Marriott Posts Bigger-Than-Expected Loss As Coronavirus Ravages Travel Industry
August 10, 2020
Arne M. Sorenson, president and chief executive officer of Marriott International, said, “While our business continues to be profoundly impacted by COVID-19, we are seeing steady signs of demand returning. Worldwide RevPAR1 has climbed steadily since its low point of down 90 percent for the month of April, to a decline of 70 percent for the month of July. Worldwide occupancy rates, which bottomed at 11 percent for the week ended April 11, have improved each week, reaching nearly 34 percent for the week ended August 1. Currently, 91 percent of our worldwide hotels are now open compared to 74 percent in April, and 96 percent are open today in North America.
“Over the last few months, we have moved quickly and decisively to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our business. We have implemented measures to help our owners manage through the crisis and strengthened our financial position by increasing our liquidity, extending our average debt maturity, and reducing our cash outlays significantly.
“Our pipeline remains strong with approximately 510,000 rooms, 45 percent of which are under construction. We are gratified to see owners continuing to choose our brands. In the first half of the year, we signed 30 percent more deals in the Asia Pacific region than we did in the same period last year. By the end of the second quarter, our rooms distribution around the world had grown by 4.1 percent, net, compared to one year prior. With the restrictions related to the pandemic slowing construction timelines, there is uncertainty surrounding future rooms growth. Given current trends, we estimate rooms could grow by 2 to 3 percent, net, for the full year.
“While the full recovery from COVID-19 will clearly take time, the current trends we are seeing reinforce our view that when people feel safe traveling, demand returns quickly. My thoughts continue to be with all who have been impacted by the pandemic.”
Marriott’s reported operating loss totaled $154 million in the 2020 second quarter, compared to 2019 second quarter reported operating income of $409 million. Reported net loss totaled $234 million in the 2020 second quarter, compared to 2019 second quarter reported net income of $232 million. Reported diluted loss per share totaled $0.72 in the quarter, compared to reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.69 in the year-ago quarter. Reported results in the 2020 second quarter included impairment charges and bad debt expense of $77 million pretax ($61 million after-tax and $0.19 per share), related to COVID-19.
Adjusted operating loss in the 2020 second quarter totaled $109 million, compared to 2019 second quarter adjusted operating income of $786 million. Adjusted operating loss in the 2020 second quarter included impairment charges and bad debt expense of $60 million, related to COVID-19.