Form 10-Q
Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


FORM 10-Q

 


 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2006

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

COMMISSION FILE NO. 001-13393

 


CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

DELAWARE   52-1209792

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

10750 COLUMBIA PIKE

SILVER SPRING, MD. 20901

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

(301) 592-5000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months, and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Large accelerated filer  x    Accelerated filer   ¨    Non-accelerated filer   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

 

CLASS

 

SHARES OUTSTANDING AT SEPTEMBER 30, 2006

Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 per share   66,318,854

 



Table of Contents

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX

 

     PAGE NO.

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

  

Item 1— Financial Statements

   3

Consolidated Statements of Income—For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 (Unaudited) and September 30, 2005 (Unaudited)

   3

Consolidated Balance Sheets—As of September 30, 2006 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2005

   4

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows—For the nine months ended September 30, 2006 (Unaudited) and September 30, 2005 (Unaudited)

   5

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

   6

Item 2— Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   22

Item 3— Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

   33

Item 4— Controls and Procedures

   33

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION:

  

Item 1— Legal Proceedings

   33

Item 1A – Risk Factors

   33

Item 2— Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities, Use of Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

   33

Item 3— Defaults Upon Senior Securities

   34

Item 4— Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

   34

Item 5— Other Information

   34

Item 6— Exhibits

   34

SIGNATURE

   36

 

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Table of Contents

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(UNAUDITED, IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

 

    

Three Months Ended

September 30,

   

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 
     2006     2005     2006     2005  

REVENUES:

        

Royalty fees

   $ 64,364     $ 58,063     $ 157,374     $ 138,220  

Initial franchise and relicensing fees

     7,733       5,769       20,099       16,671  

Partner services

     3,171       3,122       10,853       10,358  

Marketing and reservation

     73,001       72,841       203,719       184,494  

Hotel operations

     1,182       1,153       3,342       3,214  

Other

     1,545       1,003       5,567       2,457  
                                

Total revenues

     150,996       141,951       400,954       355,414  
                                

OPERATING EXPENSES:

        

Selling, general and administrative

     20,279       18,311       60,796       54,263  

Depreciation and amortization

     2,344       2,188       7,335       6,769  

Marketing and reservation

     73,001       72,841       203,719       184,494  

Hotel operations

     820       824       2,365       2,385  
                                

Total operating expenses

     96,444       94,164       274,215       247,911  
                                

Operating income

     54,552       47,787       126,739       107,503  

OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES:

        

Interest expense

     3,207       3,815       11,291       11,294  

Interest and other investment income

     (569 )     (721 )     (1,099 )     (994 )

Equity in net income of affiliates

     (349 )     (267 )     (737 )     (621 )

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     —         —         342       —    

Other

     —         (197 )     —         (383 )
                                

Total other income and expenses, net

     2,289       2,630       9,797       9,296  
                                

Income before income taxes

     52,263       45,157       116,942       98,207  

Income taxes

     5,906       12,691       28,784       32,194  
                                

Net income

   $ 46,357     $ 32,466     $ 88,158     $ 66,013  
                                

Weighted average shares outstanding-basic

     65,668       64,756       65,272       64,452  
                                

Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted

     67,152       66,963       67,009       66,630  
                                

Basic earnings per share

   $ 0.71     $ 0.50     $ 1.35     $ 1.02  
                                

Diluted earnings per share

   $ 0.69     $ 0.48     $ 1.32     $ 0.99  
                                

Cash dividends declared per share

   $ 0.15     $ 0.13     $ 0.41     $ 0.355  
                                

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

 

     September 30,
2006
    December 31,
2005
 
     (Unaudited)        
ASSETS     

Current assets

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 27,078     $ 16,921  

Receivables (net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $4,716 and $5,111, respectively)

     45,280       37,155  

Deferred income taxes

     2,622       2,616  

Other current assets

     6,000       6,308  
                

Total current assets

     80,980       63,000  
                

Property and equipment, at cost, net

     43,072       46,281  

Goodwill

     65,813       65,828  

Franchise rights and other identifiable intangibles, net

     35,285       38,267  

Receivable – marketing fees

     4,675       13,225  

Investments, employee benefit plans, at fair value

     29,096       23,337  

Deferred income taxes

     15,602       3,289  

Other assets

     11,745       11,873  
                

Total assets

   $ 286,268     $ 265,100  
                
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT     

Current liabilities

    

Current portion of long-term debt

   $ 146     $ 146  

Accounts payable

     32,186       34,413  

Accrued expenses and other

     35,111       50,956  

Deferred revenue

     39,273       32,131  

Income taxes payable

     22,275       2,499  
                

Total current liabilities

     128,991       120,145  
                

Long-term debt

     187,411       273,972  

Deferred compensation and retirement plan obligations

     35,464       28,987  

Other liabilities

     12,709       9,172  
                

Total liabilities

     364,575       432,276  
                

Commitments and contingencies

    
SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT     

Common stock, $0.01 par value

     663       652  

Additional paid-in-capital

     79,626       75,240  

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     878       859  

Deferred compensation

     —         (798 )

Treasury stock

     (628,103 )     (650,551 )

Retained earnings

     468,629       407,422  
                

Total shareholders’ deficit

     (78,307 )     (167,176 )
                

Total liabilities and shareholders’ deficit

   $ 286,268     $ 265,100  
                

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED, IN THOUSANDS)

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2006     2005  

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

    

Net income

   $ 88,158     $ 66,013  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     7,335       6,769  

Gain on sale of assets

     —         (383 )

Provision for bad debts

     35       102  

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     342       —    

Non-cash stock compensation and other charges

     8,250       3,877  

Non-cash interest and other investment income

     (385 )     (346 )

Equity in net income of affiliates

     (737 )     (621 )

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:

    

Receivables

     (8,149 )     (8,089 )

Receivable — marketing and reservation fees, net

     18,585       13,351  

Accounts payable

     (2,227 )     (1,545 )

Accrued expenses and other

     (17,237 )     5,041  

Income taxes payable

     19,776       23,842  

Deferred income taxes

     (12,319 )     (7,006 )

Deferred revenue

     7,142       4,000  

Other assets

     476       87  

Other liabilities

     5,888       (6,179 )
                

Net cash provided by operating activities

     114,933       98,913  
                

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

    

Investment in property and equipment

     (5,281 )     (10,242 )

Proceeds from disposition of assets

     —         2,811  

Acquisition of Suburban, net of cash acquired

     —         (7,345 )

Issuance of notes receivable

     (1,780 )     (1,456 )

Purchases of investments

     (7,976 )     (7,723 )

Proceeds from sale of investments

     2,885       3,239  

Other items, net

     570       (515 )
                

Net cash used in investing activities

     (11,582 )     (21,231 )
                

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

    

Principal payments of long-term debt

     (109 )     (109 )

Net repayments pursuant to revolving credit facility

     (86,500 )     (32,604 )

Purchase of treasury stock

     (1,326 )     (23,935 )

Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

     12,550       —    

Debt issuance costs

     (477 )     (193 )

Dividends paid

     (25,494 )     (21,813 )

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     8,162       9,705  
                

Net cash used in financing activities

     (93,194 )     (68,949 )
                

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

     10,157       8,733  

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     16,921       28,518  
                

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

   $ 27,078     $ 37,251  
                

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

    

Cash payments during the period for:

    

Income taxes, net of refunds

   $ 20,993     $ 19,738  

Interest

   $ 9,367     $ 9,318  

Non-cash investing activities:

    

Acquisition of Suburban, non-cash consideration

   $ —       $ 5,405  

Non-cash financing activities:

    

Declaration of dividends

   $ 26,952     $ 22,970  

Income tax benefit realized related to employee stock options exercised

   $ —       $ 6,016  

Issuance of restricted shares of common stock

   $ 7,005     $ 6,043  

Issuance of treasury stock to employee stock purchase plan

   $ 343     $ —    

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

1. Company Information and Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Choice Hotels International, Inc. and subsidiaries (together the “Company”) have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (which include any normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been omitted. The year end condensed balance sheet information was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The Company believes the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. The consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2005 and notes thereto included in the Company’s Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2006 (the “10-K”). Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the entire year results because of seasonal variations. All intercompany transactions and balances between Choice Hotels International, Inc. and its subsidiaries have been eliminated in consolidation.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Certain amounts in the prior year’s financial statements have been reclassified to conform with the current year presentation with no effect on previously reported net income or shareholders’ deficit.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2006, the Company revised the accounting for deferred compensation related to stock awards accounted for under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123 “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” (“SFAS No. 123”). As a result of this revision, approximately $11.6 million of deferred compensation previously included within shareholders’ deficit as of December 31, 2005 was eliminated with a corresponding reduction of additional paid-in-capital. There was no effect on any other previously reported income statement, cash flow or balance sheet amounts.

2. Stock Split

On September 14, 2005, the Company’s board of directors declared a two-for-one stock split effected in the form of a stock dividend. The stock dividend was distributed on October 21, 2005 to shareholders of record on October 7, 2005. As a result of the stock dividend, the accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect an increase in the number of outstanding shares of common stock and the transfer of the par value of these additional shares from paid-in-capital. Treasury shares were not split. Share data and earnings per share data in these consolidated financial statements reflect the stock split, applied retroactively, to all periods presented. Previously awarded stock options and restricted stock awards payable in the Company’s common stock have been adjusted to reflect the stock dividend.

3. Stock-Based Compensation

In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No. 123 (Revised 2004), “Share-Based Payment” (“SFAS No. 123R”). SFAS No. 123R requires that compensation cost relating to share based payment transactions be recognized in financial statements based on the fair value of the equity or liability instruments issued. Effective January 1, 2006, the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R using the modified prospective application method and began applying its provisions to (i) new awards, (ii) awards modified subsequent to the adoption date, (iii) any outstanding awards for which all requisite service has not yet been rendered. Under the modified-prospective application method, compensation costs will be recognized on the unvested portion of awards at January 1, 2006 based on the grant-date fair value used for pro-forma disclosures under SFAS No. 148 “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure” over the remaining vesting period. Under this transition method, prior period results have not been restated. The adoption of SFAS No. 123R reduced both operating income and net income by approximately $0.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006. Operating income and net income were reduced by approximately $0.4 million and $0.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006, respectively. The adoption did not have a material impact on reported earnings per share or the Company’s financial statements since the Company has been expensing share-based awards granted since January 1, 2003 under the provisions of SFAS No. 123. Prior to January 1, 2003, the Company accounted for stock-based awards under APB Opinion No. 25 “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” (“APB No. 25”).

SFAS No. 123R also requires the Company to calculate the pool of income tax benefits that were previously recorded in additional paid-in-capital and are available to absorb future income tax shortfalls that can result from the exercise or maturity of stock awards. The Company has calculated its windfall pool under the short-cut method based on the actual income tax benefits received from exercises and maturities of stock awards granted after October 15, 1997.

Prior to the adoption of SFAS No. 123R, no stock-based compensation cost was reflected in the accompanying consolidated statements of income related to the grant of stock options which occurred prior to January 1, 2003, because the Company accounted for those grants under APB No. 25 and all such stock options granted had an exercise price equal to the market value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant. Therefore, the cost related to stock-based employee compensation included in the determination of net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005 is less than that which would have been recognized if the fair value based method had been applied to all awards since the original effective date of SFAS No. 123. The following table illustrates the effect on net income and earnings per share if the fair value based method had been applied to all outstanding and unvested awards during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005.

 

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Table of Contents
(In thousands, except per share amounts)   

Three Months Ended

September 30, 2005

   

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2005

 

Net income, as reported

   $ 32,466     $ 66,013  

Stock-based employee compensation cost included in reported net income, net of related tax effects

     742       2,185  

Total stock-based employee compensation expense determined under fair value method for all awards, net of related tax effects

     (1,282 )     (3,413 )
                

Net income, pro forma

   $ 31,926     $ 64,785  
                

Earnings per share:

    

Basic, as reported

   $ 0.50     $ 1.02  

Basic, pro forma

   $ 0.49     $ 1.01  

Diluted, as reported

   $ 0.48     $ 0.99  

Diluted, pro forma

   $ 0.48     $ 0.97  

The Company’s stock-based compensation plans and related accounting policies are described more fully in Note 7.

4. Receivable—Marketing Fees & Cumulative Reservation Fees Collected in Excess of Expenses

The marketing fees receivable at September 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005 was $4.7 million and $13.2 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005, cumulative reservation fees collected exceeded expenses by $7.7 million and $3.6 million, respectively, and the excess has been reflected as a long-term liability within other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Depreciation and amortization expense attributable to marketing and reservation activities was $2.0 million and $1.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively, and $5.9 and $5.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Interest expense attributable to reservation activities was $0.2 million and $0.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively, and $0.6 million and $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively.

5. Income Taxes

The effective income tax rates for the 2006 and 2005 nine-month periods of approximately 24.6% and 32.8%, respectively, differ from the statutory rate due to the reversal of provisions for certain income tax contingencies, foreign income earned, which is taxed at lower rates than statutory federal income tax rates, state income taxes, and certain federal and state income tax credits. Income tax expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 include net reversals of provisions for income tax contingencies totaling approximately $12.8 million and $12.6 million, respectively. Income tax expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005 include net reversals of provisions for income tax contingencies totaling approximately $4.9 million for both periods. Income tax expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005 also includes additional tax expense of approximately $1.2 million related to the Company’s plan to repatriate foreign earnings pursuant to the American Jobs Creation Act.

We have estimated and accrued for certain tax assessments and the expected resolution of tax contingencies which arise in the course of our business. The ultimate outcome of these tax-related contingencies impact the determination of income tax expense and may not be resolved until several years after the related tax returns have been filed. Predicting the outcome of such tax assessments involves uncertainty and accordingly, actual results could differ from those estimates.

6. Comprehensive Income

The differences between net income and comprehensive income are described in the following table.

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
(In thousands)    2006     2005     2006     2005  

Net income

   $ 46,357     $ 32,466     $ 88,158     $ 66,013  

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:

        

Unrealized losses on available for sale securities

     —         (99 )     —         (124 )

Foreign currency translation adjustment, net

     (2 )     (37 )     69       (116 )

Amortization of deferred gain on hedge

     (17 )     (16 )     (50 )     (50 )
                                

Other comprehensive income (loss)

     (19 )     (152 )     19       (290 )
                                

Comprehensive income

   $ 46,338     $ 32,314     $ 88,177     $ 65,723  
                                

7. Capital Stock

The Company has a stock compensation plan pursuant to which it is authorized to grant stock-based awards of up to 3.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock, of which 3.2 million shares remain available for grant as of September 30, 2006. The Company’s policy allows the issuance of new or treasury shares to satisfy stock-based awards. Restricted stock, stock options, stock appreciation rights and performance share awards may be granted to officers, key employees and non-employee directors with the contractual terms set by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.

 

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Stock Options

The Company granted approximately 0.2 million and 0.4 million options to officers of the Company at a fair value of approximately $2.8 million and $3.6 million during the nine months ending September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. No options were granted during the three months ending September 30, 2006 and 2005. The stock options granted by the Company had an exercise price equal to the average of the high and low market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The fair value of the options granted was estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:

 

     2006 Grants     2005 Grants  

Risk-free interest rate

     4.69 %     3.70 %

Expected volatility

     32.09 %     36.07 %

Expected life of stock option

     4.3 years       5.5 years  

Dividend yield

     1.07 %     1.50 %

Requisite service period

     4 years       5 years  

Contractual life

     7 years       10 years  

Weighted average fair value of options granted

   $ 14.82     $ 10.11  

The expected life of the options and volatility are based on historical data and are not necessarily indicative of exercise patterns or actual volatility that may occur. Compensation expense related to the fair value of these awards is recognized straight-line over the requisite service period based on those awards that ultimately vest.

The aggregate intrinsic value of the stock options outstanding and exercisable at September 30, 2006 was $80.6 million and $56.9 million, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 was $0.9 million and $1.3 million, respectively, and $41.5 million and $30.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively.

The Company received $0.2 million and $8.2 million in proceeds from the exercise of 0.02 million and 1.0 million employee stock options during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006, respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, the Company received $0.5 million and $9.7 million in proceeds from the exercise of 0.1 million and 1.3 million employee stock options, respectively.

Restricted Stock

The Company granted approximately 0.01 million and 0.1 million restricted shares to employees and directors of the Company at a fair value of $0.5 million and $7.0 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006, respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, the Company granted approximately 0.03 million and 0.2 million shares to employees of the Company at a fair value of $0.9 million and $6.0 million, respectively. Compensation expense related to the fair value of these awards is recognized straight-line over the requisite service period based on those restricted stock grants that ultimately vest. The fair value is measured by the average of the high and low market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Restricted stock awards granted in 2006 generally vest ratably at 25 percent per year beginning with the first anniversary of the grant date. Restricted stock awards during the nine months ended September 30, 2005 generally vest ratably at 20 percent per year beginning with the first anniversary of the grant date. The weighted average grant-date fair value of restricted shares granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 was $48.67 and $29.94 per share, respectively. The total fair value of shares vested during the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 was $0.4 million and $0.02 million, respectively, and $8.5 million and $4.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively.

Performance Vested Restricted Stock Units

During the three and nine months ending September 30, 2006, the Company granted approximately 0.02 million and 0.05 million performance vested restricted stock units (“PVRSU”) to certain officers at a fair value of $0.8 million and $2.3 million, respectively. The vesting of these stock awards is contingent upon the Company achieving specified earnings per share targets at the end of specified performance periods and the employees continued employment. The performance conditions affect the number of shares that will ultimately vest. The range of possible stock-based award vesting is between 50% and 200% of the initial target. Under SFAS No. 123R, compensation expense related to these awards will be recognized over the requisite service period regardless of whether the performance targets have been met based on the Company’s estimate of the achievement of the performance target. The Company has currently estimated that 100% of the target will be achieved. The fair value is measured by the average of the high and low market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Compensation expense is recognized ratably over the requisite service period based on those PVRSU’s that ultimately vest. There were no grants of PVRSU during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005.

The following table is a summary of activity related to PVRSU grants during the three and nine months ending September 30, 2006.

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30, 2006
   Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2006

Performance Vested Restricted Stock Units Granted

     20,000      49,780

Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Share

   $ 42.50    $ 46.22

Aggregate Grant Date Fair Value ($000)

   $ 850    $ 2,301

Requisite Service Period

     3 - 4 years      3 - 4 years

 

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Table of Contents

A summary of stock-based award activity as of September 30, 2006, and changes during the nine months ended are presented below:

 

    

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2006

     Stock Options    Restricted Stock    Performance Vested
Restricted Stock Units
     Shares    

Weighted

Average

Exercise

Price

  

Weighted

Average

Contractual

Term

   Shares    

Weighted

Average Grant
Date Fair Value

   Shares    Weighted
Average Grant
Date Fair Value

Outstanding at January 1, 2006

   3,753,001     $ 10.81       689,865     $ 21.28    —      $ —  

Granted

   190,548       48.74       143,943       48.67    49,780      46.22

Exercised/Vested

   (999,583 )     8.17       (178,273 )     18.20    —        —  

Forfeited/Expired

   (40,934 )     10.10       (24,227 )     30.01    —        —  
                                        

Outstanding at September 30, 2006

   2,903,032     $ 14.22    5.1 years    631,308     $ 28.06    49,780    $ 46.22
                                          

Options exercisable at September 30, 2006

   1,770,489     $ 9.35    4.1 years           
                            

The components of the Company’s pretax stock-based compensation expense and associated income tax benefits is as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30,:

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
   Nine Months Ended
September 30,
(in millions)    2006    2005    2006    2005

Stock options

   $ 0.8    $ 0.4    $ 3.2    $ 1.3

Restricted stock

     1.4      0.8      3.9      2.5

Performance vested restricted stock units

     0.1      —        0.7      —  
                           

Total

   $ 2.3    $ 1.2    $ 7.8    $ 3.8
                           

Income tax benefits

   $ 0.9    $ 0.5    $ 2.9    $ 1.4

Stock-based compensation expense on stock option and performance vested restricted stock units made to a retirement eligible executive officer during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 was recognized upon issuance of the grants rather than over the awards’ vesting period since the terms of the grant provide that the awards will vest upon retirement of the employee. Compensation costs recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2006 related to the vesting upon retirement eligibility totaled $0.9 million and $0.4 million for stock options and performance vested restricted stock units, respectively.

The total unrecognized compensation costs related to stock-based awards that have not yet vested and the related weighted average amortization period over which the costs are to be recognized as of September 30, 2006 are as follows:

 

    

Unrecognized

Compensation

Expense on Unvested

Awards

   Weighted
Average
Amortization
Period
     (in millions)     

Stock options

   $ 5.8    2.7 years

Restricted stock

     14.8    3.1 years

Performance vested restricted stock units

     1.6    3.2 years
         

Total

   $ 22.2   
         

Dividends

In September 2006, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the quarterly dividend rate from $0.13 to $0.15 per share (or approximately $9.9 million in the aggregate), which was paid on October 20, 2006 to shareholders of record on October 6, 2006. In May 2006, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.13 per share (or approximately $8.6 million in the aggregate), which was paid on July 21, 2006 to shareholders of record on July 7, 2006. In February 2006, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.13 per share (or approximately $8.5 million in the aggregate), which was paid on April 21, 2006 to shareholders of record on April 7, 2006.

In September 2005, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the quarterly dividend rate from $0.1125 to $0.13 per share (or approximately $8.4 million in the aggregate), which was paid on October 21, 2005 to shareholders of record on October 7, 2005. In May 2005, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.1125 per share (or approximately $7.3 million in the aggregate), which was paid on July 22, 2005 to shareholders of record on July 8, 2005. In March 2005, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.1125 per share (or approximately $7.2 million in the aggregate), which was paid on April 22, 2005 to shareholders of record on April 8, 2005.

Stock Repurchase Program

The Company did not repurchase common stock during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 under its share repurchase program. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, the Company repurchased 0.1 million and 0.4 million shares, respectively, of its common stock under the share repurchase program at a total cost of $5.1 million and $23.9 million, respectively, including 0.1 million at a total cost of $6.0 million from one of the Company’s largest shareholders, a related party.

 

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During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006, the Company purchased 1,172 and 27,966 shares of common stock at a total cost of $0.05 million and $1.3 million, respectively, from employees to satisfy statutory minimum tax-withholding requirements from the vesting of restricted stock grants. During the nine months ended September 30, 2005 the Company purchased 8,746 shares of common stock from employees at a total cost $0.5 million to satisfy minimum tax-withholding requirements. No shares were repurchased from employees during the three months ended September 30, 2005. These purchases were outside the share repurchase program initiated in June 1998.

8. Earnings Per Share

The following table reconciles the number of shares used in the basic and diluted earnings per share calculations.

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
   Nine Months Ended
September 30,

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

 

   2006    2005    2006    2005

Computation of Basic Earnings Per Share:

           

Net Income

   $ 46,357    $ 32,466    $ 88,158    $ 66,013
                           

Weighted average shares outstanding-basic

     65,668      64,756      65,272      64,452
                           

Basic earnings per share

   $ 0.71    $ 0.50    $ 1.35    $ 1.02
                           

Computation of Diluted Earnings Per Share:

           

Net income for diluted earnings per share

   $ 46,357    $ 32,466    $ 88,158    $ 66,013

Weighted average shares outstanding-basic

     65,668      64,756      65,272      64,452

Effect of Dilutive Securities:

           

Employee stock option and restricted stock plan

     1,484      2,207      1,737      2,178
                           

Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted

     67,152      66,963      67,009      66,630
                           

Diluted earnings per share

   $ 0.69    $ 0.48    $ 1.32    $ 0.99
                           

Basic earnings per share exclude dilution and are computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share assumes dilution and is computed based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding after consideration of the dilutive effect of stock options and unvested restricted stock. The effect of dilutive securities is computed using the treasury stock method and average market prices during the period. However, at September 30, 2006, PVRSUs totaling 49,780 were excluded from the computation since the performance conditions had not been met at the reporting date. In addition, at September 30, 2006, the Company excluded 190,548 anti-dilutive options from the computation of diluted earnings per share.

9. Acquisition of Suburban Franchise Holding Company, Inc.

During 2005, the Company acquired 100% of the stock of Suburban Franchise Holding Company, Inc. (“Suburban”) (the “Suburban Transaction”) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Suburban Franchise Systems, Inc. The initial purchase price for Suburban was $12.8 million, which consisted of cash paid, net of cash acquired, of $7.3 million, liabilities assumed of $4.5 million and direct acquisition and exit costs totaling $1.0 million. Included in the purchase price was a working capital look-back adjustment escrow totaling $0.5 million, which was paid in the first quarter of 2006. The merger provides for contingent cash payments, of up to $5 million, to be made upon the satisfaction of the following conditions:

 

    $2.5 million payable if at any time prior to the 3rd anniversary of closing, at least 84 Suburban franchises are open or under construction and at least 79 are open on that date;

 

    An additional $2.5 million payable if at any time prior to the 3rd anniversary of closing, but in no event prior to the 2nd anniversary of closing, at least 100 Suburban franchises are open or under construction and at least 90 are open on that date;

 

    Both contingent payments are subject to at least 51 of the existing Suburban franchises open at the acquisition date, remaining open when the contingent payment is otherwise earned.

No liabilities have been recorded related to the contingent cash payments. If the contingent consideration is earned, the purchase price of Suburban will be adjusted at that time. The results of operations for Suburban have been included in the Company’s results of operations since September 28, 2005.

The Company accounted for the Suburban Transaction in accordance with SFAS No. 141, “Business Combinations”. The Company allocated the purchase price based upon an assessment of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of September 28, 2005. The total purchase price was allocated based on an analysis by management of the respective fair values of the acquired assets and liabilities as follows:

 

     Estimated Fair
Value
 
     ($000)  

Tangible assets

   $ 401  

Intangible assets

     7,201  

Goodwill

     5,193  
        

Total assets acquired

     12,795  

Liabilities assumed

     (5,481 )
        

Cash paid, net of cash acquired

   $ 7,314  
        

 

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Table of Contents

Suburban is the franchisor of Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, a 67-unit, 8,942 room (at the date of consolidation) lodging chain operating in the economy extended stay segment primarily in the southeastern United States. The acquisition of Suburban allowed the Company to enter, on an accelerated basis, the economy extended stay segment, a market in which it did not previously compete. The purchase price of Suburban was based on the projected business growth and cash flows of Suburban over the next several years and indicated a value that was in excess of the current net book value of the business, resulting in the recognition of various identifiable intangible assets and goodwill as follows:

 

     Estimated Fair
Value
   Estimated
Useful Lives
     $(000)     

Franchise Contracts

   $ 6,187    10 years

Trademarks and Tradenames

     1,014    Indefinite life

Goodwill

     5,193    Indefinite life
         
   $ 12,394   
         

The acquired goodwill and intangible assets are not deductible for tax purposes. The pro forma results of operations as if Suburban had been combined at the beginning of 2005, would not be materially different from the Company’s reported results for that period.

10. Pension Plans

The Company sponsors an unfunded non-qualified defined benefit plan (“SERP”) for certain senior executives. No assets are held with respect to the plan; therefore benefits are funded as paid to participants. The Company accounts for the SERP in accordance with SFAS No. 87, “Employers Accounting for Pensions.” For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006, the Company recorded $0.3 million and $0.9 million, respectively, of expense related to the SERP which is included in selling, general and administrative expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of income. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, the company recorded $0.2 million and $0.7 million, respectively, of expense related to the SERP. Based on the plan retirement age of 65 years old, no benefit payments are anticipated during the current fiscal year. The following table presents the components of net periodic benefit costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005.

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
   Nine Months Ended
September 30,
(In thousands)    2006    2005    2006    2005

Components of net periodic pension cost:

           

Service cost

   $ 169    $ 128    $ 508    $ 384

Interest cost

     87      64      262      196

Amortizations

           

Prior service cost

     15      15      43      43

(Gain)/Loss

     19      10      57      28
                           

Net periodic pension cost

   $ 290    $ 217    $ 870    $ 651
                           

11. Debt

On June 16, 2006, the Company entered into a new $350 million senior unsecured revolving credit agreement (the “Revolver”), with a syndicate of lenders. The proceeds from the Revolver were used to refinance and terminate the revolving credit facility under the Company’s existing senior credit facility (the “Old Credit Facility”). The Revolver allows the Company to borrow, repay and reborrow revolving loans up to $350 million (which includes swingline loans for up to $20 million and standby letters of credit up to $30 million) until the scheduled maturity date of June 16, 2011. The Company has the ability to request an increase in available borrowings under the Revolver by an additional amount of up to $150 million by obtaining the agreement of the existing lenders to increase their lending commitments or by adding additional lenders. The rate of interest generally applicable for revolving loans under the Revolver are, at the Company’s option, equal to either (i) the greater of the prime rate or the federal funds effective rate plus 50 basis points, or (ii) an adjusted LIBOR rate plus a margin between 22 and 70 basis points based on the Company’s credit rating. The Revolver requires the company to pay a quarterly facility fee, based upon the credit rating of the Company, at a rate between 8 and 17 1 / 2 basis points, on the full amount of the commitment (regardless of usage). The Revolver also requires the payment of a quarterly usage fee, based upon the credit rating of the Company, at a rate between 10 and 12 1 / 2 basis points, on the amount outstanding under the commitment, at all times when the amount borrowed under the Revolver exceeds 50% of the total commitment. The Revolver includes customary financial and other covenants that require the maintenance of certain ratios including maximum leverage and interest coverage. The Revolver also restricts the Company’s ability to make certain investments, incur certain debt, and dispose of assets, among other restrictions. As of September 30, 2006, the Company had $87.2 million of revolving loans outstanding pursuant to the Revolver.

The Company accounted for the refinancing of the Old Credit Facility in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 98-14, “Debtor’s Accounting for Changes in Line-of-Credit or Revolving-Debt Arrangements.” Pursuant to this accounting pronouncement, the Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $0.3 million.

 

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Table of Contents

As of September 30, 2006, in addition to the Revolver and $100 million of Senior Notes, the Company had a line of credit with a bank providing up to an aggregate of $10 million of borrowings, which is due upon demand. The line of credit ranks pari-pasu (or equally) with the Company’s Revolver and includes customary financial and other covenants that require the maintenance of certain ratios identical to those included in the Company’s Revolver. Borrowings under the line of credit bear interest at rates established at the time of borrowing based on prime rate minus 175 basis points. As of September 30, 2006, the Company had no amounts outstanding pursuant to this line of credit.

As of September 30, 2006, total debt outstanding for the Company was $187.6 million, of which $0.1 million was scheduled to mature in the twelve months ending September 30, 2007.

12. Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements

Effective July 14, 2006, the Company’s Senior Notes are guaranteed jointly, severally, fully and unconditionally by 7 wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries. There are no legal or regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends to Choice Hotels International, Inc. from subsidiaries that do not guarantee the Senior Notes. As a result of these guarantee arrangements, the following condensed consolidating financial statements are presented. Investments in subsidiaries are accounted for by the Parent and the Guarantor Subsidiaries under the equity method of accounting.

 

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Table of Contents

Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Income

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2006

(Unaudited, In Thousands)

 

    

Choice Hotels

International, Inc.

   

Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   

Non-Guarantor

Subsidiaries

    Eliminations     Consolidated  

REVENUES:

          

Royalty fees

   $ 59,840     $ 21,264     $ 4,694     $ (21,434 )   $ 64,364  

Initial franchise and relicensing fees

     7,733       —         —         —         7,733  

Partner services

     3,171       —         —         —         3,171  

Marketing and reservation

     61,978       63,196       2,154       (54,327 )     73,001  

Other items, net

     1,545       1,182       —         —         2,727  
                                        

Total revenues

     134,267       85,642       6,848       (75,761 )     150,996  

OPERATING EXPENSES:

          

Selling, general and administrative

     21,793       19,091       829       (21,434 )     20,279  

Marketing and reservation

     65,473       60,081       1,774       (54,327 )     73,001  

Other items, net

     802       2,171       191       —         3,164  
                                        

Total operating expenses

     88,068       81,343       2,794       (75,761 )     96,444  

Operating income

     46,199       4,299       4,054       —         54,552  

OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES:

          

Interest expense

     3,427       (240 )     20       —         3,207  

Equity in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries

     (7,884 )     —         —         7,884       —    

Other items, net

     (102 )     (359 )     (457 )     —         (918 )
                                        

Total other income and expenses, net

     (4,559 )     (599 )     (437 )     7,884       2,289  
                                        

Income before income taxes

     50,758       4,898       4,491       (7,884 )     52,263  

Income taxes

     4,401       1,095       410       —         5,906  
                                        

Net income

   $ 46,357     $ 3,803     $ 4,081     $ (7,884 )   $ 46,357  
                                        

 

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Table of Contents

Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Income

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2005

(Unaudited, In Thousands)

 

    

Choice Hotels

International, Inc.

   

Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   

Non-Guarantor

Subsidiaries

    Eliminations     Consolidated  

REVENUES:

          

Royalty fees

   $ 54,897     $ 19,750     $ 3,472     $ (20,056 )   $ 58,063  

Initial franchise and relicensing fees

     5,769       —         —           5,769  

Partner services

     3,122       —         —           3,122  

Marketing and reservation

     62,552       57,233       1,770       (48,714 )     72,841  

Other items, net

     1,003       1,153           2,156  
                                        

Total revenues

     127,343       78,136       5,242       (68,770 )     141,951  

OPERATING EXPENSES:

          

Selling, general and administrative

     20,341       16,859       1,167       (20,056 )     18,311  

Marketing and reservation

     65,219       54,771       1,565       (48,714 )     72,841  

Other items, net

     823       1,994       195         3,012  
                                        

Total operating expenses

     86,383       73,624       2,927       (68,770 )     94,164  

Operating income

     40,960       4,512       2,315       —         47,787  

OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES:

          

Interest expense

     4,085       (273 )     3       —         3,815  

Equity in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries

     (5,867 )     —         —         5,867       —    

Other items, net

     (78 )     (572 )     (535 )     —         (1,185 )
                                        

Total other income and expenses, net

     (1,860 )     (845 )     (532 )     5,867       2,630  
                                        

Income before income taxes

     42,820       5,357       2,847       (5,867 )     45,157  

Income taxes

     10,354       2,068       269       —         12,691  
                                        

Net income

   $ 32,466     $ 3,289     $ 2,578     $ (5,867 )   $ 32,466  
                                        

 

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Table of Contents

Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Income

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2006

(Unaudited, In Thousands)

 

    

Choice Hotels

International, Inc.

   

Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   

Non-Guarantor

Subsidiaries

    Eliminations     Consolidated  

REVENUES:

          

Royalty fees

   $ 145,745     $ 67,417     $ 12,456     $ (68,244 )   $ 157,374  

Initial franchise and relicensing fees

     20,099       —         —         —         20,099  

Partner services

     10,853       —         —         —         10,853  

Marketing and reservation

     173,098       187,338       6,078       (162,795 )     203,719  

Other items, net

     5,567       3,342       —           8,909  
                                        

Total revenues

     355,362       258,097       18,534       (231,039 )     400,954  

OPERATING EXPENSES:

          

Selling, general and administrative

     65,721       60,994       2,325       (68,244 )     60,796  

Marketing and reservation

     182,905       178,539       5,070       (162,795 )     203,719  

Other items, net

     2,395       6,739       566         9,700  
                                        

Total operating expenses

     251,021       246,272       7,961       (231,039 )     274,215  

Operating income

     104,341       11,825       10,573       —         126,739  

OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES:

          

Interest expense

     11,880       (628 )     39       —         11,291  

Equity in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries

     (18,314 )     —         —         18,314       —    

Other items, net

     130       (670 )     (954 )     —         (1,494 )
                                        

Total other income and expenses, net

     (6,304 )     (1,298 )     (915 )     18,314       9,797  
                                        

Income before income taxes

     110,645       13,123       11,488       (18,314 )     116,942  

Income taxes

     22,487       5,327       970       —         28,784  
                                        

Net income

   $ 88,158     $ 7,796     $ 10,518     $ (18,314 )   $ 88,158  
                                        

 

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Table of Contents

Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Income

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2005

(Unaudited, In Thousands)

 

    

Choice Hotels

International, Inc.

   

Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   

Non-Guarantor

Subsidiaries

    Eliminations     Consolidated  

REVENUES:

          

Royalty fees

   $ 129,813     $ 62,444     $ 9,390     $ (63,427 )   $ 138,220  

Initial franchise and relicensing fees

     16,661       10       —         —         16,671  

Partner services

     10,358       —         —         —         10,358  

Marketing and reservation

     153,444       165,711       5,246       (139,907 )     184,494  

Other items, net

     2,456       3,215       —         —         5,671  
                                        

Total revenues

     312,732       231,380       14,636       (203,334 )     355,414  

OPERATING EXPENSES:

          

Selling, general and administrative

     61,191       53,169       3,330       (63,427 )     54,263  

Marketing and reservation

     160,318       159,324       4,759       (139,907 )     184,494  

Other items, net

     2,893       5,641       620       —         9,154  
                                        

Total operating expenses

     224,402       218,134       8,709       (203,334 )     247,911  

Operating income

     88,330       13,246       5,927       —         107,503  

OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES:

          

Interest expense

     12,050       (760 )     4       —         11,294  

Equity in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries

     (15,331 )     —         —         15,331       —    

Other items, net

     (141 )     (822 )     (1,035 )     —         (1,998 )
                                        

Total other income and expenses, net

     (3,422 )     (1,582 )     (1,031 )     15,331       9,296  
                                        

Income before income taxes

     91,752       14,828       6,958       (15,331 )     98,207  

Income taxes

     25,739       5,823       632       —         32,194  
                                        

Net income

   $ 66,013     $ 9,005     $ 6,326     $ (15,331 )   $ 66,013  
                                        

 

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Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet

As of September 30, 2006

(Unaudited, In thousands)

 

    

Choice Hotels

International, Inc.

   

Guarantor

Subsidiaries

  

Non-Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   Eliminations     Consolidated  

ASSETS

            

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 5,102     $ 596    $ 21,380    $ —       $ 27,078  

Receivables

     39,182       3,474      2,624      —         45,280  

Other current assets

     2,389       5,885      348      —         8,622  
                                      

Total current assets

     46,673       9,955      24,352      —         80,980  

Property and equipment, at cost, net

     17,548       24,825      699      —         43,072  

Goodwill

     60,620       5,193      —        —         65,813  

Franchise rights and other indentifiable intangibles, net

     24,616       6,582      4,087      —         35,285  

Investments, employee benefit plans, at fair value

     —         29,096      —        —         29,096  

Investment in and advances to affiliates

     176,294       91,797      47,457      (315,548 )     —    

Receivable, marketing fees

     4,896       —        —        (221 )     4,675  

Deferred income taxes

     —         29,191      —        (13,589 )     15,602  

Other assets

     190       10,848      733      (26 )     11,745  
                                      

Total assets

   $ 330,837     $ 207,487    $ 77,328    $ (329,384 )   $ 286,268  
                                      

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT

            

Current portion of long-term debt

   $ 146     $ —      $ —      $ —       $ 146  

Accounts payable

     9,973       19,325      2,888      —         32,186  

Accrued expenses and other

     17,320       17,170      621      —         35,111  

Deferred revenue

     4,667       34,546      60      —         39,273  

Income taxes payable

     19,242       2,136      897      —         22,275  
                                      

Total current liabilities

     51,348       73,177      4,466      —         128,991  

Long-term debt

     187,411       —        —        —         187,411  

Deferred compensation & retirement plan obligations

     —         35,464      —        —         35,464  

Advances from affiliates

     144,697       6,220      37,331      (188,248 )     —    

Payable, marketing fees

     —         221         (221 )     —    

Deferred income taxes

     13,423       —        166      (13,589 )     —    

Other liabilities

     12,265       —        470      (26 )     12,709  
                                      

Total liabilities

     409,144       115,082      42,433      (202,084 )     364,575  
                                      

Total shareholders' deficit

     (78,307 )     92,405      34,895      (127,300 )     (78,307 )
                                      

Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit

   $ 330,837     $ 207,487    $ 77,328    $ (329,384 )   $ 286,268  
                                      

 

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Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet

As of December 31, 2005

(Unaudited, In thousands)

 

    

Choice Hotels

International, Inc.

   

Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   

Non-Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   Eliminations     Consolidated  

ASSETS

           

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 5,848     $ 2,052     $ 9,021    $ —       $ 16,921  

Receivables

     33,359       891       2,905      —         37,155  

Other current assets

     2,377       6,143       404      —         8,924  
                                       

Total current assets

     41,584       9,086       12,330      —         63,000  

Property and equipment, at cost, net

     17,836       27,672       773      —         46,281  

Goodwill

     60,620       5,208       —        —         65,828  

Franchise rights and other indentifiable intangibles, net

     26,720       7,042       4,505      —         38,267  

Investments, employee benefit plans, at fair value

     —         23,337       —        —         23,337  

Investment in and advances to affiliates

     149,294       82,687       42,353      (274,334 )     —    

Receivable, marketing fees

     13,527       —         —        (302 )     13,225  

Deferred income taxes

     —         22,841          (19,552 )     3,289  

Other assets

     351       10,962       560      —         11,873  
                                       

Total assets

   $ 309,932     $ 188,835     $ 60,521    $ (294,188 )   $ 265,100  
                                       

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT

           

Current portion of long-term debt

   $ 146     $ —       $ —      $ —       $ 146  

Accounts payable

     8,708       22,811       2,894      —         34,413  

Accrued expenses and other

     25,561       24,634       761      —         50,956  

Deferred revenue

     2,665       29,406       60      —         32,131  

Income taxes payable

     2,711       (590 )     378      —         2,499  
                                       

Total current liabilities

     39,791       76,261       4,093      —         120,145  

Long-term debt

     273,972       —         —        —         273,972  

Deferred compensation & retirement plan obligations

     —         28,987       —        —         28,987  

Advances from affiliates

     135,373       6,594       30,800      (172,767 )     —    

Payable, marketing fees

     —         302          (302 )     —    

Deferred income taxes

     19,385       —         167      (19,552 )     —    

Other liabilities

     8,587       26       559      —         9,172  
                                       

Total liabilities

     477,108       112,170       35,619      (192,621 )     432,276  
                                       

Total shareholders' deficit

     (167,176 )     76,665       24,902      (101,567 )     (167,176 )
                                       

Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit

   $ 309,932     $ 188,835     $ 60,521    $ (294,188 )   $ 265,100  
                                       

 

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Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2006

(Unaudited, in thousands)

 

    

Choice Hotels

International, Inc.

   

Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   

Non-Guarantor

Subsidiaries

    Eliminations    Consolidated  

Net Cash Provided (Used) from Operating Activities

   $ 104,061     $ (1,126 )   $ 11,998        $ 114,933  
                                       

Cash Flows From Investing Activities

           

Investment in property and equipment

     (3,304 )     (1,901 )     (76 )     —        (5,281 )

Issuance of notes receivable

     —         (1,780 )     —         —        (1,780 )

Purchases of investments

     —         (7,976 )     —         —        (7,976 )

Proceeds from sales of investments

     —         2,885       —         —        2,885  

Other items, net

     (210 )     343       437       —        570  
                                       

Net Cash Provided (Used) from Investing Activities

     (3,514 )     (8,429 )     361       —        (11,582 )
                                       

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

           

Principal payments of long-term debt

     (109 )     —         —         —        (109 )

Net repayments pursuant to revolving credit facility

     (86,500 )     —         —         —        (86,500 )

Purchase of treasury stock

     (1,326 )     —         —         —        (1,326 )

Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

     4,451       8,099       —            12,550  

Debt issuance costs

     (477 )     —         —         —        (477 )

Dividends paid

     (25,494 )     —         —         —        (25,494 )

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     8,162       —         —         —        8,162  
                                       

Net Cash Provided (Used) from Financing Activities

     (101,293 )     8,099       —         —        (93,194 )
                                       

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

     (746 )     (1,456 )     12,359       —        10,157  

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     5,848       2,052       9,021       —        16,921  
                                       

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period

   $ 5,102     $ 596     $ 21,380     $ —      $ 27,078  
                                       

 

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Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2005

(Unaudited, in thousands)

 

    

Choice Hotels

International, Inc.

   

Guarantor

Subsidiaries

   

Non-Guarantor

Subsidiaries

    Eliminations    Consolidated  

Net Cash Provided from Operating Activities

   $ 74,326     $ 14,488     $ 10,099     $ —      $ 98,913  
                                       

Cash Flows From Investing Activities

           

Investment in property and equipment

     (6,768 )     (3,364 )     (110 )     —        (10,242 )

Proceeds from disposition of assets

     —         1,706       1,105       —        2,811  

Acquisition of Surburban, net of cash acquired

     —         (7,345 )     —         —        (7,345 )

Issuance of notes receivable

     —         (1,456 )     —         —        (1,456 )

Purchases of investments

     —         (7,723 )     —         —        (7,723 )

Proceeds from sales of investments

     —         3,239       —         —        3,239  

Other items, net

     (811 )     84       212       —        (515 )
                                       

Net Cash Provided (Used) from Investing Activities

     (7,579 )     (14,859 )     1,207       —        (21,231 )
                                       

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

           

Principal payments of long-term debt

     (105 )     —         (4 )     —        (109 )

Net repayments pursuant to revolving credit facility

     (32,604 )     —         —         —        (32,604 )

Purchase of treasury stock

     (23,935 )     —         —         —        (23,935 )

Debt issuance costs

     (193 )     —         —         —        (193 )

Dividends paid

     (21,813 )     —         —         —        (21,813 )

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     9,705       —         —         —        9,705  
                                       

Net Cash Used in Financing Activities

     (68,945 )     —         (4 )     —        (68,949 )
                                       

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

     (2,198 )     (371 )     11,302       —        8,733  

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     7,234       1,359       19,925       —        28,518  
                                       

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period

   $ 5,036     $ 988     $ 31,227     $ —      $ 37,251  
                                       

 

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13. Reportable Segment Information

The Company has a single reportable segment encompassing its franchising business. Revenues from the franchising business include royalty fees, initial franchise and relicensing fees, marketing and reservation fees, partner services revenue and other revenue. The Company is obligated under its franchise agreements to provide marketing and reservation services appropriate for the successful operation of its systems. These services do not represent separate reportable segments as their operations are directly related to the Company’s franchising business. The revenues received from franchisees that are used to pay for part of the Company’s central ongoing operations are included in franchising revenues and are offset by the related expenses paid for marketing and reservation activities to calculate franchising operating income. Corporate and other revenue consists of hotel operations. Except as described in Note 4, the Company does not allocate interest income, interest expense or income taxes to its franchising segment.

The following table presents the financial information for the Company’s franchising segment.

 

    

Three Months Ended

September 30, 2006

  

Three Months Ended

September 30, 2005

(In thousands)    Franchising   

Corporate &

Other

    Consolidated    Franchising   

Corporate &

Other

    Consolidated

Revenues

   $ 149,814    $ 1,182     $ 150,996    $ 140,798    $ 1,153     $ 141,951

Operating income (loss)

   $ 64,838    $ (10,286 )   $ 54,552    $ 57,286    $ (9,499 )   $ 47,787
    

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2006

  

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2005

(In thousands)    Franchising   

Corporate &

Other

    Consolidated    Franchising   

Corporate &

Other

    Consolidated

Revenues

   $ 397,612    $ 3,342     $ 400,954    $ 352,200    $ 3,214     $ 355,414

Operating income (loss)

   $ 159,869    $ (33,130 )   $ 126,739    $ 136,014    $ (28,511 )   $ 107,503

14. Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is a defendant in a number of lawsuits arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management and the general counsel to the Company, the ultimate outcome of such litigation will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In March 2006, the Company guaranteed $1 million of a bank loan funding a franchisee’s construction of a Cambria Suites in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The guaranty expires in June 2010. The Company has received personal guarantees from several of the franchisee’s principal owners related to repayment of any amounts paid by the Company under this guaranty.

 

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In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into numerous agreements that contain standard guarantees and indemnities whereby the Company indemnifies another party for breaches of representations and warranties. Such guarantees or indemnifications are granted under various agreements, including those governing (i) purchases or sales of assets or businesses, (ii) leases of real estate, (iii) licensing of trademarks, (iv) access to credit facilities, (v) issuances of debt or equity securities, and (vi) other operating agreements. The guarantees or indemnifications issued are for the benefit of the (i) buyers in sale agreements and sellers in purchase agreements, (ii) landlords in lease contracts, (iii) franchisees in licensing agreements, (iv) financial institutions in credit facility arrangements, and (v) underwriters in debt or equity security issuances. In addition, these parties are also indemnified against any third party claim resulting from the transaction that is contemplated in the underlying agreement. While some of these guarantees extend only for the duration of the underlying agreement, many survive the expiration of the term of the agreement or extend into perpetuity (unless subject to a legal statute of limitations). There are no specific limitations on the maximum potential amount of future payments that the Company could be required to make under these guarantees, nor is the Company able to develop an estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments to be made under these guarantees as the triggering events are not subject to predictability. With respect to certain of the aforementioned guarantees, such as indemnifications of landlords against third party claims for the use of real estate property leased by the Company, the Company maintains insurance coverage that mitigates any potential payments to be made.

15. Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In March 2006, the EITF issued EITF Issue 06-3, “How Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to Governmental Authorities Should Be Presented in the Income Statement (That Is, Gross versus Net Presentation).” A tentative consensus was reached that a company should disclose its accounting policy (i.e. gross or net presentation) regarding the presentation of taxes within the scope of EITF 06-3 in the income statement. If taxes are significant, a company should disclose its policy of presenting taxes. In addition, for any such taxes that are reported on a gross basis, the company should disclose the amounts of those taxes. The guidance is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2006. We present company sales net of sales taxes. This issue will not impact the method for recording these sales taxes in our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2006, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 48 “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109)” which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006 with earlier adoption encouraged. This interpretation was issued to clarify the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in the financial statements by prescribing a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of this interpretation.

In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 158, “Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans—an amendment of FASB Statements No. 87, 88, 106, and 132(R),” which requires employers to: (a) recognize in its statement of financial position an asset for a plan’s overfunded status or a liability for a plan’s underfunded status; (b) measure a plan’s assets and its obligations that determine its funded status as of the end of the employer’s fiscal year; and (c) recognize changes in the funded status of a defined benefit postretirement plan in the year in which the changes occur. Those changes will be reported in comprehensive income of a business entity. The requirement to recognize the funded status of a benefit plan and the disclosure requirements are effective as of the end of the fiscal year ending after December 15, 2006, for entities with publicly traded equity securities. The requirement to measure plan assets and benefit obligations as of the date of the employer’s fiscal year-end statement of financial position is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2008. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of this statement.

Also in September 2006, FASB issued SFAS No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements’” which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This Statement is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Earlier application is encouraged provided that the reporting entity has not yet issued financial statements for that fiscal year including financial statements for an interim period within that fiscal year. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of this statement, if any.

16. Subsequent Event

In October 2006, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire certain European franchising operations from one of the Company’s master franchisees, CHE Hotel Group (“CHE”). The acquisition is expected to be complete by December 31, 2006. As a result of acquisition, the master franchise agreement between the Company and CHE covering certain countries will terminate.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) is intended to help the reader understand Choice Hotels International, Inc. and subsidiaries (together “the Company”). MD&A is provided as a supplement to—and should be read in conjunction with—our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes.

Overview

We are a hotel franchisor with franchise agreements representing 5,328 hotels open and 808 hotels under development as of September 30, 2006, with 434,695 rooms and 63,579 rooms, respectively, in 49 states, the District of Columbia and more than 40 countries and territories outside the United States. Our brand names include Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, MainStay Suites, Cambria Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel and Flag Hotels.

The Company conducts its international franchise operations primarily through master franchising and investments in non-domestic lodging franchise companies which allow the use of our brands by third parties in foreign countries. As a result, although international hotels represents approximately 22% of hotels in our franchise system, approximately 95% of the Company’s revenues are derived from hotels directly franchised in the United States.

During 2005, the Company acquired 100% of the stock of Suburban Franchise Holding Company, Inc. (“Suburban”) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Suburban Franchise Systems, Inc for $12.8 million. Suburban is the franchisor of Suburban Extended Stay Hotel and at acquisition had 67 units (8,942 rooms) operating in the economy extended stay segment, primarily in the southeastern United States. The acquisition allowed the Company to enter, on an accelerated basis, the economy extended stay segment, a market in which it did not previously compete. The results of Suburban have been consolidated with the Company since September 28, 2005.

In October 2006, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire certain European franchising operations from one of the Company’s master franchisees, CHE Hotel Group (“CHE”). The acquisition is expected to be complete by December 31, 2006. As a result of acquisition, the master franchise agreement between the Company and CHE covering certain countries will terminate. The acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

 

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On September 14, 2005, the Company’s board of directors declared a two-for one stock split effected in the form of a stock dividend. The stock dividend was distributed on October 21, 2005 to shareholders of record on October 7, 2005. Share data and earnings per share data included in MD&A reflect the stock split, applied retroactively, to all periods presented.

Our Company generates revenues, income and cash flows primarily from initial and continuing royalty fees attributable to our franchise agreements. Revenues are also generated from partner services endorsed vendor arrangements, hotel operations and other sources. The hotel industry is seasonal in nature. For most hotels, demand is lower in December through March than during the remainder of the year. Our principal source of revenues is franchise fees based on the gross room revenues of our franchised properties. The Company’s franchise fee revenues and operating income reflect the industry’s seasonality and historically have been lower in the first quarter than in the second, third or fourth quarters.

We are contractually required by our franchise agreements to use the marketing and reservation fees we collect for system-wide marketing and reservation activities. These expenditures, which include advertising costs and costs to maintain our central reservations system, help to enhance awareness and increase consumer preference for our brands. Greater awareness and preference promotes long-term growth in business delivery to our franchisees, which ultimately increases franchise fees earned by the Company.

Our Company articulates its mission as a commitment to our customers’ profitability by providing our customers with hotel franchises that generate the highest return on investment of any hotel franchise. We have developed an operating system dedicated to our franchisees’ success: One that focuses on delivering guests to our franchised hotels and reducing costs for our hotel owners. We strive every day to continuously improve our franchise offerings to enhance our customers’ profitability and create the highest return on investment of any hotel franchise.

We believe that executing our strategic priorities creates value. Our Company focuses on two key value drivers:

Profitable Growth. Our success is dependent on improving the performance of our hotels, increasing our system size by selling additional hotel franchises and effective royalty rate improvement. We attempt to improve our franchisees’ revenues and overall profitability by providing a variety of products and services designed to increase business delivery to and/or reduce operating and development costs for our franchisees. These products and services include national marketing campaigns, a central reservation system, property and yield management systems, quality assurance standards and endorsed vendor relationships. We believe that healthy brands, which deliver a compelling return on investment for franchisees, will enable us to sell additional hotel franchises and raise royalty rates. We have established multiple brands that meet the needs of many types of guests, and can be developed at various price points and applied to both new and existing hotels. This ensures that we have brands suitable for creating growth in a variety of market conditions. Improving the performance of the hotels under franchise, growing the system through additional franchise sales and improving franchise agreement pricing while maintaining a disciplined cost structure are the keys to profitable growth.

Maximizing Financial Returns and Creating Value for Shareholders. Our capital allocation decisions, including capital structure and uses of capital, are intended to maximize our return on invested capital and create value for our shareholders. We believe our strong and predictable cash flows create a strong financial position that provides us a competitive advantage. Our business does not require significant capital to operate and grow, therefore, we can maintain a capital structure that generates high financial returns and use our excess cash flow to increase returns to our shareholders. We have returned value to our shareholders in two primary ways: share repurchases and dividends. In 1998, we instituted a share repurchase program which has generated substantial value for our shareholders. We have repurchased 33.6 million shares (including 33.0 million prior to the two-for-one stock split effected in October 2005) of common stock at a total cost of $711.9 million since the program’s inception. Considering the effect of the two-for-one stock split, the Company has repurchased 66.6 million shares at an average price of $10.69 per share. Our cash flows from operations support our ability to complete the repurchase of approximately 5.1 million shares presently remaining under our current board of directors’ authorization. The Company expects to continue to return value to its shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases, subject to market and other conditions and upon completion of the current authorization we will evaluate the propriety of additional share repurchases with our board of directors. During the nine months ended September 30, 2006, we paid cash dividends totaling approximately $25.5 million and we presently expect to continue to pay dividends in the future. In September 2006, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the quarterly dividend rate from $0.13 to $0.15 per share (or approximately $9.9 million in the aggregate), which was paid on October 20, 2006 to shareholders of record on October 6, 2006. Based on our present dividend rate and outstanding share count, aggregate annual dividends would be approximately $39.6 million.

We believe these value drivers, when properly implemented, will enhance our profitability, maximize our financial returns and continue to generate value for our shareholders. The ultimate measure of our success will be reflected in the items below.

Results of Operation: Royalty fees, operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) represent key measurements of these value drivers. In the three months ended September 30, 2006, royalty fees revenue and operating income totaled approximately $64.4 million and $54.6 million, respectively, increases of 11% and 14%, respectively from the same period in 2005. Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2006 increased to $46.4 million, an increase of $13.9 million over the three months ended September 30, 2005, a 43% increase. Diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2006 were $0.69, a 44% improvement over the three months ended September 30, 2005. Net income and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended September 30, 2006 include a reduction of income tax expense related to the reversal of provisions for certain income tax contingencies of approximately $12.8 million that represents diluted EPS of $0.19 per share. Net income and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended September 30, 2005 include additional tax expense of approximately $1.2 million related to the Company’s plan to repatriate approximately $23.5 million of foreign earnings pursuant to the American Jobs Creation Act and a reduction of income tax expense related to the reversal of certain tax contingencies of approximately $4.9 million. Those items represent diluted EPS of $0.05, net for the three months ended September 30, 2005. These measurements will continue to be a key management focus in 2006 and beyond.

Refer to MD&A heading “Operations Review” for additional analysis of our results.

Liquidity and Capital Resources: The Company generates significant cash flows from operations. In the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, net cash provided by operating activities was $114.9 million and $98.9 million, respectively. Since our business does not require significant reinvestment of capital, we utilize cash in ways that management believes provide the greatest returns to our shareholders, which include share repurchases and dividends. We believe the Company’s cash flow from operations and available financing capacity are sufficient to meet the expected future operating, investing and financing needs of the business.

Refer to MD&A heading “Liquidity and Capital Resources” for additional analysis.

The principal factors that affect the Company’s results are: the number and relative mix of franchised hotels; growth in the number of hotels under franchise; occupancy and room rates achieved by the hotels under franchise; the effective royalty rate achieved; and our ability to manage costs. The number of rooms at franchised properties and occupancy and room rates at those properties significantly affect the Company’s results because our fees are based upon room revenues at franchised hotels. The key industry standard for measuring hotel-operating performance is revenue per available room (“RevPAR”), which is calculated by multiplying the

 

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percentage of occupied rooms by the average daily room rate realized. Our variable overhead costs associated with franchise system growth have historically been less than incremental royalty fees generated from new franchises. Accordingly, continued growth of our franchise business should enable us to realize benefits from the operating leverage in place and improve operating results.

Operations Review

Comparison of Operating Results for the Three-Month Periods Ended September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005

The Company recorded net income of $46.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006, an increase of $13.9 million, or 43% from $32.5 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2005. The increase in net income for the three months ended September 30, 2006 is primarily attributable to a $6.8 million improvement in operating income and a decline in the effective income tax rate from 28.1% to 11.3%. The effective income tax rate declined primarily due to the reversal of provisions for certain income tax contingencies totaling $12.8 million during the three months ended September 30, 2006. Income taxes for the three months ended September 30, 2005 include additional tax expense of approximately $1.2 million related to the Company’s plan to repatriate approximately $23.5 million of foreign earnings pursuant to the American Jobs Creation Act and a reduction of income tax expense related to the resolution of certain tax contingencies of approximately $4.9 million. Operating income increased as a result of an $8.9 million, or 13.0% increase in franchising revenues (total revenues excluding marketing and reservation revenues and hotel operations) partially offset by a $2.0 million increase in selling, general and administrative expense.

Summarized financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 are as follows:

 

(in thousands, except per share amounts)    2006     2005  

REVENUES:

    

Royalty fees

   $ 64,364     $ 58,063  

Initial franchise and relicensing fees

     7,733       5,769  

Partner services

     3,171       3,122  

Marketing and reservation

     73,001       72,841  

Hotel operations

     1,182       1,153  

Other

     1,545       1,003  
                

Total revenues

     150,996       141,951  
                

OPERATING EXPENSES:

    

Selling, general and administrative

     20,279       18,311  

Depreciation and amortization

     2,344       2,188  

Marketing and reservation

     73,001       72,841  

Hotel operations

     820       824  
                

Total operating expenses

     96,444       94,164  
                

Operating income

     54,552       47,787  
                

OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES:

    

Interest expense

     3,207       3,815  

Interest and other investment income

     (569 )     (721 )

Equity in net income of affiliates

     (349 )     (267 )

Other

     —         (197 )
                

Total other income and expenses, net

     2,289       2,630  
                

Income before income taxes

     52,263       45,157  

Income taxes

     5,906       12,691  
                

Net income

   $ 46,357     $ 32,466  
                

Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted

     67,152       66,963  
                

Diluted earnings per share

   $ 0.69     $ 0.48  
                

Management analyzes its business based on franchising revenues, which is total revenues excluding marketing and reservation revenues and hotel operations, and franchise operating expenses that are reflected as selling, general and administrative expenses.

Franchising Revenues: Franchising revenues were $76.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 compared to $68.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2005. The growth in franchising revenues is primarily due to increases in royalty revenues, initial franchise and relicensing fees and other revenues of 11%, 34% and 54%, respectively.

Royalty fees increased $6.3 million to $64.4 million from $58.1 million in the three months ended September 30, 2005, an increase of 10.9%. Excluding the franchises obtained in the acquisition of Suburban, the increase in royalties is attributable to a combination of factors including a 2.5% increase in the number of domestic franchised hotel rooms, a 4.9% increase in RevPAR and an increase in the effective royalty rate of the domestic hotel system to 4.08% from 4.07%. System-wide RevPAR increases resulted primarily from average daily rate (“ADR”) increases as occupancy rates approximated the prior year. The acquisition of Suburban contributed approximately $0.8 million of royalty fees in the three months ended September 30, 2006.

 

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A summary of the Company’s domestic franchised hotels operating information is as follows:

 

    For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2006
  For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2005
  Change  
   

Average Daily

Rate

  Occupancy     RevPAR   Average Daily
Rate
  Occupancy     RevPAR   Average Daily
Rate
    Occupancy
    RevPAR  

Comfort Inn

  $ 78.25   72.6 %   $ 56.79   $ 73.81   71.6 %   $ 52.87   6.0 %   100 bps   7.4 %

Comfort Suites

    86.19   73.3 %     63.22     80.71   73.5 %     59.32   6.8 %   (20 )bps   6.6 %

Sleep

    69.80   69.6 %     48.61     65.77   69.1 %     45.43   6.1 %   50 bps   7.0 %
                                                     

Midscale without Food & Beverage

    78.67   72.3 %     56.88     74.03   71.6 %     53.02   6.3 %   70 bps   7.3 %
                                                     

Quality

    71.73   64.7 %     46.42     69.99   63.5 %     44.42   2.5 %   120 bps   4.5 %

Clarion

    82.51   57.1 %     47.14     77.94   60.1 %     46.87   5.9 %   (300 )bps   0.6 %
                                                     

Midscale with Food & Beverage

    74.19   62.8 %     46.60     72.01   62.6 %     45.07   3.0 %   20 bps   3.4 %
                                                     

Econo Lodge

    57.22   56.1 %     32.11     55.11   57.1 %     31.49   3.8 %   (100 )bps   2.0 %

Rodeway

    57.14   54.9 %     31.38     56.80   54.8 %     31.10   0.6 %   10 bps   0.9 %
                                                     

Economy

    57.20   55.9 %     31.96     55.38   56.7 %     31.42   3.3 %   (80 )bps   1.7 %
                                                     

MainStay

    68.86   77.1 %     53.12     67.97   73.4 %     49.89   1.3 %   370 bps   6.5 %
                                                     

Total Domestic System*

  $ 73.99   66.5 %   $ 49.23   $ 70.59   66.5 %   $ 46.93   4.8 %   0 bps   4.9 %
                                                     

* Amounts exclude Suburban activity from July 1, 2006 through September 30, 2006 because comparable pre-acquisition data for Q3 2005 is not available.

Including franchises acquired from Suburban, the number of domestic rooms on-line increased to 335,884 as of September 30, 2006 from 328,299 as of September 30, 2005, an increase of 2.3%. The total number of domestic hotels on-line grew 3.2% to 4,157 as of September 30, 2006 from 4,028 as of September 30, 2005. International rooms on-line increased to 98,811 as of September 30, 2006 from 98,058 as of September 30, 2005, a 0.8% increase. The total number of international hotels on-line increased from 1,167 as of September 30, 2005 to 1,171 as of September 30, 2006. A summary of the domestic hotels and rooms on-line at September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005 by brand is as follows:

 

     September 30,
2006
   September 30,
2005
   Variance  
     Hotels    Rooms    Hotels    Rooms    Hotels     Rooms     %     %  

Comfort Inn

   1,411    110,525    1,440    112,903    (29 )   (2,378 )   (2.0 )%   (2.1 )%

Comfort Suites

   427    33,573    410    32,142    17     1,431     4.1 %   4.5 %

Sleep

   327    24,609    316    24,032    11     577     3.5 %   2.4 %
                                            

Midscale without Food & Beverage

   2,165    168,707    2,166    169,077    (1 )   (370 )   (0.0 ))%   (0.2 )%
                                            

Quality

   709    69,699    644    64,908    65     4,791     10.1 %   7.4 %

Clarion

   160    23,733    148    22,685    12     1,048     8.1 %   4.6 %
                                            

Midscale with Food & Beverage

   869    93,432    792    87,593    77     5,839     9.7 %   6.7 %
                                            

Econo Lodge

   815    50,013    803    49,851    12     162     1.5 %   0.3 %

Rodeway

   217    13,245    172    10,646    45     2,599     26.2 %   24.4 %
                                            

Economy

   1,032    63,258    975    60,497    57     2,761     5.8 %   4.6 %
                                            

MainStay

   27    2,046    28    2,190    (1 )   (144 )   (3.6 )%   (6.6 )%

Suburban

   64    8,441    67    8,942    (3 )   (501 )   (4.5 )%   (5.6 )%
                                            

Extended Stay

   91    10,487    95    11,132    (4 )   (645 )   (4.2 )%   (5.8 )%
                                            

Total Domestic Franchises

   4,157    335,884    4,028    328,299    129     7,585     3.2 %   2.3 %
                                            

As of September 30, 2006, the Company had 736 franchised hotels with 57,117 rooms under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in its domestic system as compared to 497 hotels and 37,688 rooms at September 30, 2005. The number of new construction franchised hotels in the Company’s domestic pipeline increased 52% to 507 at September 30, 2006 from 334 at September 30, 2005. The Company had an additional 72 franchised hotels with 6,462 rooms under development in its international system as of September 30, 2006 compared to 84 hotels and 7,680 rooms at September 30, 2005. While the Company’s hotel pipeline provides a strong platform for growth, a hotel in the pipeline does not always result in an open and operating hotel due to various factors. A summary of the domestic franchised hotels under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development at September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005 by brand is as follows:

 

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     September 30, 2006    September 30, 2005    Variance  
     Conversion   

New

Construction

   Total    Conversion   

New

Construction

   Total    Conversion    

New

Construction

    Total  
                     Units     %     Units     %     Units     %  

Comfort Inn

   50    108    158    32    68    100    18     56 %   40     59 %   58     58 %

Comfort Suites

   5    197    202    2    132    134    3     150 %   65     49 %   68     51 %

Sleep Inn

   —      95    95    1    77    78    (1 )   -100 %   18     23 %   17     22 %
                                                                  

Midscale without Food & Beverage

   55    400    455    35    277    312    20     57 %   123     44 %   143     46 %
                                                                  

Quality

   67    11    78    51    11    62    16     31 %   —       0 %   16     26 %

Clarion

   14    4    18    10    2    12    4     40 %   2     100 %   6     50 %
                                                                  

Midscale with Food & Beverage

   81    15    96    61    13    74    20     33 %   2     15 %   22     30 %
                                                                  

Econo Lodge

   32    5    37    34    9    43    (2 )   -6 %   (4 )   -44 %   (6 )   -14 %

Rodeway

   56    2    58    32    1    33    24     75 %   1     100 %   25     76 %
                                                                  

Economy

   88    7    95    66    10    76    22     33 %   (3 )   -30 %   19     25 %
                                                                  

MainStay

   1    33    34    1    26    27    —       0 %   7     27 %   7     26 %

Suburban

   4    19    23    —      —      —      4     NM     19     NM     23     NM  
                                                                  

Extended Stay

   5    52    57    1    26    27    4     400 %   26     100 %   30     111 %
                                                                  

Cambria Suites

   —      33    33    —      8    8    —       NM     25     313 %   25     313 %
                                                                  
   229    507    736    163    334    497    66     40 %   173     52 %   239     48 %
                                                                  

Excluding the acquisition of Suburban on September 28, 2005, net domestic franchise additions during the three months ended September 30, 2006 were 41 compared to 35 for the same period a year ago. Gross domestic franchise additions increased from 84 for the three months ended September 30, 2005 to 85 for the same period of 2006. Net franchise terminations decreased to 44 for the three months ended September 30, 2006 from 49 in the same period of 2005. During the third quarter of 2006, the Company has continued to execute its strategy to replace franchised hotels that do not meet our brand standards or are underperforming in their market. This strategy has resulted in a slightly lower annual growth rate in our domestic franchised rooms than historically achieved. As the competition gets stronger and more focused on limited service franchising, the Company will continue to focus on improving its system hotels and utilizing the domestic hotels under development as a strong platform for continued system growth.

Domestic initial fee revenue, included in the initial franchise and relicensing fees caption above, generated from executed franchise agreements increased 42% to $4.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 from $3.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2005. The Company executed 178 new domestic franchise agreements in the three months ended September 30, 2006 representing 13,321 rooms compared to 143 agreements representing 11,757 rooms executed in the three months ended September 30, 2005, increases of 24% and 13%, respectively. During the three months ended September 30, 2006, 56 of the executed agreements were for new construction hotel franchises, representing 4,202 rooms, compared to 46 contracts, representing 3,435 rooms for the same period a year ago, both increases of 22%. Conversion hotel franchise executed contracts increased 26% from 97 for the three months ended September 30, 2005 to 122 for the quarter ended September 30, 2006. During the three months ended September 30, 2006, the Company executed 5 new franchise agreements for its Cambria Suites brand bringing the total contracts executed since its launch in January 2005 to 33. A summary of executed domestic franchise agreements by brand for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 is as follows:

 

     For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2006
   For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2005
   % Change  
     New
Construction
   Conversion    Total    New
Construction
   Conversion    Total    New
Construction
    Conversion     Total  

Comfort Inn

   14    25    39    13    15    28    8 %   67 %   39 %

Comfort Suites

   14    1    15    13    1    14    8 %   0 %   7 %

Sleep

   17    1    18    14    —      14    21 %   NM     29 %
                                                

Midscale without Food & Beverage

   45    27    72    40    16    56    13 %   69 %   29 %
                                                

Quality

   —      43    43    2    40    42    (100 )%   8 %   2 %

Clarion

   —      4    4    1    7    8    (100 )%   (43 )%   (50 )%
                                                

Midscale with Food & Beverage

   —      47    47    3    47    50    (100 )%   0 %   (6 )%
                                                

Econo Lodge

   —      20    20    —      12    12    NM     67 %   67 %

Rodeway

   1    25    26    —      22    22    NM     14 %   18 %
                                                

Economy

   1    45    46    —      34    34    NM     32 %   35 %
                                                

MainStay

   2    —      2    1    —      1    100 %   NM     100 %

Suburban

   3    3    6    —      —      —      NM     NM     NM  
                                                

Extended Stay

   5    3    8    1    —      1    400 %   NM     700 %
                                                

Cambria Suites

   5    —      5    2    —      2    150 %   NM     150 %
                                                

Total Domestic System

   56    122    178    46    97    143    22 %   26 %   24 %
                                                

 

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Relicensing fees increased 24% to $3.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 from $2.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2005. Relicensing fees are charged to the new property owner of a franchised property whenever an ownership change occurs and the property remains in the franchise system. During the three months ended September 30, 2006, relicensings increased 22% from 86 in the third quarter of 2005 to 105 for the three months ended September 30, 2006.

Other income increased $0.5 million to $1.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 primarily due to an increase in liquidated damage collections related to the early termination of franchise agreements.

Franchise Expenses: The cost to operate the franchising business is reflected in selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $20.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006, an increase of $2.0 million from the three months ended September 30, 2005 total of $18.3 million. As a percentage of revenues, excluding marketing and reservation fees and hotel operations, total SG&A expenses were 26.4% for the three months ended September 30, 2006 compared to 26.9% for the three months ended September 30, 2005. Expenses increased primarily due to higher compensation costs related to stock compensation, variable franchise sales compensation costs, the launch of the Company’s Cambria Suites brand and the acquisition of Suburban. The increase in SG&A expenses includes an $0.8 million reduction in deferred compensation expense related to the reduction of deferred compensation liabilities attributable to the Company’s common stock held in certain nonqualified retirement plans.

Marketing and Reservations: The Company’s franchise agreements require the payment of franchise fees, which include marketing and reservation fees. The fees, which are based on a percentage of the franchisees’ gross room revenues, are used exclusively by the Company for expenses associated with providing franchise services such as central reservation systems, national marketing and media advertising. The Company is contractually obligated to expend the marketing and reservation fees it collects from franchisees in accordance with the franchise agreements; as such, no income or loss to the Company is generated.

Total marketing and reservations revenues were $73.0 million and $72.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Depreciation and amortization attributable to marketing and reservation activities was $2.0 million and $1.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Interest expense attributable to reservation activities was $0.2 million and $0.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Marketing and reservation activities generated $18.6 million and $13.4 million of positive operating cash flow for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. As of September 30, 2006, the Company’s balance sheet includes a receivable of $4.7 million for marketing fees and a payable of $7.7 million for reservation fees. At December 31, 2005, the Company’s balance sheet contained a receivable for marketing fees of $13.2 million and a payable of $3.6 million for reservation fees. This receivable is recorded as an asset in the financial statements as the Company has the contractual authority to require that the franchisees in the system at any given point repay the Company for any deficits related to marketing and reservations activities. The Company’s current franchisees are legally obligated to pay any assessment the Company imposes on its franchisees to obtain reimbursement of such deficit regardless of whether those constituents continue to generate gross room revenue. The Company has no present intention to accelerate repayment of the deficit from current franchisees. Cumulative reservation and marketing fees not expended are recorded as a payable in the financial statements and are carried over to the next period and expended in accordance with the franchise agreements.

Other Income and Expenses: Other income and expense, net, decreased $0.3 million to an expense of $2.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006 from $2.6 million for the same period in 2005. This decrease resulted primarily from a decrease of $0.6 million in interest expense due to a decrease in the Company’s outstanding debt offset by higher average variable interest rates at September 30, 2006 compared to September 30, 2005. The Company’s weighted average interest rate as of September 30, 2006 was 6.47% compared to 5.39% as of September 30, 2005.

Income Taxes: The Company’s effective income tax provision rate was 11.3% for the three months ended September 30, 2006, a decrease from the effective income tax provision rate of 28.1% for the three months ended September 30, 2005. The effective income tax rate declined primarily due to the reversal of provisions for income tax contingencies totaling approximately $12.8 million as well as an increase in the proportion of foreign income earned over the prior year period, which is taxed at lower rates than statutory federal income tax rates. The effective income tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2005 also includes additional tax expense of approximately $1.2 million related to the Company’s plan to repatriate approximately $23.5 million of foreign earnings pursuant to the American Jobs Creation Act and a reduction of income tax expense related to the reversal of certain tax contingencies of approximately $4.9 million. Depending upon the outcome of certain income tax contingencies during the fourth quarter of 2006 up to $0.5 million of additional income tax benefits may be reflected in our 2006 results of operations from the reversal of reserves.

Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2006 increased by 42.8% to $46.4 million, and diluted earnings per share increased 43.8% to $0.69 for the three months ended September 30, 2006 from $0.48 reported for the three months ended September 30, 2005.

Comparison of Operating Results for the Nine-Month Periods Ended September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005

The Company recorded net income of $88.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006, an increase of $22.2 million, or 34% from $66.0 million for the same period in 2005. The increase in net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 is primarily attributable to a $19.2 million improvement in operating income and a decline in the effective income tax rate from 32.8% to 24.6%. Operating income increased as a result of a $19.2 million, or 15.6% increase in franchising revenues (total revenues excluding marketing and reservation revenues and hotel operations) partially offset by a $6.5 million increase in selling, general and administrative expense and a $0.6 million increase in depreciation and amortization. The effective income tax rate declined primarily due to the reversal of provisions for certain income tax contingencies totaling $12.6 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2006. Income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 include additional tax expense of approximately $1.2 million related to the Company’s plan to repatriate approximately $23.5 million of foreign earnings pursuant to the American Jobs Creation Act and a reduction of income tax expense related to the reversal of certain tax contingencies of approximately $4.9 million.

 

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Summarized financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 are as follows:

 

(in thousands, except per share amounts)    2006     2005  

REVENUES:

    

Royalty fees

   $ 157,374     $ 138,220  

Initial franchise and relicensing fees

     20,099       16,671  

Partner services

     10,853       10,358  

Marketing and reservation

     203,719       184,494  

Hotel operations

     3,342       3,214  

Other

     5,567       2,457  
                

Total revenues

     400,954       355,414  
                

OPERATING EXPENSES:

    

Selling, general and administrative

     60,796       54,263  

Depreciation and amortization

     7,335       6,769  

Marketing and reservation

     203,719       184,494  

Hotel operations

     2,365       2,385  
                

Total operating expenses

     274,215       247,911  
                

Operating income

     126,739       107,503  
                

OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES:

    

Interest expense

     11,291       11,294  

Interest and other investment income

     (1,099 )     (994 )

Equity in net income of affiliates

     (737 )     (621 )

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     342       —    

Other

     —         (383 )
                

Total other income and expenses, net

     9,797       9,296  
                

Income before income taxes

     116,942       98,207  

Income taxes

     28,784       32,194  
                

Net income

   $ 88,158     $ 66,013  
                

Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted

     67,009       66,630  
                

Diluted earnings per share

   $ 1.32     $ 0.99  
                

Franchising Revenues: Franchising revenues were $193.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 compared to $167.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2005. The growth in franchising revenues is primarily due to increases in royalty revenues, initial and relicensing fees and other revenues of 14%, 21% and 127%, respectively.

Royalty fees increased $19.2 million to $157.4 million from $138.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2005, an increase of 13.9%. Excluding the franchises obtained in the acquisition of Suburban, the increase in royalties is attributable to a combination of factors including a 2.5% increase in the number of domestic franchised hotel rooms, a 6.9% increase in RevPAR and an increase in the effective royalty rate of the domestic hotel system to 4.09% from 4.08%. The acquisition of Suburban contributed approximately $2.3 million of royalty fees in the nine months ended September 30, 2006.

A summary of the Company’s domestic franchised hotels operating information is as follows:

 

    

For the Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2006

  

For the Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2005

   Change  
    

Average

Daily Rate

   Occupancy     RevPAR   

Average

Daily Rate

   Occupancy     RevPAR   

Average

Daily Rate

    Occupancy     RevPAR  

Comfort Inn

   $ 73.06    62.9 %   $ 45.92    $ 68.85    61.1 %   $ 42.05    6.1 %   180 bps   9.2 %

Comfort Suites

     83.12    67.4 %     55.99      77.59    65.6 %     50.91    7.1 %   180 bps   10.0 %

Sleep

     66.58    62.3 %     41.48      62.46    60.7 %     37.91    6.6 %   160 bps   9.4 %
                                                          

Midscale without Food & Beverage

     74.22    63.7 %     47.25      69.68    61.9 %     43.11    6.5 %   180 bps   9.6 %
                                                          

Quality

     67.27    55.6 %     37.40      65.37    54.4 %     35.57    2.9 %   120 bps   5.1 %

Clarion

     79.18    51.2 %     40.56      74.25    52.0 %     38.59    6.6 %   (80) bps   5.1 %
                                                          

Midscale with Food & Beverage

     70.10    54.5 %     38.20      67.71    53.8 %     36.39    3.5 %   70 bps   5.0 %
                                                          

Econo Lodge

     53.21    47.7 %     25.38      50.99    48.3 %     24.64    4.4 %   (60) bps   3.0 %

Rodeway

     52.32    46.7 %     24.44      50.57    47.4 %     23.99    3.5 %   (70) bps   1.9 %
                                                          

Economy

     53.05    47.5 %     25.20      50.92    48.2 %     24.53    4.2 %   (70) bps   2.7 %
                                                          

MainStay

     67.39    68.2 %     45.97      64.48    64.9 %     41.84    4.5 %   330 bps   9.9 %
                                                          

Total Domestic System*

   $ 69.86    58.1 %   $ 40.60    $ 66.33    57.3 %   $ 37.99    5.3 %   80 bps   6.9 %
                                                          

* Amounts exclude Suburban activity from January 1, 2006 through September 30, 2006 because comparable pre-acquisition data for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 is not available.

 

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Excluding the acquisition of Suburban on September 28, 2005, net domestic franchise additions during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 were 109 compared to 127 for the same period a year ago. Gross domestic franchise additions declined from 274 for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 to 271 for the same period of 2006. Net franchise terminations increased to 162 for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 from 147 in the same period of 2005. During the first nine months of 2006, the Company has continued to execute its strategy to replace franchised hotels that do not meet our brand standards or are underperforming in their market. This strategy has resulted in a slightly lower annual growth rate in our domestic franchised rooms than historically achieved. As the competition gets stronger and more focused on limited service franchising, the Company will continue to focus on improving its system hotels and utilizing the domestic hotels under development as a strong platform for continued system growth.

Domestic initial fee revenue, included in the initial franchise and relicensing fees caption above, generated from executed franchise agreements increased 19% to $11.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 from $9.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2005. The increased revenues primarily reflect increased sales of our new construction brands, most notably our Cambria Suites and Comfort Suites offerings, which carry a higher average initial fee than our other brands. New domestic franchise agreements executed in the nine months ended September 30, 2006 totaled 453 representing 36,969 rooms compared to 419 agreements representing 34,995 rooms executed in the nine months ended September 30, 2005. During the nine months ended September 30, 2006, 162 of the executed agreements were for new construction hotel franchises, representing 12,539 rooms, compared to 139 contracts, representing 10,490 rooms for the same period a year ago, increases of approximately 16.5% and 19.5%, respectively. The growth in conversion hotel franchise executed contracts increased to 4% from 280 for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 to 291 for the same period of 2006. During the nine months ended September 30, 2006, the Company executed 20 new franchise agreements for its Cambria Suites brand bringing the total contracts executed since its launch in January 2005 to 33. A summary of executed domestic franchise agreements by brand for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 is as follows:

 

     For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2006
   For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2005
   % Change  
     New
Construction
   Conversion    Total    New
Construction
   Conversion    Total    New
Construction
    Conversion     Total  

Comfort Inn

   38    43    81    33    40    73    15 %   8 %   11 %

Comfort Suites

   55    3    58    42    4    46    31 %   (25 )%   26 %

Sleep

   27    1    28    36    1    37    (25 )%   0 %   (24 )%
                                                

Midscale without Food & Beverage

   120    47    167    111    45    156    8 %   4 %   7 %
                                                

Quality

   5    100    105    4    112    116    25 %   (11 )%   (9 )%

Clarion

   1    22    23    2    15    17    (50 )%   47 %   35 %
                                                

Midscale with Food & Beverage

   6    122    128    6    127    133    0 %   (4 )%   (4 )%
                                                

Econo Lodge

   —      43    43    4    61    65    (100 )%   (30 )%   (34 )%

Rodeway

   2    73    75    —      47    47    NM     55 %   60 %
                                                

Economy

   2    116    118    4    108    112    (50 )%   7 %   5 %
                                                

MainStay

   5    1    6    10    —      10    (50 )%   NM     (40 )%

Suburban

   9    5    14    —      —      —      NM     NM     NM  
                                                

Extended Stay

   14    6    20    10    —      10    40 %   NM     100 %
                                                

Cambria Suites

   20    —      20    8    —      8    150 %   NM     150 %
                                                

Total Domestic System

   162    291    453    139    280    419    17 %   4 %   8 %
                                                

Relicensing fees increased 23% to $8.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 from $7.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2005. Relicensing fees are charged to the new property owner of a franchised property whenever an ownership change occurs and the property remains in the franchise system. During the nine months ended September 30, 2006, relicensings increased 20% from 231 in the first nine months of 2005 to 278 for the nine months ended September 30, 2006.

Other income increased $3.1 million to $5.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 primarily due to an increase in liquidated damage collections related to the early termination of franchise agreements.

Franchise Expenses: The cost to operate the franchising business is reflected in selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $60.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006, an increase of $6.5 million from the nine months ended September 30, 2005 total of $54.3 million. As a percentage of revenues, excluding marketing and reservation fees and hotel operations, total SG&A expenses were 31.4% for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 compared to 32.4% for the nine months ended September 30, 2005. Expenses increased primarily due to higher compensation costs related to stock compensation, the launch of the Company’s Cambria Suites brand and the acquisition of Suburban. Despite the increase in expenses, SG&A as a percentage of franchise revenues declined since our variable overhead costs associated with franchise system growth have historically been less than incremental royalty fees generated from new franchises.

Depreciation and Amortization: Expenses increased $0.6 million to $7.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 primarily due to the acceleration of depreciation resulting from the renovation and replacement of furniture, fixtures and equipment at two of the Company-owned Mainstay Suites during the second quarter.

Marketing and Reservations: The Company’s franchise agreements require the payment of franchise fees, which include marketing and reservation fees. The fees, which are based on a percentage of the franchisees’ gross room revenues, are used exclusively by the Company for expenses associated with providing franchise