China Lodging Group, Limited Reports First Quarter of 2016 Results

• A total of 2,989 hotels or 304,428 hotel rooms in operation as of March 31, 2016.
  
• Net revenues increased 18.8% year-over-year to RMB1,438.0 million (US$223.0 million)¹ for the first quarter of 2016, exceeding the high end of the guidance.
• Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) increased 71.1% year-over-year to RMB275.7 million (US$42.8 million) for the first quarter of 2016.
• Net income attributable to China Lodging Group, Limited was RMB69.4 million (US$10.8 million) for the first quarter of 2016, compared with net loss attributable to China Lodging Group, Limited of RMB7.0 million for the first quarter of 2015.
• Basic earnings per ADS² were RMB1.03 (US$0.16) and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB1.01 (US$0.16) for the first quarter of 2016. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted basic earnings per ADS (non-GAAP) were RMB1.25 (US$0.19) and adjusted diluted earnings per ADS (non-GAAP) were RMB1.22 (US$0.19) for the first quarter of 2016.
• In first quarter of 2016, the Company paid cash dividend of $0.68 per ADS which was declared in December 2015.
• The Company provided guidance for Q2 2016 net revenues growth of 12% to 15%. 

SHANGHAI, China, May 11, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- China Lodging Group, Limited (NASDAQ:HTHT) ("China Lodging Group", "HuaZhu" or the "Company"), a leading and fast-growing multi-brand hotel group in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2016.

Operational Highlights of First Quarter 2016

• During the first quarter of 2016, the Company completed the transaction for strategic alliance with AccorHotels³. Pursuant to this transaction, 96 hotels were merged to HuaZhu's platform.
  
  
• During the first quarter of 2016, including both organic growth and strategic alliance, the Company added 11 net leased ("leased-and-operated") and owned hotels, 215 net manachised ("franchised-and-managed") and franchised hotels. As of March 31, 2016, the Company had 627 leased and owned hotels, 2,189 manachised hotels, and 173 franchised hotels in operation in 356 cities. The number of hotel rooms in operation increased by 34% from a year ago.
  
  
• As of March 31, 2016, the Company had 25 leased hotels and 607 manachised and franchised hotels contracted or under construction.
  
  
• The ADR, which is defined as the average daily rate for all hotels in operation (excluding certain franchised Starway hotels), was RMB172 in the first quarter of 2016, compared with RMB168 in the first quarter of 2015 and RMB177 in the previous quarter. The year-over-year increase of 2.5% was due to more favorable brand mix with an increased proportion of midscale and upscale hotels. The sequential decrease mainly resulted from seasonality.
  
  
• The occupancy rate for all hotels in operation (excluding certain franchised Starway hotels) was 80.4% in the first quarter of 2016, compared with 81.6% in the first quarter of 2015 and 84.3% in the previous quarter. The year-over-year decrease was mainly due to lower occupancy in lower-tier cities. The sequential decrease resulted mainly from seasonality.
  
  
• RevPAR, defined as revenue per available room for all hotels in operation (excluding certain franchised Starway hotels), was RMB139 in the first quarter of 2016, compared with RMB137 in the first quarter of 2015 and RMB149 in the previous quarter.  The year-over-year increase was mainly attributable to the higher ADR. The sequential decrease resulted mainly from seasonality.
  
  
• For all hotels which had been in operation for at least 18 months (excluding certain franchised Starway hotels), the same-hotel RevPAR was RMB142 for the first quarter of 2016, representing a 0.3% year-over-year decrease, with a 0.8% increase in ADR and a 0.9-percentage-point decrease in occupancy rate. The midscale and upscale hotels registered an 8.8% same-hotel RevPAR improvement, with a 5.0% increase in ADR and 2.8-percentage-point increase in occupancy rate.
  
  
• As of March 31, 2016, the Company's loyalty program had approximately 55.3 million members, who contributed more than 85% of room nights sold during the first quarter of 2016. In the first quarter of 2016, approximately 87% of room nights were sold through the Company's own channels. The higher percentage of room nights sold through travel agents channels in the first quarter was due to increase utilization of lower costs OTA sales channels during the low season.

"We are pleased with our start to the year with a set of higher-than-expected results. Our net revenues achieved 18.8% year-over-year growth while adjusted EBITDA grew by 71.1% for the first quarter. This was mainly driven by increased contributions from JI Hotel, HanTing 2.0 and Hi Inn that recorded significant same hotel RevPAR increase of 10%, 8% and 6%, respectively." said Ms. Jenny Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of China Lodging Group.

"Our brands remain popular in the market. HanTing Hotel, our flagship brand, re-designed and upgraded in 2015, continues to be favored by our customers and franchisees. HanTing Hotel has a pipeline of 271 hotels and JI Hotel, a leading midscale hotel brand has 105 hotels in the pipeline. In the first quarter, we welcomed 5 brands ranging from economy to upscale segments through our strategic alliance with AccorHotels. We believe our strong capability in development and execution will further strengthen our leading position as an industry consolidator." Ms. Zhang added.

First Quarter of 2016 Financial Results

Total revenues for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB1,520.5 million (US$235.8 million), representing an 18.6% year-over-year increase and a 4.6% sequential decrease. The year-over-year increase was primarily due to our hotel network expansion through organic growth and strategic alliance. The sequential decrease was due to seasonality.

Total revenues from leased and owned hotels for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB1,201.8 million (US$186.4 million), representing a 13.9% year-over-year increase and a 6.7% sequential decrease.

Total revenues from manachised and franchised hotels for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB318.1 million (US$49.3 million), representing a 40.6% year-over-year increase and a 4.1% sequential increase. Total revenues from manachised and franchised hotels accounted for 20.9% of the Company's total revenues in the first quarter of 2016, up from 17.7% a year ago.

Other revenues represent revenues generated from businesses other than hotels, which mainly include revenues from HuaZhu mall.

Net revenues for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB1,438.0 million (US$223.0 million), representing an 18.8% year-over-year increase and a 4.5% sequential decrease.

Hotel operating costs for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB1,200.5 million (US$186.2 million), compared to RMB1,058.6 million in the first quarter of 2015 and RMB1,198.6 million in the previous quarter, representing a 13.4% year-over-year increase and a 0.2% sequential increase. Total hotel operating costs excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB1,197.7 million (US$185.8 million), representing 83.3% of net revenues, compared to 87.4% for the first quarter in 2015 and 79.4% for the previous quarter. The year-over-year decrease in the percentage was mainly attributable to the improved blended RevPAR, and the increased level of maturity of our leased hotels. The sequential increase in the percentage was mainly due to seasonality.

Selling and marketing expenses for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB33.1 million (US$5.1 million), compared to RMB45.8 million in the first quarter of 2015 and RMB46.8 million in the previous quarter. Selling and marketing expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB32.8 million (US$5.1 million), or 2.3% of net revenues, compared to 3.8% for the first quarter of 2015 and 3.1% for the previous quarter. The year-over-year and sequential decrease was mainly attributable to the lower marketing spending as a result of timing issue in the first quarter of 2016.

General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB106.6 million (US$16.5 million), compared to RMB77.9 million in the first quarter of 2015 and RMB128.2 million in the previous quarter. General and administrative expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB94.7 million (US$14.7 million), representing 6.6% of net revenues, compared with 5.5% of net revenues in the first quarter of 2015 and 7.7% in the previous quarter. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to increased personnel cost as a result of the Company's growth in scale and brand portfolio. The sequential decrease was mainly due to decreased professional fees.

Pre-opening expenses for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB22.0 million (US$3.4 million), representing a 36.3% year-over-year decrease and a 35.8% sequential increase. The year-over-year decrease was mainly due to fewer leased hotels opened and in the pipeline through our organic growth, and the sequential increase was mainly due to more leased hotels in the pipeline in the first quarter of 2016.

Income from operations for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB70.8 million (US$11.0 million), compared to loss from operations of RMB10.8 million in the first quarter of 2015 and income from operations of RMB130.6 million in the previous quarter. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted income from operations (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB85.6 million (US$13.3 million), compared to adjusted income from operation (non-GAAP) of RMB1.6 million for the first quarter of 2015 and RMB144.5 million for the previous quarter. The adjusted operating margin, defined as adjusted operating income (non-GAAP) as percentage of net revenues, for the first quarter of 2016 was 5.9%, compared with 0.1% in the first quarter of 2015 and 9.7% in the previous quarter. The improved year-over-year adjusted operating margin was mainly due to the improved blended RevPAR, and operating leverage. The sequential decrease in the margin was due to seasonality.

Net income attributable to China Lodging Group, Limited for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB69.4 million (US$10.8 million), compared to net loss attributable to China Lodging Group, Limited of RMB7.0 million in the first quarter of 2015 and net income attributable to China Lodging Group, Limited of RMB70.8 million in the previous quarter. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted net income attributable to China Lodging Group, Limited (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB84.3 million (US$13.1 million), representing a 1465.1% year-over-year increase and a 0.5% sequential decrease. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to the expanded hotel network, the improved blended RevPAR, the lower pre-opening expenses, and gain from partial disposal of Home Inns ADS in the first quarter of 2016.

Basic and diluted earnings per share/ADS.  For the first quarter of 2016, basic earnings per share were RMB0.26 (US$0.04) and diluted earnings per share were RMB0.25 (US$0.04); basic earnings per ADS were RMB1.03 (US$0.16) and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB1.01 (US$0.16). For the first quarter of 2016, excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted basic earnings per share (non-GAAP) and adjusted diluted earnings per share (non-GAAP) were RMB0.31 (US$0.05); adjusted basic earnings per ADS (non-GAAP) were RMB1.25 (US$0.19) and adjusted diluted earnings per ADS (non-GAAP) were RMB1.22 (US$0.19).

EBITDA (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB260.8 million (US$40.5 million), compared with RMB148.8 million in the first quarter of 2015 and RMB306.5 million in the previous quarter. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB275.7 million (US$42.8 million), compared with RMB161.2 million for the first quarter of 2015 and RMB320.4 million for the previous quarter.

Cash flow. Operating cash inflow for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB324.9 million (US$50.4 million). Investing cash outflow for the first quarter was RMB196.4 million (US$30.5 million).

Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash. As of March 31, 2016, the Company had a total balance of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash of RMB1,775.3 million (US$275.3 million).

Debt financing. As of March 31, 2016, the Company had a short-term loan balance of RMB600.9 million and the total credit facility available to the Company was RMB499.3 million.

Guidance for Second Quarter of 2016
For the second quarter of 2016, the Company expects net revenues to grow 12% to 15% year-over-year.

The above forecast reflects the Company's current and preliminary view, which is subject to change.

Conference Call
China Lodging Group's management will host a conference call at 9 p.m. ET, Wednesday, May 11, 2016 (or 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 12, 2016 in the Shanghai/Hong Kong time zone) following the announcement. To participate in the event by telephone, please dial +1 (855) 500 8701 (for callers in the US), +86 400 120 0654 (for callers in China Mainland), +852 3018 6776 (for callers in Hong Kong) or +65 6713 5440 (for callers outside of the US, China Mainland, and Hong Kong) and enter pass code 9009 6815.  Please dial in approximately 10 minutes before the scheduled time of the call.

A recording of the conference call will be available after the conclusion of the conference call through May 18, 2016. Please dial +1 (855) 452 5696 (for callers in the US) or +61 2 9003 4211 (for callers outside the US) and entering pass code 9009 6815.

The conference call will also be webcast live over the Internet and can be accessed by all interested parties at the Company's Web site, http://ir.huazhu.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement the Company's unaudited consolidated financial results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company uses the following non-GAAP measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the SEC: hotel operating costs excluding share-based compensation expenses; general and administrative expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses; selling expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses; adjusted income from operations excluding share-based compensation expenses; adjusted operating margin excluding share-based compensation expenses; adjusted net income attributable to China Lodging Group, Limited excluding share-based compensation expenses; adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share and per ADS excluding share-based compensation expenses; EBITDA; adjusted EBITDA excluding share-based compensation expenses; and adjusted EBITDA margin excluding share-based compensation expenses. 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 release. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding Company performance by excluding share-based compensation expenses that may not be indicative of Company operating performance. The Company believes that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing Company performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management's internal comparisons to the Company's historical performance. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures are also useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used regularly by Company management in financial and operational decision-making. A limitation of using non-GAAP financial measures excluding share-based compensation expenses is that share-based compensation expenses have been — and will continue to be — a significant recurring expense in the Company's business. Management compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying tables have more details on the reconciliations between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures.

The Company believes that EBITDA is a useful financial metric to assess the operating and financial performance before the impact of investing and financing transactions and income taxes, given the significant investments that the Company has made in leasehold improvements, depreciation and amortization expense that comprise a significant portion of the Company's cost structure. In addition, the Company believes that EBITDA is widely used by other companies in the lodging industry and may be used by investors as a measure of financial performance. The Company believes that EBITDA will provide investors with a useful tool for comparability between periods because it eliminates depreciation and amortization expense attributable to capital expenditures. The Company also uses adjusted EBITDA, which is defined as EBITDA before share-based compensation expenses, to assess operating results of the hotels in operation. The Company believes that the exclusion of share-based compensation expenses helps facilitate year-on-year comparison of the results of operations as the share-based compensation expenses may not be indicative of Company operating performance. Therefore, the Company believes adjusted EBITDA more closely reflects the performance capability of hotels currently in operation. The presentation of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an indication that the Company's future results will be unaffected by other charges and gains considered to be outside the ordinary course of business.

The use of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA has certain limitations. Depreciation and amortization expense for various long-term assets, income tax, interest expense and interest income have been and will be incurred and are not reflected in the presentation of EBITDA. Share-based compensation expenses have been and will be incurred and are not reflected in the presentation of adjusted EBITDA. Each of these items should also be considered in the overall evaluation of the results. The Company compensates for these limitations by providing the relevant disclosure of the depreciation and amortization, interest income, interest expense, income tax expense, share-based compensation expenses and other relevant items both in the reconciliations to the U.S. GAAP financial measures and in the consolidated financial statements, all of which should be considered when evaluating the performance of the Company.

The terms EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are not defined under U.S. GAAP, and neither EBITDA nor adjusted EBITDA is a measure of net income, operating income, operating performance or liquidity presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. When assessing the operating and financial performance, investors should not consider these data in isolation or as a substitute for the Company's net income, operating income or any other operating performance measure that is calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, the Company's EBITDA or adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to EBITDA or adjusted EBITDA — or similarly titled measures utilized by other companies — since such other companies may not calculate EBITDA or adjusted EBITDA in the same manner as the Company does.

Reconciliations of the Company's non-GAAP financial measures, including EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA, to the consolidated statement of operations information are included at the end of this press release.

About China Lodging Group, Limited
China Lodging Group, Limited is a leading hotel operator and franchisor in China under 12 brand names. As of March 31, 2016, the Company had 2,989 hotels or 304,428 rooms in operation in 356 cities. With a primary focus on economy and midscale hotel segments, China Lodging Group's brands include Hi Inn, HanTing Hotel, Elan Hotel, JI Hotel, Starway Hotel, Joya Hotel, and Manxin Hotels & Resorts. The Company also has the rights as master franchisee for Mercure, Ibis and Ibis Styles, and co-development rights for Grand Mercure and Novotel, in Pan-China region.

The Company's business includes leased, manachised and franchised models. Under the lease model, the Company directly operates hotels typically located on leased properties. Under the manachise model, the Company manages manachised hotels through the on-site hotel managers it appoints and collects fees from franchisees. Under the franchise model, the Company provides training, reservation and support services to the franchised hotels and collects fees from franchisees but does not appoint on-site hotel managers. The Company applies a consistent standard and platform across all of its hotels. As of March 31, 2016, China Lodging Group operates 25 percent of its hotel rooms under lease model, 75 percent under manachise and franchise models.

For more information, please visit the Company's website: http://ir.huazhu.com.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The information in this release contains forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the Company's capital needs, business strategy and expectations. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, which may be identified by terminology such as "may," "should," "will," "expect," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "forecast," "project," or "continue," the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Readers should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events or results. Any or all of the Company's forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions, risks and uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. In evaluating these statements, readers should consider various factors, including the anticipated growth strategies of the Company, the future results of operations and financial condition of the Company, the economic conditions of China, the regulatory environment in China, the Company's ability to attract customers and leverage its brand, trends and competition in the lodging industry, the expected growth of the lodging market in China and other factors and risks outlined in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F and other filings. These factors may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. In addition, new factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for the Company to predict all factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Any projections in this release are based on limited information currently available to the Company, which is subject to change. This release also contains statements or projections that are based upon information available to the public, as well as other information from sources which the Company believes to be reliable, but it is not guaranteed by the Company to be accurate, nor does the Company purport it to be complete. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document, except as required by applicable law.

¹ The conversion of Renminbi ("RMB") into United States dollars ("US$") is based on the exchange rate of US$1.00=RMB6.4480 on March 31, 2016 as set forth in H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and available at http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/hist/dat00_ch.htm.

² Each ADS represents four of the Company's ordinary shares.

³ As of March 31, 2016, the Company is still in the process of completing the valuation of the purchase price allocation, and goodwill of approximately RMB442.0 million was recorded based on the preliminary assessment.

—Financial Tables and Operational Data Follow—

Contact Information
Ida Yu
Sr. Manager of Investor Relations
Tel:  +86 (21) 6195 9561
Email: ir@huazhu.com
http://ir.huazhu.com