Marriott Reports a 3rd Qtr Net Loss of $466 mil
Revenue Decreases 17% and Worldwide Revpar Down 22% from Pevious Year
BETHESDA, MD, October 8, 2009 - Marriott International, Inc. ("Marriott") (NYSE: MAR) today reported third quarter 2009 adjusted income from continuing operations attributable to Marriott of $53 million, a 57 percent decline over the year-ago quarter, and adjusted diluted earnings per share ("EPS") from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders of $0.15, down 55 percent. The company's EPS guidance for the 2009 third quarter, disclosed on July 16, 2009, totaled $0.09 to $0.14.
The reported loss from continuing operations attributable to Marriott was $466 million in the third quarter of 2009 compared to reported income from continuing operations attributable to Marriott of $94 million in the year-ago quarter. Reported diluted losses per share from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders was $1.31 in the third quarter of 2009 compared to diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders of $0.25 in the third quarter of 2008.
Adjusted results for the 2009 third quarter exclude $752 million pretax ($502 million after-tax and $1.41 per diluted share) of impairment charges, which Marriott previously disclosed, related to the timeshare segment. See the table on page A-14 of the accompanying schedules for the detail of these impairment charges and their placement on the Consolidated Statements of Income.
Adjusted results for the 2009 third quarter also exclude $8 million pretax ($4 million after-tax and $0.01 per diluted share) of restructuring costs and other charges. Restructuring costs totaled $9 million pretax and primarily included severance costs and timeshare facilities exit costs. Other charges totaled $1 million of pretax earnings and primarily reflect the $3 million favorable impact of the revaluation of residual interests from prior timeshare note sales due to three default triggers curing in the quarter, partially offset by $2 million of reserves for guarantees and contract cancellations. Of the total restructuring costs and other charges in the third quarter, cash payments are expected to be $5 million. See the table on page A-13 of the accompanying schedules for the detail of these restructuring costs and other charges and their placement on the Consolidated Statements of Income.
Finally, adjusted results for the 2009 third quarter also exclude a $13 million after-tax non-cash charge ($0.03 per diluted share) in the provision for income taxes primarily related to the treatment of funds received from certain foreign subsidiaries that is in ongoing discussions with the Internal Revenue Service. Adjusted results for the 2008 third quarter exclude a $29 million after-tax non-cash charge ($0.08 per diluted share) in the provision for income taxes primarily related to a 1994 tax planning transaction.
J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International, said, "Revenue per available room across our North American system declined less than expected during the third quarter as leisure travelers responded to attractive promotions and great values in our hotels. With solid cost controls, our hotels translated better than expected occupancy rates to stronger than expected fee revenue and earnings.
"The hotel industry has been challenged by the economic environment. We've worked hard to rein in costs and right-size our businesses and those efforts are paying off. Our hotels are in great shape; owners and customers prefer our brands; and we enjoy very strong market share premiums. As we look ahead, while the recovery may be slow and perhaps uneven, our continued focus on driving revenue, controlling costs and strengthening our balance sheet will position us to benefit from an improving economy."
In the 2009 third quarter (12-week period from June 20, 2009 to September 11, 2009), REVPAR for the company's worldwide comparable company-operated properties declined 23.5 percent (21.1 percent using constant dollars) and REVPAR for the company's worldwide comparable systemwide properties declined 21.4 percent (19.9 percent using constant dollars).
Markets outside North America were impacted by the difficult economic climate, the Olympics, the timing of holidays and concerns about the H1N1 virus. International comparable company-operated REVPAR declined 28.9 percent (22.3 percent using constant dollars), including a 22.7 percent decline in average daily rate (15.5 percent using constant dollars) in the third quarter of 2009.
In North America comparable company-operated REVPAR declined 20.6 percent and comparable systemwide REVPAR declined 19.3 percent. REVPAR at the company's comparable company-operated North American full-service and luxury hotels (including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts) was down 20.2 percent driven by a 14.6 percent decline in average daily rate.
Marriott added 79 new properties (10,380 rooms) to its worldwide lodging portfolio in the 2009 third quarter, including over 8,600 North American limited-service rooms. Three properties (503 rooms) exited the system during the quarter. At quarter-end, the company's lodging group encompassed 3,362 properties and timeshare resorts for a total of over 586,000 rooms. As of the end of the third quarter, the company's worldwide pipeline of hotels under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development totaled approximately 105,000 rooms. The company expects to open over 33,000 rooms in 2009.
Reported results for the 2009 third quarter, the adjusted results and the associated reconciliations are shown on pages A-1, A-11, A-13, A-14 and A-17 of the accompanying schedules. The following paragraphs reflect adjusted results where indicated.
MARRIOTT REVENUES totaled approximately $2.5 billion in the 2009 third quarter compared to $3.0 billion for the third quarter of 2008. Base management and franchise fees declined 14 percent to $216 million reflecting worldwide declines in REVPAR in all brands offset in part by fees from new hotels. With continued soft lodging demand trends worldwide, third quarter incentive management fees declined 67 percent. The percentage of company-operated hotels earning incentive management fees declined to 20 percent in the 2009 third quarter compared to 55 percent in the year-ago quarter. Year-to-date 25 percent of company-operated hotels earned incentive management fees compared to 62 percent in the prior year. Nearly all incentive management fees came from hotels outside of North America in the 2009 quarter compared to 68 percent in the 2008 quarter.
Worldwide comparable company-operated house profit margins declined 490 basis points in the third quarter reflecting weak REVPAR offset by continued efficiency improvements at the property level. House profit margins for comparable company-operated properties outside North America declined 430 basis points. North American comparable company-operated house profit margins declined 520 basis points from the year-ago quarter.
Owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expenses, declined $8 million in the 2009 third quarter, to $12 million, primarily reflecting weaker operating results at owned and leased properties and lower corporate housing profits partially offset by a $6 million transaction cancellation fee.
Third quarter adjusted Timeshare segment contract sales declined 42 percent to $176 million excluding a $24 million allowance for fractional and residential contract cancellations recorded in the quarter. Contract sales of core one-week timeshare intervals totaled $164 million as marketing incentives encouraged demand.
In the third quarter of 2009, adjusted Timeshare sales and services revenue declined 35 percent to $251 million and, net of expenses, declined to $13 million from $47 million in the 2008 third quarter. Adjusted results reflected lower development profit due to continued soft demand for timeshare, fractional, and residential products, and unfavorable reportability. Services profit was also lower largely due to higher maintenance costs associated with unsold inventory and lower rental rates.
Adjusted Timeshare segment results, which includes Timeshare sales and services revenue, net of direct expenses, as well as base management fees, equity earnings, noncontrolling interest and general, administrative and other expenses associated with the timeshare business, totaled $9 million in the 2009 third quarter compared to $49 million in the prior year quarter. The 2008 third quarter segment results reflected a net $10 million pretax impairment charge for a fractional and residential consolidated joint venture project. The $10 million charge in 2008 included a $22 million negative adjustment in timeshare direct expenses partially offset by a $12 million pretax ($8 million after-tax) benefit associated with the joint venture partner's share, which is reflected in net losses attributable to noncontrolling interest, net of tax.
ADJUSTED GENERAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER expenses for the 2009 third quarter totaled $143 million, a 14 percent decline from the year-ago quarter largely reflecting cost reductions throughout the organization. The quarter also included a $15 million unfavorable impact associated with deferred compensation compared to the 2008 quarter (offset by a similar decrease in the provision for taxes) and $5 million of certain litigation expenses. Excluding these items, general, administrative and other expenses for the third quarter of 2009 declined 25 percent compared to the third quarter of 2008.
(LOSSES) GAINS AND OTHER INCOME totaled a loss of $1 million and included a $5 million impairment charge on an investment partially offset by $3 million of gains on the sale of real estate and a $1 million gain on the extinguishment of debt. The prior year's third quarter gains totaled $7 million and included $2 million of gains on the sale of real estate, a $2 million gain from the sale of the company's interest in a joint venture and $3 million of returns from joint venture investments.
INTEREST EXPENSE decreased $6 million in the third quarter primarily due to lower interest rates on short-term borrowings and lower debt balances partially offset by lower capitalized interest associated with construction projects.
ADJUSTED EQUITY IN (LOSSES) EARNINGS totaled an $11 million loss in the quarter compared to $2 million in earnings in the year-ago quarter. Losses in the 2009 quarter primarily reflected losses in four joint ventures and the impairment of one investment.
NET LOSSES ATTRIBUTABLE TO NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS, NET OF TAX totaled $3 million in the quarter compared to $10 million in the year-ago quarter.
BALANCE SHEET
At the end of third quarter 2009, total debt was $2,660 million and cash balances totaled $130 million, compared to $3,095 million of debt and $134 million of cash at year-end 2008.
COMMON STOCK
Adjusted weighted average fully diluted shares outstanding totaled 366.3 million in the 2009 third quarter compared to 368.0 million in the year-ago quarter. The remaining share repurchase authorization, as of September 11, 2009, totaled 21.3 million shares. No share repurchases are planned in 2009.
On August 6, 2009, the Board of Directors declared the issuance of a stock dividend payable on September 3, 2009, to shareholders of record on August 20, 2009. For periods prior to the stock dividend, all share and per share data in our condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the stock dividend.
FOURTH QUARTER 2009 OUTLOOK
While Marriott typically provides a range of guidance for future performance, the current global economic and financial climate continues to make predictions very difficult. Therefore, the company is unable to give its typical guidance. Instead, the company is providing the following assumptions which it is using for internal planning purposes. For the fourth quarter, the company assumes North American comparable systemwide hotel REVPAR declines of 13 to 16 percent. For comparable systemwide hotels outside North America, the company assumes REVPAR declines of 16 to 18 percent on a constant dollar basis. Total fee revenue could be $310 million to $320 million. Owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expenses, could total $15 to $20 million.
In the fourth quarter, the company assumes Timeshare sales and services revenue, net of direct expenses, will total approximately $15 million, including a note sale gain of approximately $10 million to $15 million. Fourth quarter Timeshare contract sales could total $185 million to $195 million.
The company anticipates that general, administrative and other expenses will total about $185 million to $190 million in the fourth quarter of 2009, a roughly 20 percent decline from the adjusted 2008 fourth quarter amount.
Based upon the above assumptions and a 38 percent tax rate, adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations attributable to Marriott shareholders for the 2009 fourth quarter could total $0.20 to $0.23.
The company expects investment spending in 2009 will decline by more than 50 percent from 2008 levels to approximately $325 million to $375 million. This investment spending estimate includes $145 million to $155 million for capital expenditures and maintenance capital spending, $20 million to $30 million for net timeshare development, $90 million to $100 million in new mezzanine financing and mortgage loans, $35 million to $45 million for contract acquisition costs and $35 million to $45 million in equity and other investments (including timeshare equity investments).
2010 OUTLOOK
As in 2009, the company is unable to provide its typical guidance for 2010. Instead, Marriott is providing the following assumptions, which it is using for internal planning purposes. For the full year 2010, the company expects the business climate, particularly the pricing environment, to remain difficult. For worldwide comparable systemwide hotels, the company assumes full year 2010 REVPAR will be flat to down 5 percent (on a constant dollar basis) with performance strengthening over the year. The company expects REVPAR in international markets to show greater relative year over year strength than North American markets.
The company expects to open 25,000 to 30,000 rooms in 2010 as most hotels expected to open are already under construction or undergoing conversion from other brands. Given these assumptions, full year 2010 fee revenue could total $1,050 million to $1,110 million. The company estimates that, on a full-year basis, one point of worldwide systemwide REVPAR impacts total fees by approximately $10 million to $15 million pretax.
For its timeshare business, the company assumes 2010 timeshare contract sales could be in line with 2009 levels.
The company expects to adopt FAS 166 and 167 at the beginning of 2010, which will impact its accounting for securitized timeshare loans. Assuming the consolidation of the existing portfolio of securitized loans, the company expects assets to increase by $950 million to $1,025 million, liabilities to increase by $1,020 million to $1,120 million, and shareholders' equity to decline by $70 million to $95 million. Pretax earnings in 2010 would increase by $30 million to $50 million as a result of the accounting change, but no change in cash flow is anticipated.
The company expects its 2010 general and administrative costs to be modestly higher than in 2009. As part of its ongoing budget process, the company continues to evaluate its timeshare earnings outlook and investment spending estimates for 2010. Based on its preliminary outlook for 2010, excluding the impact of FAS 166 and 167, the company anticipates continued meaningful reductions in debt levels in 2010.
Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) will conduct its quarterly earnings review for the investment community and news media on Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The conference call will be webcast simultaneously via Marriott's investor relations website at http://www.marriott.com/investor, click the "Recent and Upcoming Events" tab and click on the quarterly conference call link. A replay will be available at that same website until October 8, 2010. The webcast will also be available as a podcast from the same site.
The telephone dial-in number for the conference call is 719-325-4808. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available from 1 p.m. ET, Thursday, October 8, 2009 until 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, October 15, 2009. To access the replay, call 719-457-0820. The reservation number for the recording is 5860348.
Note: This press release and accompanying schedules contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws, including REVPAR, profit margin and earnings trends, estimates and assumptions; statements concerning the number of lodging properties we expect to add in the future; our expected cost savings, investment spending and share repurchases; and similar statements concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not historical facts. We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the depth and duration of the current recession; supply and demand changes for hotel rooms, vacation ownership, condominiums, and corporate housing; competitive conditions in the lodging industry; relationships with clients and property owners; the availability of capital to finance hotel growth and refurbishment; and other risk factors identified in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q; any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements herein. These statements are made as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 3,300 lodging properties in 68 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, The Ritz-Carlton Residences and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, USA and had approximately 146,000 employees at 2008 year-end. It is recognized by BusinessWeek as one of the 100 best global brands, by FORTUNE(R) as one of the best companies to work for, and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Partner of the Year since 2004. In fiscal year 2008, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of nearly $13 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com. For an interactive online version of Marriott's 2008 Annual Report, which includes a short video message from Chairman and CEO J.W. Marriott, Jr., visit www.marriott.com/investor.