Better / (Worse)
2023 vs. 2022
Rabbi trust gains (losses) allocated to general and administrative expenses $ 46 $ 49 $ (67) $ (3) (10.2) % $ 116 174.7 %
Rabbi trust gains (losses) allocated to owned and leased expenses 3 6 (8) (3) (24.0) % 14 160.9 %
Net gains (losses) and interest income from marketable securities held to fund rabbi trusts $ 49 $ 55 $ (75) $ (6) (11.4) % $ 130 173.2 %
Net gains (losses) and interest income from marketable securities held to fund rabbi trusts decreased during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, and increased during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, driven by the performance of the underlying invested assets.
Equity earnings (losses) from unconsolidated hospitality ventures.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
2024 vs. 2023 Better / (Worse)
2023 vs. 2022
Gain on dilution of ownership interest in an unconsolidated hospitality venture $ 79 $ - $ - $ 79 $ -
Net gains from sales activity related to unconsolidated hospitality ventures
20 - 18 20 (18)
Distributions from unconsolidated hospitality ventures 7 6 8 1 (2)
Hyatt's share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures' net losses excluding foreign currency (44) (16) (30) (28) 14
Impairment charges related to investments in unconsolidated hospitality ventures (15) - - (15) -
Hyatt's share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures' foreign currency, net (11) 4 - (15) 4
Other (1) (5) 5 9 (10) (4)
Equity earnings (losses) from unconsolidated hospitality ventures $ 31 $ (1) $ 5 $ 32 $ (6)
(1) The year ended December 31, 2024 includes equity losses primarily related to a debt repayment guarantee for a hotel property in the United States.
See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 4 and Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
Interest expense. Interest expense increased $35 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the issuances of senior notes in 2024 and 2023, partially offset by the redemption of certain of our senior notes in 2024 and 2023.
Interest expense decreased $5 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to repurchases and redemptions of certain of our senior notes in 2023 and 2022, offset by the issuance of senior notes in 2023.
See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
Gains (losses) on sales of real estate and other. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we recognized the following:
• $514 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of Hyatt Regency Orlando and an adjacent undeveloped land parcel;
• $257 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of Park Hyatt Zurich;
• $231 million pre-tax gain related to the UVC Transaction;
• $172 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of the shares of the entities that own Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino;
• $100 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk;
• $17 million pre-tax loss related to a decrease in the carrying value of the contingent consideration receivable recorded in conjunction with the sale of the Destination Residential Management business in 2023;
• $5 million pre-tax loss related to the sale of Hyatt Regency O'Hare Chicago; and
• $4 million pre-tax loss related to the sale of Hyatt Regency Green Bay.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized a $19 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of the Destination Residential Management business.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized the following:
•$137 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk;
•$51 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of The Driskill;
•$40 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa;
•$24 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of The Confidante Miami Beach; and
•$14 million pre-tax gain related to the sale of Hyatt Regency Greenwich.
See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 4 and Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
Asset impairments. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we recognized $213 million of impairment charges related to $163 million of goodwill, $24 million of intangible assets, $21 million of property and equipment, and $5 million of operating lease ROU assets. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized $30 million of impairment charges, primarily related to intangible assets. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized $38 million of impairment charges, related to $31 million of intangibles assets and $7 million of goodwill.
See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 5, Note 8, and Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
Other income (loss), net. Other income (loss), net increased $133 million and $158 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, compared to the same period in the prior years. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 21 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
Benefit (provision) for income taxes.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Change
2024 vs. 2023 Change
2023 vs. 2022
Income before income taxes $ 1,563 $ 310 $ 363 $ 1,253 404.2 % $ (53) (14.7) %
Benefit (provision) for income taxes (267) (90) 92 (177) (197.9) % (182) (197.8) %
Effective tax rate 17.1 % 28.9 % (25.2) % (11.8) % 54.1 %
The increase in the provision for income taxes during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by the gains on sales of Hyatt Regency Orlando and an adjacent undeveloped land parcel, Park Hyatt Zurich, and Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk.
The change in the provision for income taxes and increase in the effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily due to the release of a significant portion of the valuation allowance on U.S. federal and state deferred tax assets in 2022 and the non-cash tax benefit from the foreign asset restructuring undertaken in 2023 related to the ALG integration.
See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for further detail.
Non-GAAP Measure Reconciliation
The table below provides a reconciliation of net income attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation to consolidated Adjusted EBITDA:
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Change
2024 vs. 2023 Change
2023 vs. 2022
Net income attributable to Hyatt Hotels Corporation $ 1,296 $ 220 $ 455 $ 1,076 487.8 % $ (235) (51.5) %
Contra revenue 69 47 31 22 45.4 % 16 51.2 %
Revenues for reimbursed costs (3,352) (3,058) (2,620) (294) (9.7) % (438) (16.7) %
Stock-based compensation expense (1) 62 75 60 (13) (14.5) % 15 24.4 %
Transaction and integration costs 42 42 35 - 1.6 % 7 16.0 %
Depreciation and amortization 333 397 426 (64) (16.1) % (29) (6.7) %
Reimbursed costs 3,457 3,144 2,632 313 9.9 % 512 19.4 %
Equity (earnings) losses from unconsolidated hospitality ventures (31) 1 (5) (32) NM 6 126.6 %
Interest expense 180 145 150 35 24.5 % (5) (3.4) %
(Gains) losses on sales of real estate and other (1,245) (18) (263) (1,227) NM 245 93.5 %
Asset impairments 213 30 38 183 617.3 % (8) (21.1) %
Other (income) loss, net (257) (124) 34 (133) (107.5) % (158) (464.1) %
(Benefit) provision for income taxes 267 90 (92) 177 197.9 % 182 197.8 %
Pro rata share of unconsolidated owned and leased hospitality ventures' Adjusted EBITDA 62 64 55 (2) (2.6) % 9 16.8 %
Adjusted EBITDA $ 1,096 $ 1,055 $ 936 $ 41 3.9 % $ 119 12.7 %
(1) Includes amounts recognized in general and administrative expenses and distribution expenses.
Segment Results
We evaluate segment operating performance using gross fee revenues, owned and leased revenues, distribution revenues, other revenues, and Adjusted EBITDA. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for more information, including a reconciliation of segment Adjusted EBITDA to income before income taxes.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we completed the UVC Transaction, which resulted in decreases in other revenues, general and administrative expenses, and other direct costs within the distribution segment for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same period in the prior year.
Management and franchising segment revenues.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
2024 vs. 2023 Better / (Worse)
2023 vs. 2022
Base management fees $ 432 $ 414 $ 356 $ 18 4.5 % $ 58 16.6 %
Incentive management fees 252 248 205 4 1.4 % 43 21.1 %
Franchise and other fees 465 371 307 94 25.2 % 64 20.4 %
Gross fees (1) 1,149 1,033 868 116 11.2 % 165 19.0 %
Other revenues 42 110 134 (68) (61.7) % (24) (17.6) %
Segment revenues (2) $ 1,191 $ 1,143 $ 1,002 $ 48 4.2 % $ 141 14.1 %
(1) See "-Results of Operations" for further discussion regarding the increases in gross fee revenues.
(2) Includes $49 million, $62 million, and $58 million of intersegment revenues for the years ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, respectively. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
The decreases in other revenues during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, compared to the same period in the prior years, were driven by the sale of the Destination Residential Management business in 2023, partially offset by an increase related to our co-branded credit card programs. Prior to the sale of the Destination Residential Management business, operations were negatively impacted by Maui wildfires. See "-Results of Operations" for further discussion.
The tables below include comparable system-wide RevPAR, occupancy, and ADR by geography and for hotels that we manage, franchise, own, lease, or provide services to, excluding all-inclusive properties.
Year Ended December 31,
Number of comparable hotels RevPAR Occupancy ADR
vs. 2023 vs. 2023
2024 (in constant $) 2024 vs. 2023 2024 (in constant $)
Comparable system-wide hotels 1,080 $ 142 4.6 % 69.9 % 2.0% pts $ 204 1.6 %
United States 645 $ 147 1.8 % 70.0 % 1.0% pts $ 210 0.3 %
Americas (excluding United States) 66 $ 177 9.3 % 69.3 % 2.4% pts $ 256 5.5 %
Greater China 121 $ 90 (0.1) % 70.2 % 2.8% pts $ 127 (4.1) %
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) 106 $ 146 15.3 % 71.6 % 4.6% pts $ 204 7.9 %
Europe 103 $ 167 10.9 % 68.7 % 3.7% pts $ 243 5.0 %
Middle East & Africa 39 $ 134 6.7 % 67.1 % 2.5% pts $ 199 2.7 %
The increase in RevPAR at our comparable system-wide hotels during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by strong demand in business transient and group travel as well as increased inbound travel, most notably from Greater China and the United States into Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) and from the United States into Europe. Additionally, the Paris Summer Olympics contributed to the RevPAR increase in Europe, while the RevPAR decrease in Greater China was driven by lower ADR.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we removed 27 properties from comparable system-wide hotels results, including:
•in the United States, five properties that left the hotel portfolio, four properties that underwent significant renovations, one property that underwent an expansion, and one property that temporarily suspended operations;
•in the Americas (excluding United States), two properties that left the hotel portfolio, one property that temporarily suspended operations, and one property that underwent a significant renovation;
•in Greater China, two properties that temporarily suspended operations and one property that underwent a significant renovation;
•in Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China), three properties that left the hotel portfolio, two properties that underwent significant renovations, and one property that converted from franchised to managed;
•in Europe, one property that temporarily suspended operations and one property that left the hotel portfolio; and
•in Middle East & Africa, one property that temporarily suspended operations.
Year Ended December 31,
Number of comparable hotels RevPAR Occupancy ADR
vs. 2022 vs. 2022
2023 (in constant $) 2023 vs. 2022 2023 (in constant $)
Comparable system-wide hotels 994 $ 141 17.0 % 69.0 % 7.2% pts $ 205 4.7 %
United States 638 $ 145 8.2 % 69.1 % 3.3% pts $ 210 3.0 %
Americas (excluding United States) 62 $ 172 16.6 % 68.1 % 5.4% pts $ 252 7.3 %
Greater China 102 $ 99 89.5 % 70.9 % 23.9% pts $ 139 25.6 %
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) 97 $ 133 43.5 % 68.1 % 12.6% pts $ 196 16.9 %
Europe 58 $ 183 19.8 % 69.4 % 7.8% pts $ 264 6.4 %
Middle East & Africa 37 $ 128 8.3 % 65.9 % 4.3% pts $ 195 1.2 %
The increase in RevPAR at our comparable system-wide hotels during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily driven by increased demand and ADR in all geographies, with the increase in Greater China due to travel restrictions being eased resulting in RevPAR rates exceeding pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels beginning in the second quarter of 2023. The year ended December 31, 2022 was also negatively impacted by travel disruptions as a result of the Omicron variant in the beginning of 2022.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we removed 20 properties from comparable system-wide hotels results, including:
•in the United States, nine properties that left the hotel portfolio, one property that temporarily suspended operations, and one property that underwent a significant renovation;
•in Greater China, two properties that underwent significant renovations, one property that experienced a seasonal closure, and one property that left the hotel portfolio;
•in Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China), one property that underwent a significant renovation and one property that left the hotel portfolio; and
•in Europe, two properties that left the hotel portfolio and one property that underwent a significant renovation.
The tables below include comparable system-wide Net Package RevPAR, occupancy, and Net Package ADR by geography and for all-inclusive resorts that we manage, franchise, lease, or provide services to.
Year Ended December 31,
Number of comparable resorts Net Package RevPAR Occupancy Net Package ADR
vs. 2023 vs. 2023
2024 (in reported $) 2024 vs. 2023 2024 (in reported $)
Comparable system-wide all-inclusive resorts 93 $ 244 4.4 % 75.3 % 1.3% pts $ 324 2.7 %
Americas (excluding United States) 59 $ 278 3.0 % 73.1 % 0.3% pts $ 380 2.7 %
Europe 34 $ 142 14.0 % 82.2 % 4.4% pts $ 173 7.9 %
The increase in Net Package RevPAR at our comparable all-inclusive resorts during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was driven by higher Net Package ADR and demand.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we removed 14 properties from comparable system-wide all-inclusive resorts results, including:
•in the Americas (excluding United States), three properties that underwent expansions, two properties that left the hotel portfolio, and one property that underwent a significant renovation; and
•in Europe, six properties that experienced seasonal closures and two properties that left the hotel portfolio.
Year Ended December 31,
Number of comparable resorts Net Package RevPAR Occupancy Net Package ADR
vs. 2022 vs. 2022
2023 (in reported $) 2023 vs. 2022 2023 (in reported $)
Comparable system-wide all-inclusive resorts 85 $ 242 15.3 % 74.9 % 3.7% pts $ 323 9.6 %
Americas (excluding United States) 56 $ 268 14.5 % 73.6 % 2.9% pts $ 365 9.9 %
Europe 29 $ 134 23.3 % 80.5 % 6.9% pts $ 167 12.8 %
The increase in Net Package RevPAR at our comparable all-inclusive resorts during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was driven by strong Net Package ADR. The year ended December 31, 2022 was also negatively impacted by travel disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the beginning of 2022.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we removed six properties from comparable system-wide all-inclusive resorts results, including:
•in the Americas (excluding United States), one property that closed for an extended period due to hurricane damage, one property that converted from franchised to managed, and one property that left the hotel portfolio; and
•in Europe, three properties that experienced seasonal closures.
Management and franchising segment Adjusted EBITDA.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
2024 vs. 2023 Better / (Worse)
2023 vs. 2022
Segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 854 $ 782 $ 629 $ 72 9.2 % $ 153 24.3 %
Adjusted EBITDA increased during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, compared to the same period in the prior years, primarily driven by increases in gross fee revenues and results of our co-branded credit card programs recognized in other revenues and other direct costs.
General and administrative expenses increased during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in the prior years. In 2024, the increase was primarily due to credit loss reserves on certain receivables and payroll and related costs. In 2023, the increase was primarily due to payroll and related costs and travel expenses, partially offset by the reversal of credit loss reserves on certain receivables.
The sale of the Destination Residential Management business and the impact of the Maui wildfires on operations both in 2023 resulted in decreases in other revenues and other direct costs with an insignificant impact to Adjusted EBITDA.
Owned and leased segment revenues.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 Better / (Worse) Currency Impact
Comparable owned and leased revenues $ 866 $ 828 $ 38 4.6 % $ (2)
Non-comparable owned and leased revenues 331 540 (209) (38.8) % (2)
Segment revenues (1), (2) $ 1,197 $ 1,368 $ (171) (12.5) % $ (4)
Year Ended December 31,
2023 2022 Better / (Worse) Currency Impact
Comparable owned and leased revenues $ 1,332 $ 1,142 $ 190 16.6 % $ 10
Non-comparable owned and leased revenues 36 121 (85) (70.2) % -
Segment revenues (1), (2) $ 1,368 $ 1,263 $ 105 8.3 % $ 10
(1) See "-Results of Operations" for further discussion regarding the changes in owned and leased revenues.
(2) Includes $23 million, $29 million and $28 million of intersegment revenues for the years ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, respectively.
The tables below include comparable system-wide RevPAR, occupancy, and ADR for owned and leased hotels.
Year Ended December 31,
RevPAR Occupancy ADR
Number of comparable hotels 2024 vs. 2023
(in constant $) 2024 vs. 2023 2024 vs. 2023
(in constant $)
Comparable owned and leased hotels 20 $ 221 5.1 % 73.1 % 2.2% pts $ 302 1.9 %
The increase in RevPAR at our comparable owned and leased hotels during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, was driven by continued growth in business transient and group travel, most notably in New York. Additionally, the increase in RevPAR was driven by higher ADR primarily due to the Democratic National Convention, which was held in Chicago, and the Paris Summer Olympics.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we removed seven properties from comparable owned and leased hotels results as six properties were sold and one property underwent a significant renovation. The sold properties remain in our hotel portfolio under long-term management and franchise agreements.
Year Ended December 31,
RevPAR Occupancy ADR
Number of comparable hotels 2023 vs. 2022
(in constant $) 2023 vs. 2022 2023 vs. 2022
(in constant $)
Comparable owned and leased hotels 26 $ 201 15.5 % 71.9 % 6.5% pts $ 279 5.1 %
The increase in RevPAR at our comparable owned and leased hotels during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, was driven by strong group demand, growth in transient travel, and increased ADR. The year ended December 31, 2022 was also negatively impacted by travel disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the beginning of 2022.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, no properties were removed from comparable owned and leased hotels results.
Owned and leased segment Adjusted EBITDA.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
2024 vs. 2023 Better / (Worse)
2023 vs. 2022
Owned and leased Adjusted EBITDA (1) $ 199 $ 256 $ 253 $ (57) (22.3) % $ 3 1.1 %
Pro rata share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures' Adjusted EBITDA 62 64 55 (2) (2.6) % 9 16.8 %
Segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 261 $ 320 $ 308 $ (59) (18.3) % $ 12 3.9 %
(1) See "-Results of Operations" for further discussion regarding the changes in owned and leased revenues and owned and leased expenses.
Our pro rata share of unconsolidated hospitality ventures' Adjusted EBITDA increased during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by improved hotel performance and the recovery from the COVID-19 Omicron variant that negatively impacted travel in the beginning of 2022.
Distribution segment revenues.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
2024 vs. 2023 Better / (Worse)
2023 vs. 2022
Distribution revenues (1) $ 1,023 $ 1,047 $ 986 $ (24) (2.3) % $ 61 6.2 %
Other revenues 26 189 137 (163) (86.4) % 52 37.7 %
Segment revenues $ 1,049 $ 1,236 $ 1,123 $ (187) (15.2) % $ 113 10.1 %
(1) See "-Results of Operations" for further discussion regarding the changes in distribution revenues.
Other revenues decreased during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, driven by the UVC Transaction.
Other revenues increased during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by amortization of incremental Unlimited Vacation Club membership contracts, which were signed at higher average prices.
Distribution segment Adjusted EBITDA.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022 Better / (Worse)
2024 vs. 2023 Better / (Worse)
2023 vs. 2022
Segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 140 $ 129 $ 168 $ 11 8.3 % $ (39) (23.4) %
Excluding the impact of the UVC Transaction, Adjusted EBITDA decreased $38 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This decrease as well as the decrease in Adjusted EBITDA during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, were primarily driven by distribution revenues and distribution expenses (see "-Results of Operations" for further discussion).
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
We finance our business primarily with existing cash, short-term investments, and cash generated from our operations. As part of our long-term business strategy, we use net proceeds from dispositions to pay down debt; support new investment opportunities, including acquisitions; and return capital to our stockholders, when appropriate. We may also borrow cash under our revolving credit facility or from other third-party sources and raise funds by issuing debt or equity securities. We maintain a cash investment policy that emphasizes the preservation of capital.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we issued senior notes due 2029, 2031, and 2034 and received approximately $1,380 million of net proceeds. A portion of the proceeds was used to repay the $746 million outstanding balance on the senior notes due 2024, and we intend to use the remaining net proceeds to repay the outstanding balance on the senior notes due 2025 at or prior to maturity and for general corporate purposes. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we exceeded our commitment announced in August 2021 to realize $2.0 billion of gross proceeds from the disposition of owned assets, net of acquisitions.
We may, from time to time, seek to retire or purchase our outstanding equity and/or debt securities through cash purchases and/or exchanges for other securities, in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, or otherwise, including pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or an ASR transaction. Such repurchases or exchanges, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, restrictions in our existing or future financing arrangements, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors. The amounts involved may be material. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we returned $1,250 million of capital to our stockholders through $1,190 million of share repurchases, inclusive of $629 million of Class A common stock and $561 million of Class B common stock, and $60 million of quarterly dividend payments. At December 31, 2024, we had approximately $971 million remaining under the share repurchase authorizations. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 16 and Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
We believe that our cash position, short-term investments, cash from operations, borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility, and access to the capital markets will be adequate to meet all of our funding requirements and capital deployment objectives in both the short term and long term.
Recent Transactions Affecting Our Liquidity and Capital Resources
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, various transactions impacted our liquidity. See "-Sources and Uses of Cash."
Sources and Uses of Cash
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
Cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities $ 633 $ 800
Investing activities 81 (365)
Financing activities (618) (578)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash (3) (2)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash classified within assets held for sale 3 (3)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash $ 96 $ (148)
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Cash provided by operating activities decreased $167 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the UVC Transaction and an increase in cash paid for interest, partially offset by improved performance of our hotel portfolio.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
2024 Activity:
•We received $723 million of net proceeds from the sale of Hyatt Regency Orlando and an adjacent undeveloped land parcel.
•We received approximately $244 million of net proceeds from the sale of Park Hyatt Zurich.
•We received $226 million of net proceeds from the sale of Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk.
•We received $173 million of net proceeds from the sale of the shares of entities that own Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino.
•We received $62 million of proceeds related to the sales activity related to certain equity method investments and redemption of HTM debt securities.
•We received $51 million of proceeds from financing receivables.
•We received $41 million of net proceeds from the UVC Transaction.
•We received $11 million of net proceeds from the sale of Hyatt Regency O'Hare Chicago.
•We received $3 million of net proceeds from the sale of Hyatt Regency Green Bay.
•We invested $437 million of net proceeds from the sale of marketable securities and short-term investments.
•We completed the Bahia Principe Transaction for approximately $372 million, net of cash acquired.
•We invested $170 million in capital expenditures (see "-Capital Expenditures").
•We acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding equity interests of certain entities collectively doing business as Standard International for $148 million, net of cash acquired.
•We issued $136 million of financing receivables.
•We acquired the Alua Portfolio for approximately $61 million, net of cash acquired.
•We invested $53 million in HTM debt securities.
•We contributed $35 million to unconsolidated hospitality ventures.
•We acquired the Me and All Hotels brand name for $28 million, inclusive of closing costs.
2023 Activity:
•We invested $198 million in capital expenditures (see "-Capital Expenditures").
•We acquired Dream Hotel Group for $125 million of cash.
•We acquired Mr & Mrs Smith for approximately $50 million, net of cash acquired.
•We issued $43 million of financing receivables.
•We invested $30 million in a convertible debt security.
•We transferred $10 million of cash related to advanced deposits to the buyer of the Destination Residential Management business.
•We received $93 million of net proceeds from the sale of marketable securities and short-term investments.
Periodically, we enter into like-kind exchange agreements upon the disposition or acquisition of certain properties. Pursuant to the terms of these agreements, the proceeds from the sales are placed into an escrow account administered by a qualified intermediary and are unavailable for our use until released. The proceeds are recorded as restricted cash on our consolidated balance sheets and released (i) if they are utilized as part of a like-kind exchange agreement, (ii) if we do not identify a suitable replacement property within 45 days after the agreement date, or (iii) when a like-kind exchange agreement is not completed within the remaining allowable time period.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
2024 Activity:
•We issued senior notes and received approximately $1,380 million of net proceeds, after deducting $20 million of underwriting discounts and other offering expenses.
•We borrowed CHF 41 million (approximately $44 million) in conjunction with the sale of Park Hyatt Zurich.
•We paid $43 million of withholding taxes for stock-based compensation.
•We paid four quarterly $0.15 per share cash dividends on outstanding shares of Class A and Class B common stock totaling $60 million.
•We repaid outstanding senior notes at maturity for approximately $753 million, inclusive of $7 million of accrued interest.
•We repurchased 7,992,256 shares of Class A and Class B common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $1,190 million.
2023 Activity:
•We repaid certain of our outstanding senior notes at maturity for approximately $642 million, inclusive of $4 million of accrued interest.
•We repurchased 4,123,828 shares of Class A common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $453 million, inclusive of the payment of a $9 million liability for the repurchase of 106,116 shares recorded at December 31, 2022.
•We paid three quarterly $0.15 per share cash dividends on outstanding shares of Class A and Class B common stock totaling $47 million.
•We repurchased $18 million of certain senior notes.
•We issued senior notes and received approximately $596 million of net proceeds, after deducting $4 million of underwriting discounts and other offering expenses.
We define net debt as total debt less the total of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. We consider net debt and its components to be an important indicator of liquidity and a guiding measure of capital structure strategy. Net debt is a non-GAAP measure and may not be computed the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies. The following table provides a summary of our debt-to-capital ratios:
December 31, 2024 December 31, 2023
Consolidated debt (1) $ 3,782 $ 3,056
Stockholders' equity 3,547 3,564
Total capital 7,329 6,620
Total debt-to-total capital 51.6 % 46.2 %
Consolidated debt (1) 3,782 3,056
Less: cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments (2) (1,383) (896)
Net consolidated debt $ 2,399 $ 2,160
Net debt-to-total capital 32.7 % 32.6 %
(1) Excludes approximately $370 million and $548 million of our share of unconsolidated hospitality venture indebtedness at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, substantially all of which is non-recourse to us and a portion of which we guarantee pursuant to separate agreements.
(2) Excludes approximately $3 million of cash and cash equivalents reclassified to assets held for sale at December 31, 2023.
Capital Expenditures
We routinely make capital expenditures to enhance our business. We classify our capital expenditures into maintenance and technology and enhancements to existing properties. We have been, and will continue to be, disciplined with respect to our capital spending, taking into account our cash flows from operations.
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
Maintenance and technology $ 141 $ 130
Enhancements to existing properties 29 68
Total capital expenditures $ 170 $ 198
The decrease in capital expenditures is primarily driven by a decrease in renovation spend at certain owned hotels, partially offset by increased maintenance and technology spend at certain regional offices and owned hotels.
Senior Notes
The table below sets forth the outstanding principal balance of our various series of senior unsecured notes (collectively, the "Senior Notes") at December 31, 2024, as described in Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements." Interest on the outstanding Senior Notes is payable semi-annually.
Outstanding principal amount
$450 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2025-5.375%
$ 450
$400 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2026-4.850%
$600 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2027-5.750%
$400 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2028-4.375%
$600 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2029-5.250%
$450 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2030-5.750%
$450 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2031-5.375%
$350 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2034-5.500%
Total Senior Notes $ 3,689
In the indenture that governs the Senior Notes, we agreed not to:
•create any liens on our principal properties, or on the capital stock or debt of our subsidiaries that own or lease principal properties, to secure debt without also effectively providing that the Senior Notes are secured equally and ratably with such debt for so long as such debt is so secured; or
•enter into any sale and leaseback transactions with respect to our principal properties.
These limitations are subject to significant exceptions.
The indenture also limits our ability to enter into mergers or consolidations or transfer all or substantially all of our assets unless certain conditions are satisfied.
If a change of control triggering event occurs, as defined in the indenture governing the Senior Notes, we will be required to offer to purchase the Senior Notes at a price equal to 101% of their principal amount, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of purchase. We may also redeem some or all of the remaining Senior Notes at any time prior to their maturity at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of redemption plus a make-whole amount, if any. The amount of any make-whole payment depends, in part, on the yield of U.S. Treasury securities with a comparable maturity to the Senior Notes at the date of redemption.
We are in compliance with all applicable covenants under the indenture governing our Senior Notes at December 31, 2024.
Revolving Credit Facility
On May 18, 2022, we entered into a credit agreement with a syndicate of lenders that provides for a $1.5 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility (the "revolving credit facility") that matures in May 2027. The credit agreement refinanced and replaced in its entirety our Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated January 6, 2014, as amended. The revolving credit facility provides for the making of revolving loans to us in U.S. dollars and, subject to a sublimit of $250 million, certain other currencies, and the issuance of up to $300 million of letters of credit for our own account or for the account of our subsidiaries. We have the option during the term of the revolving credit facility to increase the revolving credit facility by an aggregate amount of up to an additional $500 million provided that, among other things, new and/or existing lenders agree to provide commitments for the increased amount. We may prepay any outstanding aggregate principal amount, in whole or in part, at any time, subject to customary breakage costs and upon proper notice. The credit agreement contains customary affirmative, negative, and financial covenants; representations and warranties; and default provisions.
Our revolving credit facility is intended to provide financing for working capital and general corporate purposes, including commercial paper backup and permitted investments and acquisitions. At December 31, 2024, we had no loan balance outstanding and $3 million of outstanding undrawn letters of credit issued under our revolving credit facility, and reduced availability thereunder. At December 31, 2024, we had $1,497 million of borrowing capacity available under our revolving credit facility, net of outstanding undrawn letters of credit. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Interest rates on outstanding borrowings are based on, at our option, either an adjusted Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("Adjusted Term SOFR") or an alternate base rate, with margins in each case based on our credit rating or, in certain circumstances, our credit rating and leverage ratio.
Borrowings under our revolving credit facility bear interest, at our option, at either one, three, or six month Adjusted Term SOFR plus a margin ranging from 0.775% to 1.250% per annum, or the alternative base rate plus a margin ranging from 0.000% to 0.250% per annum, in each case depending on our credit rating by any of S&P, Moody's or Fitch or, in certain circumstances, our credit rating and leverage ratio.
Our revolving credit facility provides for a facility fee ranging from 0.090% to 0.225% of the total commitments of the lenders under the revolving credit facility depending on our credit rating or, in certain circumstances, our credit rating and leverage ratio. The facility fee is charged regardless of the level of borrowings.
At December 31, 2024, the interest rate for a one month Adjusted Term SOFR borrowing under our revolving credit facility would have been 5.482%, or Adjusted Term SOFR, inclusive of a 0.100% credit spread adjustment, of 4.432% plus the applicable margin of 1.050%.
We are also required to pay letter of credit fees with respect to each letter of credit equal to the applicable margin for Adjusted Term SOFR loans on the face amount of each letter of credit. In addition, we must pay a fronting fee to the issuer of each letter of credit of 0.10% per annum on the face amount of such letter of credit.
The revolving credit facility contains a number of affirmative and restrictive covenants, including limitations on the ability to place liens on our direct or indirect subsidiaries' assets; to merge, consolidate, and dissolve; to sell assets; to engage in transactions with affiliates; to change our direct or indirect subsidiaries' fiscal year or organizational documents; to make restricted payments.
The revolving credit facility also contains a financial covenant that limits our maximum leverage, consisting of the ratio of Consolidated Adjusted Funded Debt to Consolidated EBITDA, each as defined in the revolving credit facility, to not more than 4.5 to 1. The financial covenant is measured quarterly. Our outstanding Senior Notes do not contain a corresponding financial covenant or a requirement that we maintain certain financial ratios.
We are in compliance with all applicable covenants under the revolving credit facility at December 31, 2024.
Letters of Credit
We issue letters of credit either under our revolving credit facility or directly with financial institutions. We had $105 million in letters of credit issued directly with financial institutions outstanding at December 31, 2024. At December 31, 2024, these letters of credit, which mature on various dates through 2025, had weighted-average fees of approximately 92 basis points. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Surety and Other Bonds
Surety and other bonds issued on our behalf were $268 million at December 31, 2024 and are generally off-balance sheet arrangements. These primarily relate to our insurance programs, litigation, customer deposits associated with ALG Vacations, taxes, licenses, liens, and utilities for our lodging operations. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Other Indebtedness and Future Debt Maturities
Excluding $3,689 million of Senior Notes, all other third-party indebtedness was $93 million, net of $27 million of unamortized discounts and deferred financing fees, at December 31, 2024.
At December 31, 2024, $456 million of our outstanding debt will mature within the next 12 months. We believe we will have adequate liquidity to repay or refinance our current debt obligations.
Contractual Obligations
Our significant contractual obligations at December 31, 2024 include debt, finance and operating lease obligations, contingent consideration arrangements, purchase obligations, and other commitments, primarily related to deferred compensation plan liabilities.
Our short-term and long-term debt obligations are discussed above and in Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements," and our short-term and long-term finance and operating lease obligations are discussed in Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 8 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Our commitments under contingent consideration arrangements are primarily anticipated to be paid in the long term based on the expected timing of achieving the contractual objectives and are discussed in Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 7 and Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Purchase obligations at December 31, 2024 were $14 million, which are due in the short term and primarily consist of construction and renovation commitments at certain owned hotels.
Other commitments primarily consist of deferred compensation plan liabilities, with $2 million due in the short term and $568 million due in the long term. This excludes $464 million in long-term income taxes payable due to the uncertainty related to the timing of the reversal of those liabilities.
We enter into contracts with certain airlines for commercial air transportation provided by third-party air carriers and chartered air transportation provided by ALG Vacations. Obligations under these contracts are due in the short term and may be renegotiated based on customer demand.
Guarantee Commitments
We enter into performance guarantees with third-party owners related to certain hotels we manage, which require us to guarantee payments to the owners if specified levels of operating profit are not achieved by their hotels. Under these performance guarantees, we may be required to fund up to $29 million within the next 12 months and up to $121 million thereafter. Through acquisitions, we acquired certain management and hotel services agreements with performance guarantees based on annual performance levels. Contract terms within certain management and hotel services agreements limit our exposure, and therefore, we are unable to reasonably estimate our maximum potential future payments under these guarantees.
We also enter into debt repayment and other guarantees with respect to certain unconsolidated hospitality ventures, certain hospitality venture partners, certain managed or franchised hotels, and indemnifications provided as a result of certain dispositions for liabilities incurred prior to sale. Our debt repayment guarantee commitments include $39 million that expire within the next 12 months and $115 million that expire thereafter. Certain of the underlying debt agreements have extension periods which are not reflected in the aforementioned figures. With respect to certain of these guarantees, we have reimbursement agreements with our unconsolidated hospitality venture partners or the respective third-party owners or franchisees that reduce our maximum potential future payments and are not reflected above.
As a part of the UVC Transaction, we agreed to guarantee up to $70 million of our hospitality venture partner's investment upon the occurrence of certain events in the long term. Additionally, we agreed to indemnify the unconsolidated hospitality venture, the primary obligor to the foreign taxing authorities, for obligations the entity may incur as a result of pre-existing uncertain tax positions. At December 31, 2024, the indemnification for open tax years had a maximum exposure of $72 million. Our exposure related to tax years expiring in the next 12 months and thereafter is $12 million and $60 million, respectively.
See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Investment Commitments
We are committed, under certain conditions, to lend, provide certain consideration to, or invest in various business ventures. At December 31, 2024, we expect to fund commitments of $248 million within the next 12 months and $411 million thereafter. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Preparing financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and related disclosures in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes.
A number of our accounting policies, which are described in Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements," are critical due to the fact they involve a higher degree of judgment and estimates. Those accounting policies and other critical estimates are included below. As a result, these accounting policies could materially affect our financial position and results of operations. While we have used our best estimates based on the facts and circumstances available to us at the time, different estimates reasonably could have been used in the current period. In addition, changes in the accounting estimates that we use are reasonably likely to occur from period to period, which may have a material impact on the presentation of our financial condition and results of operations. Although we believe our estimates, assumptions, and judgments are reasonable, they are based on information presently available. Actual results may differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions, judgments, or conditions. Management has discussed the development and selection of these critical accounting policies and estimates with the Audit Committee of the board of directors.
Loyalty Program Future Redemption Obligation and Revenue Recognition
We utilize an actuary to assist with the valuation of the deferred revenue liability related to the loyalty program. Changes in the estimates, including the anticipated timing of future point redemptions and an estimate of the breakage for points that will not be redeemed, could result in further material changes to our liability and the amount of revenues we recognize when redemptions occur. See Part IV, Item 15 "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
At December 31, 2024, our total deferred revenue liability related to the loyalty program was $1,333 million. A 10% decrease in the breakage assumption would increase our deferred revenue liability related to the loyalty program by approximately $75 million.
Equity Method Investments
We assess investments in unconsolidated hospitality ventures accounted for under the equity method for impairment quarterly. We use judgment to determine whether or not there is an indication that a loss in value has occurred and whether a decline is deemed to be other than temporary, and we consider our knowledge of the hospitality industry, historical experience, location of the underlying venture property, market conditions, and/or venture-specific information available at the time of the assessment. When there is an indication that an other-than-temporary loss in value has occurred, judgment is also required in determining the assumptions and estimates to use when calculating the fair value.
Changes in economic and operating conditions impacting these estimates and judgments could result in impairments to our equity method investments in future periods. Historically, changes in estimates used in the impairment assessment process have not resulted in material impairment charges in subsequent periods as a result of changes made to those estimates. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 4 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Acquisitions
Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions are recorded at fair value as of the acquisition date. We use judgment to determine the fair value of the assets or businesses acquired and to allocate the fair value to identifiable tangible and intangible assets. Generally, tangible assets acquired include property and equipment, and intangible assets acquired may include management and hotel services agreement and franchise agreement intangibles, brand intangibles, customer relationships intangibles, other intangibles, or goodwill in a business combination. Changes to the significant assumptions or factors used to determine fair value, in particular, assumptions related to cash flow projections, including revenue projections, and the selection of discount rates, could affect the measurement and allocation of fair value. See Part IV, Item 15 "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 7 and Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Contingent and Non-cash Consideration
Contingent consideration payable arising from acquisitions is recorded at fair value as a liability on the acquisition date and remeasured at each reporting date. In order to estimate the fair value, we generally utilize a Monte Carlo simulation to model the probability of possible outcomes. Changes to the significant assumptions or factors used to determine fair value, in particular, assumptions related to the selection of discount rates, probabilities of achieving the contractual objectives, and/or timing of payments, could affect the fair value measurement upon acquisition and each reporting period thereafter.
Contingent consideration receivable and non-cash consideration arising from dispositions are recorded at fair value as an asset upon sale. In order to estimate the fair value, we generally utilize a Monte Carlo simulation to model possible outcomes or a probability-based discounted future cash flow approach. Changes to the significant assumptions or factors used to determine fair value, in particular, assumptions related to the selection of probability weighting, discount rates, probabilities of achieving the contractual objectives, operating results, and/or timing of payments, could affect the fair value measurement upon sale.
See Part IV, Item 15 "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 7 and Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
We evaluate goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually during the fourth quarter of each year using balances at October 1 and at interim dates if triggering events occur or if indicators of impairment exist, respectively.
We are required to apply judgment when determining whether or not triggering events occur or indicators of impairment exist. The determination of the occurrence of indicators of impairment is based on our knowledge of the hospitality industry, historical experience, location of the property or properties, market conditions, and/or specific information available at the time of the assessment. The results of our analysis could vary from period to period depending on how our judgment is applied and the facts and circumstances available at the time of the analysis. Judgment is also required in determining the assumptions and estimates used when calculating the fair value of the reporting unit or the indefinite-lived intangible asset.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we impaired goodwill allocated to one of our reporting units within the management and franchising segment to fair value. The fair value was estimated using a weighted methodology considering the output from both a discounted future cash flow model and the guideline public companies method. The assumptions and judgments included projected future cash flows, discount rate, and capitalization rate. At December 31, 2024, the amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit was $1,116 million. Changes in certain assumptions and estimates used in the fair value calculation, including a 5% decline in the underlying cash flows or a 1% increase in the discount rate or capitalization rate, would result in a material impairment charge.
Historically, changes in estimates used in the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets valuations have not resulted in material impairment charges in subsequent periods. Excluding assets recently impaired, changes in the aforementioned assumptions and estimates would not result in a material impairment charge for our remaining goodwill reporting units or indefinite-lived intangible assets. In periods close to an acquisition, we would expect fair value to approximate carrying value and do not consider this to be indicative of an impairment risk, absent other factors. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Property and Equipment, Operating Lease ROU Assets, and Definite-Lived Intangible Assets
We evaluate property and equipment, operating lease ROU assets, and definite-lived intangible assets for impairment quarterly, and when events or circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable, we evaluate the net book value of the assets by comparing it to the projected undiscounted cash flows of the assets. We use judgment to determine whether indicators of impairment exist and consider our knowledge of the hospitality industry, historical experience, location of the property, market conditions, and/or property-specific information available at the time of the assessment. The results of our analysis could vary from period to period depending on how our judgment is applied and the facts and circumstances available at the time of the analysis. When an indicator of impairment exists, judgment is also required in determining the assumptions and estimates to use within the recoverability analysis and when calculating the fair value of the asset or asset group, if applicable.
Changes in economic and operating conditions impacting these estimates and judgments could result in impairments to our long-lived assets in future periods. Historically, changes in estimates used in the property and equipment and definite-lived intangible assets impairment assessment have not resulted in material impairment charges in subsequent periods as a result of changes made to those estimates. See Part IV, Item 15 "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 5 and Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Incremental Borrowing Rate and Accounting for Leases
In determining the present value of our operating lease ROU assets and lease liabilities, we estimate an incremental borrowing rate ("IBR") by applying a portfolio approach based on lease terms. Certain of our leases have terms that exceed 30 years. Given the lack of publicly available data for longer-term borrowing rates, determining the IBR for certain of our longer-term leases requires additional judgment. Changes in these estimates could result in a material change to our lease liabilities. See Part IV, Item 15 "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 8 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
At December 31, 2024, we had $278 million of total operating lease liabilities recorded on our consolidated balance sheet. A 1% decrease in our estimated IBR would increase our total operating lease liabilities by approximately $19 million.
Guarantees
We enter into performance guarantees related to certain hotels we manage. We also enter into debt repayment and other guarantees with respect to certain unconsolidated hospitality ventures, certain hospitality venture partners, certain managed or franchised hotels, and indemnifications provided as a result of certain dispositions for liabilities incurred prior to sale. We record a liability for the fair value of these guarantees at their inception date. In order to estimate the fair value, we generally use either scenario-based weighting, which utilizes a Monte Carlo simulation or a probability-based weighting approach to model the probability of possible outcomes, or the with and without method under the income approach, which calculates the difference in present value of anticipated cash flows with and without the guarantee. The valuation methodology includes assumptions and judgments regarding probability weighting, discount rates, volatility, hotel operating results, hotel property sales prices, and timing of expected cash flows. Our assumptions are based on our knowledge of the hospitality industry, market conditions, location of the property, contractual obligations, and/or likelihood of incurring costs related to claims for which we indemnify third parties, as well as other qualitative factors. See Part IV, Item 15 "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 4 and Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Income Taxes
Judgment is required in addressing the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our consolidated financial statements or tax returns (e.g., realization of deferred tax assets, changes in tax laws, or interpretations thereof). In addition, we are subject to examination of our income tax returns by the IRS and other tax authorities. A change in the assessment of the outcomes of such matters could materially impact our consolidated financial statements.
We evaluate tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return to determine whether they are more likely than not of being sustained, assuming that the tax reporting positions will be examined by taxing authorities with full knowledge of all relevant information, prior to recording the related tax benefit in our consolidated financial statements. If a position does not meet the more likely than not standard, the benefit cannot be recognized. Assumptions, judgments, and estimates are required to
determine whether the "more likely than not" standard has been met when developing the provision for income taxes. A change in the assessment of the "more likely than not" standard with respect to a position could materially impact our consolidated financial statements. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."
Deferred Income Taxes - Valuation Allowance
We assess the realizability of our deferred tax assets quarterly and recognize a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that some or all of our deferred tax assets are not realizable. This assessment is completed on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis and relies on the weight of all positive and negative evidence available. Cumulative pre-tax losses for a three-year period are considered significant objective negative evidence that some or all of our deferred tax assets may not be realizable. Cumulative reported pre-tax income is considered objectively verifiable positive evidence of our ability to generate positive pre-tax income in the future. In accordance with GAAP, when there is a recent history of pre-tax losses, there is little weight placed on forecasts for purposes of assessing the recoverability of our deferred tax assets. Judgment is required when considering the relative impact of positive and negative evidence. The weight given to the potential effect of positive and negative evidence is commensurate with the extent that it can be objectively verified. The more negative evidence that exists, the more positive evidence is necessary to support a conclusion that a valuation allowance is not needed. We consider the availability of objectively verifiable evidence in determining our ability to utilize deferred tax assets. We use systematic and logical methods to estimate when deferred tax liabilities will reverse and generate taxable income and when deferred tax assets will reverse and generate tax deductions. Assumptions, judgment, and the use of estimates are required when estimating future income and scheduling the reversal of deferred tax assets and liabilities, and the exercise is inherently complex and subjective. See Part IV, Item 15, "Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule-Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements."

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
We are exposed to market risk, primarily from changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. In certain situations, we seek to reduce earnings and cash flow volatility associated with changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates by entering into financial arrangements to provide a hedge against a portion of the risks associated with such volatility. We continue to have exposure to such risks to the extent they are not hedged. We enter into derivative financial arrangements to the extent they meet the objectives described above, and we do not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes. At December 31, 2024, we were a party to hedging transactions, including the use of derivative financial instruments.
Interest Rate Risk
In the normal course of business, we are exposed to the impact of interest rate changes due to our borrowing activities. Our objective is to manage the risk of interest rate changes on the results of operations, cash flows, and the market value of our debt by creating an appropriate balance between our fixed and floating-rate debt. We enter into interest rate derivative transactions from time to time, including interest rate swaps and interest rate locks, in order to maintain a level of exposure to interest rate variability that we deem acceptable. At December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we did not hold any interest rate lock contracts.
At December 31, 2024, we held €38 million of interest rate swap contracts not designated as hedging instruments, each of which expires in 2029 and has a fixed rate of 2.97%. The objective of the derivatives is to mitigate our exposure to changes in the Euro Interbank Offered Rate ("EURIBOR"). At December 31, 2024, we had $1 million of derivative liabilities recorded in accrued expenses and other current liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet related to these swaps. At December 31, 2023, we did not hold any interest rate swap contracts.
The following table sets forth the contractual maturities and the total fair values at December 31, 2024 for our financial instruments materially affected by interest rate risk:
Maturities by Period
2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Thereafter Total carrying amount (1) Total fair value (1)
Fixed-rate debt $ 450 $ 400 $ 600 $ 399 $ 600 $ 1,240 $ 3,689 $ 3,695
Average interest rate (2) 5.31 %
Floating-rate debt $ 4 $ 5 $ 5 $ 6 $ 51 $ 45 $ 116 $ 118
Average interest rate (2) 4.85 %
(1) Excludes $4 million of finance lease obligations and $27 million of unamortized discounts and deferred financing fees.
(2) Average interest rate at December 31, 2024.
Foreign Currency Exposures and Exchange Rate Instruments
We transact business in various foreign currencies and utilize foreign currency forward contracts to offset our exposure associated with the fluctuations of certain foreign currencies. The U.S. dollar equivalents of the notional amount of the outstanding forward contracts, which relate to intercompany transactions, with terms of less than one year were $129 million and $142 million at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
We intend to offset the gains and losses related to our third-party debt and intercompany transactions with gains or losses on our foreign currency forward contracts such that there is a negligible effect on our annual net income. At December 31, 2024, a hypothetical 10% change in foreign currency exchange rates would result in an immaterial change in the fair value of the hedging instruments.
During the years ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the effects of these derivative instruments resulted in $3 million of net gains, $6 million of net losses, and $18 million of net gains, respectively, recognized in other income (loss), net on our consolidated statements of income. We offset the gains and losses on our foreign currency forward contracts with gains and losses related to our intercompany loans and transactions, such that there is a negligible effect on our net income. At December 31, 2024, we had $8 million of assets recorded in prepaids and other assets, and at December 31, 2023, we had $1 million of liabilities recorded in accrued expenses and other current liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets related to derivative instruments.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The consolidated financial statements and supplementary data required by Item 8 are contained in Part IV, Item 15 of this annual report and are incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, evaluated, as of the end of the period covered by this annual report, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this annual report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and the Attestation Report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm required by this Item 9A are contained in Part IV, Item 15 of this annual report and are incorporated herein by reference.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information.
On February 10, 2025, we filed a Certificate of Retirement with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to retire 236,001 shares of Class B common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the Company (the "Class B common stock"). All 236,001 shares of Class B common stock were converted into shares of Class A common stock. The Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation requires that any shares of Class B common stock that are converted into shares of Class A common stock be retired and may not be reissued.
Effective upon filing, the Certificate of Retirement amended the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company to reduce the total authorized number of shares of capital stock of the Company by 236,001 shares. The total number of authorized shares of the Company is now 1,395,506,990, such shares consisting of 1,000,000,000 shares designated Class A common stock, 385,506,990 shares designated Class B common stock, and 10,000,000 shares designated Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share. A copy of the Certificate of Retirement is included in Exhibit 3.1 of this annual report.
Rule 10b5-1 Trading Arrangements
Trading Arrangement
Action Date Rule 10b5-1
(1) Non-Rule 10b5-1
(2) Total Shares to be Sold Expiration Date
Susan D. Kronick, Director
Adopt November 20, 2024 X 6,400 February 1, 2026
(1) Intended to satisfy the affirmative defense of Rule 10b5-1(c).
(2) Not intended to satisfy the affirmative defense of Rule 10b5-1(c).

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance.
The following information with respect to our board of directors is presented as of February 13, 2025:
Name Age
Position Principal Employment
Thomas J. Pritzker 74 Executive Chairman of the Board Executive Chairman, The Pritzker Organization, LLC
Mark S. Hoplamazian 61 President, Chief Executive Officer and Director President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Paul D. Ballew 61 Director Chief Data and Analytics Officer, The National Football League
Alessandro Bogliolo 59 Director Retired
Susan D. Kronick 73 Director Retired
Cary D. McMillan 66 Director Retired
Heidi O'Neill 60 Director President, Consumer, Product & Brand, Nike, Inc.
Jason Pritzker 45 Director Managing Director and Vice Chairman, The Pritzker Organization, LLC
Michael A. Rocca 80 Director Retired
Dion Camp Sanders 50 Director Chief Emerging Business Officer, Peloton Interactive, Inc.
Richard C. Tuttle 69 Director Founding Principal, Prospect Partners, LLC
James H. Wooten, Jr. 76 Director Retired
See Part I, "Information about our Executive Officers" of this annual report for information regarding the executive officers of the Company.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
The Company has adopted the Hyatt Hotels Corporation Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the "Code of Ethics"), which is applicable to all of the Hyatt directors, officers, and colleagues, including the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, and other senior financial officers performing similar functions. The Code of Ethics is posted on the Company's website at http://www.hyatt.com. The Company will furnish a copy of the Code of Ethics to any person, without charge, upon written request directed to: Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Financial Planning & Analysis, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, 150 North Riverside Plaza, Chicago, Illinois 60606. In the event that the Company amends or waives any of the provisions of the Code of Ethics that applies to the Company's Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, and other senior financial officers performing similar functions, the Company intends to disclose the subsequent information on its website.
Insider Trading Arrangements and Policies
The Company has adopted an Insider Trading Compliance Policy that governs the purchase, sale, and/or other dispositions of its securities by directors, officers, and colleagues (as defined in the policy) that is reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations, and the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange. The policy also addresses the implementation of certain trading restrictions in the Company's securities by the Company, its directors, executive officers, and certain colleagues. A copy of our Insider Trading Compliance Policy is attached as Exhibit 19.1 to this annual report.
The other information required by this Item 10 is incorporated by reference to the information set forth in the Company's definitive proxy statement, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the Company's fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
The information required by this Item 11 is incorporated by reference to the information set forth in the Company's definitive proxy statement, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the Company's fiscal year ended
December 31, 2024 pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The information required by this Item 12 is incorporated by reference to the information set forth in the Company's definitive proxy statement, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the Company's fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
The information required by this Item 13 is incorporated by reference to the information set forth in the Company's definitive proxy statement, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the Company's fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The information required by this Item 14 is incorporated by reference to the information set forth in the Company's definitive proxy statement, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the Company's fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Part IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule.
The following documents are filed as part of this annual report.
(a) Financial Statements
The following consolidated financial statements are included in this annual report on the pages indicated:
Page
Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
F- 1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 34)
F- 2
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 34)
F- 4
Consolidated Statements of Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022
F- 5
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022
F- 6
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023
F- 7
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022
F- 8
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity and Noncontrolling Interests for the Years Ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022
F- 11
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
F- 12
(b) Financial Statement Schedule
The following financial statement schedule is included in this annual report on the page indicated:
Page
Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts for the Years Ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022
SCHII-1
(c) Exhibits
The Exhibit Index follows Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts for the Years Ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022 and is incorporated herein by reference.