Hotel management and profit distribution
According to a survey by Tranio.com, the second most popular foreign commercial property type in 2015, after flats, was hotels. However, the hotel business is complex. In addition to finding a suitable property, the most complicated issue an investor usually faces is managing this property. Tranio.com tells how the hotel property management is executed and the profit is divided between the owner and the operator. In short, the owner can either manage the hotel independently or hire a management company.
Independent management
If the investor runs a hotel business independently, it is necessary to calculate beforehand the supposed income and expenses. Being directly involved in management, the investor does not have to share profit, which remains after paying the taxes and maintenance costs.
Revenues | Regular expenses |
---|---|
– room revenue (key figures: ADR [average daily rate], RevPAR [revenue per available room]) – café facility rental revenue – equipment rental revenue (bikes, cabin cruisers, etc.) – food and beverage sales revenue – property appreciation: capital gains if selling the property |
– mortgage payments (if the hotel was bought with a loan) – annual property tax – public utilities – maintenance costs (utility systems, cleaning, security) – minor repairs – insurance – services of personnel – accountant's services – advertising – groceries and equipment |
Such a scenario is not suitable for remote investors and those who do not have enough experience in the hotel business. In fact, only
Management company services
As a rule, management companies offer their services only if a hotel has at least 70 rooms, as a smaller room supply will not enable the company to pay salaries to their employees and secure profits for itself.
Management company types
Usually, those acting as management companies are the hotel operators who often hold large international chain franchises. Such companies specialise in management and successfully turn a profit. There are two types of operators:
1) Branded operators are branded companies that take charge of hotel management. They include Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Starwood, to name a few. Branded operators generally manage large hotels. Such operators come with their own strong and weak points.
Advantages:
- brand name helps the hotel owners to generate a constant flow of loyal customers
- software, instructions and staff training
- after signing a contract with such a company, the owner can use not only the famous brand but also the manager's services
- the hotels under brand management are considered to be
low-risk investments, and it is usually easy to get funding for this kind of purchase - the owner does not have to pay any franchise fee
Disadvantages:
- the owner has to pay royalties to the brand, which invariably decrease income
- branded operators usually are not so eager to compromise when discussing rewards, in comparison with independent operators
- a famous brand does not manage each and every hotel: many major operators have strict requirements for the location and the characteristics of the property
"Branded management companies are also more rigorous in the terms of the agreement, especially in its cancellation terms. This is exactly what must be taken into account when performing Due Diligence", states Denis Borisenko, Head of Commercial Property at Tranio.com.
All that glitters is not gold: sometimes, hotels are offered for sale under a famous brand, and the potential buyer can think it to be
2) Independent operators are management companies which focus on management only, not providing a brand. For instance, the U.S. major independent operators include GF Management, Interstate Hotels & Resorts and White Lodging Services. Usually, the owners of small and
Advantages:
- such operators are usually more flexible in comparison with branded companies when discussing contract terms
- such companies often bear fewer expenses and generate more profit than branded operators
- all the cash flows remain completely available to the hotel owner
It is important to pay attention to how responsible the management company is, what the consequences of its failure to fulfil obligations are and whether it has money and motivation to keep up its reputation in order to provide for liabilities.
Most often, the responsibilities of management companies are:
- managing all the aspects of hotel performance (maintenance, room service, administration, food supply, etc.)
- staff recruitment, training and control
- setting prices and tariffs
- advertising, marketing and PR
- cost planning and control
- preparing financial reports for the owner
- purchasing equipment and contracting service providers
Contract terms and types
The hotels in good locations without management companies are usually more expensive than the hotels with them, as the buyer is considered to have more opportunities for action and earn a higher profit on the asset being purchased. The price difference is about 20%.
The contract with the operator is signed for
1) Rental and management contract
The owner rents the hotel out to the management company and signs a management contract with it. In this case, the investor has two ways to turn a profit:
- getting a fixed rent from the management company (e.g. of €700,000 p.a.) with an opportunity of adjusting it once every few years (e.g. by 2% every five years). The fixed rent usually makes up
20–30% of the revenue in the management company's expense structure. If a management company proposes paying the owner more, such a situation should be analysed separately. You need to find out why the management company is ready to pay more and whether there is a risk of its future bankruptcy. If you sign a fixed rental contract, it is important to do so with a large andwell-known management company - getting a fixed rent plus a percentage of turnover (e.g.
2−7% p.a.); the rate depends on the hotel location, brand, management company and type (e.g. business, resort, etc.)
Advantages:
- transparency and predictability of cash flows: the owner can estimate the expected profit for several years to come
- the rate does not depend on the hotel occupancy (if receiving rental income only)
If the owner believes that the operator will be able to carry out its responsibilities successfully and market conditions will be positive, such a contract with the management company is more advantageous. Notwithstanding, it must be understood that this scenario will require more time and control over the management company regarding compliance with its obligations.
Disadvantages:
- the yields are lower than under a rental contract
- the rental contract does not allow the owner to affect the hotel's performance
Upon signing the rental contract, the company becomes the deputy owner of the hotel, and does all the management by itself. If the management company decides to terminate the rental contract, it will forsake the property, leaving the owner with
2) Management contract
The owner does not rent the hotel out to the management company, but only signs a management contract and pays the following two fees to the management company:
- Base fee, which is
1−5% of the total revenue obtained from renting out rooms, catering and spas, as well as conference hall rentals, hiring bikes and much more. It can be either a fixed amount or depend on the hotel revenue - Incentive fee, which is
6−8% of the hotel gross operating income and motivates the operator to increase property management efficiency and reduce costs. The lower the expenses get, the more beneficial the incentive fee paid by the owner gets. In addition, the higher the hotel revenue (as well as the owner's income) becomes, the more the management company earns
At the same time, some rooms can belong to the management company while the others belong to the owner. In this case, each of the two benefits from their own rooms. The owner pays for management only. The advantage of management contracts is that, in this case, the yields are higher than when renting your hotel to the management company. However, this approach has a disadvantage as well: the risks are higher and it is difficult to predict profit, as it completely depends on management efficiency, the hotel occupancy rate and characteristics, room prices and other factors.
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What investors should pay attention to when performing Due Diligence (if using a management company) and drawing up a contract consist of the following:
- management company scale
- the role and responsibilities of the management company in the interaction with the owner
- the consequences of the management company's failure to provide for liabilities
- management company fee and brand usage costs
- rental term
- the types of rental contracts and profit distribution.
We recommend that those foreign investors who wish to have a passive income and save as much time as possible on property management sign simple rental contracts, as in this case the risks are minimal, or specify a certain revenue percentage to be added to the rental income. This is an optimal
risk-yield balance thanks to the revenue growth potential.
Yulia Kozhevnikova, Tranio.com
Originally published on themoneycloud.com
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