UniHost Corporation

The CFO of UniHost Corporation is faced with a requirement to raise capital. UniHost is involved in the development, syndication, franchising and management of motels and hotels in Canada. Most of its properties were flagged under the "Quality" and "Comfort" brands. UniHost required capital to repay a $52 million bridge loan facility and fund multiple growth opportunities. Financing alternatives included equity, convertible bonds and high yield debt. The CFO had to decide on both the form and structure of the financing. The case allows for discussion of a number of issues, including: the public financing process in Canada, financing strategy (i.e. choice of the form of financing in the context of a likely sequence of financings), optimal capital structure, and the impact of financing decisions on the overall strategy of a firm. With respect to the debt alternatives, data is provided which allows for analysis of the choice of debt maturity, bond covenants and bond rating agencies.