WILLIAMSBURG, Va., May 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sotherly Hotels Inc. (NASDAQ:SOHO), ("Sotherly" or the "Company"), a self-managed and self-administered lodging real estate investment trust (a "REIT"), today reported its consolidated results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. The Company's results include the following*:   Three Months Ended     March 31, 2024     March 31, 2023     ($ in thousands except per share data)   Total revenue $ 46,548     $ 43,491   Net loss attributable to common stockholders   (659 )     (582 )             EBITDA   10,785       9,948   Hotel EBITDA   12,360       12,079               FFO attributable to common stockholders and unitholders   3,961       3,941   Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders and unitholders   5,178       4,658               Net loss per common share - diluted $ (0.03 )   $ (0.03 ) FFO per common share and unit $ 0.20     $ 0.20   Adjusted FFO per common share and unit $ 0.26     $ 0.24   (*) Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA"), hotel EBITDA, funds from operations ("FFO") attributable to common stockholders and unitholders, adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders and unitholders, FFO per common share and unit and adjusted FFO per common share and unit are non-GAAP financial measures. See further discussion of these non-GAAP measures, including definitions related thereto, and reconciliations to net income (loss) later in this press release. The Company is the sole general partner of Sotherly Hotels LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the "Operating Partnership"), and all references in this release to the "Company", "Sotherly", "we", "us" and "our" refer to Sotherly Hotels Inc., its Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries and predecessors, unless the context otherwise requires or it is otherwise indicated. HIGHLIGHTS RevPAR. Room revenue per available room ("RevPAR") for the Company's composite portfolio, which includes the rooms participating in our rental programs at the Hyde Resort & Residences and the Hyde Beach House Resort & Residences, increased 3.8% to $123.59, for the three months ended March 31, 2024, from $119.06 in the comparable period in 2023. Changes in RevPAR were driven by a 4.5% increase in occupancy to 64.9% from 60.4% in the comparable 2023 period, and a 3.3% decrease in the average daily rate ("ADR") to $190.50 for the three months ended March 31, 2024, from $197.07 for the comparable period in 2023. Revenue. Total revenue was approximately $46.5 million and $43.5 million, for the three month periods ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Net loss attributable to common stockholders. For the three-month period ending March 31, 2024, net loss attributable to common stockholders increased approximately $0.1 million, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023, from a loss of approximately $0.6 million to a loss of approximately $0.7 million. Hotel EBITDA. Hotel EBITDA increased to approximately $12.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, from approximately $12.1 million for the comparable period in 2023. Adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders and unitholders. For the three-month period ending March 31, 2024, adjusted FFO attributable to common stockholders and unitholders increased 11.2%, or approximately $0.5 million, over the three months ended March 31, 2023, from approximately $4.7 million to approximately $5.2 million. Preferred Dividends. On January 29, 2024 the Company announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 per share of beneficial interest of the Company's 8.0% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock; a quarterly cash dividend of $0.492188 per share of beneficial interest of the Company's 7.875% Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock; and a quarterly cash dividend of $0.515625 per share of beneficial interest of the Company's 8.25% Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock. Each of the Series B, Series C and Series D preferred dividends will be paid on March 15, 2024 to shareholders of record as of February 29, 2024. Dave Folsom, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sotherly Hotels Inc., commented, "We were pleased with our first quarter results. Total revenues exceeded prior year by 7.0%, while EBITDA exceeded prior year by over 8.0%. We continued to see improvements at the property level, with overall RevPAR increasing nearly 4.0% in the quarter as compared to the prior year, driven by a strong 4.5% pickup in occupancy. Hotel EBITDA also showed improvement over prior year. All of these results reflect both continued strength in our portfolio as well as the markets in which we own hotels. Booking of group business remains strong, with our full-year booking pace up 6.9% compared to prior year. Leisure and business travel continue to show sustainability and improvement, respectively. On the corporate front, the Company executed an important mortgage refinancing of its Hotel Alba in Tampa, Florida, in the first quarter, where we realized over $10.0 million in net cash proceeds from the new loan. The headwinds associated with commercial mortgage markets continue to present challenges to real estate borrowers, but we are confident that we will be able to navigate upcoming maturities by either extending existing mortgages or refinancing them on favorable terms with new or existing lenders. Looking forward to the remainder of the year, we are optimistic about demand trends and our portfolio's profitability outlook." Balance Sheet/Liquidity As of March 31, 2024, the Company had approximately $39.6 million of available cash and cash equivalents, of which approximately $10.3 million was reserved for real estate taxes, insurance, capital improvements and certain other expenses or otherwise restricted. The Company had principal balances of approximately $328.0 million in outstanding debt, including mortgage and unsecured principal balances, at a weighted average interest rate of approximately 5.43%. Other Events On February 7, 2024, affiliates of the Company entered into loan documents to refinance its loan in the principal amount of $35.0 million on the Hotel Alba Tampa located in Tampa, FL with Citi Real Estate Funding Inc. The Company received approximately $10.25 million in net proceeds. Pursuant to the amended loan documents, the mortgage loan has a principal balance of $35.0 million; matures on March 6, 2029; carries a fixed interest rate of 8.49%; requires payments of interest only; is guaranteed by the Operating Partnership only for traditional "bad boy" acts; cannot be prepaid until the last four months of the term; and contains customary representations, warranties, covenants and events of default for a mortgage loan. On April 29, 2024, the Company entered into a loan amendment to amend the existing mortgage on the DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Airport hotel with the existing lender, TD Bank, N.A. Pursuant to the amended loan documents, the mortgage loan: (i) has a principal balance of approximately $35.9 million; (ii) extends the maturity date by two years to April 29, 2026; (iii) continues to carry a floating interest rate of SOFR plus 3.50%; (iv) requires payments of interest only; (v) continues to be guaranteed by the Operating Partnership; and (vi) contains customary representations, warranties, covenants and events of default for a mortgage loan. Concurrent with the execution of the loan amendment, the Company (i) made a principal payment of $3.0 million; (ii) funded $0.3 million to the interest reserve escrow, bringing the balance in the interest reserve escrow account to $1.3 million; and (iii) funded $5.0 million into a PIP reserve account, and (iv) provided $1.7 million in additional cash collateral, of which $1.2 million can be released into the PIP reserve account as early as June 30, 2025 assuming compliance with the financial covenants. On May 3, 2024, an affiliate of the Company entered into an interest rate cap with a notional amount of $26.0 million with Webster Bank, N.A. The cap has a strike rate of 3.0%, is indexed to SOFR, and expires on May 1, 2026. 2024 Outlook Set forth below is the Company's previously issued guidance for 2024. The table below reflects the Company's projections, within a range, of various financial measures for 2024, in thousands of dollars, except per share and RevPAR data:   2024 Guidance     Low Range     High Range         Total revenue $ 178,952     $ 182,567   Net income   1,598       2,593   Net loss available to common stockholders and unitholders   (6,377 )     (5,382 )             EBITDA   39,858       40,853   Hotel EBITDA   46,103       46,898               FFO available to common stockholders and unitholders   12,373       13,368   Adjusted FFO available to common stockholders and unitholders   12,778       13,773               Net loss per share available to common stockholders $ (0.32 )   $ (0.27 ) FFO per common share and unit $ 0.62     $ 0.67   Adjusted FFO per common share and unit $ 0.64     $ 0.69   Rev PAR $ 117.16     $ 119.52   Hotel EBITDA margin   25.8 %     25.7 % Earnings Call/Webcast The Company will conduct its first quarter 2024 conference call for investors and other interested parties at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 9, 2024. The conference call will be accessible by telephone and through the Internet. Interested individuals are invited to listen to the call by telephone at 833-470-1428 (United States) and enter access code 218035. To participate on the webcast, log on to www.sotherlyhotels.com at least 15 minutes before the call to download the necessary software. For those unable to listen to the call live, a taped rebroadcast will be available beginning one hour after completion of the live call on May 9, 2024 through May 23, 2024. To access the rebroadcast, dial 866-813-9403 and enter access code 940385. About Sotherly Hotels Inc. Sotherly Hotels Inc. is a self-managed and self-administered lodging REIT focused on the acquisition, renovation, upbranding and repositioning of upscale to upper-upscale full-service hotels in the Southern United States. Sotherly may also opportunistically acquire hotels throughout the United States. Currently, the Company's portfolio consists of investments in ten hotel properties, comprising 2,786 rooms, as well as interests in two condominium hotels and their associated rental programs. The Company owns hotels that operate under the Hilton Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels Corporation brands, as well as independent hotels. Sotherly Hotels Inc. was organized in 2004 and is headquartered in Williamsburg, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.sotherlyhotels.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as such may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our current strategies, expectations, and future plans are generally identified by our use of words, such as "intend," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "project," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "continue," "potential," "opportunity," and similar expressions, whether in the negative or affirmative, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. We also sometimes refer to our booking pace. Booking pace is an industry term that we define as the estimated value of committed future bookings at a given point in time. Booking pace can be further separated into various segments, including group booking pace or business travel booking pace. All statements regarding our expected financial position, booking pace, business and financing plans are forward-looking statements. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's future operations, results, performance and prospects, include, but are not limited to: national and local economic and business conditions that affect occupancy rates and revenues at our hotels and the demand for hotel products and services; risks associated with the hotel industry, including competition and new supply of hotel rooms, increases in wages, energy costs and other operating costs; risks associated with the level of our indebtedness and our ability to meet covenants in our debt agreements, including our recently negotiated forbearance agreements and loan modifications and, as necessary, to refinance or seek an extension of the maturity of such indebtedness or further modification of such debt agreements; risks associated with adverse weather conditions, including hurricanes; impacts on the travel industry from pandemic diseases, including COVID-19; the availability and terms of financing and capital and the general volatility of the securities markets; management and performance of our hotels; risks associated with maintaining our system of internal controls; risks associated with the conflicts of interest of the Company's officers and directors; risks associated with redevelopment and repositioning projects, including delays and cost overruns; supply and demand for hotel rooms in our current and proposed market areas; risks associated with our ability to maintain our franchise agreements with our third party franchisors; our ability to acquire additional properties and the risk that potential acquisitions may not perform in accordance with expectations; our ability to successfully expand into new markets; legislative/regulatory changes, including changes to laws governing taxation of real estate investment trusts ("REITs"); the Company's ability to maintain its qualification as a REIT; and our ability to maintain adequate insurance coverage. Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore there can be no assurance that such statements included in this report will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that the results or conditions described in such statements or the objectives and plans of the Company will be achieved. Additional factors that could cause actual results to vary from our forward-looking statements are set forth under the section titled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, in this report and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to and does not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although the Company believes its current expectations to be based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained or that actual results will not differ materially. Financial Tables Follow… SOTHERLY HOTELS INC.CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS         March 31, 2024     December 31, 2023       (unaudited)         ASSETS             Investment in hotel properties, net   $ 352,455,889     $ 354,919,106   Cash and cash equivalents     29,285,600       17,101,993   Restricted cash     10,341,209       9,134,347   Accounts receivable, net     6,968,335       5,945,724   Prepaid expenses, inventory and other assets     5,637,355       6,342,310   TOTAL ASSETS   $ 404,688,388     $ 393,443,480   LIABILITIES             Mortgage loans, net   $ 325,106,994     $ 315,989,194   Unsecured notes     1,347,998       1,536,809   Accounts payable and accrued liabilities     25,782,354       23,315,677   Advance deposits     2,879,763       2,614,981   Dividends and distributions payable     2,088,160       2,088,160   TOTAL LIABILITIES   $ 357,205,269     $ 345,544,821   Commitments and contingencies     —       —   EQUITY             Sotherly Hotels Inc. stockholders' equity             Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 11,000,000 shares authorized:             8.0% Series B cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred stock, 1,464,100 and 1,464,100 shares issued and outstanding; aggregate liquidation preference each $44,655,050, at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.     14,641       14,641   7.875% Series C cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred stock, 1,346,110 and 1,346,110 shares issued and outstanding; aggregate liquidation preference each $40,940,681, at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.     13,461       13,461   8.25% Series D cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred stock, 1,163,100 and 1,163,100 shares issued and outstanding; aggregate liquidation preference each $35,674,458, at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.     11,631       11,631   Common stock, par value $0.01, 69,000,000 shares authorized, 19,849,165 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2024 and 19,696,805 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2023.     198,492       196,968   Additional paid-in capital     176,000,351       175,779,222   Unearned ESOP shares     (1,731,209 )     (1,764,507 ) Distributions in excess of retained earnings     (125,680,386 )     (125,021,013 ) Total Sotherly Hotels Inc. stockholders' equity     48,826,981       49,230,403   Noncontrolling interest     (1,343,862 )     (1,331,744 ) TOTAL EQUITY     47,483,119       47,898,659   TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY   $ 404,688,388