OWN IT
We are committed to governance with accountability, honesty, and responsibility to our stakeholders. Strong corporate governance is fundamental to our continued high performance across our triple-bottom-line. To ensure accountability, Hersha’s Board of Trustees has established multiple trustee-chaired committees, including the audit, compensation, and nominating & corporate governance committees.
Hersha’s portfolio includes diverse locations, travel segments, and hotel brands. Hersha’s structure mitigates risk and affords operational efficiencies by benchmarking similar hotels and sharing best practices to improve profitability.
Board of Trustees and Governance Information
8
Size of Board at Hersha,
6 Independent Board Trustees
ESG
Dedicated Risk & Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) Board Subcommittee
4
Board Meetings
Held in 2022
50%
Female and Minority Board Trustees
Yes
Separate Chair
and CEO
Yes
Independent
Lead Trustee
Yes
Code of Conduct for Trustees and Executive Officers
FOR MORE INFORMATION on Hersha’s governance practices, including the Risk & ESG Subcommittee charter, please see our Governance documents on our website.
Board-Level Risk & ESG Oversight
Robust board oversight of our team’s approach to risks and opportunities is paramount to running a successful business. Our governance structure includes a dedicated Risk and ESG board subcommittee housed under the Audit Committee and chaired by a sitting board member. This ensures quality board oversight of climate-related risks and opportunities, including a formal schedule for considering environmental, health and safety, and social matters. The Risk & ESG Subcommittee is also responsible for oversight of DEI initiatives. Our in-house EarthView team regularly reports to the board Risk & ESG Subcommittee on our sustainability initiatives and broader strategy. EarthView also frequently reports to the Executive Chairman of the Board, who is uniquely involved in Hersha’s sustainability efforts.
Sustainable investments have now reached $4 trillion. Actions and ambitions towards decarbonization have also increased. This is just the beginning – the tectonic shift towards sustainable investing is still accelerating… Every company and every industry will be transformed by the transition to a net zero world. The question is, will you lead, or will you be led?
– Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, 2022 Letter to CEOs
OUR RESILIENCY STRATEGY
All aspects of the business support climate preparedness and resiliency efforts – from the Board to executives and senior management across departments. Our resiliency strategy includes the ongoing consideration of potential climate risks and opportunities, identification of mitigation strategies, and monitoring and assessment of our progress.
CLIMATE RISKS
We are working to mitigate inherent sustainability and climate risks that may impact our business and the built environment. Key risks most pertinent to us include both physical and transition risks:
- Physical risks are those that arise from the physical effects of climate change, especially those associated with increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events – including hurricanes, storm surges, and wildfires – degradation of ecosystems, and changing climate patterns that lead to sea-level rise, heat stress, and water stress.
- Transition risks include rising stakeholder and shareholder concerns around sustainability, increasing prevalence of climate-related policy and regulation, technological advances, and fundamental shifts in market demand.
FLOOD RISK NOAA SCORE
1.9 average portfolio risk,
vs. 2.8 average risk for US Lodging REITS*
(1-10, 1=low risk)
FLOOD RISK NOAA SCORE
4% of properties by count at high risk
(as defined by NOAA), vs. an average 3% of US Lodging REITs’ properties are at high risk
*Hersha NOAA Hazard Score is collated from data by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and peer risk score calculated from the Morgan Stanley report “Rising Flood Risk: How Much and at What Cost?” (3/2019). The NOAA Hazard Score takes into account flood risk as defined by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
PORTFOLIO IN FEMA SPECIAL FLOOD ZONE AREAS
(Special Flood Hazard Areas have a 1% chance of flooding every year)
32% of our portfolio by count
PORTFOLIO IN FEMA SPECIAL FLOOD ZONE AREAS
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designs flood maps based on historical flooding since the 1970s in order to determine the likelihood of future flooding in designated areas.Resiliency Measures
We employ portfolio-wide resiliency measures, including all risk property insurance for every property. This includes insurance for natural
catastrophes, including wind, flood, and fire events. Because our hotels are geographically diverse, singular events are less likely to have an overwhelming effect on the performance of our overall portfolio.
Our property-level resiliency efforts are unique to each property’s characteristics – geography, building age, operating status, and other geopolitical factors. We continually monitor and implement practical, cost-effective resiliency measures and strategies while considering environmental impact.
CLIMATE OPPORTUNITIES
While climate change presents risks to our operations and the world at large, we see increased stakeholder emphasis on sustainability as an exceptional opportunity to develop and progress our sustainable hospitality efforts. Our business continues to explore climate-related opportunities, including reductions in operating expenses due to improvements in resource efficiency and added resiliency measures, minimization of business interruption during climate shocks, improved reputation, and potential competitive advantages from stakeholder preferences towards sustainability.
CLOSING
Thank you for reading Hersha’s 2022 EarthView Sustainability Report. EarthView has created immense value for our company, communities, and planet by integrating sustainability into our business strategy. As we strive to meet our science-based targets and sustainability goals, we know there are still ample opportunities for our stakeholders and the environment to benefit from a comprehensive and ever-evolving approach to sustainable hospitality. The climate crisis requires us to “stay nimble” as we navigate complex problems and devise innovative solutions. This is what we do best at Hersha. We are proud of EarthView’s leadership role in our industry and look forward to sharing more as we work to make our world more sustainable, connected, and resilient.