EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1563756
Filing Year: 2022
Filename: 1563756_10-K_2022_0001829126-22-006820.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS:
General Description of Business
Structure
Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc. (‘‘Lightstone REIT III’’), which was formerly known as Lightstone Value Plus Real Estate Investment Trust III, Inc. before September 16, 2021, is a Maryland corporation formed on October 5, 2012, which elected to qualify as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with the taxable year ending December 31, 2015.
Lightstone REIT III is structured as an umbrella partnership REIT (“UPREIT”), and substantially all of its current and future business is and will be conducted through Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”). As of December 31, 2021, Lightstone REIT III held a 99% general partnership interest in the Operating Partnership’s common units.
Lightstone REIT III and the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to as the “Company” and the use of “we,” “our,” “us” or similar pronouns in this annual report refers to the Lightstone REIT III, its Operating Partnership or the Company as required by the context in which such pronoun is used.
We have and will continue to seek to acquire a diverse portfolio of real estate assets and real estate-related investments, including hotels, other commercial and/or residential properties, primarily located in the United States. All such properties may be acquired and operated by us alone or jointly with another party. We may also originate or acquire mortgage loans secured by real estate. Although we expect that most of our investments will be of these types, we may make other investments. In fact, we may invest in whatever types of real estate-related investments that we believe are in our best interests.
We currently have one operating segment. As of December 31, 2021, we (i) majority owned and consolidated the operating results and financial condition of eight limited service hotels containing a total of 872 rooms, (ii) held an unconsolidated 50.0% membership interest in LVP LIC Hotel JV LLC (the “Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture”) and (iii) held an unconsolidated 25.0% membership interest in Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture”). We account for our unconsolidated membership interests in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture and the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture under the equity method of accounting.
Our advisor is Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LLC (the “Advisor”), which is majority owned by David Lichtenstein. On July 16, 2014, the Advisor contributed $2,000 to the Operating Partnership in exchange for 200 limited partner units in the Operating Partnership. Our Advisor also owns 20,000 shares of our common stock (“Common Shares”) which were issued on December 24, 2012 for $200,000, or $10.00 per share. Mr. Lichtenstein also is the majority owner of the equity interests of the Lightstone Group, LLC. The Lightstone Group, LLC served as our sponsor (the ‘‘Sponsor’’) during our initial public offering (the “Offering”) which terminated on March 31, 2017. Mr. Lichtenstein owns 222,222 Common Shares which were issued on December 11, 2014 for $2.0 million, or $9.00 per share. Pursuant to the terms of an advisory agreement and subject to the oversight of our board of directors (the “Board of Directors”), the Advisor has primary responsibility for making investment decisions on our behalf and managing our day-to-day operations. Through his ownership and control of The Lightstone Group, LLC, Mr. Lichtenstein is the indirect owner and manager of Lightstone SLP III LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Special Limited Partner”), which owns 242 subordinated participation interests (“Subordinated Participation Interests”) in the Operating Partnership which were acquired for $12.1 million in connection with our Offering. Mr. Lichtenstein also acts as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As a result, he exerts influence over but does not control Lightstone REIT III or the Operating Partnership.
We do not have employees. The Advisor receives compensation and fees for services related to the investment and management of our assets.
Our Advisor has affiliated property managers (the “Property Managers”), which may manage certain of the properties we acquire. We also use other unaffiliated third-party property managers, principally for the management of our hospitality properties.
Our Common Shares are not currently listed on a national securities exchange. We may seek to list our Common Shares for trading on a national securities exchange only if a majority of our independent directors believe listing would be in the best interest of our stockholders. We do not intend to list our Common Shares at this time. We do not anticipate that there would be any active market for our Common Shares until they are listed for trading. In the event we do not begin the process of achieving a liquidity event prior to March 31, 2025, which is the eighth anniversary of the termination of our Offering, our charter requires either (a) an amendment to our charter to extend the deadline to begin the process of achieving a liquidity event, or (b) the holding of a stockholders meeting to vote on a proposal for an orderly liquidation of our portfolio.
Noncontrolling Interests - Partners of the Operating Partnership
Limited Partner
On July 16, 2014, the Advisor contributed $2,000 to the Operating Partnership in exchange for 200 limited partner units in the Operating Partnership. The Advisor has the right to convert the limited partner units into cash or, at our option, an equal number of our Common Shares.
Special Limited Partner
In connection with our Offering, which terminated on March 31, 2017, the Special Limited Partner purchased from the Operating Partnership an aggregate of 242 Subordinated Participation Interests for consideration of $12.1 million. The Subordinated Participation Interests were each purchased for $50,000 in consideration and may be entitled to receive liquidation distributions upon the liquidation of Lightstone REIT III.
As the majority owner of the Special Limited Partner, Mr. Lichtenstein is the beneficial owner of a 99% interest in such Subordinated Participation Interests and will thus receive an indirect benefit from any distributions made in respect thereof.
These Subordinated Participation Interests entitle the Special Limited Partner to a portion of any regular and liquidation distributions that we make to our stockholders, but only after our stockholders have received a stated preferred return. From our inception through December 31, 2021, no distributions have been declared or paid on the Subordinated Participation Interests.
Operating Partnership Activity
Our Operating Partnership commenced its operations on December 11, 2014. Since then we have and will continue to seek to primarily acquire and operate hospitality properties and to a lesser extent, other commercial and residential properties principally in North America through our Operating Partnership. Our commercial holdings may consist of full-service or select-service hotels, including extended-stay hotels and to a lesser extent, retail (primarily multi-tenanted shopping centers), industrial and office properties. All such properties may be acquired and operated by us alone or jointly with another party. In addition, we may invest up to 20% of our net assets in collateralized debt obligations, commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) and mortgage and mezzanine loans secured, directly or indirectly, by the same types of properties which we may acquire directly.
Related Parties
Our Advisor and its affiliates and the Special Limited Partner are related parties. Certain of these entities are entitled to compensation for services related to the investment, management and disposition of our assets during our acquisition, operational and liquidation stages. The compensation levels during our acquisition and operational stages are based on the cost of acquired properties/investments and the annual revenue earned from such properties/investments, and other such fees and expense reimbursements as outlined in each of the respective agreements.
Primary Investment Objectives
Our primary objective is to achieve capital appreciation with a secondary objective of income without subjecting principal to undue risk. We intend to achieve this goal primarily through investments in real estate properties.
Acquisition and Investment Policies
We have and/or intend to continue to primarily acquire commercial properties (including full-service or select-service hotels and extended-stay hotels) and residential real estate assets, as well as other real estate-related investments principally in North America. Our acquisitions may include both portfolios and individual properties. Full-service hotels generally provide a full complement of guest amenities including restaurants, concierge and room service, porter service or valet parking. Select-service hotels typically do not include these amenities. Extended-stay hotels offer upscale, high-quality, residential style lodging with a comprehensive package of guest services and amenities for extended-stay business and leisure travelers. We have no limitation as to the brand of franchise or license with which our hotels are associated. We generally intend to hold each acquired property until its investment objectives are met or it is likely they will not be met.
Even though we have and intend to continue primarily to acquire hotels, we have and may continue to purchase other types of real estate. Assets other than hotels may include, without limitation, office buildings, shopping centers, business and industrial parks, manufacturing facilities, single-tenant properties, multifamily properties, student housing properties, warehouses and distribution facilities and medical office properties. We have and expect to invest mainly in direct real estate investments and other equity interests; however, we may also invest in debt interests, which may include bridge or mezzanine loans, including in furtherance of a loan-to-own strategy. We have not established any limits on the percentage of our portfolio that may be comprised of various categories of assets which present differing levels of risk.
We have and may continue to enter into joint ventures, tenant-in-common investments or other co-ownership arrangements for the acquisition, development or improvement of properties with third parties or certain affiliates of our Advisor, including other present and future REITs and real estate limited partnerships sponsored by affiliates of our Advisor.
Financing Strategy and Policies
There is no limitation on the amount we may invest or borrow for the purchase of any single asset. Our charter allows us to incur leverage up to 300% of our total “net assets” (as defined in Section I.B of the NASAA REIT Guidelines) as of the date of any borrowing, which is generally expected to be approximately 75% of the cost of our investments. We may only exceed this 300% limit if a majority of our independent directors approves each borrowing in excess of this limit and we disclose such borrowing to our stockholders in our next quarterly report along with a justification for the excess borrowing. In all events, we expect that our secured and unsecured borrowings will be reasonable in relation to the net value of our assets and will be reviewed by our board of directors at least quarterly.
We do not currently intend to exceed the leverage limit in our charter. Careful use of debt will help us to achieve our diversification goals because we will have more funds available for investment. However, high levels of debt could cause us to incur higher interest charges and higher debt service payments, which would decrease the amount of cash available for distribution to our investors.
Distributions on Common Shares
On June 19, 2019, our Board of Directors determined to suspend regular monthly distributions.
Previously, distributions in an amount equal to a 6.0% annualized rate were declared on a monthly basis beginning on January 14, 2015 through June 30, 2019 and were paid on or about the 15th day following each month end.
There were no distributions declared during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Future distributions declared, if any, will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors based on their analysis of our performance over the previous periods and expectations of performance for future periods. Our Board of Directors will consider various factors in its determination, including but not limited to, the sources and availability of capital, revenues and other sources of income, operating and interest expenses and our ability to refinance near-term debt as well as the IRS’s annual distribution requirement that REITs distribute no less than 90% of their taxable income. We cannot assure that any future distributions will be made or that we will maintain any particular level of distributions that we have previously established or may establish.
Share Repurchase Program
Our share repurchase program (the “SRP”) may provide eligible stockholders with limited, interim liquidity by enabling them to sell their Common Shares back to us, subject to restrictions and applicable law.
On March 19, 2020, the Board of Directors amended the SRP to remove stockholder notice requirements and also approved the suspension of all redemptions effective immediately.
Effective May 10, 2021, the Board of Directors reopened the SRP to allow, subject to various conditions as set forth below, for redemptions submitted in connection with a stockholder’s death or hardship and set the price for all such purchases to our current NAV per Share, as determined by the Board of Directors and reported by us from time to time.
Deaths that occurred subsequent to January 1, 2020 were eligible for consideration, subject to certain conditions. Beginning January 1, 2022, requests for redemptions in connection with a stockholder’s death must be submitted and received by us within one year of the stockholder’s date of death for consideration.
On the above noted date, the Board of Directors established that on an annual basis, we would not redeem in excess of 0.5% of the number of shares outstanding as of the end of the preceding year for either death or hardship redemptions, respectively. Additionally, redemption requests generally would be processed on a quarterly basis and would be subject to pro ration if either type of redemption requests exceeded the annual limitation.
For the period from January 1 through March 18, 2020, we redeemed 80,436 shares of common stock at an average price per share of $9.92. For the year ended December 31, 2021 we repurchased 77,678 shares of common stock at an average price per share of $8.05.
Tax Status
We elected to qualify and be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with the taxable year ended December 31, 2015. As a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our net taxable income that we distribute currently to our stockholders. To maintain our REIT qualification under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”), we must meet a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that we annually distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, which does not equal net income, as calculated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain. If we fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT in any subsequent year and do not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, our income for that year will be taxed at regular corporate rates, and we may be precluded from qualifying for treatment as a REIT for the four-year period following our failure to qualify as a REIT. Such an event could materially adversely affect our net income and net cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
We engage in certain activities through taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”), including when we acquire a hotel we usually establish a TRS which then enters into an operating lease agreement for the hotel. As such, we may be subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes and franchise taxes from these activities.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had no material uncertain income tax positions. Additionally, even if we continue to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may still be subject to some U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and property and to U.S. federal income taxes and excise taxes on our undistributed income, if any.
COVID-19 Pandemic Operations and Liquidity Update
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 and since that time many of the previously imposed restrictions and other measures which were instituted in response have been subsequently reduced or lifted. However, the COVID-19 pandemic remains highly unpredictable and dynamic and its duration and extent continue to be dependent on various developments, such as the emergence of variants to the virus that may cause additional strains of COVID-19, the administration and ultimate effectiveness of vaccines, including booster shots, and the eventual timeline to achieve a sufficient level of herd immunity among the general population. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to have negative effects on the health of the U.S. economy for the foreseeable future.
The extent to which our business may be affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will largely depend on both current and future developments, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be reasonably predicted.
Furthermore, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, room demand and rental rates for our consolidated and unconsolidated hotels significantly declined starting in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic; and while these metrics have improved since then (late 2020 and continuing throughout 2021); room demand and rental rates remain below their pre-pandemic historical levels. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our operations, financial position and cash flow; and while the severity of the impact has lessened, we currently expect we will continue to experience a negative impact for the foreseeable future. We cannot currently estimate if and when room demand and rental rates will return to historical pre-pandemic levels for our hotels.
We also have a 25% membership interest in Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC (the “Williamsburg Moxy Joint Venture”), which is developing and constructing a 210-room branded hotel (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel”). To-date, the COVID-19 pandemic has not had any significant impact on development and construction of the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel, which is expected to open during the fourth quarter of 2022.
In light of the past, present and potential future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operating results of its hotels, we have taken various actions to preserve our liquidity, including the following:
● We implemented cost reduction strategies for all of our hotels, leading to reductions in certain operating expenses and capital expenditures.
● Amendments to Revolving Credit Facility -
On June 2, 2020, our revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) was amended to provide for (i) the deferral of the six monthly debt service payments aggregating $0.8 million for the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 until July 13, 2022; (ii) a 100 bps reduction in the interest rate spread to LIBOR + 2.15%, subject to a 3.00% floor, for the six-month period from September 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021; (iii) our pre-funding $0.8 million into a cash collateral reserve account to cover the six monthly debt service payments due from October 1, 2020 through March 1, 2021; and (iv) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods before June 30, 2021. Additionally, a principal paydown of $0.6 million, which was previously due on April 1, 2020 was bifurcated into two separate principal paydowns, of $0.3 million, which were made in June 2020 and September 2020.
Subsequently, on March 31, 2021, the Revolving Credit Facility was further amended providing for (i) us to make another principal paydown of $3.8 million, (ii) us to fund an additional $0.7 million into the cash collateral reserve account; (iii) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods through September 30, 2021 with a phased-in gradual return to the full financial covenant requirements over the quarter-end periods beginning December 31, 2021 through March 31, 2023; (iv) two one-year extension options at the lender’s sole discretion (v) certain limitations and restrictions on asset sales and additional borrowings related to the pledged collateral.
See Note 5 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
● In April 2020 and during the first quarter of 2021, our hotels received an aggregate of $1.5 million and $1.9 million, respectively, from loans provided under the federal Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP Loans”). During 2021, we received notices from the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) that all of the PPP Loans from April 2020 along with their accrued interest had been legally forgiven. See Note 6 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
● On June 19, 2019, the Board of Directors had previously determined to suspend regular monthly distributions and, as a result, have not declared any distributions on our Common Shares since the suspension. Additionally, on March 19, 2020, the Board of Directors approved the suspension of all redemptions under our shareholder repurchase program (the “SRP”). Subsequently on May 10, 2021, the Board of Directors partially reopened the SRP to allow, subject to various conditions, for redemptions submitted in connection with a stockholder’s death or hardship. See Note 7 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
● The Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture has obtained various amendments to its non-recourse mortgage loan secured by the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City. See Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
We believe that these actions, along with our available cash on hand and marketable securities, as well as our intention to seek to extend the Revolving Credit Facility to July 13, 2023 pursuant to the lender’s first extension option, as discussed in Note 5 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, will provide us with sufficient liquidity to meet our obligations for at least 12 months from the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements.
Competition
The hotel and other commercial real estate markets are highly competitive. This competition could reduce occupancy levels and revenues at our properties, which would adversely affect our operations. We face competition from many sources. We face competition from other hotels both in the immediate vicinity and the geographic market where our hotels are located. Overbuilding in the hotel industry may increase the number of rooms available and may decrease occupancy and room rates. In addition, increases in operating costs due to inflation may not be offset by increased room rates. We also face competition from nationally recognized hotel brands with which we will not be associated.
We have or may compete in all of our markets with other owners and operators of retail, office, industrial and residential real estate. The continued development of new retail, office, industrial and residential properties has intensified the competition among owners and operators of these types of real estate in many market areas in which we intend to operate. We compete based on a number of factors that include location, rental rates, security, suitability of the property’s design to prospective tenants’ needs and the manner in which the property is operated and marketed. The number of competing properties in a particular market could have a material effect on our occupancy levels, rental rates and on the operating expenses of certain of our properties.
In addition, we compete with other entities engaged in real estate investment activities to locate suitable properties to acquire and to locate tenants and purchasers for our properties. These competitors include other REITs, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations, banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investment banking firms, lenders, governmental bodies and other entities. There are also other REITs with asset acquisition objectives similar to ours and others that may be organized in the future. Some of these competitors, including larger REITs, have substantially greater marketing and financial resources than we will have and generally may be able to accept more risk than we can prudently manage, including risks with respect to the creditworthiness of tenants. In addition, these same entities seek financing through similar channels to those sought by us. Therefore, we will compete for institutional investors in a market where funds for real estate investment may decrease.
Competition from these and other third party real estate investors may limit the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us. It may also result in higher prices, lower yields and a narrower spread of yields over our borrowing costs, making it more difficult for us to acquire new investments on attractive terms.
We believe that our senior management’s experience, coupled with our financing, professionalism, diversity of properties and reputation in the industry enables us to compete with the other real estate investment companies.
Because we are organized as an UPREIT, we believe we are well positioned within the hospitality industry and any industries in which we operate to potentially offer existing property owners the opportunity to contribute properties to us in tax-deferred transactions using our Operating Partnership units as transactional currency. As a result, we believe we may a competitive advantage over most of our competitors that are structured as traditional REITs and non-REITs in pursuing acquisitions with tax-sensitive sellers.
Environmental
As an owner of real estate, we are subject to various environmental laws of U.S. federal, state and local governments. Compliance with existing laws has not had a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations, and management does not believe it will have such an impact in the future. However, we cannot predict the impact of unforeseen environmental contingencies or new or changed laws or regulations on properties in which we hold an interest, or on properties that may be acquired directly or indirectly in the future.
Employees
We do not have employees. We have entered into an advisory agreement pursuant to which our Advisor supervises and manages our day-to-day operations and selects our real estate and real estate-related investments, subject to oversight by our Board of Directors. We pay our Advisor fees for services related to the investment and management of our assets, and we reimburse our Advisor for certain expenses incurred on our behalf.
Available Information
We electronically file annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports, and proxy statements, with the SEC. Stockholders may obtain copies of our filings with the SEC, free of charge, from the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov, or at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F. Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Our office is located at 1985 Cedar Bridge Avenue, Lakewood, New Jersey 08701. Our telephone number is (732) 367-0129. Our website is www.lightstonecapitalmarkets.com.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS:
None applicable.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES:
Location
Year Built
Date Acquired
Year to
Date Available
Rooms
Percentage Occupied
for the
Year Ended
December 31,
Revenue per
Available Room
for the
Year Ended
December 31,
Average
Daily Rate
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
Wholly - Owned and Consolidated Hospitality Properties:
Hampton Inn - Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
2/4/2015
43,800
57.8 %
$ 56.68
$ 98.11
Courtyard - Durham
Durham, North Carolina
5/15/2015
53,290
55.8 %
$ 51.73
$ 92.65
Hampton Inn - Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
3/10/2016
31,390
58.6 %
$ 58.50
$ 99.85
Courtyard - Warwick
Warwick, Rhode Island
3/23/2016
33,580
57.7 %
$ 69.66
$ 120.81
Home2 Suites - Salt Lake
Salt Lake City, Utah
8/2/2016
45,625
58.2 %
$ 49.55
$ 85.09
Home2 Suites - Tukwila
Tukwila, Washington
8/2/2016
50,735
89.8 %
$ 100.45
$ 111.85
Fairfield Inn - Austin
Austin, Texas
9/13/2016
30,660
91.4 %
$ 69.83
$ 76.41
Staybridge Suites - Austin
Austin, Texas
10/7/2016
29,200
81.6 %
$ 77.21
$ 94.66
Total
318,280
68.1 %
$ 66.51
$ 97.65
Unconsolidated Affiliated Real Estate Entity:
Hospitality
Location
Year Built
Date Acquired
Year to
Date Available
Rooms
Percentage Occupied
for the
Year Ended
December 31,
Revenue per
Available Room
for the
Year Ended
December 31,
Average
Daily Rate
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City
Long Island City, New York
3/27/2018
66,795
75.0 %
$ 110.00
$ 146.67

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS:
From time to time in the ordinary course of business, we may become subject to legal proceedings, claims or disputes.
As of the date hereof, we are not a party to any material pending legal proceedings of which the outcome is probable or reasonably possible to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition, which would require accrual or disclosure of the contingency and possible range of loss.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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:
As of March 15, 2022, we had 13.1 million shares of common stock outstanding, held by a total of 3,762 stockholders. The number of stockholders is based on the records of DST Systems Inc., which serves as our registrar and transfer agent.
Market Information
Our Common Shares are not currently listed on a national securities exchange. We may seek to list our Common Shares for trading on a national securities exchange only if a majority of our independent directors believe listing would be in the best interest of our stockholders. We do not intend to list our Common Shares at this time. We do not anticipate that there would be any active market for our Common Shares until they are listed for trading. In the event we do not begin the process of achieving a liquidity event prior to March 31, 2025, which is the eighth anniversary of the termination of our Offering, our charter requires either (a) an amendment to our charter to extend the deadline to begin the process of achieving a liquidity event, or (b) the holding of a stockholders meeting to vote on a proposal for an orderly liquidation of our portfolio.
Estimated Net Asset Value (“NAV”) and NAV per Share of Common Stock (“NAV per Share”)
On March 24, 2022, our Board of Directors determined and approved our estimated NAV of $124.4 million and resulting estimated NAV per Share of $9.46, both as of December 31, 2021. In connection with our Offering, which terminated on March 31, 2017, the Special Limited Partner made cash purchases of Subordinated Participation Interests totaling $12.1 million. In the calculation of our estimated NAV, no allocation of value was made to the Special Limited partner’s Subordinated Participation Interests because the estimated NAV per Share did not exceed an aggregate $10.00 price per share plus a cumulative, pre-tax non-compounded annual return of 6.0% as of December 31, 2021.
The estimated value of our shares was calculated as of a particular point in time. The value of our shares will fluctuate over time in response to developments related to individual assets in the portfolio and the management of those assets and in response to the real estate and finance markets. There is no assurance of the extent to which the current estimated valuation should be relied upon for any purpose after its effective date regardless that it may be published on any statement issued by us or otherwise.
Process and Methodology
Our Advisor, along with any necessary material assistance or confirmation of a third-party valuation expert or service, is responsible for calculating our NAV, which we currently expect will be done on at least an annual basis unless our Common Shares are approved for listing on a national securities exchange. Our Board of Directors will review each estimate of NAV and approve the resulting NAV per Share.
Our estimated NAV per Share as of December 31, 2021 was calculated with the assistance of both our Advisor and Marshall & Stevens Incorporated (‘‘M&S’’), an independent third-party valuation firm we engaged to assist with the valuation of our assets, liabilities and any allocations of value to the Special Limited Partner’s Subordinated Participation Interests. Our Advisor recommended and our Board of Directors established the estimated NAV per Share as of December 31, 2021 based upon the analyses and reports provided by our Advisor and M&S. The process for estimating the value of our assets, liabilities and allocations of value to the Special Limited Partner’s Subordinated Participation interests is performed in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Program Association Practice Guideline 2013-01, ‘‘Valuation of Publicly Registered Non-Listed REITs.’’ We believe that our valuations were developed in a manner reasonably designed to ensure their reliability.
The engagement of M&S with respect to our NAV per Share as of December 31, 2021 was approved by our Board of Directors, including all of our independent directors. M&S has extensive experience in conducting asset valuations, including valuations of commercial real estate, debt, properties and real estate- related investments.
With respect to our estimated NAV and resulting NAV per Share as of December 31, 2021, M&S prepared appraisal reports (the “M&S Appraisal Reports”) summarizing key inputs and assumptions on all ten of the properties (9 hospitality properties and one hotel development project and collectively, the “M&S Appraised Properties”) in which we held ownership interests as of December 31, 2021.
M&S also prepared a NAV report (the ‘‘December 2021 NAV Report’’) which estimated the NAV per Share as of December 31, 2021. The December 2021 NAV Report relied upon (i) the M&S Appraisal Reports and (ii) our Advisor’s estimate of the value of our cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, available for sale, due to related parties, other assets, mortgages payable, other liabilities and any allocation of value to Special Limited Partner’s Subordinated Participation Interests, to calculate estimated NAV per Share, all as of December 31, 2021.
The table below sets forth the calculation of our estimated NAV and resulting estimated NAV per Share as of December 31, 2021 as well as the comparable calculation as of December 31, 2020.
Dollar and share amounts are presented in thousands, except per share data.
As of
December 31,
As of
December 31,
Value
Per Share
Value
Per Share
Net Assets:
Real Estate Properties
$ 169,012
$ 12.85
$ 140,210
$ 10.60
Non-Real Estate Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
16,639
26,999
Marketable securities, available for sale
1,810
3,227
Restricted cash
-
2,973
Other assets
Total non-real estate assets
19,353
1.47
33,837
2.56
Total Assets
188,365
14.32
174,047
13.16
Liabilities:
Mortgages payable
(60,691 )
(64,824 )
Due to related parties
(301 )
(292 )
Other liabilities
(2,942 )
(2,442 )
Total liabilities
(63,934 )
(4.86 )
(67,558 )
(5.11 )
Allocation of value to Special Limited Partner’s Subordinated Participation Interests
-
-
-
-
Net Asset Value
$ 124,431
$ 9.46
$ 106,489
$ 8.05
Shares of Common Stock Outstanding
13,152
13,230
Use of Independent Valuation Firm:
As discussed above, our Advisor is responsible for calculating our NAV. In connection with determining our NAV, our Advisor may rely on the material assistance or confirmation of a third-party valuation expert or service. In this regard, M&S was selected by our Board of Directors to assist our Advisor in the calculation of our estimated NAV and resulting estimated NAV per Share as of December 31, 2021. M&S’s services included appraising the M&S Appraised Properties and preparing the December 2021 NAV Report. M&S is engaged in the business of appraising commercial real estate properties and is not affiliated with us or our Advisor. The compensation we paid to M&S was based on the scope of work and not on the appraised values of our real estate properties. The appraisals were performed in accordance with the Code of Ethics and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, or USPAP, the real estate appraisal industry standards created by The Appraisal Foundation. The M&S Appraisal Reports were reviewed, approved, and signed by an individual with the professional designation of MAI licensed in the state where each real property is located. The use of the reports is subject to the requirements of the Appraisal Institute relating to review by its duly authorized representatives. In preparing its reports, M&S did not, and was not requested to; solicit third-party indications of interest for our common stock in connection with possible purchases thereof or the acquisition of all or any part of us.
M&S collected reasonably available material information that it deemed relevant in appraising these real estate properties. M&S relied in part on property-level information provided by our Advisor, including (i) property historical and projected operating revenues and expenses; and (ii) information regarding recent or planned capital expenditures.
In conducting their investigation and analyses, M&S took into account customary and accepted financial and commercial procedures and considerations as they deemed relevant. Although M&S reviewed information supplied or otherwise made available by us or our Advisor for reasonableness, they assumed and relied upon the accuracy and completeness of all such information and of all information supplied or otherwise made available to them by any other party and did not independently verify any such information. M&S assumed that any operating or financial forecasts and other information and data provided to or otherwise reviewed by or discussed with M&S were reasonably prepared in good faith on bases reflecting the then best currently available estimates and judgments of our management, our Board of Directors, and/or our Advisor. M&S relied on us to advise them promptly if any information previously provided became inaccurate or was required to be updated during the period of their review.
In performing its analyses, M&S made numerous other assumptions as of various points in time with respect to industry performance, general business, economic, and regulatory conditions, and other matters, many of which are beyond their control and our control. M&S also made assumptions with respect to certain factual matters. For example, unless specifically informed to the contrary, M&S assumed that we have clear and marketable title to each real estate property appraised, that no title defects exist, that any improvements were made in accordance with law, that no hazardous materials are present or were present previously, that no significant deed restrictions exist, and that no changes to zoning ordinances or regulations governing use, density, or shape are pending or being considered. Furthermore, M&S’s analyses, opinions, and conclusions were necessarily based upon market, economic, financial, and other circumstances and conditions existing as of or prior to the date of the M&S Appraisal Reports, and any material change in such circumstances and conditions may affect M&S’s analyses and conclusions. The M&S Appraisal Reports contain other assumptions, qualifications, and limitations that qualify the analyses, opinions, and conclusions set forth therein. Furthermore, the prices at which our real estate properties may actually be sold could differ from M&S’s analyses.
M&S is actively engaged in the business of appraising commercial real estate properties similar to those owned by us in connection with public security offerings, private placements, business combinations, and similar transactions. We do not believe that there are any material conflicts of interest between M&S, on the one hand, and us, our Sponsor, our Advisor, and our affiliates, on the other hand. Our Advisor engaged M&S on behalf of our Board of Directors to deliver their reports to assist in the NAV calculation as of December 31, 2021 and M&S received compensation for those efforts. In addition, we agreed to indemnify M&S against certain liabilities arising out of this engagement. M&S has previously assisted in our prior NAV calculations and has also been engaged by us for certain valuation services with respect to our acquisitions. M&S may from time to time in the future perform other services for us and our Sponsor or other affiliates of the Sponsor, so long as such other services do not adversely affect the independence of M&S as certified in the M&S Appraisal Reports. During the past year M&S has also been engaged to provide appraisal services to another non-traded REIT sponsored by our Sponsor as well as to affiliates of our Sponsor for which it was paid usual and customary fees.
Although M&S considered any comments received from us and our Advisor relating to their reports, the final appraised values of the M&S Appraised Properties were determined by M&S. The reports were addressed to our Board of Directors to assist our Board of Directors in calculating an estimated NAV per Share as of December 31, 2021. The reports were not addressed to the public, may not be relied upon by any other person to establish an estimated value per share of our common stock, and do not constitute a recommendation to any person to purchase or sell any shares of our common stock.
Our goal in calculating our estimated NAV is to arrive at values that are reasonable and supportable using what we deem to be appropriate valuation methodologies and assumptions. The reports, including the analysis, opinions, and conclusions set forth in such reports, are qualified by the assumptions, qualifications, and limitations set forth in the respective reports. The following is a summary of our valuation methodologies used to value our assets and liabilities by key component:
Real Estate Properties: As of December 31, 2021, we have ownership interests in (i) eight consolidated properties and (ii) two unconsolidated properties held through joint ventures (collectively, the ‘‘Real Estate Properties’’). With respect to our consolidated properties as of December 31, 2021, we wholly owned eight hospitality properties, or select services hotels, containing a total of 872 rooms (collectively, the Consolidated Real Estate Properties”).
With respect to our unconsolidated properties as of December 31, 2021, we held a 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture, an affiliated real estate entity, which owns the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City, a 183-room, limited service hotel located in Long Island City, New York (the “Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City”) and held a 25.0% membership interest in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture, an affiliated real estate entity, which is developing and constructing a 210-room branded hotel (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel”) on land parcels located at 353-361 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. We do not consolidate our membership interests in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture and the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture, but rather account for them under the equity method of accounting.
As described above, we engaged M&S to provide an appraisal of the M&S Appraised Properties, which consisted of the ten Real Estate Properties in which we held ownership interests as of December 31, 2021.
In preparing the appraisal reports, M&S, among other things:
● performed a site visit of each property in connection with this assignment or previous assignments;
● interviewed our officers or the Advisor’s personnel to obtain information relating to the physical condition of each appraised property, including known environmental conditions, status of ongoing or planned property additions and reconfigurations, and other factors for such leased properties; and
● reviewed the acquisition criteria and parameters used by real estate investors for properties similar to the subject properties, including a search of real estate data sources and publications concerning real estate buyer’s criteria, discussions with sources deemed appropriate, and a review of transaction data for similar properties.
The following summarizes the valuation approach used for our Real Estate Properties:
M&S employed the income approach and the sales comparison approach to estimate the value of the appraised properties included in our Real Estate Properties. The income approach involves an economic analysis of the property based on its potential to provide future net annual income. As part of the valuation, a discounted cash flow analysis (‘‘DCF Analysis’’) and direct capitalization analysis (“DC Analysis”) was used in the income approach to determine the value of our interest in the portfolio. The indicated value by the income approach represents the amount an investor may pay for the expectation of receiving the net cash flow from the property.
The DC Analysis is based upon the net operating income of the property capitalized at an appropriate capitalization rate for the property based upon property characteristics and competitive position and market conditions at the date of the appraisal.
In applying the DCF Analysis, pro forma statements of operations for the property including revenues and expenses are analyzed and projected over a multi-year period. The property is assumed to be sold at the end of the multi-year holding period. The reversion value of the property which can be realized upon sale at the end of the holding period is calculated based on the capitalization of the estimated net operating income of the property in the year of sale, utilizing a capitalization rate deemed appropriate in light of the age, anticipated functional and economic obsolescence and competitive position of the property at the time of sale. Net proceeds to owners are determined by deducting appropriate costs of sale. The discount rate selected for the DCF Analysis is based upon estimated target rates of return for buyers of similar properties.
The sales comparison approach utilizes indices of value derived from actual or proposed sales of comparable properties to estimate the value of the subject property. The appraiser analyzed such comparable sale data as was available to develop a market value conclusion for the subject property.
M&S prepared the M&S Appraisal Reports summarizing key inputs and assumptions, for each of the appraised properties using financial information provided by us and our Advisor. From such review, M&S selected the appropriate cash flow discount rate, residual discount rate, and terminal capitalization rate in the DCF Analysis, the appropriate capitalization rate in the DC Analysis and the appropriate price per unit in the sales comparison analysis. As for those properties consolidated on our financials, and for which we do not own 100% of the ownership interest, the property value was adjusted to reflect our ownership interest in such property after consideration of the distribution priorities associated with each property.
The estimated values for our investments in real estate may or may not represent current market values and do not equal the book values of our real estate investments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Our consolidated investments in real estate are currently carried in our consolidated financial statements at their amortized cost basis, adjusted for any loss impairments and bargain purchase gains recognized to date. Our unconsolidated investments in real estate are accounted for under the equity method of accounting in our consolidated financial statements.
The following summarizes the key assumptions that were used in each DCF Analysis to estimate the value of our Consolidated Real Estate Properties and the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City as of December 31, 2021:
Consolidated
Real Estate
Properties
(8 hospitality
properties)
Hilton Garden
Inn- Long
Island City
Weighted-average:
Exit capitalization rate
8.21 %
5.75 %
Discount rate
8.81 %
6.75 %
Annual market rent growth rate
5.41 %
6.44 %
Annual net operating income growth rate
7.48 %
8.78 %
Holding period (in years)
The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel is currently under construction and expected to open during the fourth quarter of 2022. M&S deemed it appropriate to determine the estimated fair value of the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel as December 31, 2021 of $90.9 million using a DCF Analysis taking into consideration the expected net operating income (“NOI”) of the property upon stabilization less the remaining estimated costs to complete. M&S used a capitalization rate of 6.50% and a discount rate of 8.75% in their DCF Analysis. NOI is all gross revenues from the property less all operating expenses, including property taxes and management fees but excluding depreciation.
While we believe that the assumptions made by M&S are reasonable, a change in these assumptions would impact the calculations of the estimated value of our Real Estate Properties as of December 31, 2021. The table below presents the estimated increase or decrease to our estimated NAV per Share resulting from a 25-basis point increase and decrease in the discount rate and capitalization rate used in the DCF Analysis. The table is presented to provide a hypothetical illustration of possible results if only one change in assumptions was made with all other factors remaining constant. Further, each of these assumptions could change by more or less than 25-basis points or not at all.
Change in NAV per Share
Increase of
25 basis points
Decrease of
25 basis points
Capitalization rate
$ (0.21 )
$ 0.23
Discount rate
$ (0.26 )
$ 0.27
As of December 31, 2021, the aggregate estimated value of our Consolidated Real Estate Properties was $134.5 million and the aggregate carrying value of our Consolidated Real Estate Properties was $102.3 million, which equates to an overall increase in value of 31.5%.
As of December 31, 2021, the estimated fair value of our 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture of $17.9 million was calculated based on the gross appraised value of the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City of $66.5 million less the fair value of the outstanding indebtedness of $33.1 million plus all other non-real estate assets and liabilities, net of $2.3 million. The estimated fair value of our 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture of $17.9 million compared to our carrying value of $11.2 million, both as of December 31, 2021, equates to an increase in value of 59.8%.
As of December 31, 2021, the estimated fair value of our 25.0% membership interest in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture of $16.7 million was calculated based on the gross appraised value of the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel of $90.9 million less the fair value of the outstanding indebtedness of $14.8 million plus all other non-real estate liabilities, net (net of non-real estate assets) of $9.3 million. The estimated fair value of our 25.0% membership interest in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture of $16.7 million compared to our carrying value of $12.4 million, both as of December 31, 2021, equates to an increase in value of 35.0%.
Cash and cash equivalents: The estimated values of our cash and cash equivalents equal its carrying value.
Marketable securities, available for sale: The estimated values of our marketable securities, available for sale, are based on Level 1 and Level 2 inputs. Level 1 inputs are inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 inputs are inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. All of our marketable securities measured using Level 2 inputs were valued based on a market approach using readily available quoted market prices for similar assets.
Other assets: Our other assets consist of tenant accounts receivable, deposits, and prepaid expenses and other assets. The estimated values of these items approximate their carrying values due to their short maturities. Certain other items, primarily intangibles, have been eliminated for the purpose of the valuation because those items are already considered in our valuation of the respective investments in real estate properties or financial instruments.
Mortgages payable: The values for our mortgages payable were estimated using a discounted cash flow analysis, which used inputs based on the remaining loan terms and estimated current market interest rates for loans with similar characteristics, including remaining loan term and loan-to-value ratios. The current market interest rate was generally determined based on market rates for available comparable debt. The estimated current market interest rates for mortgages payable ranged from 3.75% to 4.00%.
Due to related parties: The estimated value of our due to related parties approximates its carrying value due to its short maturity.
Other liabilities, net: Our other liabilities consist of our accounts payable and accrued expenses and deposits payable. The carrying values of these items were considered to equal their fair value due to their short maturities. Additionally, certain outstanding notes payable were excluded as we expect them to be fully forgiven.
Allocations of Value to Special Limited Partner’s Subordinated Participation Interests: The Special Limited Partner’s Subordinated Participation Interests are classified in noncontrolling interests on our consolidated balance sheet. However, for purposes of our NAV, we do not estimate their fair value in accordance with GAAP. Rather, the IPA’s Practice Guideline 2013-01 provides for adjustments to the NAV for preferred securities, special interests and incentive fees based on the aggregate NAV of the company and payable to the sponsor in a hypothetical liquidation of the company as of the valuation date in accordance with the provisions of the partnership or advisory agreements and the terms of the preferred securities. Because our Subordinated Participation Interests are only payable to the Special Limited Partner in a liquidation event, we believe they should be valued for our NAV in accordance with these provisions.
Accordingly, pursuant to the terms of our operating agreement, no allocations of value are made to the Special Limited Partner’s Subordinated Participation Interests unless the estimated NAV per Share would have exceeded $10.00 per share plus a cumulative, pre-tax non-compounded annual return of 6.0% as of the indicated valuation date. In connection with our Offering, which terminated on March 31, 2017, the Special Limited Partner made cash purchases of Subordinated Participation Interests totaling $12.1 million. In the calculation of our estimated NAV, no allocation of value was made to the Special Limited Partner’s Subordinated Participation Interests because the estimated NAV per Share did not exceed an aggregate $10.00 price per share plus a cumulative, pre-tax non-compounded annual return of 6.0% as of December 31, 2021.
Historical Estimated NAV and NAV per Share
Additional information on our historical reported estimated NAV and NAV per Share as of December 31, 2020 may be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 filed on March 30, 2021.
Limitations and Risks
As with any valuation methodology, the methodology used to determine our estimated NAV and resulting estimated NAV per Share is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that may prove later not to be accurate or complete. Further, different market participants with different property-specific and general real estate and capital market assumptions, estimates, judgments and standards could derive different estimated NAVs per share, which could be significantly different from the estimated NAV per Share approved by our Board of Directors. The estimated NAV per Share approved by our Board of Directors does not represent the fair value of our assets less liabilities in accordance with GAAP, and such estimated NAV per Share is not a representation, warranty or guarantee that:
● a stockholder would be able to resell his or her shares of common stock at the estimated NAV per Share;
● a stockholder would ultimately realize distributions per share of common stock equal to the estimated NAV per Share upon liquidation of our assets and settlement of our liabilities or a sale of the Company;
● our shares of common stock would trade at the estimated NAV per Share on a national securities exchange;
● an independent third-party appraiser or other third-party valuation firm would agree with the estimated NAV per Share; or
● the methodology used to estimate our NAV per Share would be acceptable to FINRA or under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act with respect to their respective requirements.
The Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor do not provide any guidance on the methodology an issuer must use to determine its estimated NAV per Share. FINRA guidance provides that NAV valuations be derived from a methodology that conforms to standard industry practice.
As with any valuation methodology, our methodology is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that may not be accurate or complete. Different parties with different assumptions and estimates could derive different estimated NAVs per share, and these differences could be significant. The estimated NAV per Share is not audited and does not represent the fair value of our assets less our liabilities in accordance GAAP, nor do they represent an actual liquidation value of our assets and liabilities or the amount shares of our common stock would trade at on a national securities exchange. As of the date of this filing, although we have not sought stockholder approval to adopt a plan of liquidation of the Company, certain distributions may be payable to the special limited partner for its subordinated participation interests in connection with a liquidation event. Accordingly, our estimated NAV reflects any allocations of value to the subordinated participation interests representing the amount that would be payable to the special limited partner in connection with a liquidation event pursuant to the guidelines for estimating NAV contained in IPA Practice Guideline 2013-01, ‘‘Valuation of Publicly Registered Non-Listed REITs.’’ Our estimated NAV per Share is based on the estimated value of our assets less the estimated value of our liabilities less any allocations to the special limited partner’s subordinated participation interests divided by the number of our diluted shares of common stock outstanding, all as of the date indicated. Our estimated NAV per Share does not reflect a discount for the fact we are externally managed, nor does it reflect a real estate portfolio premium/discount versus the sum of the individual property values. Our estimated NAV per Share does not take into account estimated disposition costs or fees or penalties, if any, that may apply upon the prepayment of certain of our debt obligations or the impact of restrictions on the assumption of certain debt. Our NAV per Share will fluctuate over time as a result of, among other things, future acquisitions or dispositions of assets, developments related to individual assets and the management of those assets and changes in the real estate and capital markets. Different parties using different assumptions and estimates could derive different NAVs and resulting estimated NAVs per share, and these differences could be significant. Markets for real estate and real estate-related investments can fluctuate and values are expected to change in the future. We currently expect that our Advisor will estimate our NAV on at least an annual basis. Our Board of Directors will review and approve each estimate of NAV and resulting estimated NAV per Share.
The following factors may cause a stockholder not to ultimately realize distributions per share of common stock equal to the estimated NAV per Share upon liquidation:
● The methodology used to determine estimated NAV per Share includes a number of estimates and assumptions that may not prove to be accurate or complete as compared to the actual amounts received in the liquidation;
● In a liquidation, certain assets may not be liquidated at their estimated values because of transfer fees and disposition fees, which are not reflected in the estimated NAV calculation;
● In a liquidation, debt obligations may have to be prepaid and the costs of any prepayment penalties may reduce the liquidation amounts. Prepayment penalties are not included in determining the estimated value of liabilities in determining estimated NAV;
● In a liquidation, the real estate assets may derive a portfolio premium which premium is not considered in determining estimated NAV;
● In a liquidation, the potential buyers of the assets may use different estimates and assumptions than those used in determining estimated NAV;
● If the liquidation occurs through a listing of the common stock on a national securities exchange, the capital markets may value the Company’s net assets at a different amount than the estimated NAV. Such valuation would likely be based upon customary REIT valuation methodology including funds from operation (‘‘FFO’’) multiples of other comparable REITs, FFO coverage of dividends and adjusted FFO payout of the Company’s anticipated dividend; and
● If the liquidation occurs through a merger of the Company with another REIT, the amount realized for the common stock may not equal the estimated NAV per Share because of many factors including the aggregate consideration received, the make-up of the consideration (e.g., cash, stock or both), the performance of any stock received as part of the consideration during the merger process and thereafter, the reception of the merger in the market and whether the market believes the pricing of the merger was fair to both parties.
Share Repurchase Program
Our share repurchase program (the “SRP”) may provide eligible stockholders with limited, interim liquidity by enabling them to sell Common Shares back to us, subject to restrictions and applicable law.
On March 19, 2020, the Board of Directors amended the SRP to remove stockholder notice requirements and also approved the suspension of all redemptions effective immediately.
Effective May 10, 2021, the Board of Directors reopened the SRP to allow, subject to various conditions as set forth below, for redemptions submitted in connection with a stockholder’s death or hardship and set the price for all such purchases to our current NAV per Share, as determined by the Board of Directors and reported by us from time to time.
Deaths that occurred subsequent to January 1, 2020 were eligible for consideration, subject to certain conditions. Beginning January 1, 2022, requests for redemptions in connection with a stockholder’s death must be submitted and received by us within one year of the stockholder’s date of death for consideration.
On the above noted date, the Board of Directors established that on an annual basis, we would not redeem in excess of 0.5% of the number of shares outstanding as of the end of the preceding year for either death or hardship redemptions, respectively. Additionally, redemption requests generally would be processed on a quarterly basis and would be subject to pro ration if either type of redemption requests exceeded the annual limitation.
For the year ended December 31, 2021 we repurchased 77,678 shares of common stock, pursuant to its share repurchase program at an average price per share of $8.05 per share. For the period from January 1 through March 18, 2020, we redeemed 80,436 shares of common stock at an average price per share of $9.92 per share.
Distributions
Distribution Objectives
U.S. federal income tax law requires that a REIT distribute annually at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income, as calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”)) determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain. In order to continue to qualify for REIT status, we may be required to make distributions in excess of cash available.
We are an accrual basis taxpayer, and as such our REIT taxable income could be higher than the cash available to us. We may therefore borrow to make distributions, which could reduce the cash available to us, in order to distribute 90% of our REIT taxable income as a condition to our election to be taxed as a REIT. These distributions made with borrowed funds may constitute a return of capital to stockholders. “Return of capital” refers to distributions to investors in excess of net income. To the extent that distributions to stockholders exceed earnings and profits, such amounts constitute a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, although such distributions might not reduce stockholders’ aggregate invested capital. Because our earnings and profits are reduced for depreciation and other non-cash items, it is likely that a portion of each distribution will constitute a tax-deferred return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Distributions and Distributions Declared by our Board of Directors
On June 19, 2019, our Board of Directors determined to suspend regular monthly distributions.
Previously, distributions in an amount equal to a 6.0% annualized rate were declared on a monthly basis beginning on January 14, 2015 through June 30, 2019 and were paid on or about the 15th day following each month end.
There were no distributions declared during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Future distributions declared, if any, will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors based on their analysis of our performance over the previous periods and expectations of performance for future periods. The Board of Directors will consider various factors in its determination, including but not limited to, the sources and availability of capital, revenues and other sources of income, operating and interest expenses and our ability to refinance near-term debt as well as the IRS’s annual distribution requirement that REITs distribute no less than 90% of their taxable income. We cannot assure that any future distributions will be made or that we will maintain any particular level of distributions that we have previously established or may establish.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
During the period covered by this Form 10-K, we did not sell any equity securities that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

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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:
You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following information contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Please see “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” above for a description of these risks and uncertainties. Dollar amounts are presented in whole numbers, except per share data and where indicated in millions.
Overview
Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT III”), which was formerly known as Lightstone Value Plus Real Estate Investment Trust III, Inc. before September 16, 2021, together with the Operating Partnership (as defined below), the “Company”, also referred to as “we”, “our” or “us” herein) has and expects to continue to acquire and operate or develop in the future, hospitality, residential and/or commercial properties and/or make real estate-related investments, principally in the United States. Our acquisitions and investments are, principally conducted through the Operating Partnership, and may include both portfolios and individual properties. As of December 31, 2021, our portfolio of properties consisted of ten hospitality properties (eight consolidated and two unconsolidated). Our real estate investments have been and are expected to continue to be held by us alone or jointly with other parties.
We do not have employees. We entered into an advisory agreement with Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which we refer to as the “Advisor,” pursuant to which the Advisor supervises and manages our day-to-day operations and selects our real estate and real estate related investments, subject to oversight by our Board of Directors. We pay the Advisor fees for services related to the investment and management of our assets, and we will reimburse the Advisor for certain expenses incurred on our behalf.
To qualify or maintain our qualification as a REIT, we engage in certain activities through a wholly-owned taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”). As such, we are subject to U.S. federal and state income and franchise taxes from these activities.
Acquisitions and Investment Strategy
We have made and intend to continue to make direct or indirect real estate investments that will satisfy our primary investment objectives of preserving capital, making cash distributions as necessary to maintain our status as a REIT and achieving appreciation of our assets over the long term. The ability of our Advisor to identify and execute investment opportunities directly impacts our financial performance.
We will continue to seek to acquire and operate hotels and other commercial real estate assets, residential properties and make other real estate-related investments primarily located in the United States. We may acquire and operate all such properties alone or jointly with another party.
Current Environment
Our operating results are substantially impacted by the overall health of local, U.S. national and global economies and may be influenced by market and other challenges. Additionally, our business and financial performance may be adversely affected by current and future economic and other conditions; including, but not limited to, availability or terms of financings, financial markets volatility, political upheaval or uncertainty, natural and man-made disasters, terrorism and acts of war, unfavorable changes in laws and regulations, outbreaks of contagious diseases, cybercrime, loss of key relationships, and recession.
These and other market and economic challenges could materially affect (i) the value and performance of our investments, (ii) our ability to pay future distributions, if any, (iii) the availability or terms of financings, (iv) our ability to make scheduled principal and interest payments, and (v) our ability to refinance any outstanding debt when contractually due.
COVID-19 Pandemic Operations and Liquidity Update
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 and since that time many of the previously imposed restrictions and other measures which were instituted in response have been subsequently reduced or lifted. However, the COVID-19 pandemic remains highly unpredictable and dynamic and its duration and extent continue to be dependent on various developments, such as the emergence of variants to the virus that may cause additional strains of COVID-19, the administration and ultimate effectiveness of vaccines, including booster shots, and the eventual timeline to achieve a sufficient level of herd immunity among the general population. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to have negative effects on the health of the U.S. economy for the foreseeable future.
The extent to which our business may be affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will largely depend on both current and future developments, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be reasonably predicted.
Furthermore, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, room demand and rental rates for our consolidated and unconsolidated hotels significantly declined starting in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic; and while these metrics have improved since then (late 2020 and continuing throughout 2021); room demand and rental rates remain below their pre-pandemic historical levels. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our operations, financial position and cash flow; and while the severity of the impact has lessened, we currently expect we will continue to experience a negative impact for the foreseeable future. We cannot currently estimate if and when room demand and rental rates will return to historical pre-pandemic levels for our hotels.
In light of the past, present and potential future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operating results of its hotels, we have taken various actions to preserve our liquidity, including the following:
● We implemented cost reduction strategies for all of our hotels, leading to reductions in certain operating expenses and capital expenditures.
● Amendments to Revolving Credit Facility -
On June 2, 2020, our revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) was amended to provide for (i) the deferral of the six monthly debt service payments aggregating $0.8 million for the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 until July 13, 2022; (ii) a 100 bps reduction in the interest rate spread to LIBOR + 2.15%, subject to a 3.00% floor, for the six-month period from September 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021; (iii) our pre-funding $0.8 million into a cash collateral reserve account to cover the six monthly debt service payments due from October 1, 2020 through March 1, 2021; and (iv) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods before June 30, 2021. Additionally, a principal paydown of $0.6 million, which was previously due on April 1, 2020 was bifurcated into two separate principal paydowns, of $0.3 million, which were made in June 2020 and September 2020.
Subsequently, on March 31, 2021, the Revolving Credit Facility was further amended providing for (i) us to make another principal paydown of $3.8 million, (ii) us to fund an additional $0.7 million into the cash collateral reserve account; (iii) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods through September 30, 2021 with a phased-in gradual return to the full financial covenant requirements over the quarter-end periods beginning December 31, 2021 through March 31, 2023; (iv) two one-year extension options at the lender’s sole discretion (v) certain limitations and restrictions on asset sales and additional borrowings related to the pledged collateral.
See Note 5 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
● In April 2020 and during the first quarter of 2021, our hotels received an aggregate of $1.5 million and $1.9 million, respectively, from loans provided under the federal Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP Loans”). Through December 31, 2021, we received notice from the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) that aggregate of $0.9 million of our PPP Loans and related accrued interest have been legally forgiven. See Note 6 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
● On June 19, 2019, the Board of Directors had previously determined to suspend regular monthly distributions and, as a result, have not declared any distributions on our Common Shares since the suspension. Additionally, on March 19, 2020, the Board of Directors approved the suspension of all redemptions under our shareholder repurchase program (the “SRP”). Subsequently on May 10, 2021, the Board of Directors partially reopened the SRP to allow, subject to various conditions, for redemptions submitted in connection with a stockholder’s death or hardship. See Note 7 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
● The Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture has obtained various amendments to its non-recourse mortgage loan secured by the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City. See Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
We believe that these actions, along with our available cash on hand and marketable securities, as well as our intention to seek to extend the Revolving Credit Facility to July 13, 2023 pursuant to the lender’s first extension option, as discussed in Note 5 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, will provide us with sufficient liquidity to meet our obligations for at least 12 months from the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements.
We are not currently aware of any other material trends or uncertainties, favorable or unfavorable, that may be reasonably anticipated to have a material impact on either capital resources or the revenues or income to be derived from our operations, other than those referred to above or throughout this Form 10-K. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during a reporting period.
Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies
General
Our consolidated financial statements included in this annual report include our accounts and the Operating Partnership (over which we exercise financial and operating control). All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of our financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments about the effects of matters or future events that are inherently uncertain. These estimates and judgments may affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.
On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including contingencies and litigation. We base these estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable in the circumstances. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
To assist in understanding our results of operations and financial position, we have identified our critical accounting policies and discussed them below. These accounting policies are most important to the portrayal of our results and financial position, either because of the significance of the financial statement items to which they relate or because they require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments.
Investments in Real Estate
Carrying Value of Assets
The amounts to be capitalized as a result of periodic improvements and additions to real estate property, when applicable, and the periods over which the assets will be depreciated or amortized, are determined based on the application of accounting standards that may require estimates as to fair value and the allocation of various costs to the individual assets. Differences in the amount attributed to the assets may be significant based upon the assumptions made in calculating these estimates.
Impairment Evaluation
We evaluate our investments in real estate assets for potential impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the undiscounted projected cash flows are less than the carrying amount for a particular property. We evaluate the recoverability of our investments in real estate assets at the lowest identifiable level, the individual property level. No single indicator would necessarily result in us preparing an estimate to determine if an individual property’s future undiscounted cash flows are less than its carrying value. We use judgment to determine if the severity of any single indicator, or the fact there are a number of indicators of less severity that when combined, would result in an indication that a property requires an estimate of the undiscounted cash flows to determine if an impairment has occurred. Relevant facts and circumstances include, among others, significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results and significant negative industry or economic trends. The estimated cash flows used for the impairment analysis are subjective and require us to use our judgment and the determination of estimated fair value are based on our plans for the respective assets and our views of market and economic conditions. The estimates consider matters such as future operating income, market and other applicable trends and residual value, as well as the effects of demand, competition, and recent sales data for comparable properties. An impairment loss is recognized only if the carrying amount of a property is not recoverable and exceeds its fair value.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation expense is computed based on the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the applicable real estate asset. We generally use estimated useful lives of up to 39 years for buildings and improvements and 5 to 10 years for furniture and fixtures. Maintenance and repairs will be charged to expense as incurred.
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities
We evaluate all investments in other entities for consolidation. We consider our percentage interest in the joint venture, evaluation of control and whether a variable interest entity exists when determining whether or not the investment qualifies for consolidation or if it should be accounted for as an unconsolidated investment under the equity method of accounting.
If an investment qualifies for the equity method of accounting, our investment is recorded initially at cost, and subsequently adjusted for equity in net income or loss and cash contributions and distributions. The net income or loss of an unconsolidated investment is allocated to its investors in accordance with the provisions of the operating agreement of the entity. The allocation provisions in these agreements may differ from the ownership interest held by each investor. Differences, if any, between the carrying amount of our investment in the respective joint venture and our share of the underlying equity of such unconsolidated entity are amortized over the respective lives of the underlying assets as applicable. These items are reported as a single line item in the statements of operations as income or loss from investments in unconsolidated affiliated entities.
We review investments for impairment in value whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such investment may not be recoverable. An investment is impaired only if management’s estimate of the fair value of the investment is less than the carrying value of the investment, and such decline in value is deemed to be other than temporary. The ultimate realization of our investment in partially owned entities is dependent on a number of factors including the performance of that entity and market conditions. If we determine that a decline in the value of a partially owned entity is other than temporary, we will record an impairment charge.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenues are comprised primarily of revenues from the operations of hotels.
Room revenue is generated through contracts with customers whereby the customers agree to pay a daily rate for right to use a hotel room. Our contractual performance obligations are fulfilled at the end of the day that the customer is provided the room and revenue is recognized daily at the contract rate. Payment from the customer is secured at the end of the contract upon check-out by the customer from our hotel. We participate in frequent guest programs sponsored by the brand owners of our hotels whereby the brand owner allows guests to earn loyalty points during their hotel stay. We recognize revenue at the amount earned that it will receive from the brand owner when a guest redeems their loyalty points by staying at one of our hotels.
Revenue from food, beverage and other ancillary services is generated when a customer chooses to purchase goods or services separately from a hotel room and revenue is recognized when these goods or services are provided to the customer and our contractual performance obligations have been fulfilled.
Some contracts for rooms, food, beverage or other services require an upfront deposit which is recorded as deferred revenues (or contract liabilities) and recognized once the performance obligations are satisfied. The contractual liabilities are not significant.
We note no significant judgments regarding the recognition of room, food and beverage or other revenues.
Treatment of Management Compensation, Expense Reimbursements
Management of our operations is outsourced to our Advisor and certain other affiliates of our Sponsor. Fees related to each of these services are accounted for based on the nature of such service and the relevant accounting literature. Such fees include acquisition fees associated with the purchase of interests in real estate entities; asset management fees paid to our Advisor and property management fees paid to affiliates of our Advisor. These fees are expensed or capitalized to the basis of acquired assets, as appropriate.
Affiliates of our Advisor may also perform fee-based construction management services for both our development and redevelopment activities and tenant construction projects. These fees will be considered incremental to the construction effort and will be capitalized to the associated real estate project as incurred. Costs incurred for tenant construction will be depreciated over the shorter of their useful life or the term of the related lease. Costs related to development and redevelopment activities will be depreciated over the estimated useful life of the associated project.
Leasing activity at our properties may be outsourced to affiliates of our Advisor. Any corresponding leasing fees we pay will be capitalized and amortized over the life of the related lease.
Expense reimbursements made to both our Advisor and affiliates of our Advisor are expensed or capitalized to the basis of acquired assets, as appropriate.
Income Taxes
We elected to qualify and be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with the taxable year ended December 31, 2015. As a REIT, we generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax on our net taxable income that we distribute currently to our stockholders. To maintain our REIT qualification under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) we must meet a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that we annually distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income, as calculated in accordance with GAAP), determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain. If we fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT in any subsequent year and do not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, our income for that year will be taxed at regular corporate rates, and we may be precluded from qualifying for treatment as a REIT for the four-year period following our failure to qualify as a REIT. Such an event could materially adversely affect our net income and net cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
We engage in certain activities through taxable REIT subsidiaries TRSs. When we purchase a hotel we establish a TRS and enter into an operating lease agreement for the hotel. As such, we are subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes and franchise taxes from these activities.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had no material uncertain income tax positions. Additionally, even if we continue to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may still be subject to some U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and property and to U.S. federal income taxes and excise taxes on our undistributed income.
Results of Operations
Disposition of an unconsolidated 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture
On February 12, 2020, we completed the disposition of an unconsolidated 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture which resulted in the recognition of a gain on the disposition of unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $7.9 million during the first quarter of 2020. During August 2020, we received $0.1 million of additional proceeds related to the redemption of our membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture and recognized a gain on the disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $0.1 million during the third quarter of 2020. As a result, we recognized an aggregate gain on the disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $8.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. See Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information
Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2021 vs. December 31, 2020
Consolidated
Our consolidated revenues, property operating expenses, real estate taxes, general and administrative expense and depreciation and amortization for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 are attributable to our consolidated hospitality properties, all of which were owned by us during the entire periods presented.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, room demand and rental rates for our consolidated and unconsolidated hotels significantly declined starting in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic; and while these metrics have improved since then (late 2020 and continuing throughout 2021); room demand and rental rates remain below their pre-pandemic historical levels. Overall, our consolidated hospitality portfolio experienced increases in (i) the percentage of rooms occupied from 49.0% to 68.1% for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively, (ii) revenue per available room (“RevPAR”) from $42.75 to $66.51 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively, and (iii) the average daily rate (“ADR”) from $87.30 to $97.65 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Revenues
Revenues increased by $7.6 million to $21.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $14.2 million for the same period in 2020. This increase reflects the higher occupancy, RevPAR and ADR during the 2021 period.
Property operating expenses
Property operating expenses increased by $2.6 million to $13.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $11.2 million for the same period in 2020. This increase reflects the increased costs associated with higher occupancy during the 2021 period.
Real estate taxes
Real estate taxes decreased slightly by $0.1 million to $1.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $1.5 million for the same period in 2020.
General and administrative expense
General and administrative expenses was relatively unchanged at $2.5 million during both the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense was relatively unchanged at $5.1 million during both the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Interest expense
Interest expense slightly decreased by $0.1 million to $2.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $3.0 million for the same period in 2020. Interest expense is attributable to financings associated with our hotels and reflects both changes in market interest rates on our variable rate indebtedness and the weighted average principal outstanding during the periods.
Gain on forgiveness of debt
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we received notices from the SBA that all of the PPP Loans received in April 2020 totaling $1.5 million and their related accrued interest aggregating $19,311 had been legally forgiven and therefore, we recognized a gain on forgiveness of debt of $1.5 million in our consolidated statements of operations during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Gain on disposition of unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity
On February 12, 2020, we completed the disposition of our unconsolidated 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture which resulted in the recognition of a gain on the disposition of unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $7.9 million during the first quarter of 2020. During August 2020, we received $0.1 million of additional proceeds related to the redemption of our membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture and recognized a gain on disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $0.1 million during the third quarter of 2020. As a result, we recognized an aggregate gain on the disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $8.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Earnings from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities
Our loss from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities was $0.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $2.1 million for the same period in 2020. Our earnings from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities are attributable to our unconsolidated 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture and our unconsolidated 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture (through the date of the redemption of our membership interest on February 12, 2020). The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel is currently under construction and expected to open during the fourth quarter of 2022. Therefore, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture had no operating results from August 5, 2021 (date of acquisition) through December 31, 2021.
Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview:
Revenues, interest and dividend income, proceeds from the sale of marketable securities, cash on hand and borrowings are our principal sources of funds to pay operating expenses, scheduled debt service, capital expenditures (excluding non-recurring capital expenditures), contributions to our unconsolidated affiliated entities, redemptions and cancellations of shares of our common stock, if approved, and distributions, if any, required to maintain our status as a REIT. During the year ended December 31, 2021, our primary sources of funds were cash flows from operations of $1.7 million, proceeds from the sales of marketable securities of $1.5 million, proceeds from PPP loans of $1.9 million and distributions from the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture of $0.5 million.
We currently believe that these cash resources along with our available cash on hand of $16.6 million and marketable securities of $1.8 million, all as of December 31, 2021, as well as our intention to seek to extend the Revolving Credit Facility to July 13, 2023 pursuant to the lender’s first extension option, as discussed in Note 5 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, will be sufficient to satisfy our cash requirements for the foreseeable future, and we do not currently anticipate a need to raise funds from other than these sources within the next 12 months. However, to the extent that cash flow from operations and available cash on hand and marketable securities are not sufficient to cover our cash needs or our lender does not agree to the first extension option under the Revolving Credit Facility, we may use proceeds from additional borrowings and/or selective asset sales to fund such needs.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on our operating performance, we have successfully negotiated various changes to the terms of our Revolving Credit Facility, including forbearance of scheduled debt service, reductions in interest rates and waiver periods and modifications of financial covenants. See “Contractual Mortgage Obligations” for additional information.
As of December 31, 2021, we have $61.3 million of outstanding mortgage debt and $1.9 million of PPP Loans (classified as notes payable on our consolidated balance sheet). We have and intend to continue to limit our aggregate long-term permanent borrowings to 75% of the aggregate fair market value of all properties unless any excess borrowing is approved by a majority of the independent directors and is disclosed to our stockholders. Market conditions will dictate our overall leverage limit; as such our aggregate long-term permanent borrowings may be less than 75% of aggregate fair market value of all properties. We may also incur short-term indebtedness, having a maturity of two years or less.
Our charter provides that the aggregate amount of our borrowing, both secured and unsecured, may not exceed 300% of net assets in the absence of a satisfactory showing that a higher level is appropriate, the approval of our Board of Directors and disclosure to stockholders. Net assets means our total assets, other than intangibles, at cost before deducting depreciation or other non-cash reserves less our total liabilities, calculated at least quarterly on a basis consistently applied. Any excess in borrowing over such 300% of net assets level must be approved by a majority of our independent directors and disclosed to our stockholders in our next quarterly report to stockholders, along with justification for such excess. Market conditions will dictate our overall leverage limit; as such our aggregate borrowings may be less than 300% of net assets. As of December 31, 2021, our total borrowings were $63.2 million which represented 59% of our net assets.
Our borrowings currently consist of mortgages cross-collateralized by a pool of properties. Our mortgages typically provide for either interest-only payments (generally for variable-rate indebtedness) or level payments (generally for fixed-rate indebtedness) with “balloon” payments due at maturity.
Any future properties that we may acquire or develop may be funded through a combination of borrowings and the proceeds received from the disposition of certain of our assets. These borrowing may consist of single-property mortgages as well as mortgages cross-collateralized by a pool of properties. Such mortgages may be put in place either at the time we acquire a property or subsequent to our purchasing a property for cash. In addition, we may acquire properties that are subject to existing indebtedness where we choose to assume the existing mortgages. Generally, though not exclusively, we intend to seek to encumber our properties with non-recourse debt. This means that a lender’s rights on default will generally be limited to foreclosing on the property. However, we may, at our discretion, secure recourse financing or provide a guarantee to lenders if we believe this may result in more favorable terms. When we give a guaranty for a property owning entity, we will be responsible to the lender for the satisfaction of the indebtedness if it is not paid by the property owning entity.
We may also obtain lines of credit to be used to acquire properties. If obtained, these lines of credit will be at prevailing market terms and will be repaid from proceeds from the sale or refinancing of properties, working capital and/or permanent financing. Our Sponsor and/or its affiliates may guarantee our lines of credit although they are not obligated to do so. We expect that such properties may be purchased by our Sponsor’s affiliates on our behalf, in our name, in order to minimize the imposition of a transfer tax upon a transfer of such properties to us.
In addition to meeting working capital needs and distributions, if any, made to maintain our status as a REIT, our capital resources are used to make certain payments to our Advisor, including payments related to asset acquisition fees and asset management fees, the reimbursement of acquisition-related expenses to our Advisor. We also reimburse our advisor for actual expenses it incurs for administrative and other services provided to us. Additionally, the Operating Partnership may be required to make distributions to Lightstone SLP III LLC, an affiliate of the Advisor.
We have agreements with the Advisor to pay certain fees in exchange for services performed by the Advisor and/or its affiliated entities. Upon the liquidation of assets, we may pay our Advisor or its affiliates a real estate disposition commission. Additionally, our Operating Partnership may be required to make distributions to Lightstone SLP III LLC, an affiliate of the Advisor.
The following table represents the fees incurred associated with the payments to the Advisor for the periods indicated:
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
Finance fees (1)
$ 144,375
$ -
Disposition fees (general and administrative costs)
-
39,200
Asset management fees (general and administrative costs)
1,204,422
1,256,459
Total
$ 1,348,797
$ 1,295,659
(1) A finance fee of $144,375 paid to the Advisor in connection with arranging the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture’s construction loan was capitalized and included in investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities on the consolidated balance sheets.
Summary of Cash Flows
The following summary discussion of our cash flows is based on the consolidated statements of cash flows and is not meant to be an all-inclusive discussion of the changes in our cash flows for the periods presented below:
Year Ended
December 31,
Year Ended
December 31,
Cash flows provided by/(used in) operating activities
$ 1,662,560
$ (3,765,414 )
Cash flows (used in)/provided by investing activities
(12,050,995 )
20,600,226
Cash flows used in financing activities
(2,943,807 )
(406,759 )
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
(13,332,242 )
16,428,053
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of year
29,971,246
13,543,193
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of year
$ 16,639,004
$ 29,971,246
Operating activities
The net cash provided by operating activities of $1.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 consisted of our net loss of $2.7 million and a gain on forgiveness of debt of $1.5 million adjusted for depreciation and amortization, loss from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities, amortization of deferred financing costs and other non-cash items aggregating $5.6 million and net changes in operating assets and liabilities of $0.2 million.
Investing activities
The net cash used in investing activities of $12.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily consisted of $7.9 million for the purchase of our 25% membership interest in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture and additional aggregate contributions of $4.3 million to the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture, $1.3 million of contributions made to the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture and capital expenditures of $0.3 million, partially offset by $1.5 million of proceeds received from the sale of marketable securities and distributions of $0.5 million received from the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture.
Financing activities
The cash used in financing activities of $2.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 consisted of payments on our mortgages payable of $30.4 million (including the repayment in full of the Home2 Suites Promissory Note and a $3.8 million paydown on our Revolving Credit Facility) and redemptions and cancellations of common shares of $0.6 million, partially offset by aggregate net proceeds received from new mortgage financings of $26.2 million and proceeds from PPP Loans of $1.9 million.
Distributions on Common Shares
On June 19, 2019, our Board of Directors determined to suspend regular monthly distributions on our Common Shares and as a result, no distributions have been declared since the suspension.
Previously, distributions on our Common Shares in an amount equal to a 6.0% annualized rate, based on a share price of $10.00, were declared on a monthly basis beginning on January 14, 2015 through June 30, 2019 and were paid on or about the 15th day following each month end.
Future distributions declared on our Common Shares, if any, will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors based on their analysis of our performance over the previous periods and expectations of performance for future periods. The Board of Directors will consider various factors in its determination, including but not limited to, the sources and availability of capital, revenues and sources of income, operating and interest expenses and our ability to refinance near-term debt as well as the IRS’s annual distribution requirement that REITs distribute no less than 90% of their taxable income. We cannot assure that any future distributions will be made or that we will maintain any particular level of distributions that we have previously established or may establish.
Share Repurchase Program
Our share repurchase program (the “SRP”) may provide eligible stockholders with limited, interim liquidity by enabling them to sell their Common Shares back to us, subject to restrictions and applicable law.
On March 19, 2020, the Board of Directors amended the SRP to remove stockholder notice requirements and also approved the suspension of all redemptions effective immediately.
Effective May 10, 2021, the Board of Directors reopened the SRP to allow, subject to various conditions as set forth below, for redemptions submitted in connection with a stockholder’s death or hardship and set the price for all such purchases to our current NAV per Share, as determined by the Board of Directors and reported by us from time to time.
Deaths that occurred subsequent to January 1, 2020 were eligible for consideration, subject to certain conditions. Beginning January 1, 2022, requests for redemptions in connection with a stockholder’s death must be submitted and received by us within one year of the stockholder’s date of death for consideration.
On the above noted date, the Board of Directors established that on an annual basis, we would not redeem in excess of 0.5% of the number of shares outstanding as of the end of the preceding year for either death or hardship redemptions, respectively. Additionally, redemption requests generally would be processed on a quarterly basis and would be subject to pro ration if either type of redemption requests exceeded the annual limitation.
For the period from January 1 through March 18, 2020, we redeemed 80,436 shares of common stock at an average price per share of $9.92. For the year ended December 31, 2021 we repurchased 77,678 shares of common stock, pursuant to our SRP at an average price per share of $8.05.
Contractual Mortgage Obligations
The following is a summary of our estimated contractual mortgage obligations outstanding over the next 5 years and thereafter as of December 31, 2021.
Contractual Mortgage Obligations
Thereafter
Total
Principal maturities
$ 34,573,333
$ 52,333
$ 657,787
$ 685,707
$ 25,354,173
$ -
$ 61,323,333
Interest payments(1)
1,758,639
1,003,125
1,003,125
992,574
1,839,740
-
6,597,203
Total Contractual Mortgage Obligations
$ 36,331,972
$ 1,055,458
$ 1,660,912
$ 1,678,281
$ 27,193,913
$ -
$ 67,920,536
(1) These amounts represent future interest payments related to mortgage payable obligations based on the fixed and variable interest rates specified in the associated debt agreement. All variable rate debt agreements are based on the one-month LIBOR rate. For purposes of calculating future interest amounts on variable interest rate debt the one-month LIBOR rate as of December 31, 2021 was used.
Revolving Credit Facility
We, through certain subsidiaries, have a non-recourse Revolving Credit Facility with a financial institution. The Revolving Credit Facility provides us with a line of credit of up to $60.0 million pursuant to which we may designate properties as collateral that allow borrowings up to a 65.0% loan-to-value ratio subject to also meeting certain financial covenants. The Revolving Credit Facility provides for monthly interest-only payments and the entire principal balance is due upon its expiration.
The Revolving Credit Facility, bears interest at LIBOR + 3.15%, subject to a 4.00% floor, and is currently scheduled to mature on July 13, 2022, subject to two, one-year extension options at the sole discretion of the lender.
On June 2, 2020, our Revolving Credit Facility was amended to provide for (i) the deferral of the six monthly debt service payments aggregating $0.8 million for the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 until July 13, 2022; (ii) a 100 bps reduction in the interest rate spread to LIBOR + 2.15%, subject to a 3.00% floor, for the six-month period from September 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021; (iii) our pre-funding $0.8 million into a cash collateral reserve account to cover the six monthly debt service payments due from October 1, 2020 through March 1, 2021; and (iv) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods before June 30, 2021. Additionally, a principal paydown of $0.6 million, which was previously due on April 1, 2020 was bifurcated into two separate principal paydowns, of $0.3 million, which were made in June 2020 and September 2020.
Subsequently, on March 31, 2021, our Revolving Credit Facility was further amended providing for (i) us to make another principal paydown of $3.8 million, (ii) us to fund an additional $0.7 million into the cash collateral reserve account; (iii) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods through September 30, 2021 with a phased-in gradual return to the full financial covenant requirements over the quarter-end periods beginning December 31, 2021 through March 31, 2023; (iv) two one-year extension options at the lender’s sole discretion; and (v) certain limitations and restrictions on asset sales and additional borrowings related to the pledged collateral.
As of December 31, 2021, the Revolving Credit Facility had an outstanding principal balance of $34.6 million and six of our hotel properties were pledged as collateral. Additionally, no additional borrowings were available under the Revolving Credit Facility as of December 31, 2021. We currently intend to seek to extend the Revolving Credit Facility to July 13, 2023 pursuant to the lender’s first extension, however, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in such endeavors.
Home2 Suites Financings
On October 5, 2016, we entered into a non-recourse promissory note (the “Home2 Suites Promissory Note”) for $28.4 million. The Promissory Note had a term of 5 years and bore interest at 4.73%. The Home2 Suites Promissory Note was cross-collateralized by the Home2 Suites - Tukwila and the Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City.
On December 6, 2021,we entered into a non-recourse loan facility providing for up to $19.1 million (the “Home2 Suites - Tukwila Loan”). At closing, we initially received $16.2 million and the remaining $2.9 million is available after December 31, 2022, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions. The Home2 Suites - Tukwila Loan is scheduled to mature on December 6, 2026, bears interest at LIBOR+3.50%, subject to a 3.75% floor, and requires monthly interest-only payments through December 2023 and subsequently, monthly payments of interest and principal of $0.1 million through its maturity date. The Home2 Suites Tukwila Loan is cross-collateralized by the Home2 Suites - Tukwila and the Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City.
On December 6, 2021, we entered into a non-recourse loan facility providing for up to $12.5 million (the “Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City Loan”). At closing we initially received $10.5 million, and the remaining $2.0 million is available after December 31, 2022 subject to satisfaction of certain conditions. The Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City Loan scheduled to mature on December 6, 2026, bears interest at LIBOR+3.50%, subject to a 3.75% floor, and requires monthly interest-only payments through December 2023 and subsequently, monthly payments of interest and principal of $0.1 million through its maturity date. The Home2 Suites Salt Lake City Loan is cross-collateralized by the Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City and the Home2 Suites - Tukwila.
On December 6, 2021, we repaid the Home2 Suites Promissory Note (outstanding principal balance of $26.0 million) in full using the initial proceeds from the Home2 Suites - Tukwila Loan and the Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City Loan.
PPP Loans
In April 2020, we, through various subsidiaries (each such entity, a “Borrower” and collectively, the “Borrowers”), received aggregate funding of $1.5 million through loans (the “PPP Loans”) originated under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which was established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) and is administered by the SBA. During the first quarter of 2021, the Borrowers received an additional aggregate funding of $1.9 million of PPP Loans.
The PPP Loans each have a term of five years and provide for an interest rate of 1.00%. The payment of principal and interest on the PPP loan is deferred until the day that the forgiven amount is remitted to the lender (approximately 5 months after the forgiveness application is submitted to the lender, unless the Borrower appeals a denial of forgiveness) or 10 months after the end of the Borrower’s covered period, whichever is earlier. Pursuant to the terms of the CARES Act, the proceeds of the PPP Loans may be used for payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent or utility costs.
The promissory note for each of the PPP Loans contains customary events of default relating to, among other things, payment defaults and breach of representations and warranties or of provisions of the relevant promissory note. Under the terms of the CARES Act, each Borrower can apply for and be granted forgiveness for all or a portion of the PPP Loans. Such forgiveness will be determined, subject to limitations, based on the use of loan proceeds in accordance with the terms of the CARES Act. Although we intend for each Borrower to apply for forgiveness, no assurance may be given that all of the Borrowers will ultimately obtain forgiveness under any relevant PPP Loan in whole or in part. In the event all or any portion of the PPP Loans is forgiven, the amount forgiven will be applied to outstanding principal and recorded as income. The PPP Loans are subject to audit by the SBA for up to six years after the date the loans are forgiven.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we received notices from the SBA that all of the PPP Loans received in April 2020 totaling $1.5 million and their related accrued interest aggregating $19,311 had been legally forgiven and therefore, we recognized a gain on forgiveness of debt of $1.5 million in its consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the PPP Loans had outstanding balances of $1.9 million and $1.5 million, respectively, and are classified as Notes Payable on the consolidated balance sheets.
LIBOR
The Revolving Credit Facility, PPP Loans and the Williamsburg Moxy Joint Venture’s Moxy Construction Loan (See “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture and Moxy Construction Loan”) are indexed to LIBOR. In late 2021, it was announced LIBOR interest rates will cease publication altogether by June 30, 2023. We have and intend continue to incorporate relatively standardized replacement rate provisions into our LIBOR-indexed debt documents, including a spread adjustment mechanism designed to equate to the current LIBOR “all in” rate. There is significant uncertainty with respect to the implementation of the phase out and what alternative indexes will be adopted which will ultimately be determined by the market as a whole. It therefore remains uncertain how such changes will be implemented and the effects such changes would have on us and the financial markets generally.
Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliated Entities
Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture
On March 27, 2018, we and Lightstone Value Plus REIT II, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT II”), a REIT also sponsored by our Sponsor and a related party, acquired, through LVP LIC Hotel JV LLC (the “Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture”), a 183-room, limited-service hotel located at 29-21 41st Avenue, Long Island City, New York (the “Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City”) from an unrelated third party, for aggregate consideration of $60.0 million, which consisted of $25.0 million of cash and $35.0 million of proceeds from a loan from a financial institution (the “Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage”), excluding closing and other related transaction costs. We and Lightstone II each have a 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture.
We paid $12.9 million for a 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture. Our membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture is a co-managing interest. We account for our membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture in accordance with the equity method of accounting because we exert significant influence over but do not control the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture. All capital contributions and distributions of earnings from the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture are made on a pro rata basis in proportion to each member’s equity interest percentage. Any distributions in excess of earnings from the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture are made to the members pursuant to the terms of the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture’s operating agreement. We commenced recording our allocated portion of profit/loss and cash distributions beginning as of March 27, 2018 with respect to our membership interest of 50.0% in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture.
In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operating results of the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City, the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture has entered into certain amendments with respect to its non-recourse mortgage loan (the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage”) as discussed below.
On June 2, 2020, the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage was amended to provide for (i) the deferral of the six monthly debt service payments aggregating $0.9 million for the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 until March 27, 2023; (ii) a 100 bps reduction in the interest rate spread to LIBOR plus 2.15%, subject to a 4.03% floor, for the six-month period from September 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021; (iii) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture pre-funding $1.2 million into a cash collateral reserve account to cover the six monthly debt service payments due from October 1, 2020 through March 1, 2021; and (iv) waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods before June 30, 2021.
Additionally, on April 7, 2021, the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture and the lender further amended the terms of the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage to provide for (i) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture to make a principal paydown of $1.7 million; (ii) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture to fund an additional $0.7 million into the cash collateral reserve account; (iii) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods through September 30, 2021 with a phased-in gradual return to the full financial covenant requirements over the quarter-end periods beginning December 31, 2021 through December 31, 2022; (iv) a 11-month interest-only payment period from May 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022; and (v) certain restrictions on distributions to the members of the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture during the interest-only payment period.
Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture and Moxy Construction Loan
On August 5, 2021, we formed a joint venture with Lightstone Value Plus REIT IV, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT IV”), a REIT also sponsored by the Sponsor and a related party, pursuant to which we acquired 25% of Lightstone REIT IV’s membership interest in the Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture”) for aggregate consideration of $7.9 million.
Subsequent to our initial acquisition, we made additional capital contributions to the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture of $4.3 million through December 31, 2021.
Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC previously acquired four adjacent parcels of land located at 353-361 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, on which it is developing and constructing a 210-room branded hotel (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel”).
As a result, we and Lightstone REIT IV have 25% and 75% membership interests, respectively, in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture. We account for our membership interest in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture in accordance with the equity method because we exert significant influence over but do not control the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture. All capital contributions and distributions of earnings from the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture are made on a pro rata basis in proportion to each member’s equity interest percentage. Any distributions in excess of earnings from the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture are made to the members pursuant to the terms of the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture’s operating agreement. The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel is currently under construction and expected to open during the fourth quarter of 2022. Therefore, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture had no operating results from August 5, 2021 (date of acquisition) through December 31, 2021.
Moxy Construction Loan
On August 5, 2021, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture entered into a recourse construction loan facility for up to $77.0 million (the “Moxy Construction Loan”) scheduled to mature on February 5, 2024, with two, six-month extension options, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. The Moxy Construction Loan bears interest at LIBOR plus 9.00%, subject to a 9.50% floor, with monthly interest-only payments based on a rate of 7.50% with the accrued and unpaid interest added to the outstanding loan balance and due at maturity. The Moxy Construction Loan is collateralized by the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel. The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture received initial proceeds of $16.0 million under the Moxy Construction Loan and repaid a previously outstanding mortgage loan of $16.0 million in full. As of December 31, 2021, the outstanding principal balance of the Moxy Construction Loan was $18.6 million (including $0.1 million of interest capitalized to principal) and the remaining availability under the facility was up to $58.6 million.
In connection with the Moxy Construction Loan, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture has provided certain completion and carry cost guarantees.
See Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Funds from Operations and Modified Funds from Operations
The historical accounting convention used for real estate assets requires straight-line depreciation of buildings, improvements, and straight-line amortization of intangibles, which implies that the value of a real estate asset diminishes predictably over time. We believe that, because real estate values historically rise and fall with market conditions, including, but not limited to, inflation, interest rates, the business cycle, unemployment and consumer spending, presentations of operating results for a REIT using the historical accounting convention for depreciation and certain other items may be less informative.
Because of these factors, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”), an industry trade group, has published a standardized measure of performance known as funds from operations (“FFO”), which is used in the REIT industry as a supplemental performance measure. We believe FFO, which excludes certain items such as real estate-related depreciation and amortization, is an appropriate supplemental measure of a REIT’s operating performance. FFO is not equivalent to our net income or loss as determined under GAAP.
We define FFO, a non-GAAP measure, consistent with the standards set forth in the White Paper on FFO approved by the Board of Governors of NAREIT, as revised in February 2004 (the “White Paper”). The White Paper defines FFO as net income or loss computed in accordance with GAAP, but excluding gains or losses from sales of property and real estate related impairments, plus real estate related depreciation and amortization, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures.
We believe that the use of FFO provides a more complete understanding of our performance to investors and to management, and reflects the impact on our operations from trends in occupancy rates, rental rates, operating costs, general and administrative expenses, and interest costs, which may not be immediately apparent from net income.
Changes in the accounting and reporting promulgations under GAAP that were put into effect in 2009 subsequent to the establishment of NAREIT’s definition of FFO, such as the change to expense as incurred rather than capitalize and depreciate acquisition fees and expenses incurred for business combinations, have prompted an increase in cash-settled expenses, specifically acquisition fees and expenses, as items that are expensed under GAAP across all industries. These changes had a particularly significant impact on publicly registered, non-listed REITs, which typically have a significant amount of acquisition activity in the early part of their existence, particularly during the period when they are raising capital through ongoing initial public offerings.
Because of these factors, the Investment Program Association (the “IPA”), an industry trade group, published a standardized measure of performance known as modified funds from operations (“MFFO”), which the IPA has recommended as a supplemental measure for publicly registered, non-listed REITs. MFFO is designed to be reflective of the ongoing operating performance of publicly registered, non-listed REITs by adjusting for those costs that are more reflective of acquisitions and investment activity, along with other items the IPA believes are not indicative of the ongoing operating performance of a publicly registered, non-listed REIT, such as straight-lining of rents as required by GAAP. We believe it is appropriate to use MFFO as a supplemental measure of operating performance because we believe that both before and after we have deployed all of our offering proceeds and are no longer incurring a significant amount of acquisition fees or other related costs, it reflects the impact on our operations from trends in occupancy rates, rental rates, operating costs, general and administrative expenses, and interest costs, which may not be immediately apparent from net income. MFFO is not equivalent to our net income or loss as determined under GAAP.
We define MFFO, a non-GAAP measure, consistent with the IPA’s Guideline 2010-01, Supplemental Performance Measure for Publicly Registered, Non-Listed REITs: Modified Funds from Operations (the “Practice Guideline”) issued by the IPA in November 2010. The Practice Guideline defines MFFO as FFO further adjusted for acquisition and transaction-related fees and expenses and other items. In calculating MFFO, we follow the Practice Guideline and exclude acquisition and transaction-related fees and expenses (which includes costs incurred in connection with strategic alternatives), amounts relating to deferred rent receivables and amortization of market lease and other intangibles, net (which are adjusted in order to reflect such payments from a GAAP accrual basis to a cash basis of disclosing the rent and lease payments), accretion of discounts and amortization of premiums on debt investments and borrowings, mark-to-market adjustments included in net income (including gains or losses incurred on assets held for sale), gains or losses included in net income from the extinguishment or sale of debt, hedges, foreign exchange, derivatives or securities holdings where trading of such holdings is not a fundamental attribute of the business plan, unrealized gains or losses resulting from consolidation from, or deconsolidation to, equity accounting, and after adjustments for consolidated and unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, with such adjustments calculated to reflect MFFO on the same basis. Certain of the above adjustments are also made to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, such as for the amortization of a premium and accretion of a discount on debt and securities investments, amortization of fees, any unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives, securities or other investments, as well as other adjustments.
MFFO excludes non-recurring impairment of real estate-related investments. We assess the credit quality of our investments and adequacy of reserves on a quarterly basis, or more frequently as necessary. Significant judgment is required in this analysis. We consider the estimated net recoverable value of a loan as well as other factors, including but not limited to the fair value of any collateral, the amount and the status of any senior debt, the prospects for the borrower and the competitive situation of the region where the borrower does business.
We believe that, because MFFO excludes costs that we consider more reflective of acquisition activities and other non-operating items, MFFO can provide, on a going-forward basis, an indication of the sustainability (that is, the capacity to continue to be maintained) of our operating performance after the period in which we are acquiring properties and once our portfolio is stabilized. We also believe that MFFO is a recognized measure of sustainable operating performance by the non-listed REIT industry and allows for an evaluation of our performance against other publicly registered, non-listed REITs.
Not all REITs, including publicly registered, non-listed REITs, calculate FFO and MFFO the same way. Accordingly, comparisons with other REITs, including publicly registered, non-listed REITs, may not be meaningful. Furthermore, FFO and MFFO are not indicative of cash flow available to fund cash needs and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or income (loss) from continuing operations as determined under GAAP as an indication of our performance, as an alternative to cash flows from operations as an indication of our liquidity, or indicative of funds available to fund our cash needs including our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. FFO and MFFO should be reviewed in conjunction with other GAAP measurements as an indication of our performance. FFO and MFFO should not be construed to be more relevant or accurate than the current GAAP methodology in calculating net income or in its applicability in evaluating our operating performance. The methods utilized to evaluate the performance of a publicly registered, non-listed REIT under GAAP should be construed as more relevant measures of operational performance and considered more prominently than the non-GAAP measures, FFO and MFFO, and the adjustments to GAAP in calculating FFO and MFFO.
Neither the SEC, NAREIT, the IPA nor any other regulatory body or industry trade group has passed judgment on the acceptability of the adjustments that we use to calculate FFO or MFFO. In the future, NAREIT, the IPA or another industry trade group may publish updates to the White Paper or the Practice Guidelines or the SEC or another regulatory body could standardize the allowable adjustments across the publicly registered, non-listed REIT industry, and we would have to adjust our calculation and characterization of FFO or MFFO accordingly.
The below table illustrates the items deducted from or added to net loss in the calculation of FFO and MFFO during the periods presented. The table discloses MFFO in the IPA recommended format and MFFO without the straight-line rent adjustment which management also uses as a performance measure. Items are presented net of non-controlling interest portions where applicable.
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
Net loss
$ (2,733,289 )
$ (2,886,775 )
FFO adjustments:
Adjustments to equity earnings from unconsolidated entities, net
1,248,163
1,484,152
Depreciation and amortization of real estate assets
5,113,576
5,101,313
Gain on disposition of unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity
-
(7,996,967 )
FFO
3,628,450
(4,298,277 )
MFFO adjustments:
Loss on sale of marketable securities(1)
22,505
18,666
Acquisition and other transaction related costs expensed
-
2,113
Unrealized loss/(gain) on marketable equity securities(2)
9,188
(265 )
Adjustments to equity earnings from unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities
(190,708 )
-
Gain on forgiveness of debt(1)
(1,469,541 )
-
MFFO
1,999,894
(4,277,763 )
Straight-line rent(3)
-
-
MFFO - IPA recommended format
$ 1,999,894
$ (4,277,763 )
Net loss
$ (2,733,289 )
$ (2,886,775 )
Less: net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
Net loss applicable to Company’s common shares
$ (2,733,261 )
$ (2,886,745 )
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted
$ (0.21 )
$ (0.22 )
FFO
$ 3,628,450
$ (4,298,277 )
Less: FFO attributable to noncontrolling interests
(68 )
FFO attributable to Company’s common shares
$ 3,628,382
$ (4,298,224 )
FFO per common share, basic and diluted
$ 0.27
$ (0.32 )
MFFO - IPA recommended format
$ 1,999,894
$ (4,277,763 )
Less: MFFO attributable to noncontrolling interests
(43 )
MFFO attributable to Company’s common shares
$ 1,999,851
$ (4,277,712 )
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, basic and diluted
13,215,471
13,233,527
(1) Management believes that adjusting for gains or losses related to extinguishment/sale of debt, derivatives or securities holdings is appropriate because they are items that may not be reflective of ongoing operations. By excluding these items, management believes that MFFO provides supplemental information related to sustainable operations that will be more comparable between other reporting periods.
(2) Management believes that adjusting for mark-to-market adjustments is appropriate because they are nonrecurring items that may not be reflective of ongoing operations and reflects unrealized impacts on value based only on then current market conditions, although they may be based upon current operational issues related to an individual property or industry or general market conditions. Mark-to-market adjustments are made for items such as ineffective derivative instruments, certain marketable securities and any other items that GAAP requires we make a mark-to-market adjustment for. The need to reflect mark-to-market adjustments is a continuous process and is analyzed on a quarterly and/or annual basis in accordance with GAAP.
(3) Under GAAP, rental receipts are allocated to periods using various methodologies. This may result in income recognition that is significantly different than underlying contract terms. By adjusting for these items (to reflect such payments from a GAAP accrual basis to a cash basis of disclosing the rent and lease payments), MFFO provides useful supplemental information on the realized economic impact of lease terms and debt investments, providing insight on the contractual cash flows of such lease terms and debt investments, and aligns results with management’s analysis of operating performance.
The table below presents our cumulative distributions declared and cumulative FFO:
For the period
October 5, 2012
(date of inception)
through
December 31,
FFO attributable to Company’s common shares
$ 15,246,549
Cumulative distributions declared
$ 25,876,082

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc. and Subsidiaries
(a Maryland corporation)
Index
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Financial Statements:
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of
Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Lightstone Value Plus REIT III Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Impairment Evaluation of Investment in Real Estate
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had investment property, net of accumulated depreciation, of approximately $102.3 million. As more fully described in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company evaluates its investment in real estate for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances representing triggering events that could indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable for a particular property. The Company evaluates the recoverability of its investment in real estate assets at the lowest identifiable level, the individual property level. No single indicator would necessarily result in the Company preparing an estimate to determine if an individual property’s future undiscounted cash flows are less than its carrying value. The Company uses judgement to determine if the severity of any single indicator, or the fact there are number of indicators of less severity that when combined, would result in an indication that a property requires an estimate of the undiscounted cash flows to determine if an impairment has occurred. Relevant facts and circumstances include, among others, significant under performance relative to historical or projected future operating results and significant negative industry or economic trends. The estimated cash flows used for the impairment analysis are subjective and require the Company to use its judgement and determinations of estimated fair value are based on the Company’s plans for the respective assets and the Company’s views of market and economic conditions. The estimates utilize observable and unobservable inputs such as future operating income, market, and other applicable trends and residual value, as well as the estimated impacts of demand and competition.
We identified the investment property impairment evaluation as a critical audit matter due to the significant judgement by management in identifying indicators of impairment and in the estimation uncertainty in determining the undiscounted cash flows of a particular property. This in turn led to a high degree of auditor judgment and subjectivity and significant audit effort in performing procedures to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s significant estimates and assumptions related to future cash flows and net operating income, the holding period, capitalization rates, and residual values.
Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence, in connection with forming our overall opinion on the financial statements. We obtained an understanding and evaluated the design of controls over the Company’s impairment evaluation process. Our procedures included, among others: (i) assessing the methodologies applied; (ii) identifying the existence of any triggering events; (iii) comparing the estimated undiscounted cash flows to historical operating result by property; and (iv) evaluating the reasonableness of significant estimates and assumptions including future net operating income, the holding period, capitalization rates, and residual values and determining if they were reasonable considering the past and current performance of the property and if consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. In addition, we performed sensitivity analysis over significant estimates and assumptions including future net operating income and residual values. We tested the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used by management in its evaluation. We held discussions with management about the current status of certain properties to understand how management’s significant estimates and assumptions are developed considering potential future market conditions. In addition, we evaluated the mathematical accuracy of the calculations used in the Company’s evaluation.
/s/ EisnerAmper LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2012.
EISNERAMPER LLP
Iselin, New Jersey
March 28, 2022
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31,
December 31,
Assets
Investment property:
Land and improvements
$ 21,662,328
$ 21,662,328
Building and improvements
91,918,908
91,764,252
Furniture and fixtures
16,291,226
16,214,763
Construction in progress
115,161
10,900
Gross investment property
129,987,623
129,652,243
Less accumulated depreciation
(27,637,727 )
(22,588,429 )
Net investment property
102,349,896
107,063,814
Investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities
23,544,937
10,663,655
Cash and cash equivalents
16,639,004
26,998,685
Marketable securities, available for sale
1,810,359
3,226,853
Restricted cash
-
2,972,561
Accounts receivable and other assets
1,553,212
1,352,047
Total Assets
$ 145,897,408
$ 152,277,615
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Accounts payable and other accrued expenses
$ 2,941,776
$ 2,442,210
Mortgages payable, net
60,691,217
64,754,449
Notes payable
1,868,966
1,450,230
Due to related parties
301,422
292,447
Total liabilities
65,803,381
68,939,336
Commitments and Contingencies
Stockholders’ Equity:
Company’s stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 50.0 million shares authorized, none issued and outstanding
-
-
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 200.0 million shares authorized, 13.2 million shares issued and outstanding
131,521
132,298
Additional paid-in-capital
112,580,709
113,205,240
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(106,874 )
(221,217 )
Accumulated deficit
(44,603,383 )
(41,870,122 )
Total Company stockholders’ equity
68,001,973
71,246,199
Noncontrolling interests
12,092,054
12,092,080
Total Stockholders’ Equity
80,094,027
83,338,279
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
$ 145,897,408
$ 152,277,615
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the
Years Ended
December 31,
Revenues
$ 21,777,773
$ 14,174,688
Expenses:
Property operating expenses
13,797,766
11,165,916
Real estate taxes
1,390,260
1,502,599
General and administrative costs
2,461,992
2,482,859
Depreciation and amortization
5,113,576
5,101,313
Total operating expenses
22,763,594
20,252,687
Operating loss
(985,821 )
(6,077,999 )
Interest expense
(2,946,222 )
(2,999,219 )
Gain on disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity
-
7,996,967
Gain on forgiveness of debt
1,469,541
-
Earnings from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities
(333,478 )
(2,102,472 )
Other income, net
62,691
295,948
Net loss
(2,733,289 )
(2,886,775 )
Less: net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
Net loss applicable to Company’s common shares
$ (2,733,261 )
$ (2,886,745 )
Net loss per Company’s common shares, basic and diluted
$ (0.21 )
$ (0.22 )
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, basic and diluted
13,215,471
13,233,527
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
For the
Years Ended
December 31,
Net loss
$ (2,733,289 )
$ (2,886,775 )
Other comprehensive income/(loss):
Holding gain/(loss) on marketable securities, available for sale
91,840
(161,209 )
Reclassification adjustment for loss included in net loss
22,505
18,666
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
114,345
(142,543 )
Comprehensive loss
(2,618,944 )
(3,029,318 )
Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
Comprehensive loss attributable to the Company’s common shares
$ (2,618,918 )
$ (3,029,286 )
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Common Stock
Additional
Paid-In
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Accumulated
Total
Noncontrolling
Total
Shares
Amount
Capital
Loss
Deficit
Interests
Equity
BALANCE, December 31, 2019
13,310,227
$ 133,102
$ 114,002,133
$ (78,676 )
$ (38,983,377 )
$ 12,092,112
$ 87,165,294
Net loss
-
-
-
-
(2,886,745 )
(30 )
(2,886,775 )
Other comprehensive loss
-
-
-
(142,541 )
-
(2 )
(142,543 )
Redemption and cancellation of shares
(80,436 )
(804 )
(796,893 )
-
-
-
(797,697 )
BALANCE, December 31, 2020
13,229,791
132,298
113,205,240
(221,217 )
(41,870,122 )
12,092,080
83,338,279
Net loss
-
-
-
-
(2,733,261 )
(28 )
(2,733,289 )
Other comprehensive income
-
-
-
114,343
-
114,345
Redemption and cancellation of shares
(77,678 )
(777 )
(624,531 )
-
-
-
(625,308 )
BALANCE, December 31, 2021
13,152,113
$ 131,521
$ 112,580,709
$ (106,874 )
$ (44,603,383 )
$ 12,092,054
$ 80,094,027
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the
Years Ended
December 31,
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net loss
$ (2,733,289 )
$ (2,886,775 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities:
Loss from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities
333,478
2,102,472
Depreciation and amortization
5,113,576
5,101,313
Amortization of deferred financing costs
124,233
172,464
Gain on forgiveness of debt
(1,469,541 )
-
Gain on disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated entity
-
(7,996,967 )
Other non-cash adjustments
95,124
46,678
Changes in assets and liabilities:
(Increase)/decrease in accounts receivable and other assets
(328,873 )
140,839
Increase/(decrease) in accounts payable and other accrued expenses
518,877
(286,548 )
Increase/(decrease) in due to related parties
8,975
(158,890 )
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
1,662,560
(3,765,414 )
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchase of investment property
(335,381 )
(401,301 )
Proceeds from sale of marketable securities
1,500,000
1,472,255
Purchase of marketable securities
(854 )
(1,630,977 )
Proceeds from disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity
-
21,989,574
Investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities
(13,714,760 )
(873,325 )
Distribution from unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities
500,000
44,000
Net cash (used in)/provided by investing activities
(12,050,995 )
20,600,226
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from mortgage financing
26,750,000
-
Payments on mortgages payable
(30,351,094 )
(1,059,292 )
Proceeds received from notes payable
1,868,966
1,450,230
Payment of loan fees and expenses
(586,371 )
-
Redemption and cancellation of common shares
(625,308 )
(797,697 )
Net cash used in financing activities
(2,943,807 )
(406,759 )
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
(13,332,242 )
16,428,053
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of year
29,971,246
13,543,193
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of year
$ 16,639,004
$ 29,971,246
Supplemental cash flow information for the periods indicated is as follows:
Cash paid for interest
$ 2,763,364
$ 2,061,213
Forgiveness of debt
$ 1,469,541
$ -
Holding gain/loss on marketable securities, available for sale
$ 114,345
$ 142,543
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
1. Structure
Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc. (‘‘Lightstone REIT III’’), which was formerly known as Lightstone Value Plus Real Estate Investment Trust III, Inc. before September 16, 2021, is a Maryland corporation, formed on October 5, 2012, which elected to qualify as a real estate investment trust (‘‘REIT’’) for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with the taxable year ended December 31, 2015.
The Lightstone REIT III is structured as an umbrella partnership REIT, or UPREIT, and substantially all of its current and future business will be conducted through Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the ‘‘Operating Partnership’’). As of December 31, 2021, Lightstone REIT III held an approximately 99% general partnership interest in the Operating Partnership’s common units.
Lightstone REIT III and the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to as the “Company” and the use of “we,” “our,” “us” or similar pronouns refers to Lightstone REIT III, its Operating Partnership or the Company as required by the context in such pronoun used.
The Company has and will continue to seek to acquire a diverse portfolio of real estate assets and real estate-related investments, including hotels, other commercial and/or residential properties, primarily located in the United States. All such properties may be acquired and operated by the Company alone or jointly with another party. The Company may also originate or acquire mortgage loans secured by real estate. Although the Company expects that most of its investments will be of these types, it may make other investments. In fact, it may invest in whatever types of real estate-related investments that it believes are in its best interests.
The Company currently has one operating segment. As of December 31, 2021, the Company (i) majority owned and consolidated the operating results and financial condition of eight limited service hotels containing a total of 872 rooms, (ii) held an unconsolidated 50.0% membership interest in LVP LIC Hotel JV LLC (the “Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture”) and (iii) held an unconsolidated 25.0% membership interest in Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture”). The Company accounts for its unconsolidated membership interests in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture and the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture under the equity method of accounting.
The Company’s advisor is Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LLC (the “Advisor”), which is majority owned by David Lichtenstein. On July 16, 2014, the Advisor contributed $2,000 to the Operating Partnership in exchange for 200 limited partner units in the Operating Partnership. The Advisor also owns 20,000 shares of our common stock (“Common Shares”) which were issued on December 24, 2012 for $200,000, or $10.00 per share. Mr. Lichtenstein also is a majority owner of the equity interests of the Lightstone Group, LLC. The Lightstone Group, LLC served as the Company’s sponsor (the ‘‘Sponsor’’) during its initial public offering (the “Offering”) which terminated on March 31, 2017. Mr. Lichtenstein owns 222,222 Common Shares which were issued on December 11, 2014 for $2.0 million, or $9.00 per share. Pursuant to the terms of an advisory agreement and subject to the oversight of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board of Directors”), the Advisor has primary responsibility for making investment decisions on behalf of the Company and managing its day-to-day operations. Through his ownership and control of the Lightstone Group, LLC, Mr. Lichtenstein is the indirect owner and manager of Lightstone SLP III LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Special Limited Partner”), which owns 242 subordinated participation interests (“Subordinated Participation Interests”) in the Operating Partnership which were acquired for $12.1 million in connection with the Offering. Mr. Lichtenstein also acts as the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As a result, he exerts influence over but does not control Lightstone REIT III or the Operating Partnership.
The Company does not have any employees. The Advisor receives compensation and fees for services related to the investment and management of the Company’s assets.
The Company’s Advisor has certain affiliates which may which may manage the properties the Company acquires. However, the Company also contracts with other unaffiliated third-party property managers, principally for the management of its hospitality properties.
The Company’s Common Shares are not currently listed on a national securities exchange. The Company may seek to list its Common Shares for trading on a national securities exchange only if a majority of its independent directors believe listing would be in the best interest of its stockholders. The Company does not intend to list its Common Shares at this time. The Company does not anticipate that there would be any market for its Common Shares until they are listed for trading. In the event the Company does not begin the process of achieving a liquidity event prior to March 31, 2025, which is the eighth anniversary of the termination of its Offering, its charter requires either (a) an amendment to its charter to extend the deadline to begin the process of achieving a liquidity event, or (b) the holding of a stockholders meeting to vote on a proposal for an orderly liquidation of its portfolio.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Operations and Liquidity Update
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 and since that time many of the previously imposed restrictions and other measures which were instituted in response have been subsequently reduced or lifted. However, the COVID-19 pandemic remains highly unpredictable and dynamic and its duration and extent continue to be dependent on various developments, such as the emergence of variants to the virus that may cause additional strains of COVID-19, the administration and ultimate effectiveness of vaccines, including booster shots, and the eventual timeline to achieve a sufficient level of herd immunity among the general population. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to have negative effects on the health of the U.S. economy for the foreseeable future.
The extent to which the Company’s business may be affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will largely depend on both current and future developments, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be reasonably predicted.
Furthermore, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, room demand and rental rates for the Company’s consolidated and unconsolidated hotels significantly declined starting in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic; and while these metrics have improved since then (late 2020 and continuing throughout 2021); room demand and rental rates remain below their pre-pandemic historical levels. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has negative impacted the Company’s operations, financial position and cash flow; and while the severity of the impact has lessened, the Company currently expects it will continue to experience a negative impact for the foreseeable future. The Company cannot currently estimate if and when room demand and rental rates will return to historical pre-pandemic levels for its hotels.
The Company also has a 25% membership interest in the Williamsburg Moxy Joint Venture, which is developing and constructing a 210-room branded hotel (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel”). To-date, the COVID-19 pandemic has not had any significant impact on development and construction of the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel, which is expected to open during the fourth quarter of 2022.
In light of the past, present and potential future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operating results of its hotels, the Company has taken various actions to preserve its liquidity, including the following:
● The Company implemented cost reduction strategies for all of its hotels, leading to reductions in certain operating expenses and capital expenditures.
●
Amendments to Revolving Credit Facility -
On June 2, 2020, the Company’s revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) was amended to provide for (i) the deferral of the six monthly debt service payments aggregating $0.8 million for the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 until July 13, 2022; (ii) a 100 bps reduction in the interest rate spread to LIBOR + 2.15%, subject to a 3.00% floor, for the six-month period from September 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021; (iii) the Company pre-funding $0.7 million into a cash collateral reserve account to cover the six monthly debt service payments due from October 1, 2020 through March 1, 2021; and (iv) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods before June 30, 2021. Additionally, a principal paydown of $0.6 million, which was previously due on April 1, 2020 was bifurcated into two separate principal paydowns, of $0.3 million, which were made in June 2020 and September 2020.
Subsequently, on March 31, 2021, the Revolving Credit Facility was further amended providing for (i) the Company to make another principal paydown of $3.8 million, (ii) the Company to fund an additional $0.7 million into the cash collateral reserve account; (iii) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods through September 30, 2021 with a phased-in gradual return to the full financial covenant requirements over the quarter-end periods beginning December 31, 2021 through March 31, 2023; (iv) two one-year extension options at the lender’s sole discretion; and (v) certain limitations and restrictions on asset sales and additional borrowings related to the pledged collateral.
See Note 5 for additional information.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
●
Paycheck Protection Program Loans -
In April 2020 and during the first quarter of 2021, the Company’s hotels received an aggregate of $1.5 million and $1.9 million, respectively, from loans provided under the federal Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP Loans”). During 2021, the Company received notices from the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) that all of the PPP Loans from April 2020 along with their accrued interest had been legally forgiven. See Note 6 for additional information.
● On June 19, 2019, the Board of Directors had previously determined to suspend regular monthly distributions and, as a result, has not declared any distributions on the Company’s Common Shares since the suspension. Additionally, on March 19, 2020, the Board of Directors approved the suspension of all redemptions under the Company’s shareholder repurchase program (the “SRP”). Subsequently on May 10, 2021, the Board of Directors partially reopened the SRP to allow, subject to various conditions, for redemptions submitted in connection with a stockholder’s death or hardship. See Note 7 for additional information.
● The Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture has obtained various amendments to its non-recourse mortgage loan secured by the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City. See Note 3 for additional information.
The Company believes that these actions, along with its available cash on hand and marketable securities, as well as its intention to seek to extend the Revolving Credit Facility to July 13, 2023 pursuant to the lender’s first extension option, as discussed in Note 5, will provide it with sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations for at least 12 months from the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements.
Noncontrolling Interests - Partners of the Operating Partnership
Limited Partner
On July 16, 2014, the Advisor contributed $2,000 to the Operating Partnership in exchange for 200 limited partner units in the Operating Partnership. The Advisor has the right to convert limited partner units into cash or, at the Company’s option, an equal number of its Common Shares.
Special Limited Partner
In connection with the Company’s Offering, which terminated on March 31, 2017, the Special Limited Partner purchased from the Operating Partnership an aggregate of 242 Subordinated Participation Interests for consideration of $12.1 million. The Subordinated Participation Interests were each purchased for $50,000 in consideration and may be entitled to receive liquidation distributions upon the liquidation of Lightstone REIT III.
As the majority owner of the Special Limited Partner, Mr. Lichtenstein is the beneficial owner of a 99% interest in such Subordinated Participation Interests and will thus receive an indirect benefit from any distributions made in respect thereof.
These Subordinated Participation Interests entitle the Special Limited Partner to a portion of any regular and liquidation distributions that the Company makes to its stockholders, but only after its stockholders have received a stated preferred return. From the Company’s inception through December 31, 2021, no distributions have been declared or paid on the Subordinated Participation Interests.
The Advisor and its affiliates and the Special Limited Partner are related parties of the Company. Certain of these entities are entitled to compensation for services related to the investment, management and disposition of our assets during the Company’s acquisition, operational and liquidation stages. The compensation levels during the acquisition and operational stages are based on the cost of acquired properties/investments and the annual revenue earned from such properties/investments, and other such fees and expense reimbursements as outlined in each of the respective agreements. See Note 8 - Related Party Transactions for additional information.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Lightstone REIT III and the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries (over which Lightstone REIT III exercises financial and operating control). As of December 31, 2021, the Company had a 99% general partnership interest in the Operating Partnership. All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during a reporting period. The most significant assumptions and estimates relate to the valuation of real estate and depreciable lives. Application of these assumptions requires the exercise of judgment as to future uncertainties and, as a result, actual results could differ from these estimates.
Investments in other real estate entities where the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but does not exercise financial and operating control, and is not considered to be the primary beneficiary are accounted for using the equity method.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
As required by the Company’s lenders, restricted cash is held in escrow accounts for anticipated capital expenditures, real estate taxes, debt service payments and other reserves for certain of our consolidated properties. Capital reserves are typically utilized for non-operating expenses such as major capital expenditures. Alternatively, a lender may require its own formula for an escrow of capital reserves.
The following is a summary of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash total as presented in our statements of cash flows for the periods presented:
Schedule of cash, cash equivalents, and Restricted Cash
December 31,
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 16,639,004
$ 26,998,685
Restricted cash
-
2,972,561
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
$ 16,639,004
$ 29,971,246
Marketable Securities
Marketable securities consist of equity and debt securities that are designated as available-for-sale. Marketable debt securities are recorded at fair value and unrealized holding gains or losses are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. The Company’s marketable equity securities are recorded at fair value and unrealized holding gains and losses are recognized on the consolidated statements of operations.
Realized gains or losses resulting from the sale of these securities are determined based on the specific identification of the securities sold. An impairment charge is recognized when the decline in the fair value of a debt security below the amortized cost basis is determined to be other-than-temporary. The Company considers various factors in determining whether to recognize an impairment charge, including the duration and severity of any decline in fair value below our amortized cost basis, any adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuers and our intent and ability to hold the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in market value.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Revenues
Revenues consist of amounts derived from hotel operations, including occupied hotel rooms and sales of food, beverage and other ancillary services and are presented on a disaggregated basis below. Revenues are recorded net of any sales or occupancy tax collected from our guests.
Room revenue is generated through contracts with customers whereby the customers agree to pay a daily rate for right to use a hotel room. The Company’s contractual performance obligations are fulfilled at the end of the day that the customer is provided the room and revenue is recognized daily at the contract rate. Payment from the customer is secured at the end of the contract upon check-out by the customer from our hotels. The Company participates in frequent guest programs sponsored by the brand owners of our hotels whereby the brand owner allows guests to earn loyalty points during their hotel stay. The Company recognizes revenue at the amount earned that it will receive from the brand owner when a guest redeems their loyalty points by staying at one of the Company’s hotels.
Revenue from food, beverage and other ancillary services is generated when a customer chooses to purchase goods or services separately from a hotel room and revenue is recognized when these goods or services are provided to the customer and the Company’s contractual performance obligations have been fulfilled.
Some contracts for rooms, food, beverage or other services require an upfront deposit which is recorded as deferred revenues (or contract liabilities) and recognized once the performance obligations are satisfied. The contractual liabilities are not significant.
The Company notes no significant judgments regarding the recognition of room, food and beverage or other revenues.
Schedule of revenues from hotel operations
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
Revenues
Room
$ 21,167,268
$ 13,646,285
Food, beverage and other
610,505
528,403
Total revenues
$ 21,777,773
$ 14,174,688
Accounts Receivable
The Company analyzes accounts receivable and historical bad debt levels, customer credit worthiness and current economic trends when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company’s reported net income or loss is directly affected by management’s estimate of the collectability of accounts receivable.
Investments in Real Estate
Accounting for Asset Acquisitions
When the Company makes an investment in real estate assets, the cost of real estate assets acquired in an asset acquisition are allocated to the acquired tangible assets, consisting of land, building and improvements, furniture and fixtures and identified intangible assets and liabilities, consisting of the value of above-market and below-market leases, acquired in-place leases, and the value of tenant relationships, based in each case on their relative fair values, at the date of acquisition, based on evaluation of information including independent appraisals that may be obtained in connection with the acquisition or financing of the respective property and other relevant market data. Fees incurred related to asset acquisitions are capitalized as part of the cost of the investment.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Carrying Value of Assets
The amounts to be capitalized as a result of periodic improvements and additions to real estate property, when applicable, and the periods over which the assets are depreciated or amortized, are determined based on the application of accounting standards that may require estimates as to fair value and the allocation of various costs to the individual assets. Differences in the amount attributed to the assets may be significant based upon the assumptions made in calculating these estimates.
Impairment Evaluation
The Company evaluates its investments in real estate assets for potential impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the undiscounted projected cash flows are less than the carrying amount for a particular property. The Company evaluates the recoverability of its investments in real estate assets at the lowest identifiable level, the individual property level. No single indicator would necessarily result in the Company preparing an estimate to determine if an individual property’s future undiscounted cash flows are less than its carrying value. The Company uses judgment to determine if the severity of any single indicator, or the fact there are a number of indicators of less severity that when combined, would result in an indication that a property requires an estimate of the undiscounted cash flows to determine if an impairment has occurred. Relevant facts and circumstances include, among others, significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results and significant negative industry or economic trends. The estimated cash flows used for the impairment analysis are subjective and require the Company to use its judgment and the determination of estimated fair value are based on the Company’s plans for the respective assets and the Company’s views of market and economic conditions. The estimates consider matters such as future operating income, market and other applicable trends and residual value, as well as the effects of demand, competition, and recent sales data for comparable properties. An impairment loss is recognized only if the carrying amount of a property is not recoverable and exceeds its fair value.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation expense is computed based on the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the applicable real estate asset. The Company generally uses estimated useful lives of up to 39 years for buildings and improvements and five to 10 years for furniture and fixtures. Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred.
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities
The Company evaluates all investments in other entities for consolidation. The Company considers its percentage interest in the joint venture, evaluation of control and whether a variable interest entity exists when determining whether or not the investment qualifies for consolidation or if it should be accounted for as an unconsolidated investment under the equity method of accounting.
If an investment qualifies for the equity method of accounting, the Company’s investment is recorded initially at cost, and subsequently adjusted for equity in net income or loss and cash contributions and distributions. The net income or loss of an unconsolidated investment is allocated to its investors in accordance with the provisions of the operating agreement of the entity. The allocation provisions in these agreements may differ from the ownership interest held by each investor. Differences, if any, between the carrying amount of the Company’s investment in the respective joint venture and our share of the underlying equity of such unconsolidated entity are amortized over the respective lives of the underlying assets as applicable. These items are reported as a single line item in the statements of operations as income or loss from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities.
The Company reviews investments for impairment in value whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such investment may not be recoverable. An investment is impaired only if management’s estimate of the fair value of the investment is less than the carrying value of the investment, and such decline in value is deemed to be other than temporary. The ultimate realization of our investment in partially owned entities is dependent on a number of factors including the performance of that entity and market conditions. If the Company determines that a decline in the value of a partially owned entity is other than temporary, it will record an impairment charge.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Deferred Costs
The Company capitalizes initial direct costs associated with financing activities. The costs are capitalized upon the execution of the loan, presented in the consolidated balance sheets as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the corresponding loan and amortized over the initial term of the corresponding loan. Amortization of deferred loan costs will begin in the period during which the loan is originated using the effective interest method over the term of the loan.
Income Taxes
The Company elected to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with the taxable year ended December 31, 2015. If the Company remains qualified as a REIT, it generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its net taxable income that it distributes to its stockholders. To maintain its REIT qualification, the Company must meet a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that it annually distribute to its stockholders at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income, as calculated in accordance with GAAP), determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain. If the Company fails to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT in any subsequent year and does not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, its income for that year will be taxed at regular corporate rates, and it may be precluded from qualifying for treatment as a REIT for the four-year period following its failure to qualify as a REIT. Such an event could materially adversely affect the Company’s net income and net cash available for distribution to stockholders.
The Company engages in certain activities through taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”), including when it acquires a hotel it usually establishes a TRS and enters into an operating lease agreement for the hotel. As such, the Company may be subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes and franchise taxes from these activities.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no material uncertain income tax positions. Additionally, even if the Company continues to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it may still be subject to some U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and property and to U.S. federal income taxes and excise taxes on our undistributed income, if any.
Concentration of Risk
The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents in bank deposit accounts, which, at times, may exceed U.S. federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts. The Company believes it is not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash.
Basic and Diluted Net Earnings per Common Share
Net earnings per common share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding.
Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable and other assets, accounts payable and other accrued expenses, due to/from related parties and notes payable approximate their fair values because of the short maturity of these instruments.
The estimated fair value our mortgages payable as of December 31, 2021 approximated their carrying value of $61.3 million.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
The estimated fair value of our mortgages payable as of December 31, 2020 is as follows:
Schedule of mortgage payables
Carrying
Amount
Estimated Fair
Value
Mortgages payable
$ 64,924,427
$ 64,823,777
The fair value of our mortgages payable as of December 31, 2020 was determined by discounting the future contractual interest and principal payments by market interest rates.
New Accounting Pronouncements
The Company has reviewed and determined that other recently issued accounting pronouncements will not have a material impact on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows, or do not apply to its current operations.
3. Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliated Real Estate Entities
The entities below are partially owned by the Company. The Company accounts for these investments under the equity method of accounting as the Company exercises significant influence, but does not exercise financial and operating control over these entities. A summary of the Company’s investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities is as follows:
Schedule of investments in the unconsolidated affiliated real estate
As of
Entity
Date of Ownership
Ownership
%
December 31,
December 31,
LVP LIC Hotel JV LLC (the “Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture”)
March 27, 2018
50.00 %
$ 11,180,136
$ 10,663,655
Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture”)
August 5, 2021
25.00 %
12,364,801
-
Total investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities
$ 23,544,937
$ 10,663,655
Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture
On March 27, 2018, the Company and Lightstone Value Plus REIT II, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT II”), a REIT also sponsored by the Company’s Sponsor and a related party, acquired, through the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture, a 183-room, limited-service hotel located at 29-21 41st Avenue, Long Island City, New York (the “Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City”) from an unrelated third party, for aggregate consideration of $60.0 million, which consisted of $25.0 million of cash and $35.0 million of proceeds from a mortgage loan from a financial institution (the “Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage”), excluding closing and other related transaction costs. The Company and Lightstone REIT II each have a 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture.
The Company paid $12.9 million for a 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture. The Company’s membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture is a co-managing interest. The Company accounts for its membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture in accordance with the equity method of accounting because it exerts significant influence over but does not control the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture. All capital contributions and distributions of earnings from the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture are made on a pro rata basis in proportion to each member’s equity interest percentage. Any distributions in excess of earnings from the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture are made to the members pursuant to the terms of the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture’s operating agreement. The Company commenced recording its allocated portion of profit/loss and cash distributions beginning as of March 27, 2018 with respect to its membership interest of 50.0% in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operating results of the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City, the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture has entered into certain amendments with respect the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage as discussed below.
On June 2, 2020, the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage was amended to provide for (i) the deferral of the six monthly debt service payments aggregating $0.9 million for the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 until March 27, 2023; (ii) a 100 bps reduction in the interest rate spread to LIBOR + 2.15%, subject to a 4.03% floor, for the six-month period from September 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021; (iii) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture pre-funding $1.2 million into a cash collateral reserve account to cover the six monthly debt service payments due from October 1, 2020 through March 1, 2021; and (iv) waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods before June 30, 2021.
Additionally, on April 7, 2021, the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture and the lender further amended the terms of the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage to provide for (i) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture to make a principal paydown of $1.7 million; (ii) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture to fund an additional $0.7 million into the cash collateral reserve account; (iii) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods through September 30, 2021 with a phased-in gradual return to the full financial covenant requirements over the quarter-end periods beginning December 31, 2021 through December 31, 2022; (iv) a 11-month interest-only payment period from May 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022; and (v) certain restrictions on distributions to the members of the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture during the interest-only payment period.
Subsequent to the Company’s acquisition of its 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Joint Venture through December 31, 2021, it has made an aggregate of $2.8 million of additional capital contributions (of which $1.3 million was made in 2021) and received aggregate distributions of $2.0 million (of which $0.5 million was received in 2021).
Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture Financial Information
The following table represents the condensed income statement (amounts in thousands) for the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture for the period indicated:
Schedule of condensed income statement
(amounts in thousands)
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
Revenues
$ 7,545
$ 3,662
Property operating expenses
4,306
3,259
General and administrative costs
Depreciation and amortization
2,496
2,527
Operating income/(loss)
(2,161 )
Interest expense and other, net
(1,755 )
(1,728 )
Gain on forgiveness of debt
-
Net loss
$ (665 )
$ (3,889 )
Company’s share of net loss (50.00%)
$ (333 )
$ (1,945 )
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
The following table represents the condensed balance sheet (amounts in thousands) for the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture:
Schedule of condensed balance sheet
As of
As of
(amounts in thousands)
December 31,
December 31,
Investment property, net
$ 52,415
$ 54,826
Cash
2,841
Other assets
1,204
1,211
Total assets
$ 56,460
$ 56,922
Mortgage payable, net
$ 33,115
$ 34,988
Other liabilities
1,585
1,207
Members’ capital
21,760
20,727
Total liabilities and members’ capital
$ 56,460
$ 56,922
Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture
On August 5, 2021, the Company formed the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture with Lightstone Value Plus REIT IV, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT IV”), a REIT also sponsored by the Company’s Sponsor and a related party, pursuant to which the Company acquired 25% of Lightstone REIT IV’s membership interest in Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC for aggregate consideration of $7.9 million.
Subsequent to its initial acquisition, the Company made additional capital contributions to the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture of $4.3 million through December 31, 2021.
Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC previously acquired four adjacent parcels of land located at 353-361 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, on which it is developing and constructing a 210-room branded hotel (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel”).
As a result, the Company and Lightstone REIT IV have 25% and 75% membership interests, respectively, in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture. The Company has determined that the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture is a variable interest entity and the Company is not the primary beneficiary, as it was determined that REIT IV is the primary beneficiary. The Company accounts for its membership interest in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture in accordance with the equity method because it exerts significant influence over but does not control the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture. All capital contributions and distributions of earnings from the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture are made on a pro rata basis in proportion to each member’s equity interest percentage. Any distributions in excess of earnings from the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture are made to the members pursuant to the terms of the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture’s operating agreement. The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel is currently under construction and expected to open during the fourth quarter of 2022. Therefore, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture had no operating results from August 5, 2021 (date of acquisition) through December 31, 2021.
Moxy Construction Loan
On August 5, 2021, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture entered into a recourse construction loan facility for up to $77.0 million (the “Moxy Construction Loan”) scheduled to mature on February 5, 2024, with two, six-month extension options, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. The Moxy Construction Loan bears interest at LIBOR plus 9.00%, subject to a 9.50% floor, with monthly interest-only payments based on a rate of 7.50% with the accrued and unpaid interest added to the outstanding loan balance and due at maturity. The Moxy Construction Loan is collateralized by the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel. The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture received initial proceeds of $16.0 million under the Moxy Construction Loan and repaid a previously outstanding mortgage loan of $16.0 million in full. As of December 31, 2021, the outstanding principal balance of the Moxy Construction Loan was $18.6 million (including $0.1 million of interest capitalized to principal) which is presented, net of deferred financing fees of $3.7 million, on the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture’s condensed balance sheet below, and the remaining availability under the facility was up to $58.6 million.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
In connection with the Moxy Construction Loan, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture has provided certain completion and carry cost guarantees.
Additionally, financing fees of $0.1 million paid to the Company’s Advisor have been capitalized and are reflected in the carrying value of its investment in the Williamsburg Moxy Joint Venture which is included in investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities on the consolidated balance sheets.
Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture Financial Information
The following table represents the condensed balance sheet (amounts in thousands) for the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture:
Schedule of condensed balance sheet
As of
(amounts in thousands)
December 31,
Construction in progress
$ 73,000
Cash
Other assets
Total assets
$ 73,524
Loans payable, net
$ 14,844
Other liabilities
9,822
Members’ capital
48,858
Total liabilities and members’ capital
$ 73,524
The Cove Joint Venture
On January 31, 2017, the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, REIT III COVE LLC along with LSG Cove LLC, an affiliate of the Sponsor and a related party, REIT IV COVE LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lightstone REIT IV, and Maximus Cove Investor LLC (“Maximus”), an unrelated third party, completed the acquisition of all of RP Cove, L.L.C’s membership interest in RP Maximus Cove, L.L.C. (the “Cove Joint Venture”) for aggregate consideration of $255.0 million (the “Cove Transaction”). Excluding mortgage financing obtained by the Cove Joint Venture in connection with the Cove Transaction, the Company paid $20.0 million for a 22.5% non-managing membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture.
The Cove Joint Venture owned and operated The Cove at Tiburon (“the Cove”), a 281-unit, luxury waterfront multifamily residential property located in Tiburon, California from January 31, 2017 through February 12, 2020. As discussed below, the Company disposed of its 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture on February 12, 2020.
The Company accounted for its 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture in accordance with the equity method of accounting. For the period from January 1, 2020 through February 12, 2020, the Company’s share of the Cove Joint Venture’s loss of $0.7 million was $0.2 million, which is included in the earnings from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities on the consolidated statements of operations.
On February 12, 2020, REIT IV Cove LLC, LSG Cove LLC and REIT III COVE LLC each redeemed their respective membership interests in the Cove Joint Venture for an aggregate redemption price of $87.6 million. In connection, with the redemption of the Company’s 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture, it received proceeds of $21.9 million which resulted in the recognition of a gain on the disposition of unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $7.9 million during the first quarter of 2020.
As a result of the redemption of the Company’s 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture on February 12, 2020, it no longer has an ownership interest in the Cove Joint Venture. During August 2020, the Company received $0.1 million of additional proceeds related to the redemption of its membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture and recognized a gain on the disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $0.1 million during the third quarter of 2020. As a result, the Company recognized an aggregate gain on the disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $8.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
4. Marketable Securities and Fair Value Measurements
Marketable Securities
The following is a summary of the Company’s available for sale securities as of the dates indicated:
Schedule of available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation
As of December 31, 2021
Marketable Securities:
Adjusted Cost
Gross Unrealized Gains
Gross Unrealized Losses
Fair Value
Equity securities:
Preferred equity securities
$ 960,848
$ -
$ (8,096 )
$ 952,752
Mutual funds
219,060
-
(828 )
218,232
1,179,908
-
(8,924 )
1,170,984
Debt securities:
Corporate bonds
746,255
-
(106,880 )
639,375
Total
$ 1,926,163
$ -
$ (115,804 )
$ 1,810,359
As of December 31, 2020
Marketable Securities:
Adjusted Cost
Gross Unrealized Gains
Gross Unrealized Losses
Fair Value
Equity securities:
Mutual funds
$ 218,206
$
$ -
$ 218,464
Debt securities:
Corporate bonds
3,229,608
10,039
(231,258 )
3,008,389
Total
$ 3,447,814
$ 10,297
$ (231,258 )
$ 3,226,853
The Company considers the declines in market value of its investments in debt securities to be temporary in nature as the unrealized losses were caused primarily by financial market volatility. When evaluating its investments in debt securities for other-than-temporary impairment, the Company reviews factors such as the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and any changes thereto, and the Company’s intent to sell, or whether it is more likely than not it will be required to sell, the debt security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company did not recognize any impairment charges on its investments in debt securities. As of December 31, 2021, the Company does not consider any of its investments in debt securities to be other-than-temporarily impaired.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.
The standard describes a fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value:
● Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
● Level 2 - Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
● Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company’s mutual funds were classified as Level 1 assets and the Company’s preferred equity securities and corporate bonds were classified as Level 2 assets. There were no transfers between the level classifications during the year ended December 31, 2021.
The fair values of the Company’s investments in mutual funds are measured using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and preferred equity securities and corporate bonds are measured using readily available quoted prices for these securities; however, the markets for these securities are not active.
The following table summarizes the estimated fair value of our investments in debt securities with stated contractual maturity dates, accounted for as available-for-sale securities and classified by the contractual maturity date of the securities:
Schedule of estimated fair value of investments
As of
December 31,
Due in 1 year
$ -
Due in 1 year through 5 years
-
Due in 5 year through 10 years
-
Due after 10 years
639,375
Total
$ 639,375
The Company did not have any other significant financial assets or liabilities, which would require revised valuations that are recognized at fair value.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
5. Mortgages Payable, Net
Mortgages payable, net consisted of the following:
Schedule of mortgages Payable, Net
Description
Interest
Rate
Weighted
Average
Interest Rate
as of
December 31,
Maturity
Date
Amount Due
at Maturity
As of
December 31,
As of
December 31,
Revolving Credit Facility
LIBOR + 3.15% (floor of 4.00%)
3.86 %
July 2022
$ 34,573,333
$ 34,573,333
$ 38,414,814
Home2 Suites Promissory Note
Repaid in full
-
26,509,613
Home2 Suites Tukwila Loan
LIBOR + 3.50% (floor of 3.75%)
3.75 %
December 2026
15,005,534
16,210,000
-
Home2 Suites Salt Lake City Loan
LIBOR + 3.50% (floor of 3.75%)
3.75 %
December 2026
9,756,837
10,540,000
-
Total mortgages payable
3.81 %
$ 59,335,704
61,323,333
64,924,427
Less: Deferred financing costs
(632,116 )
(169,978 )
Total mortgage payable, net
$ 60,691,217
$ 64,754,449
Revolving Credit Facility
The Company, through certain subsidiaries, has a non-recourse Revolving Credit Facility with a financial institution. The Revolving Credit Facility provides the Company with a line of credit of up to $60.0 million pursuant to which it may designate properties as collateral that allow borrowings up to a 65.0% loan-to-value ratio subject to also meeting certain financial covenants. The Revolving Credit Facility provides for monthly interest-only payments and the entire principal balance is due upon its expiration.
The Revolving Credit Facility, bears interest at LIBOR + 3.15%, subject to a 4.00% floor, and is currently scheduled to mature on July 13, 2022, subject to two, one-year extension options at the sole discretion of the lender.
On June 2, 2020, the Company’s Revolving Credit Facility was amended to provide for (i) the deferral of the six monthly debt service payments aggregating $0.8 million for the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 until July 13, 2022; (ii) a 100 bps reduction in the interest rate spread to LIBOR + 2.15%, subject to a 3.00% floor, for the six-month period from September 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021; (iii) the Company pre-funding $0.8 million into a cash collateral reserve account to cover the six monthly debt service payments due from October 1, 2020 through March 1, 2021; and (iv) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods before June 30, 2021. Additionally, a principal paydown of $0.6 million, which was previously due on April 1, 2020 was bifurcated into two separate principal paydowns, of $0.3 million, which were made in June 2020 and September 2020.
Subsequently, on March 31, 2021, the Revolving Credit Facility was further amended providing for (i) the Company to make another principal paydown of $3.8 million, (ii) the Company to fund an additional $0.7 million into the cash collateral reserve account; (iii) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods through September 30, 2021 with a phased-in gradual return to the full financial covenant requirements over the quarter-end periods beginning December 31, 2021 through March 31, 2023; (iv) two one-year extension options at the lender’s sole discretion; and (v) certain limitations and restrictions on asset sales and additional borrowings related to the pledged collateral.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
As of December 31, 2021, the Revolving Credit Facility had an outstanding principal balance of $34.6 million and six of the Company’s hotel properties were pledged as collateral. Additionally, no additional borrowings were available under the Revolving Credit Facility as of December 31, 2021. The Company currently intends to seek to extend the Revolving Credit Facility to July 13, 2023 pursuant to the lender’s first extension option, however, there can be no assurances that it will be successful in such endeavors.
Home2 Suites Financings
On October 5, 2016, the Company entered into a non-recourse promissory note (the “Home2 Suites Promissory Note”) for $28.4 million. The Promissory Note had a term of five years and bore interest at 4.73%. The Home2 Suites Promissory Note was cross-collateralized by the Home2 Suites - Tukwila and the Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City.
On December 6, 2021, the Company entered into a non-recourse loan facility providing for up to $19.1 million (the “Home2 Suites - Tukwila Loan”). At closing, the Company initially received $16.2 million and the remaining $2.9 million is available to be drawn upon after December 31, 2022, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions. The Home2 Suites - Tukwila Loan is scheduled to mature on December 6, 2026, bears interest at LIBOR+3.50%, subject to a 3.75% floor, and requires monthly interest-only payments through December 2023 and subsequently, monthly payments of interest and principal of $0.1 million through its maturity date. The Home2 Suites Tukwila Loan is cross-collateralized by the Home2 Suites - Tukwila and the Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City.
On December 6, 2021, the Company entered into a non-recourse loan facility providing for up to $12.5 million (the “Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City Loan”). At closing, the Company initially received $10.5 million, and the remaining $2.0 million is available to be drawn upon after December 31, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. The Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City Loan is scheduled to mature on December 6, 2026, bears interest at LIBOR+3.50%, subject to a 3.75% floor, and requires monthly interest-only payments through December 2023 and subsequently, monthly payments of interest and principal of $0.1 million through its maturity date. The Home2 Suites Salt Lake City Loan is cross-collateralized by the Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City and the Home2 Suites - Tukwila.
On December 6, 2021, the Company repaid the Home2 Suites Promissory Note (outstanding principal balance of $26.0 million) in full using the initial proceeds from the Home2 Suites - Tukwila Loan and the Home2 Suites - Salt Lake City Loan.
Principal Mortgage Maturities
The following table, based on the initial terms of the mortgage, sets forth their aggregate estimated contractual principal maturities, including balloon payments due at maturity, as of December 31, 2021:
Schedule of principal maturities
Thereafter
Total
Principal maturities
$ 34,573,333
$ 52,333
$ 657,787
$ 685,707
$ 25,354,173
$ -
$ 61,323,333
Less: Deferred financing costs
(632,116 )
Total principal maturities, net
$ 60,691,217
Debt Compliance
Pursuant to the Company’s debt agreements, $3.0 million was held in restricted escrow accounts as of December 31, 2020. Such escrows were subject to release in accordance with the applicable debt agreement for the payment of real estate taxes, debt service payments, insurance and capital improvements, as required. Certain of our debt agreements also contain clauses providing for prepayment penalties. The Company is currently in compliance with respect to all of its financial debt covenants.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
6. Notes Payable
In April 2020, the Company, through various subsidiaries (each such entity, a “Borrower” and collectively, the “Borrowers”), received aggregate funding of $1.5 million through loans (the “PPP Loans”) originated under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which was established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) and is administered by the SBA. During the first quarter of 2021, the Borrowers received an additional aggregate funding of $1.9 million of PPP Loans.
The PPP Loans each have a term of five years and provide for an interest rate of 1.00%. The payment of principal and interest on the PPP Loan is deferred until the day that the forgiven amount is remitted to the lender (approximately five months after the forgiveness application is submitted to the lender, unless the Borrower appeals a denial of forgiveness) or ten months after the end of the Borrower’s covered period, whichever is earlier. Pursuant to the terms of the CARES Act, the proceeds of the PPP Loans may be used for payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent or utility costs.
The promissory note for each of the PPP Loans contains customary events of default relating to, among other things, payment defaults and breach of representations and warranties or of provisions of the relevant promissory note. Under the terms of the CARES Act, each Borrower can apply for and be granted forgiveness for all or a portion of the PPP Loans. Such forgiveness will be determined, subject to limitations, based on the use of loan proceeds in accordance with the terms of the CARES Act. Although the Company intends for each Borrower to apply for loan forgiveness, no assurance can be given that each Borrower will ultimately obtain forgiveness under its PPP Loan, in whole or in part. In the event all or any portion of a PPP Loan is forgiven, the amount forgiven will be applied to outstanding principal and recorded as income. The PPP Loans are subject to audit by the SBA for up to six years after the date the loans are forgiven.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company received notices from the SBA that all of the PPP Loans received in April 2020 totaling $1.5 million and their related accrued interest aggregating $19,311 had been legally forgiven and therefore, the Company recognized a gain on forgiveness of debt of $1.5 million in its consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the PPP Loans had outstanding balances of $1.9 million and $1.5 million, respectively, and are classified as Notes Payable on the consolidated balance sheets.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
7. Stockholder’s Equity
Preferred Stock
The Company’s charter authorizes its board of directors to designate and issue one or more classes or series of preferred stock without approval of the stockholders of Common Shares. On July 11, 2014, the Company amended and restated its charter to authorize the issuance of 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Prior to the issuance of shares of each class or series, the Company’s board of directors is required by Maryland law and by the Company’s charter to set, subject to the Company’s charter restrictions on ownership and transfer of stock, the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of each class or series of preferred stock so issued, which may be more beneficial than the rights, preferences and privileges attributable to Common Shares. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of the Company. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Common Shares
On July 11, 2014, the Company amended and restated its charter to authorize the issuance of 200,000,000 Common Shares. Under its charter, the Company cannot make some material changes to its business form or operations without the approval of stockholders holding at least a majority of the shares of our stock entitled to vote on the matter. These include (1) amendment of its charter, (2) its liquidation or dissolution, and (3) its merger, consolidation or the sale or other disposition of its assets. Share exchanges in which the Company is the acquirer, however, do not require stockholder approval.
All of the common stock offered by the Company will be duly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable. Subject to the restrictions on ownership and transfer of stock contained in the Company’s charter and except as may otherwise be specified in the charter, the holders of Common Shares are entitled to one vote per Common Share on all matters submitted to a stockholder vote, including the election of the Company’s directors. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors. Therefore, the holders of a majority of outstanding Common Shares can elect the Company’s entire board of directors. Except as the Company’s charter may provide with respect to any series of preferred stock that the Company may issue in the future, the holders of Common Shares will possess exclusive voting power.
Holders of the Company’s Common Shares are entitled to receive such distributions as authorized from time to time by the Company’s Board of Directors and declared out of legally available funds, subject to any preferential rights of any preferred stock that the Company issues in the future. In any liquidation, each outstanding Common Share entitles its holder to share (based on the percentage of Common Shares held) in the assets that remain after the Company pays its liabilities and any preferential distributions owed to preferred stockholders. Holders of Common Shares do not have preemptive rights, which means that there is no automatic option to purchase any new Common Shares that the Company issues, nor do holders of Common Shares have any preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund or redemption rights. Holders of Common Shares do not have appraisal rights unless the Board of Directors determines that appraisal rights apply, with respect to all or any classes or series of stock, to a particular transaction or all transactions occurring after the date of such determination in connection with which holders of such Common Shares would otherwise be entitled to exercise appraisal rights. Common Shares are nonassessable by the Company upon its receipt of the consideration for which the Board of Directors authorized its issuance.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Distributions on Common Shares
On June 19, 2019, the Board of Directors determined to suspend regular monthly distributions.
Previously, distributions in an amount equal to a 6.0% annualized rate were declared on a monthly basis beginning on January 14, 2015 through June 30, 2019 and were paid on or about the 15th day following each month end.
There were no distributions declared during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Future distributions declared, if any, will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors based on their analysis of the Company’s performance over the previous periods and expectations of performance for future periods. The Board of Directors will consider various factors in its determination, including but not limited to, the sources and availability of capital, revenues and other sources of income, operating and interest expenses and the Company’s ability to refinance near-term debt as well as the IRS’s annual distribution requirement that REITs distribute no less than 90% of their taxable income. The Company cannot assure that any future distributions will be made or that it will maintain any particular level of distributions that it has previously established or may establish.
Share Repurchase Program
The Company’s SRP may provide its eligible stockholders with limited, interim liquidity by enabling them to sell their Common Shares back to the Company, subject to restrictions and applicable law.
On March 19, 2020, the Board of Directors amended the SRP to remove stockholder notice requirements and also approved the suspension of all redemptions effective immediately.
Effective May 10, 2021, the Board of Directors partially reopened the SRP to allow, subject to various conditions as set forth below, for redemptions submitted in connection with a stockholder’s death or hardship and set the price for all such purchases to the Company’s current NAV per Share, as determined by the Board of Directors and reported by the Company from time to time.
Deaths that occurred subsequent to January 1, 2020 were eligible for consideration, subject to certain conditions. Beginning January 1, 2022, requests for redemptions in connection with a stockholder’s death must be submitted and received by the Company within one year of the stockholder’s date of death for consideration.
On the above noted date, the Board of Directors established that on an annual basis, the Company would not redeem in excess of 0.5% of the number of shares outstanding as of the end of the preceding year for either death or hardship redemptions, respectively. Additionally, redemption requests generally would be processed on a quarterly basis and would be subject to pro ration if either type of redemption requests exceeded the annual limitation.
For the period from January 1 through March 18, 2020, the Company repurchased 80,436 shares of common stock at an average price per share of $9.92. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company repurchased 77,678 shares of common stock at an average price per share of $8.05.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
8. Related Party and Other Transactions
The Company has agreements with the Advisor and its affiliates and the Special Limited Partner pursuant to which is has and/or will pay certain fees and liquidation distributions in exchange for services performed or consideration given by these entities and other affiliated entities. The following table summarizes all the compensation and fees the Company paid or may pay to the Advisor and its affiliates, including amounts to reimburse their costs in providing services. The Special Limited Partner has made contributions to the Operating Partnership in exchange for Subordinated Participation Interests in the Operating Partnership that may entitle the Special Limited Partner to subordinated distributions as described in the table below.
Operational and Development Stages
Fees
Amount
Acquisition Fee
The Company pays to the Advisor or its affiliates 1.0% of the contractual purchase price of each property acquired (including its pro rata share (direct or indirect) of debt attributable to such property) or 1.0% of the amount advanced for a loan or other investment (including its pro rata share (direct or indirect) of debt attributable to such investment), as applicable.
‘‘Contractual purchase price’’ or the ‘‘amount advanced for a loan or other investment’’ means the amount actually paid or allocated in respect of the purchase, development, construction or improvement of a property, the amount of funds advanced with respect to a mortgage, or the amount actually paid or allocated in respect of the purchase of other real estate-related assets, in each case inclusive of any indebtedness assumed or incurred in respect of such asset but exclusive of acquisition fees and acquisition expenses.
Acquisition Expenses
The Company reimburses the Advisor for expenses actually incurred related to selecting or acquiring assets on the Company’s behalf, regardless of whether or not the Company acquires the related assets. In addition, the Company pays third parties, or reimburses the Advisor or its affiliates, for any investment-related expenses due to third parties, including, but not limited to legal fees and expenses, travel and communications expenses, cost of appraisals, nonrefundable option payments on property not acquired, accounting fees and expenses and title insurance premiums, regardless of whether or not the Company acquires the related assets. In no event will the total of all acquisition fees, financing coordination fees and acquisition expenses (including those paid to third parties, as described above) payable with respect to a particular investment be unreasonable or exceed 5% of the contractual purchase price of each property including its pro rata share (direct or indirect) of debt attributable to such property) or 5% of the amount advanced for a loan or other investment (including its pro rata share (direct or indirect) of debt attributable to attributable to such investment), as applicable.
Construction Management Fee
The Company may engage affiliates of the Advisor to provide construction management services for some of its properties. The Company will pay a construction management fee in an amount of up to 5% of the cost of any improvements that the affiliates of the Advisor may undertake. The affiliates of the Advisor may subcontract the performance of their duties to third parties.
Asset Management Fee
The Company pays the Advisor or its assignees a monthly asset management fee equal to one-twelfth (1⁄12) of 0.75% of the Company’s average invested assets. Average invested assets means, for a specified period, the average of the aggregate book value of its assets invested, directly or indirectly, in equity interests in and loans secured by real estate, before deducting depreciation, bad debts or other non- cash reserves, computed by taking the average of such values at the end of each month during such period.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Fees
Amount
Property Management Fees
Property management fees with respect to properties managed by affiliates of the Advisor are payable monthly in an amount not to exceed the fee customarily charged in arm’s-length transactions by others rendering similar services in the same geographic area for similar properties as determined by a survey of property managers in such area. The affiliates of the Advisor may subcontract the performance of their duties to third parties. The Company reimburses the affiliates of the Advisor for costs and expenses, which may include personnel costs for on-site personnel providing direct services for the properties and for roving maintenance personnel to the extent needed at the properties from time to time, and the cost of travel and entertainment, printing and stationery, advertising, marketing, signage, long distance phone calls and other expenses that are directly related to the management of specific properties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company will not reimburse the affiliates of the Advisor for their general overhead costs or, other than as set forth above, for the wages and salaries and other employee-related expenses of their employees.
In addition, the Company pays the affiliates of the Advisor a separate fee for the one- time initial rent-up or leasing-up of newly constructed properties in an amount not to exceed the fee customarily charged in arm’s-length transactions by others rendering similar services in the same geographic area for similar properties as determined by a survey of brokers and agents in such area.
From the Company’s inception through December 31, 2021, no property management fees or separate fees have been incurred.
Operating Expenses
The Company may reimburse the Advisor’s costs of providing administrative services at the end of each fiscal quarter, subject to the limitation that the Company will not reimburse the Advisor (except in limited circumstances) for any amount by which the total operating expenses at the end of the four preceding fiscal quarters exceeds the greater of (i) 2% of average invested assets (as defined above under ‘‘- Asset Management Fee’’) for that fiscal year, and (ii) 25% of net income other than any additions to reserves for depreciation, bad debt or other similar non-cash reserves and excluding any gain from the sale of assets for that period. From the Company’s inception through December 31, 2021, the Company has not reimbursed the Advisor for providing any administrative services.
Additionally, the Company reimburses the Advisor or its affiliates for personnel costs in connection with other services; however, the Company will not reimburse the Advisor for (a) services for which the Advisor or its affiliates are entitled to compensation in the form of a separate fee, or (b) the salaries and benefits of the named executive officers.
Financing Coordination Fee
If the Advisor provides services in connection with the financing of an asset, assumption of a loan in connection with the acquisition of an asset or origination or refinancing of any loan on an asset, the Company may pay the Advisor or its assignees a financing coordination fee equal to 0.75% of the amount available or outstanding under such financing. The Advisor may reallow some of or all this financing coordination fee to reimburse third parties with whom it may subcontract to procure such financing.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Liquidation/Listing Stage
Real Estate Disposition Commissions
For substantial services in connection with the sale of a property, the Company will pay to the Advisor or any of its affiliates a real estate disposition commission in an amount equal to the lesser of (a) one-half of a real estate commission that is reasonable, customary and competitive in light of the size, type and location of the property and (b) 2.0% of the contractual sales price of the property; provided, however, that in no event may the real estate commissions paid to the Advisor, its affiliates and unaffiliated third parties exceed the lesser of 6.0% of the contractual sales price or a real estate commission that is reasonable, customary and competitive in light of the size, type and location of the property. The Company’s independent directors will determine whether the Advisor or its affiliates have provided a substantial amount of services to the Company in connection with the sale of a property. A substantial amount of services in connection with the sale of a property includes the preparation by the Advisor or its affiliates of an investment package for the property (including an investment analysis, an asset description and other due diligence information) or such other substantial services performed by the Advisor or its affiliates in connection with a sale.
Annual Subordinated Performance Fee
The Company may pay the Advisor an annual subordinated performance fee calculated on the basis of the annual return to holders of Common Shares, payable annually in arrears, such that for any year in which holders of Common Shares receive payment of a 6.0% annual cumulative, pre-tax, non-compounded return on their respective net investments, the Advisor will be entitled to 15.0% of the total return in excess of such 6.0% per annum; provided, that the amount paid to the Advisor will not exceed 10.0% of the aggregate return for such year, and provided, further, that the amount paid to the Advisor will not be paid unless holders of Common Shares receive a return of their respective net investments. This fee will be payable only from realized appreciation in the Company’s assets upon their sale, other disposition or refinancing, which results in the return on stockholders’ respective net investments exceeding 6.0% per annum.
For purposes of the annual subordinated performance fee, “net investment” means $10.00 per Common Share, less a pro rata share of any proceeds received from the sale, other disposition or refinancing of assets.
From the Company’s inception through December 31, 2021, no annual subordinated performance fees have been incurred.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Fees
Amount
Liquidation Distributions to the Special Limited Partner
Distributions from the Operating Partnership in connection with its liquidation initially will be made to the Company (which the Company will distribute to holders of Common Shares), until holders of Common Shares have received liquidation distributions from the Operating Partnership equal to their respective net investments plus a cumulative, pre-tax, non-compounded annual return of 6.0% on their respective net investments.
Thereafter, the Special Limited Partner will be entitled to receive liquidation distributions from the Operating Partnership until it has received liquidation distributions from the Operating Partnership equal to its net investment plus cumulative, pre-tax, non-compounded annual return of 6.0% on its net investment.
Thereafter, 85.0% of the aggregate amount of any additional liquidation distributions by the Operating Partnership will be payable to the Company (which the Company will distribute to holders of Common Shares), and the remaining 15.0% will be payable to the Special Limited Partner.
With respect to holders of Common Shares, “net investment” means $10.00 per Common Share, less a pro rata share of any proceeds received from the sale, other disposition or refinancing of assets. With respect to the Special Limited Partner, “net investment” means the value of all contributions of cash or property the Special Limited Partner has made to the Operating Partnership in consideration for its subordinated participation interests, measured as of the respective times of contribution, less a pro rata share of any proceeds received from the sale, other disposition or refinancing of assets.
From the Company’s inception through December 31, 2021, no liquidating distributions have been made.
Due to related parties and other transactions
In addition to certain agreements with the Sponsor (see Note 1), the Company has agreements with the Advisor to pay certain fees in exchange for services performed by the Advisor and/or its affiliated entities. Additionally, the Company’s ability to secure financing and its real estate operations are dependent upon its Advisor and its affiliates to perform such services as provided in these agreements. Amounts the Company owes to the Advisor and its affiliated entities are principally for asset management fees, and are classified as due to related parties on the consolidated balance sheets.
Affiliates of the Company’s Advisor may also perform fee-based construction management services for both its development and redevelopment activities and tenant construction projects. These fees will be considered incremental to the construction effort and will be capitalized to the associated real estate project as incurred. Costs incurred for tenant construction will be depreciated over the shorter of their useful life or the term of the related lease. Costs related to development and redevelopment activities will be depreciated over the estimated useful life of the associated project.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
The following table represents the fees incurred associated with the payments to the Company’s Advisor for the periods indicated:
Schedule of fees payments to Company's Advisor
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
Finance fees (1)
$ 144,375
$ -
Disposition fees (general and administrative costs)
-
39,200
Asset management fees (general and administrative costs)
1,204,422
1,256,459
Total
$ 1,348,797
$ 1,295,659
(1) A finance fee of $144,375 paid to the Advisor in connection with arranging the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture’s construction loan was capitalized and included in investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities on the consolidated balance sheets.
The advisory agreement has a one-year term and is renewable for an unlimited number of successive one-year periods upon the mutual consent of the Advisor and the Company’s independent directors. Payments to the Advisor or its affiliates may include asset acquisition fees and the reimbursement of acquisition-related expenses, development fees and the reimbursement of development-related costs, financing coordination fees, asset management fees or asset management participation, and construction management fees. The Company may also reimburse the Advisor and its affiliates for actual expenses it incurs for administrative and other services provided for it. Upon the liquidation of the Company’s assets, it may pay the Advisor or its affiliates a disposition commission.
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
9. Commitments and Contingencies
Management Agreements
The Company’s hotels operate pursuant to management agreements (the “Management Agreements”) with various third-party management companies. The management companies perform management functions including, but not limited to, hiring and supervising employees, establishing room prices, establishing administrative policies and procedures, managing expenditures and arranging and supervising public relations and advertising. The Management Agreements are for initial terms ranging from 1 one year to 10 years however, the agreements can be cancelled for any reason by the Company after giving 60 days’ notice after the one year anniversary of the commencement of the respective agreement.
The Management Agreements provide for the payment of a base management fee equal to 3% to 3.5% of gross revenues, as defined, and an incentive management fee based on the operating results of the hotel, as defined. The base management fee and incentive management fee, if any, are recorded as a component of property operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
Franchise Agreements
As of December 31, 2021, the Company’s hotels operated pursuant to various franchise agreements. Under the franchise agreements, the Company generally pays a fee equal to 3% to 5.5% of gross room sales, as defined, and a marketing fund charge from 2.0% to 2.5% of gross room sales. The franchise fee and marketing fund charge are recorded as a component of property operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
The franchise agreements are generally for initial terms ranging from 15 years to 20 years, expiring between 2028 and 2034.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time in the ordinary course of business, the Company may become subject to legal proceedings, claims or disputes.
As of the date hereof, we are not a party to any material pending legal proceedings of which the outcome is probable or reasonably possible to have a material adverse effect on its results of operations or financial condition, which would require accrual or disclosure of the contingency and possible range of loss.
PART II. CONTINUED:

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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. As of December 31, 2021, we conducted an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of the Advisor’s management, including our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based on this evaluation, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded as of December 31, 2021 that our disclosure controls and procedures were adequate and effective.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Our internal control system is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and effected by our Board of Directors, management and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Our internal control over financial reporting includes policies and procedures that:
●
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect transactions and disposition of assets;
●
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with the authorization of our management and directors; and
●
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements.
Because of inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021. In making this assessment, they used the control criteria framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission published in its report entitled Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on this evaluation, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2021.
This annual report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit the Company to provide only management’s report in this annual report.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting. There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION:
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE OF THE REGISTRANT
Directors
The following table presents certain information as of March 15, 2022 concerning each of our directors serving in such capacity:
Name
Age
Principal Occupation and Positions Held
Year Term of Office Will Expire
Served as a Director Since
David Lichtenstein
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
George R. Whittemore
Director
Yehuda “Judah” L. Angster
Director
David Lichtenstein is our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Lichtenstein founded both American Shelter Corporation and The Lightstone Group. From 1988 to the present, Mr. Lichtenstein has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of The Lightstone Group, directing all aspects of the acquisition, financing and management of a diverse portfolio of multifamily, lodging, retail and industrial properties located in 20 states and Puerto Rico. From June 2004 to the present, Mr. Lichtenstein has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Lightstone Value Plus REIT I, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT I”) and Chief Executive Officer of Lightstone Value Plus REIT LLC, its advisor. From April 2008 to the present, Mr. Lichtenstein has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Offer of Lightstone Value Plus REIT II, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT II”) and Lightstone Value Plus REIT II LLC, its advisor. From September 2014 to the present, Mr. Lichtenstein has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Lightstone REIT IV Inc., (“Lightstone REIT IV”), and as Chief Executive Officer of Lightstone Real Estate Income LLC, its advisor. From October 2014 to the present, Mr. Lichtenstein has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Lightstone Enterprises Limited (“Lightstone Enterprises”). Mr. Lichtenstein was appointed Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of Lightstone Value Plus REIT V, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT V”) on August 31, 2021 and is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of its advisor. From July 2015 to the present, Mr. Lichtenstein has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Lichtenstein is also a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Inc., an industry trade group, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Touro College and New York Medical College. Mr. Lichtenstein has been selected to serve as a director due to his experience and networking relationships in the real estate industry, along with his experience in acquiring and financing real estate properties.
George R. Whittemore is one of our independent directors. From July 2006 to the present, Mr. Whittemore has served as a member of the board of directors of Lightstone REIT I, and from April 2008 to the present has served as a member of the board of directors of Lightstone REIT II. Mr. Whittemore also presently serves as a director and member of the audit committee of Village Bank Financial Corporation in Richmond, Virginia, a publicly traded company. Mr. Whittemore previously served as a director of Condor Hospitality, Inc. in Norfolk, Nebraska, a publicly traded company, from November 1994 to March 2016. Mr. Whittemore previously served as a director and chairman of the audit committee of Prime Group Realty Trust from July 2005 until December 2012. Mr. Whittemore previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc. from November 2001 until August 2004 and as Senior Vice President and Director of both Anderson & Strudwick, Incorporated, a brokerage firm based in Richmond, Virginia, and Anderson & Strudwick Investment Corporation, from October 1996 until October 2001. Mr. Whittemore has also served as Director, President and Managing Officer of Pioneer Federal Savings Bank and its parent, Pioneer Financial Corporation, from September 1982 until August 1994, and as President of Mills Value Adviser, Inc., a registered investment advisor. Mr. Whittemore is a graduate of the University of Richmond. Mr. Whittemore has been selected to serve as an independent director due to his experience in accounting, banking, finance and real estate.
Yehuda “Judah” L. Angster is one of our independent directors. From August 2021 to the present, Mr. Angster has served as a member of the board of directors of Lightstone REIT II and from November 2015 through August 2021, Mr. Angster served as a member of the board of directors of Lightstone REIT I. Mr. Angster is currently the Chief Executive Officer of CastleRock Equity Group in Florham Park, NJ. Before joining CastleRock Equity Group in June of 2015, Mr. Angster was the Vice President of Global Development for PCS Wireless, LLC in Florham Park NJ beginning in September 2012. Mr. Angster was the Internal Counsel for Empire Bank from June 2009 to September 2012. Mr. Angster earned his J.D. from the Pace University School of Law in May 2009. Mr. Angster earned a Bachelor of Talmudic Law from Tanenbaum Educational Center, Rockland, NY. Mr. Angster is licensed to practice law in New Jersey and New York. Mr. Angster has been selected to serve as an independent director due to his extensive experience in global business development and real estate transactions.
Executive Officers:
The following table presents certain information as of March 15, 2021 concerning each of our executive officers serving in such capacities:
Name
Age
Principal Occupation and Positions Held
David Lichtenstein
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Mitchell Hochberg
President and Chief Operating Officer
Joseph Teichman
General Counsel and Secretary
Seth Molod
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
David Lichtenstein for biographical information about Mr. Lichtenstein, see ‘‘Management - Directors.”
Mitchell Hochberg is our President and Chief Operating Officer and also serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Lightstone REIT I, Lightstone REIT II and Lightstone REIT IV and their advisors. Mr. Hochberg also serves as the President of our sponsor and as the President and Chief Operating Officer of our advisor. From October 2014 to the present, Mr. Hochberg has served as President of Lightstone. Mr. Hochberg was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Behringer Harvard Opportunity REIT I, Inc. (“OP 1”) and Lightstone REIT V effective as of September 28, 2017. Additionally, on August 31, 2021, Mr. Hochberg was appointed as a director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lightstone REIT V and will continue to serve as the Lightstone V’s Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining The Lightstone Group in August 2012, Mr. Hochberg served as principal of Madden Real Estate Ventures from 2007 to August 2012 when it combined with our sponsor. Mr. Hochberg held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer of Ian Schrager Company, a developer and manager of innovative luxury hotels and residential projects in the United States from early 2006 to early 2007 and prior to that Mr. Hochberg founded Spectrum Communities, a developer of luxury neighborhoods in the northeast of the United States, in 1985 where for 20 years he served as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Hochberg served on the board of directors of Belmond Ltd from 2009 to April 2019. Additionally, through October 2014 Mr. Hochberg served on the board of directors and as Chairman of the board of directors of Orleans Homebuilders, Inc. Mr. Hochberg received his law degree as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar from Columbia University School of Law and graduated magna cum laude from New York University College of Business and Public Administration with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance.
Joseph E. Teichman is our General Counsel and Secretary and also serves as General Counsel of Lightstone REIT I, Lightstone REIT II and Lightstone REIT IV and their respective advisors. Mr. Teichman also serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of our sponsor and as General Counsel of our advisor. From October 2014 to the present, Mr. Teichman has served as Secretary and a Director of Lightstone. Prior to joining The Lightstone Group in January 2007, Mr. Teichman practiced law at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York, NY from September 2001 to January 2007. Mr. Teichman earned a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.A. from Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood, New Jersey. Mr. Teichman is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey. Mr. Teichman is also a member of the Board of Directors of Yeshiva Orchos Chaim, Lakewood, New Jersey and was appointed to the Ocean County College Board of Trustees in February 2016.
Seth Molod is our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and also serves as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Lightstone REIT I, Lightstone REIT II, Lightstone REIT IV and Lightstone V. Mr. Molod also serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of our Sponsor and as the Chief Financial Officer of our Advisor and the advisors of Lightstone REIT I, Lightstone REIT II, Lightstone REIT IV and Lightstone V. Prior to joining The Lightstone Group in August of 2018, Mr. Molod, 54, served as an Audit Partner, Chair of Real Estate Services and on the Executive Committee of Berdon LLP, a full service accounting, tax, financial and management advisory firm (“Berdon”). Mr. Molod joined Berdon in 1989. He has extensive experience advising some of the nation’s most prominent real estate owners, developers, managers, and investors in both commercial and residential projects. Mr. Molod has worked with many privately held real estate companies as well as institutional investors, REITs, and other public companies. Mr. Molod is a licensed certified public accountant in New Jersey and New York and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Molod holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Muhlenberg College.
Section 16 (a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires each director, officer and individual beneficially owning more than 10% of our common stock to file initial statements of beneficial ownership (Form 3) and statements of changes in beneficial ownership (Forms 4 and 5) of our common stock with the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Officers, directors and greater than 10% beneficial owners are required by Securities and Exchange Commission rules to furnish us with copies of all such forms they file. Based solely on a review of the copies of such forms furnished to us during and with respect to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, or written representations that no additional forms were required, we believe that all of our officers and directors and persons that beneficially own more than 10% of the outstanding shares of our common stock complied with these filing requirements in 2021.
Information Regarding Audit Committee
Our Board established an audit committee in June 2014. The charter of audit committee is available at www.lightstonecapitalmarkets.com/sec-filings or in print to any stockholder who requests it c/o Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc., 1985 Cedar Bridge Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701. Our audit committee consists of George R. Whittemore and Yehuda “Judah” L. Angster each of whom is “independent” within the meaning of the NYSE listing standards. The Board determined that Mr. Whittemore is qualified as an audit committee financial experts as defined in Item 401 (h) of Regulation S-K. For more information regarding the relevant professional experience of Mr. Whittemore and Mr. Angster see “Directors”.
Code of Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our executive officers and directors, including but not limited to, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer. Our Code of Conduct and Ethics can be found at www.lightstonecapitalmarkets.com/sec-filings

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation of Executive Officers
Our officers will not receive any cash compensation from us for their services as our officers. Our board of directors (including a majority of our independent directors) will determine if and when any of our officers will receive restricted shares of our common stock. Additionally, our officers are officers of one or more of our affiliates and are compensated by those entities (including our sponsor), in part, for their services rendered to us. From our inception through December 31, 2021, the Company has not compensated the officers.
Compensation of Board of Directors
We pay our independent directors an annual fee of $40,000 (payable in quarterly installments) and are responsible for reimbursement of their out-of-pocket expenses, as incurred. We also pay our audit committee chair an additional aggregate annual fee of $10,000 (payable in quarterly installments).

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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
Executive Officers:
The following table presents certain information as of March 15, 2022 concerning each of our directors and executive officers serving in such capacities:
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner
Number of Shares of Common Stock of the Lightstone REIT III Beneficially Owned
Percent of All Common Shares of the Lightstone REIT III
David Lichtenstein (1)
242,222
1.8 %
George R. Whittemore
-
-
Yehuda “Judah” L. Angster
-
-
Mitchell Hochberg
-
-
Seth Molod
-
-
Joseph Teichman
-
-
Our directors and executive officers as a group (6 persons)
242,222
1.8 %
(1) Includes 20,000 shares owned by our Advisor and 222,222 shares owned by an entity 100% owned by David Lichtenstein. Our Advisor is majority owned by David Lichtenstein. The beneficial owner’s business address is 1985 Cedar Bridge Avenue, Lakewood, New Jersey 08701.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
David Lichtenstein serves as the Chairman of our Board of Directors and our Chief Executive Officer. Our Advisor and its affiliates and the Special Limited Partner are majority owned and controlled by Mr. Lichtenstein. We have or may entered into agreements with our Advisor and its affiliates to pay certain fees, as described below, in exchange for services performed or consideration given by these and other affiliated entities. As a majority owner of those entities, Mr. Lichtenstein benefits from fees and other compensation that they receive pursuant to these agreements.
Property Managers
Our Advisor has certain affiliates which may manage the properties we acquire. We also use other unaffiliated third-party property managers, principally for the management of our hospitality properties.
We have agreed to pay our property managers a monthly management fee in an amount not to exceed the fee customarily charged in arm’s-length transactions by others rendering similar services in the same geographic area for similar properties as determined by a survey of property managers in such area. We will reimburse our property managers for certain costs and expenses. We may also pay our property managers a separate fee for the one-time initial rent-up or leasing-up of newly constructed property in an amount not to exceed the fee customarily charged in arm’s length transactions by others rendering similar services in the same geographic area for similar properties as determined by a survey of brokers and agents in such area.
We may also engage our property managers to provide construction management services for some of our properties. We will pay a construction management fee in an amount of up to 5% of the cost of any improvements that our property managers undertake.
Advisor
We pay our Advisor an acquisition fee equal to 1.0% of the gross contractual purchase price (including any mortgage assumed) of each property purchased and reimburse our Advisor for expenses that it incurs in connection with the purchase of a property. Acquisition fees and expenses are capped at 5% of the gross contractual purchase price of a property.
The Advisor is paid an advisor asset management fee of one-twelfth (1/12) of 0.75% of our average invested assets and we will reimburse some expenses of the Advisor relating to asset management.
If our Advisor provides services in connection with the financing of an asset, assumption of a loan in connection with the acquisition of an asset or origination or refinancing of any loan on an asset, we may pay our Advisor a financing coordination fee equal to 0.75% of the amount available or outstanding under such financing.
For substantial services in connection with the sale of a property, we will pay to our Advisor a commission in an amount equal to the lesser of (a) one-half of a real estate commission that is reasonable, customary and competitive in light of the size, type and location of the property and (b) 2.0% of the contractual sales price of the property. The commission will not exceed the lesser of 6.0% of the contractual sales price or commission that is reasonable, customary and competitive in light of the size, type and location of the property
We may pay our Advisor an annual subordinated performance fee calculated on the basis of our annual return to holders of our Common Shares, payable annually in arrears, such that for any year in which holders of our Common Shares receive payment of a 6.0% annual cumulative, pre-tax, non-compounded return on their respective net investments, our Advisor will be entitled to 15.0% of the amount in excess of such 6.0% per annum return, provided, that the amount paid to the Advisor will not exceed 10.0% of the aggregate return for such year, and provided, further, that the annual subordinated performance fee will not be paid unless holders of our Common Shares receive a return of their respective net investments. From our inception through December 31, 2021, no annual subordinated performance fees were incurred.
We have agreements with the Advisor to pay certain fees in exchange for services performed by the Advisor and/or its affiliated entities. Additionally, our ability to secure financing and our real estate operations are dependent upon our Advisor and its affiliates to perform such services as provided in these agreements. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we owed the Advisor and its affiliated entities an aggregate of $301,422 and $292,447, respectively, which was principally for costs paid on our behalf, and is classified as due to related parties on the consolidated balance sheets.
The following table represents the fees incurred associated with the payments to the Advisor for the period indicated:
For the
Year Ended
December 31,
Finance fees (1)
$ 144,375
$ -
Disposition fees (general and administrative costs)
-
39,200
Asset management fees (general and administrative costs)
1,204,422
1,256,459
Total
$ 1,348,797
$ 1,295,659
(1) A finance fee of $144,375 paid to the Advisor in connection with arranging the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture’s construction loan was capitalized and included in investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities on the consolidated balance sheets.
Special Limited Partner
In connection with our Offering, which terminated on March 31, 2017, (Lightstone SLP III LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Special Limited Partner”), purchased from the Operating Partnership an aggregate of 242 Subordinated Participation Interests for consideration of $12.1 million. The Subordinated Participation Interests were each purchased for $50,000 in consideration and may be entitled to receive liquidation distributions upon the liquidation of Lightstone REIT III.
As the majority owner of the Special Limited Partner, Mr. Lichtenstein is the beneficial owner of a 99% interest in such Subordinated Participation Interests and will thus receive an indirect benefit from any distributions made in respect thereof.
These Subordinated Participation Interests entitle the Special Limited Partner to a portion of any regular and liquidation distributions that we make to stockholders, but only after stockholders have received a stated preferred return. From our inception through December 31, 2021, no distributions have been declared or paid on the Subordinated Participation Interests.
The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture
On August 5, 2021, we formed a joint venture with Lightstone Value Plus REIT IV, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT IV”), a REIT also sponsored by our Sponsor and a related party, pursuant to which we acquired 25% of Lightstone REIT IV’s membership interest in Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture”) for aggregate consideration of $7.9 million.
Subsequent to our initial acquisition, we made additional capital contributions to the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture of $4.3 million through December 31, 2021.
Bedford Avenue Holdings LLC previously acquired four adjacent parcels of land located at 353-361 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, on which it is developing and constructing a 210-room branded hotel (the “Williamsburg Moxy Hotel”).
As a result, we and Lightstone REIT IV have 25% and 75% membership interests, respectively, in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture. We have determined that the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture is a variable interest entity and we are not the primary beneficiary, as it was determined that REIT IV is the primary beneficiary. We account for our membership interest in the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture in accordance with the equity method because we exert significant influence over but do not control the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture. All capital contributions and distributions of earnings from the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture are made on a pro rata basis in proportion to each member’s equity interest percentage. Any distributions in excess of earnings from the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture are made to the members pursuant to the terms of the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture’s operating agreement. The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel is currently under construction and therefore, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture had no operating results from August 5, 2021 (date of acquisition) through December 31, 2021.
Moxy Construction Loan
On August 5, 2021, Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture entered into a recourse construction loan facility for up to $77.0 million (the “Moxy Construction Loan”) scheduled to mature on February 5, 2024, with two, six-month extension options, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. The Moxy Construction Loan bears interest at LIBOR plus 9.00%, subject to a 9.50% floor, with monthly interest-only payments based on a rate of 7.50% with the accrued and unpaid interest added to the outstanding loan balance and due at maturity. The Moxy Construction Loan is collateralized by the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel. The Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture received initial proceeds of $16.0 million under the Moxy Construction Loan and repaid a previously outstanding mortgage loan of $16.0 million in full. As of December 31, 2021, the outstanding principal balance of the Moxy Construction Loan was $18.6 million (including $0.1 million of interest capitalized to principal) and the remaining availability under the facility was up to $58.6 million.
In connection with the Moxy Construction Loan, the Williamsburg Moxy Hotel Joint Venture has provided certain completion and carry cost guarantees.
Additionally, financing fees of $0.1 million paid to the Advisor have been capitalized and are reflected in the carrying value of our investment in the Williamsburg Moxy Joint Venture which is included in investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities on the consolidated balance sheets.
Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture
On March 27, 2018, we and Lightstone Value Plus REIT II, Inc. (“Lightstone REIT II”), a REIT also sponsored by our Sponsor and a related party, acquired, through LVP LIC Hotel JV LLC (the “Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture”), a 183-room, limited-service hotel located at 29-21 41st Avenue, Long Island City, New York (the “Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City”) from an unrelated third party, for aggregate consideration of $60.0 million, which consisted of $25.0 million of cash and $35.0 million of proceeds from a loan from a financial institution (the “Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage”), excluding closing and other related transaction costs. We and Lightstone II each have a 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture.
We paid $12.9 million for a 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture. Our membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture is a co-managing interest. We account for our membership interest in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture in accordance with the equity method of accounting because we exert significant influence over but do not control the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture. All capital contributions and distributions of earnings from the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture are made on a pro rata basis in proportion to each member’s equity interest percentage. Any distributions in excess of earnings from the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture are made to the members pursuant to the terms of the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture’s operating agreement. We commenced recording our allocated portion of profit/loss and cash distributions beginning as of March 27, 2018 with respect to our membership interest of 50.0% in the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture.
In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operating results of the Hilton Garden Inn - Long Island City, the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture has entered into certain amendments with respect to the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage as discussed below.
On June 2, 2020, the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage was amended to provide for (i) the deferral of the six monthly debt service payments aggregating $0.9 million for the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 until March 27, 2023; (ii) a 100 bps reduction in the interest rate spread to LIBOR plus 2.15%, subject to a 4.03% floor, for the six-month period from September 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021; (iii) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture pre-funding $1.2 million into a cash collateral reserve account to cover the six monthly debt service payments due from October 1, 2020 through March 1, 2021; and (iv) waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods before June 30, 2021.
Additionally, on April 7, 2021, the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture and the lender further amended the terms of the Hilton Garden Inn Mortgage to provide for (i) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture to make a principal paydown of $1.7 million; (ii) the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture to fund an additional $0.7 million into the cash collateral reserve account; (iii) a waiver of all financial covenants for quarter-end periods through September 30, 2021 with a phased-in gradual return to the full financial covenant requirements over the quarter-end periods beginning December 31, 2021 through December 31, 2022; (iv) a 11-month interest-only payment period from May 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022; and (v) certain restrictions on distributions to the members of the Hilton Garden Inn Joint Venture during the interest-only payment period.
Subsequent to our acquisition of our 50.0% membership interest in the Hilton Garden Joint Venture through December 31, 2021, we have made an aggregate of $2.8 million of additional capital contributions (of which $1.3 million was made in 2021) and received aggregate distributions of $2.0 million (of which $0.5 million was received in 2021).
The Cove Joint Venture
On January 31, 2017, we, through our wholly owned subsidiary, REIT III COVE LLC along with LSG Cove LLC, an affiliate of the Sponsor and a related party, REIT IV COVE LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lightstone REIT IV, and Maximus Cove Investor LLC (“Maximus”), an unrelated third party, completed the acquisition of all of RP Cove, L.L.C’s membership interest in RP Maximus Cove, L.L.C. (the “Cove Joint Venture”) for aggregate consideration of $255.0 million (the “Cove Transaction”). Excluding mortgage financing obtained by the Cove Joint Venture in connection with the Cove Transaction, we paid $20.0 million for a 22.5% non-managing membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture.
The Cove Joint Venture owned and operated The Cove at Tiburon (“the Cove”), a 281-unit, luxury waterfront multifamily residential property located in Tiburon, California from January 31, 2017 through February 12, 2020. As discussed below, we disposed of our 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture on February 12, 2020.
We accounted for our 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture in accordance with the equity method of accounting. For the period from January 1, 2020 through February 12, 2020, our share of the Cove Joint Venture’s loss of $0.7 million was $0.2 million, which is included in the loss from investments in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entities on the consolidated statements of operations.
On February 12, 2020, REIT IV Cove LLC, LSG Cove LLC and REIT III COVE LLC each redeemed their respective membership interests in the Cove Joint Venture for an aggregate redemption price of $87.6 million. In connection, with the redemption of our 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture, we received proceeds of $21.9 million which resulted in the recognition of a gain on the disposition of unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $7.9 million during the first quarter of 2020.
As a result of the redemption of our 22.5% membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture on February 12, 2020, we no longer has an ownership interest in the Cove Joint Venture. During August 2020, we received $0.1 million of additional proceeds related to the redemption of our membership interest in the Cove Joint Venture and recognized a gain on the disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $0.1 million during the third quarter of 2020. As a result, we recognized an aggregate gain on the disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliated real estate entity of $8.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Our independent public accounting firm is EisnerAmper LLP, Iselin, New Jersey, Auditor ID 274.
Audit and Non-Audit Fees
The following table presents the aggregate fees billed to us for the years presented by our principal accounting firm:
Year ended
December 31,
Year ended
December 31,
Audit Fees (a)
$ 212,500
$ 210,000
Audit-Related Fees (b)
-
1,500
Tax Fees (c)
83,200
87,836
Total Fees
$ 295,700
$ 299,336
(a) Fees for audit services consisted of the audit of the Lightstone REIT III’s annual financial statements and interim reviews, including services normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings and including registration statements and consents.
(b) Fees for audit-related services related to audits of entities that the Company has acquired.
(c) Fees for tax services.
In considering the nature of the services provided by the independent auditor, the audit committee determined that such services are compatible with the provision of independent audit services. The audit committee discussed these services with the independent auditor and Lightstone REIT III management to determine that they are permitted under the rules and regulations concerning auditor independence promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission to implement the related requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
To the Directors of Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc.:
We have reviewed and discussed with management Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc.’s audited financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021.
We have discussed with the independent auditors the matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 16, “Communication with Audit Committees,” as amended, as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
We have received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from the independent auditors required by Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Rule 3526, Communication with Audit Committees Concerning Independence and have discussed with the auditors the auditors’ independence.
Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above, we recommend to the board of directors that the financial statements referred to above be included in Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Audit Committee
George R. Whittemore
Yehuda “Judah” L. Angster
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS’ REPORT
To the Stockholders of Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc.:
We have reviewed the Company’s policies and determined that they are in the best interest of the Company’s stockholders. Set forth below is a discussion of the basis for that determination.
General
The Company has and intends to continue to primarily acquire full-service or select-service hotels, including extended-stay hotels. Even though the Company has and intends to continue primarily to acquire hotels, it has and may continue to purchase other types of real estate.
Assets other than hotels may include, without limitation, office buildings, shopping centers, business and industrial parks, manufacturing facilities, single-tenant properties, multifamily properties, student housing properties, warehouses and distribution facilities and medical office properties. The Company has and expects to invest mainly in direct real estate investments and other equity interests; however, it may also invest in debt interests, which may include bridge or mezzanine loans, including in furtherance of a loan-to-own strategy. We have not established any limits on the percentage of our portfolio that may be comprised of various categories of assets which present differing levels of risk.
Financing Policies
The Company has and intends to continue to utilize leverage to acquire its properties. The number of different properties the Company will acquire will be affected by numerous factors, including, the amount of funds available to us. When interest rates on mortgage loans are high or financing is otherwise unavailable on terms that are satisfactory to the Company, the Company may purchase certain properties for cash with the intention of obtaining a mortgage loan for a portion of the purchase price at a later time. There is no limitation on the amount the Company may invest in any single property or on the amount the Company can borrow for the purchase of any property.
The Company has and intends to continue to limit its aggregate long-term permanent borrowings to 75% of the aggregate fair market value of all properties unless any excess borrowing is approved by a majority of the independent directors and is disclosed to the Company’s stockholders. The Company may also incur short-term indebtedness, having a maturity of two years or less. By operating on a leveraged basis, the Company may have more funds available for investment in properties. This may allow the Company to make more investments than would otherwise be possible, resulting in a more diversified portfolio. Although the Company’s liability for the repayment of indebtedness is expected to be limited to the value of the property securing the liability and the rents or profits derived therefrom, the Company’s use of leveraging increases the risk of default on the mortgage payments and a resulting foreclosure of a particular property. To the extent that the Company does not obtain mortgage loans on the Company’s properties, the Company’s ability to acquire additional properties will be restricted. The Company will endeavor to obtain financing on the most favorable terms available.
Policy on Sale or Disposition of Properties
The Company’s Board will determine whether a particular property should be sold or otherwise disposed of after considering the relevant factors, including performance or projected performance of the property and market conditions, with a view toward achieving its principal investment objectives.
The Company currently intends to hold its properties until its investment objectives are met or it is likely they will not be met. At a future date, the Company’s Board may decide to liquidate the Company, list its shares on a national stock exchange, sell its properties individually or merge or otherwise consolidate the Company with a publicly-traded REIT or seek stockholder approval to amend its charter to remove the requirement that the Company must either list its stock on a national securities exchange or seek stockholder approval to adopt a plan of liquidation of the corporation on or before March 31, 2025. Alternatively, the Company may merge with, or otherwise be acquired by, the Sponsor or its affiliates. The Company may, however, sell properties prior to such time and if so, may invest the proceeds from any sale, financing, refinancing or other disposition of its properties into additional properties. Alternatively, the Company may use these proceeds to fund maintenance or repair of existing properties or to increase reserves for such purposes. The Company may choose to reinvest the proceeds from the sale, financing and refinancing of its properties to increase its real estate assets and its net income. Notwithstanding this policy, the Board, in its discretion, may distribute all or part of the proceeds from the sale, financing, refinancing or other disposition of all or any of the Company’s properties to the Company’s stockholders. In determining whether to distribute these proceeds to stockholders, the Board will consider, among other factors, the desirability of properties available for purchase, real estate market conditions, the likelihood of the listing of the Company’s shares on a national securities exchange and compliance with the applicable requirements under federal income tax laws.
When the Company sells a property, it intends to obtain an all-cash sale price. However, the Company may take a purchase money obligation secured by a mortgage on the property as partial payment, and there are no limitations or restrictions on the Company’s ability to take such purchase money obligations. The terms of payment to the Company will be affected by custom in the area in which the property being sold is located and the then prevailing economic conditions. If the Company receives notes and other property instead of cash from sales, these proceeds, other than any interest payable on these proceeds, will not be available for distributions until and to the extent the notes or other property are actually paid, sold, refinanced or otherwise disposed. Therefore, the distribution of the proceeds of a sale to the stockholders may be delayed until that time. In these cases, the Company will receive payments in cash and other property in the year of sale in an amount less than the selling price and subsequent payments will be spread over a number of years.
Independent Directors
George R. Whittemore
Yehuda “Judah” L. Angster
PART IV.

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES:
LIGHTSTONE VALUE PLUS REIT III, INC.
Annual Report on Form 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021
EXHIBIT INDEX
The following exhibits are included, or incorporated by reference, as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (and are numbered in accordance with Item 601 of Regulation S-K):
EXHIBIT NO.
DESCRIPTION
3.1(1)
Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc.
3.2(2)
Bylaws of Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc.
3.3(6)
Articles of Amendment of Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc.
4.1(3)
Agreement of Limited Partnership of Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LP
4.2(1)
Distribution Reinvestment Program, included as Appendix C to prospectus
4.3(7)
Description of Shares
4.4(4)
Second Amended and Restated Contribution Agreement between Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LP and Lightstone SLP III LLC
10.1(3)
Advisory Agreement by and among Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc., Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LP and Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LLC
10.2(3)
Property Management Agreement by and among Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc., Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LP and Beacon Property
10.3(3)
Property Management Agreement by and among Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc., Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LP and Paragon Retail Property Management LLC
10.4(5)
Contribution Agreement Termination between Lightstone Value Plus REIT III LP and Lightstone SLP III LLC
21.1*
Subsidiaries of the Registrant
31.1*
Certification Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a), as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2*
Certification Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a), as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1*
Certification Pursuant to Rule 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2*
Certification Pursuant to Rule 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language).The following financial information from Lightstone Value Plus REIT III, Inc. on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2022, formatted in XBRL includes: (1) Consolidated Balance Sheets, (2) Consolidated Statements of Operations, (3) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss, (4) Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity, (5) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, and (6) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statement.
* As filed herewith
(1) Included as an exhibit to our Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to our Registration Statement on Form S-11 (Reg. No. 333-195292) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 11, 2015.
(2) Included as Exhibit 3.2 to our Registration Statement on Form S-11 (Reg. No. 333-195292) submitted confidentially to the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 24, 2013.
(3) Included as an exhibit to our Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to our Registration Statement on Form S-11 (Reg. No. 333-195292) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 11, 2015.
(4) Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 29, 2015.
(5) Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 5, 2017.
(6) Previously filed as an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 21, 2021.
(7) Previously filed as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2021.