Summit Hotel Properties - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Summit Hotel Properties is Medium Risk.

Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Lower Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Summit integrates ESG into its business practices. From its Supplier and Vendor Code of Conduct: “We expect our suppliers, vendors and other business partners to adhere to the same environmental, social, ethical and governance standards designated by our company” (1). From its 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report: “A component of executive compensation is based on the progress of our ESG program and achievement of our ESG goals to align management incentives with the success of our program” (2). The company integrates DEI into its supply chain. From its Supplier and Vendor Code of Conduct: the company requires its suppliers to “support non-discrimination, diversity and inclusion, fair working hours, conditions and wages, and freedom of association” (3). However, the company has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (4).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Summit does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1). Summit Foundation’s charitable giving focus areas are “provid[ing] increased opportunity and resources for underserved youth and families, foster[ing] educational advancement, and develop[ing] next generation leaders” (2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Summit requires its employees to take inclusive leadership training (1). The company requires its employees to take unconscious bias and diversity training (2). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its 2024 Proxy Statement: “In the future, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will strongly consider additional gender and/or ethnically diverse individuals when considering candidates to fill any vacancy or similar new position on the Board” (3). However, in 2025, the company removed the reference to unconscious bias training from its Corporate Responsibility report. To date, the company has not publicly addressed this change, leaving shareholders without clarity regarding the company’s reasoning or future direction (4). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (5).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Summit supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report: “We continue to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture” (1). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report: “We are excited to continue our commitment to building a best-in-class ESG program and are pleased to report on the tremendous progress we have made over the past year” (2). However, in 2025, the company removed the DEI and ESG language from its Corporate Reponsibility Report. To date, the company has not publicly addressed this change, leaving shareholders without clarity regarding the company’s reasoning or future direction (3). Otherwise, Summit has not supported ideological causes or policies (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Summit has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Summit does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).

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