Homeinns Hotel Group Reports First Quarter 2015 Financial Results

SHANGHAI, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Homeinns Hotel Group (NASDAQ: HMIN) ("Homeinns" or "the Company"), a leading economy hotel chain in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015.

First Quarter 2015 Financial and Operational Highlights

• Total revenues were RMB 1.47 billion (US$237.2 million) for the first quarter of 2015, a decrease of 0.1% year over year, but within the recently provided guidance range.
• Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB 37.6 million (US$6.1 million) for the first quarter of 2015, compared with net income of RMB 74.9 million for the first quarter of 2014. Adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders (non-GAAP) was RMB 2.0 million (US$0.3 million) for the first quarter of 2015, a decrease of 93.9% year over year.
• EBITDA (non-GAAP) decreased 40.6% year over year to RMB 177.0 million (US$28.6 million) for the first quarter of 2015. Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) decreased 15.1% year over year to RMB 216.5 million (US$34.9 million) for the first quarter of 2015.
• Net operating cash inflow decreased 94.1% year over year to RMB 9.1 million (US$1.5 million) for the first quarter of 2015.
• As of March 31, 2015, Homeinns Hotel Group operated 2,661 hotels across 338 cities in China, including a net addition of 52 hotels during the first quarter of 2015.

"We achieved revenue in line with our previously provided guidance, which reflected our expectations for a challenging start to the year in very difficult market conditions," said Mr. David Sun, the Company's chief executive officer. "While we continued to make meaningful progress in rolling out new business initiatives, controlling costs, and driving beneficial efficiencies in our business, the first quarter was one of the most difficult periods for our business since Homeinns was established in 2002. A deepened economic slowdown, the fact that the first quarter is normally our slowest period and the later timing of Chinese New Year versus last year together put rather significant pressure on our revenue per available room, which had a negative impact on our overall profitability for the period."

Mr. Sun continued, "Looking ahead to the remainder of 2015, we are not seeing immediate signs of a market rebound at the moment but remain confident about the long-term prospects of the overall travel and lodging market in China. While the macroeconomic environment can be cyclical, and is out of our control as well as beyond what we can accurately predict at present, we continue to focus on what we can do and have done well consistently, namely refining product offerings, improving customer service, and delivering operating and cost efficiencies, all to ensure we remain as competitive and resilient as possible in the current market. On top of this, we will further develop our mid-scale hotels and continue to drive various new initiatives that are focused on meeting the evolving needs of our customers. We believe that all of this will leave us well positioned to capture opportunities when China's economy improves and deliver long-term value for our shareholders."

Hotel Development

Operating Metrics

For the first quarter of 2015, occupancy rate decreased by 2.0 percentage points while ADR decreased by 3.2%, resulting in a year-over-year decrease of 5.5% in RevPAR. The decrease in RevPAR was mainly due to continued difficult market conditions in the first quarter of 2015. Sequentially, RevPAR decreased by 7.7%, mainly due to the fact that the first quarter is normally the slowest period in a year for the Company and the overall hotel industry.

As of March 31, 2015, a total of 1,991 hotels were in operation for at least 18 months. These hotels' occupancy rate declined year over year from 83.5% to 80.8%, and ADR decreased year over year from RMB 156 to RMB 151, resulting in a decrease in RevPAR by 6.2% from RMB 130 to RMB 122 during the first quarter of 2015.

Homeinns Hotel Group had a total of 28.1 million unique non-corporate members under its frequent guests program as of March 31, 2015.

Key Financial Results for First Quarter 2015

Revenues from leased-and-operated hotels decreased 2.7% year over year to RMB 1.24 billion (US$200.8 million) for the first quarter of 2015. The year-over-year decrease in revenues from leased-and-operated hotels was mainly due to a decrease in RevPAR.

Revenues from franchised-and-managed hotels increased 16.8% year over year to RMB 225.7 million (US$36.4 million) for the first quarter of 2015. The year-over-year increase in revenues from franchised-and-managed hotels was mainly driven by an increase in the number of hotels and hotel rooms in operation, partially offset by a decrease in RevPAR.

Total operating costs and expenses were RMB 1.40 billion (US$226.5 million) for the first quarter of 2015, representing 95.5% of total revenues for the quarter. Total operating costs and expenses excluding any share-based compensation expenses and integration costs (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2015 were 93.7% of total revenues, compared to 89.6% in the same period a year ago.

• Total leased-and-operated hotel costs were RMB 1.26 billion (US$203.9 million) for the first quarter of 2015, representing 101.6% of the leased-and-operated hotel revenues for the quarter, compared to 94.7% in the same period a year ago. Total leased-and-operated hotel costs excluding any share-based compensation expenses and integration costs (non-GAAP) were 101.3% of the leased-and-operated hotel revenues in the first quarter of 2015, compared to 94.4% in the same period a year ago.Pre-opening cost was RMB 20.9 million (US$3.4 million) for the first quarter of 2015, compared to RMB 5.9 million in the first quarter of 2014.The year-over-year increase in total leased-and-operated hotel costs as a percentage of leased-and-operated hotel revenues for the first quarter of 2015 was mainly due to the decreased RevPAR resulting in a lower revenue base per hotel while a significant portion of the hotel cost was fixed, as well as to the higher pre-opening cost in the first quarter of 2015.
• Personnel costs of franchised-and-managed hotels were RMB 44.0 million (US$7.1 million) for the first quarter of 2015, representing 19.5% of the franchised-and-managed hotel revenues for the first quarter of 2015, compared to 19.9% in the same period a year ago. Franchised-and-managed hotels personnel costs excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) were 17.8% of franchised-and-managed hotel revenues in the first quarter of 2015, compared to 18.0% in the same period of 2014. The year-over-year decrease in personnel costs of franchised-and-managed hotels as a percentage of franchised-and-managed hotel revenues for the first quarter of 2015 was mainly due to lower performance-related bonuses in the quarter.
• Sales and marketing expenses were RMB 22.3 million (US$3.6 million) for the first quarter of 2015, representing 1.5% of total revenues for the quarter, compared to 1.7% in the same period a year ago. Sales and marketing expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) were 1.5% of total revenues for the first quarter of 2015, compared to 1.7% in the same period of 2014. The year-over-year decrease in sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of total revenues for the first quarter of 2015 was mainly due to the timing of certain marketing activities.
• General and administrative expenses were RMB 73.9 million (US$11.9 million) for the first quarter of 2015, representing 5.0% of total revenues, compared to 4.8% in the same period a year ago. General and administrative expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses and integration costs (non-GAAP) were 3.8% of total revenues for the first quarter of 2015, compared to 3.5% in the same period of 2014. The year-over-year increase in general and administrative expenses as a percentage of total revenues for the first quarter of 2015 was mainly due to higher investment in IT resources.

Loss from Operations was RMB 10.7 million (US$1.7 million) for the first quarter of 2015, compared to income from operations of RMB 42.4 million in the same period a year ago. Income from operations excluding share-based compensation expenses and integration costs (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2015 was RMB 15.1 million (US$2.4 million), or 1.0% of total revenues, compared to RMB 70.0 million, or 4.8% of total revenues, in the same period of 2014. The year-over-year decrease in income from operations margin rate for the quarter was mainly due to lower revenue base per hotel and higher pre-opening cost, partially offset by the increased mix of higher-margin revenue contribution from franchised-and-managed operations.

Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Ordinary Shareholders (Non–GAAP) decreased year over year by 93.9% to RMB 2.0 million (US$0.3 million) for the first quarter of 2015, representing 0.1% of total revenues, compared to 2.2% in the same period a year ago. The year-over-year decrease in adjusted net margin rate (non-GAAP)[1] was mainly due to a decrease in adjusted income from operations margin rate (non-GAAP)[2], partially offset by higher interest income and lower interest expense.

Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share / Earnings Per ADS

Cash Flow

Net operating cash inflow for the first quarter of 2015 was RMB 9.1 million (US$1.5 million), compared to RMB 154.9 million in the same period of 2014. Capitalized expenditures for the first quarter of 2015 were RMB 120.9 million (US$19.5 million), while related cash paid for capital expenditures during the quarter was RMB 213.8 million (US$34.5 million).

Balance Sheet

As of March 31, 2015, Homeinns Hotel Group had cash and cash equivalents of RMB 747.5 million (US$120.6 million). The outstanding balance of convertible notes due December 2015 (measured at fair value) was RMB 1.03 billion (US$166.5 million).

Outlook for Second Quarter 2015

Homeinns Hotel Group expects total revenues for the Company in the second quarter of 2015 to be in the range of RMB 1,670 million to RMB 1,700 million.

This forecast reflects the Company's current and preliminary views and is subject to change.

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB 6.1990 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate for March 31, 2015 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board.

Conference Call Information

Management will hold an earnings conference call at 9 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 (9 AM Beijing/Hong Kong Time on Wednesday, May 13, 2015).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until the end of May 19, 2015 U.S. Eastern Time.

Live and archived webcasts of this conference call will be available at http://english.homeinns.com.

About Homeinns Hotel Group

Homeinns Hotel Group is a leading economy hotel chain in China based on number of hotels and hotel rooms as well as geographic coverage of the hotel chain. Since the Company commenced operations in 2002, it has built Homeinn as one of the best-known economy hotel brands in China. In October of 2011, the Company acquired Motel 168, another well-known hotel chain in China, as its second economy hotel brand. Homeinns Hotel Group aims to offer a consistent product and high-quality services to primarily serve the fast growing population of value-conscious individual business and leisure travelers who demand clean, comfortable and convenient lodging. Homeinns Hotel Group's ADSs, each of which represents two ordinary shares, are currently trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "HMIN." For more information about Homeinns Hotel Group, please visit http://english.homeinns.com.

Safe Harbor

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Any statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include our anticipated growth strategies; our future results of operations and financial condition; the economic conditions of China; the regulatory environment in China; our ability to attract customers and leverage our brands; trends and competition in the lodging industry; the expected growth of the lodging market in China; and other factors and risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release also contains statements or projections that are based upon information available to the public, as well as other information from sources which management believes to be reliable, but it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate, nor does it purport to be complete. We undertake no obligation to update or revise to the public any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement Homeinns Hotel Group's unaudited consolidated financial results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, Homeinns Hotel Group uses the following non-GAAP measures:

1. total operating costs and expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses and acquisition and integration costs
2. total leased-and-operated hotel costs excluding share-based compensation expenses and integration costs
3. personnel costs of franchised-and-managed hotels excluding share-based compensation expenses
4. sales and marketing expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses
5. general and administrative expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses and acquisition and integration costs
6. income from operations excluding share-based compensation expenses and acquisition and integration costs
7. adjusted net income attributable to shareholders excluding any share-based compensation expenses, foreign exchange gain or loss, acquisition and integration cost, upfront fee amortization of term loan, gain or loss from fair value change of convertible notes and interest swap derivatives and other non-operating expenses
8. adjusted basic and diluted earnings per ADS and per share excluding foreign exchange gain or loss, share-based compensation expenses, gain on buy-back of convertible bonds, issuance costs for convertible notes, gain or loss from fair value change of convertible notes, acquisition and integration cost, non-operating expenses and upfront fee amortization of term loan, and
9. adjusted EBITDA excluding foreign exchange gain or loss, share-based compensation expenses, gain on buy-back of convertible bonds, issuance costs for convertible notes, gain or loss from fair value change of convertible notes, acquisition and integration costs, non-operating expenses and upfront fee amortization of term loan

The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP results" set forth at the end of this press release.

Homeinns Hotel Group believes that, used in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company's performance, and both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing the Company's performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. Management believes that EBITDA, defined as earnings before interest, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, is a useful financial metric to assess Homeinns Hotel Group's operating and financial performance before the impact of investing and financing transactions and income taxes. In addition, management believes that EBITDA is widely used by other companies in the lodging industry and may be used as an analysis tool by both management and investors to measure and compare Homeinns Hotel Group's operational and financial performance with industry peers.

One of the limitations of using non-GAAP income from operations, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income attributable to shareholders is that they do not include all items that impact Homeinns Hotel Group's net income (loss) for the period. These non-GAAP measures exclude share-based compensation expenses, foreign exchange gain or loss and gain or loss from fair value change of convertible notes, which have been and will continue to be a significant recurring expense in Homeinns Hotel Group's business. In addition, Homeinns Hotel Group's EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to EBITDA or similarly titled measures utilized by other companies since such other companies may not calculate EBITDA in the same manner as Homeinns Hotel Group does. Management compensates for this and other limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. Homeinns Hotel Group computes the non-GAAP financial measures using the same consistent method from quarter to quarter. Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP results are included at the end of this press release. The non-GAAP adjustment items do not include the tax impact.

The presentation of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an indication that Homeinns Hotel Group's future results will be unaffected by other charges and gains Homeinns Hotel Group considers to be outside the ordinary course of its business.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Ethan RuanHomeinns Hotel GroupTel: +86-21-3337-3333*3872Email: [email protected]

Cara O'BrienFTI ConsultingTel: +852-3768-4537Email: [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SOURCE Homeinns