In Re Motel Properties, Inc.

314 B.R. 889, 2004 Bankr. LEXIS 1492, 2004 WL 2165865
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedApril 15, 2004
Docket19-40149
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 314 B.R. 889 (In Re Motel Properties, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Motel Properties, Inc., 314 B.R. 889, 2004 Bankr. LEXIS 1492, 2004 WL 2165865 (Ga. 2004).

Opinion

ORDER ON MOTIONS TO DISMISS OR CONVERT AND MOTION FOR RELIEF FROM STAY

LAMAR W. DAVIS, JR., Chief Judge.

This case was filed on December 4, 2003. Following preliminary hearings on issues relating to the use of cash collateral and other matters, Western United Life Assurance Company (“Western”) filed both a Motion for Relief from Stay and a Motion to Dismiss or Convert this case on February 17, 2004. The United States Trustee filed a Motion to Dismiss or Convert on February 24, 2004, and Choice Hotels International, Inc., (“Choice”) filed a Motion to Dismiss on February 26, 2004. The *892 matters were consolidated for hearing on March 22, 2004. This Court has jurisdiction over these matters pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157. Based on the applicable authorities and relevant facts, the Court enters these Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law in accordance with the directive of Bankruptcy Rule 7052.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Debtor operates two motels on Jekyll Island, Georgia, and is before the Court for the second time in recent years. It filed its first Chapter 11 case on October 31, 2000, and the plan was confirmed on January 25, 2002. In June 2002 the Court approved an Amended Plan of Reorganization which permitted Debtor to refinance its then existing obligations with Movant Western. The modified plan provided for a loan from Western in the amount of $8.45 million to be repaid with interest of 12% per year based on a fifteen year amortization and a five year call. The new loan was secured by the Debtor’s leasehold of real estate on Jekyll Island, Georgia, which it holds as a tenant of the Jekyll Island State Park Authority with a remaining term of twenty-five years. The loan was also secured by all the improvements on the property including furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

By Fall of 2003 the Debtor had reduced the outstanding principal balance on the loan to approximately $8.15 million, but it missed the November and December payments. After requesting a moratorium in payments, which Western refused, Debtor filed this case seeking to reorganize itself for the second time. Debtor has failed to make post-petition payments to Western and the interest accrual on the principal balance now totals over $400,000.00.

At the time the prior case was com firmed, Debtor made certain projections to demonstrate to its creditors and the Court the feasibility of its reorganization. Although those projections were prepared early in 2001, they remained the only evidence before the Court at the time of confirmation in January of 2002. See Exhibit P-7. The Debtor did not amend the projections or voice any concern that they did not contain viable numbers on which all the parties and the Court should rely. In reality, the Debtor’s actual performance has been much worse than projected. See Exhibit P-8. Although there is not a precise overlap in the time periods measured, it is clear that the Debtor has failed to achieve its anticipated revenue growth. This failure triggered its inability to make the monthly payments to Western. In addition to delinquent principal and accrued interest on the note to Western, there are unpaid post-confirmation obligations totaling over $550,000.00 owed to the Glynn County taxing authorities, the Internal Revenue Service for payroll taxes, the Jekyll Island Authority for fees, and the Georgia Department of Revenue for taxes. See Exhibit P-11.

While Debtor’s revenues have declined between 13% and 16% over the past five years, the trend in revenues for all hotels located on Jekyll Island has shown a 7% increase over the same period. See Exhibit P-1. Debtor contends that while its revenues have decreased over the five year period and revenues on Jekyll Island as a whole have increased, it is still performing better than many of the comparable motels in the area. See Exhibits D-4, D-5. An examination of Exhibits D-4 and D-5 partially supports Debtor’s argument in that the Revenue per Available Room (“Rev-Par”) and the Market Penetration of the Debtor’s properties are above average. However, Debtor’s RevPar and Market Penetration numbers have declined over the five year period-thus, the Exhibits are in conclusive at best.

*893 A previous appraisal valued the Debtor’s two motel properties at over $13 million. However, that appraisal is now woefully obsolete, and no current appraisal has been proffered at this point. Debtor estimates the current value of the two properties if sold at a distress sale to be between $10.5 and $11 million. Debtor concedes that a marketing period of one to two years would likely be necessary to sell the properties for this estimated value and that it would require a real estate commission of approximately 6% to consummate a sale. Adding the current principal indebtedness, accrued interest, and accrued interest for an estimated eighteen month marketing period yields a payoff on Western’s obligation of over $10 million. A sale for $11 million less commission, outstanding taxes as of today, and projected taxes for the estimated marketing period would yield no more than $10 million. Furthermore, the Debtor acknowledges that additional capital improvements are needed although $1 million of the Western loan has been spent on capital improvements since confirmation.

The Debtor timely filed both its Disclosure Statement and Proposed Plan which provide for a restructuring of the Western debt to pay at 7% per annum rather than the current 12%. Debtor hopes, however, to refinance the Western debt and has spoken with another lender which it believes is willing to lend Debtor up to 70% of the fair market value of the two properties for a three year period at an interest rate of 10% per annum.

The confirmed plan in the previous case required the Debtor to assume its obligation to Choice for outstanding fees and expenses it owed as a franchisee and part of the Choice reservation network. Debtor, however, failed to cure the then outstanding $260,000.00 pre-petition ar-rearage obligation owed to Choice and accumulated further arrearage post-confirmation in the amount of $180,000.00. As a result, Choice terminated the Assumed Franchise Agreement prior to the filing of this second case.

Since the filing of this case, the Debtor’s monthly operating reports filed with the United States Trustee show that the company operated at a loss in December 2003 and January 2004 and essentially broke even in February of 2004. However, its accounts payable over this period have increased, post-petition taxes have not been paid, and no debt service payments have been made to Western. In short, the Debtor is operating post-petition at a substantial loss in the second case. Admittedly, this has occurred during the slowest season for motel occupancy on Jekyll Island, Georgia, but this is a fact with which Debtor and its management are both familiar having been in business in that market for over forty years.

The Movants assert in their Motions to Dismiss or Convert that the case should be dismissed or converted because (1) pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1112

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
314 B.R. 889, 2004 Bankr. LEXIS 1492, 2004 WL 2165865, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-motel-properties-inc-gasb-2004.