S-8 1 tm2613128d2_s8.htm FORM S-8

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 4, 2026

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

RLJ Lodging Trust

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland		27-4706509
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

7373 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1500 Suite 1500 Bethesda, MD		20814
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)		(Zip code)

RLJ Lodging Trust 2026 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Leslie D. Hale
President and Chief Executive Officer
7373 Wisconsin Avenue
Suite 1500
Bethesda, MD 20814
(Name and address of agent for service)

(301) 280-7777

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:

David W. Bonser, Esq.

Leslie B. Reese, III, Esq.

Hogan Lovells US LLP

555 Thirteenth Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20004

(202) 637-5600

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer x

Accelerated filer  ¨

Non-accelerated filer   ¨

Smaller reporting company  ¨

Emerging growth company¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be sent or given to participants in the RLJ Lodging Trust 2026 Equity Incentive Plan, as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).  In accordance with the instructions to Part I of Form S-8, such documents will not be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this registration statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 promulgated under the Securities Act.  These documents and the documents incorporated by reference pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this registration statement, taken together, constitute the prospectus as required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.

Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents are incorporated by reference in this registration statement:

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the Commission on February 27, 2026;

The Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, filed with the Commission on May 4, 2026;

The Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on February 18, 2026 and April 30, 2026; and

The description of the Common Shares contained in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the Commission on May 9, 2011, pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and all amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

In addition, all documents and reports subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents or reports, except that the Company is not incorporating any information furnished under either Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6.          Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The Maryland statute governing real estate investment trusts formed under the laws of that state (“Maryland REIT law”) permits a Maryland real estate investment trust to include in its declaration of trust a provision limiting the liability of its trustees and officers to the trust and its shareholders for money damages except for liability resulting from actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action. Our declaration of trust contains such a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.

The Maryland REIT law permits a Maryland real estate investment trust to indemnify and advance expenses to its trustees, officers, employees and agents to the same extent as permitted by the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) for directors and officers of a Maryland corporation. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or are threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:

the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;

the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or

in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.

However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify a director or officer for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or if the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses.

In addition, the MGCL permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation's receipt of:

a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and

a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director's or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct.

Our declaration of trust and bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to:

any present or former trustee or officer (including any individual who, at the request of the Company, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, director, employee or agent of another real estate investment trust, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or any other enterprise) against any claim or liability to which he or she may become subject by reason of service in such capacity; and

any present or former trustee or officer who has been successful in the defense of a proceeding to which he or she was made a party by reason of service in such capacity.

Our declaration of trust and bylaws also permit us, with the approval of our board of trustees, to indemnify and advance expenses to any person who served a predecessor of ours in any of the capacities described above and to any employee or agent of our Company or a predecessor of our Company.

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our trustees and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law.

Item 7.         Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8.          Exhibits.

Exhibit No.		Description
4.1		RLJ Lodging Trust 2026 Equity Incentive Plan.

5.1		Opinion of Hogan Lovells US LLP regarding the validity of the Common Shares registered hereby.

23.1		Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

23.2		Consent of Hogan Lovells US LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1		Power of Attorney (included on signature page hereto).

107		Filing Fee Table

Item 9.

Undertakings.

(a)           The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)            To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i)            To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii)           To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

(iii)          To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement.

(2)           That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)           To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b)           The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(h)           Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than for the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Bethesda, Maryland on May 4, 2026.

RLJ Lodging Trust

	By:	/s/ Leslie D. Hale
		Leslie D. Hale
		President and Chief Executive Officer

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Leslie D. Hale and Frederick D. McKalip, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this registration statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits and other documents in connection therewith, with the Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their, his or her substitutes or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

Signature	Title	Date

/s/ Robert L. Johnson	Executive Chairman and Trustee	May 4, 2026
Robert L. Johnson

/s/ Leslie D. Hale	President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee	May 4, 2026
Leslie D. Hale	(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Nikhil Bhalla	Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer	May 4, 2026
Nikhil Bhalla	(Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ Christopher Gormsen	Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer	May 4, 2026
Christopher Gormsen	(Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Evan Bayh	Trustee	May 4, 2026
Evan Bayh

/s/ Arthur R. Collins	Trustee	May 4, 2026
Arthur R. Collins

/s/ Nathaniel A. Davis	Trustee	May 4, 2026
Nathaniel A. Davis

/s/ Patricia L. Gibson	Trustee	May 4, 2026
Patricia L. Gibson

/s/ Robert M. La Forgia	Trustee	May 4, 2026
Robert M. La Forgia

/s/ Robert J. McCarthy	Trustee	May 4, 2026
Robert J. McCarthy

/s/ Robin M. Zeigler	Trustee	May 4, 2026
Robin M. Zeigler

SEC Form S-8 filed by RLJ Lodging Trust