UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.          )

7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1100 West
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

OF

PEBBLEBROOK HOTEL TRUST

        NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting") of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (the "Company") will be held on Friday, June 30, 2017 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time, at the offices of Hunton & Williams LLP, 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037 for the following purposes:

1.

to elect the trustees of the Company to serve until our 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified;



2.

to ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP to serve as our independent registered public accountants for the year ending December 31, 2017;



3.

to approve, in an advisory and non-binding vote, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement;



4.

to vote upon a non-binding shareholder proposal from the Union to adopt a majority voting standard for uncontested trustee elections, if properly brought before the Annual Meeting;



5.

to recommend, in an advisory and non-binding vote, whether a non-binding shareholder vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers should occur every one, two or three years; and



6.

to consider and act upon any other matters that may properly be brought before the Annual Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement thereof.

        Shareholders of record of the Company's common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share, at the close of business on March 31, 2017 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. If you wish to attend the Annual Meeting in person, please register in advance with Investor Relations by email at investors@pebblebrookhotels.com or by phone at (240) 507-1306. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will be limited to persons who present proof of share ownership as of the record date and picture identification. If you hold shares directly in your name as the shareholder of record, proof of ownership would include a copy of your account statement. If you hold shares through an intermediary, such as a broker, bank or other nominee, proof of share ownership would include a proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee or a copy of your brokerage or bank account statement. Additionally, if you intend to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting and hold your shares through an intermediary, you must request a "legal proxy" from your broker, bank or other nominee and bring the legal proxy to the Annual Meeting. If you are representing an entity that is a shareholder, you must provide evidence of your authority to represent that entity at the Annual Meeting.

        Pursuant to rules promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, we are providing access to our proxy materials through the Internet. On or about April 28, 2017, we expect to mail to

our shareholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the "Notice"), which will indicate how to access our proxy materials on the Internet.

        Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, your vote is very important, and we encourage you to vote promptly. You may vote your shares via a toll-free telephone number or through the Internet. If you received a paper copy of the proxy card by mail, you may sign, date and mail the proxy card in the envelope provided. Instructions regarding all three methods of voting will be contained in the proxy card or the Notice that you receive. If you execute a proxy by telephone, through the Internet or by mailing in a proxy card, but later decide to attend the Annual Meeting in person, or for any other reason desire to revoke your proxy, you may do so at any time before your proxy is voted.

		BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
		Raymond D. Martz Secretary

Bethesda, Maryland
April 28, 2017

7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1100 West
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

PROXY STATEMENT

FOR THE 2017 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON JUNE 30, 2017

        This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the board of trustees (the "Board of Trustees" or the "Board") of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (the "Company," "we," "us" or "our") for use at our 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting") to be held at the offices of Hunton & Williams LLP, 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037, on Friday, June 30, 2017 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time, and for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof.

        Pursuant to rules promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), we are providing access to our proxy materials through the Internet. On or about April 28, 2017, we expect to mail to our shareholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the "Notice") in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Trustees for use at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. On the date of mailing, we will make this Proxy Statement, including the Notice of Annual Meeting attached hereto, and our annual report to shareholders, which will include our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 (the "Annual Report on Form 10-K"), publicly available on the Internet according to the instructions provided in the Notice.

        If you received the Notice by mail, you will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials other than as described herein. Instead, the Notice instructs you as to how you may access and review all of the important information contained in the proxy materials. The Notice also instructs you as to how you may submit your proxy through the Internet. If you received the Notice by mail and would like to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials, you should follow the instructions for requesting such materials included in the Notice.

        This Proxy Statement, the accompanying proxy card and our annual report to shareholders, which includes our Annual Report on Form 10-K with audited financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2016, are first being sent to our shareholders on or about April 28, 2017.

        Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders To Be Held on June 30, 2017: This Proxy Statement and our annual report to shareholders are available on the Internet at www.proxyvote.com. On this site, you will be able to access this Proxy Statement, our annual report to shareholders, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any amendments or supplements to the foregoing material that are required to be furnished to shareholders.

1

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q.

How will we solicit proxies for the Annual Meeting?

A.

We are soliciting proxies by mailing this Proxy Statement and proxy card to our shareholders. In addition to solicitation by mail, some of our trustees, officers and employees may make additional solicitations by telephone or in person without extra compensation. We will pay the solicitation costs and will reimburse banks, brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their reasonable expenses in forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners.

We will employ Broadridge Financial Solutions to receive and tabulate the proxies.

Q.

Who is entitled to vote?

A.

All holders of record of our common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share ("Common Shares"), as of the close of business on March 31, 2017, which is the record date for purposes of the Annual Meeting, are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

Q.

What is the quorum for the Annual Meeting?

A.

A quorum at the Annual Meeting will consist of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the holders of all outstanding Common Shares. No business may be conducted at the meeting if a quorum is not present. As of the record date, 70,073,834 Common Shares were issued and outstanding. If less than a majority of our outstanding Common Shares entitled to vote are represented at the Annual Meeting, the chairperson of the meeting may adjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting to another date, time or place, not later than 120 days after the original record date of March 31, 2017. Notice need not be given of the new date, time or place if announced at the meeting before an adjournment or postponement is taken.

Q.

How many votes do I have?

A.

You are entitled to one vote for each whole Common Share you held as of the record date. Our shareholders do not have the right to cumulate their votes for trustees.

Q.

How do I vote?

A.

You may vote by Internet, by telephone, by mail or in person at the Annual Meeting. Authorizing your proxy by one of the methods described below will not limit your right to attend the Annual Meeting and vote your Common Shares in person. Your proxy (one of the individuals named in your proxy card) will vote your Common Shares per your instructions. If you fail to provide instructions on a properly submitted proxy, your proxy will vote as recommended by the Board of Trustees.

By Internet—before 11:59 PM Eastern Time on June 29, 2017

You may vote via the Internet by going to www.proxyvote.com and following the instructions on the screen. Have your Notice or proxy card available when you access the web page.

By Telephone—before 11:59 PM Eastern Time on June 29, 2017

You may vote by telephone by calling the toll-free telephone number on your proxy card (1-800-690-6903), which is available 24 hours a day, and following prerecorded instructions. Have your proxy card available when you call. If you hold your Common Shares in street name, your broker, bank, trustee or other nominee may provide additional instructions to you regarding voting your Common Shares by telephone.

2

By Mail—proxy card must be received by June 29, 2017

If you received your proxy materials by mail, you may vote by mail by marking the enclosed proxy card, dating and signing it, and returning it in the postage-paid envelope provided, or returning it to Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717.

In Person—only at the Annual Meeting on June 30, 2017

If you wish to attend the Annual Meeting, please register in advance with Investor Relations by email at investors@pebblebrookhotels.com or by phone at (240) 507-1306. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will be limited to persons who present proof of share ownership as of the record date and picture identification. If you hold Common Shares directly in your name as the shareholder of record, proof of ownership would include a copy of your account statement. If you hold Common Shares through an intermediary, such as a broker, bank or other nominee, proof of share ownership would include a proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee or a copy of your brokerage or bank account statement. Additionally, if you intend to vote your Common Shares at the meeting and hold your Common Shares through an intermediary, you must request a "legal proxy" from your broker, bank or other nominee and bring that legal proxy to the meeting. If you are representing an entity that is a shareholder, you must provide evidence of your authority to represent that entity at the Annual Meeting.

Q.

How do I vote my Common Shares that are held by my broker?

A.

If you have Common Shares held by a broker, you may instruct your broker to vote your Common Shares by following the instructions that the broker provides to you. Most brokers allow you to authorize your proxy by mail, telephone and the Internet.

Q.

On what am I voting?

A.

You will be voting on:

•

Proposal 1: the election of seven trustees to hold office until our 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

•

Proposal 2: the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP to serve as our independent registered public accountants for the year ending December 31, 2017;

•

Proposal 3: the approval, by advisory and non-binding vote, of the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed pursuant to the SEC's compensation disclosure rules (which disclosure includes the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and the narrative disclosures that accompany the compensation tables contained in this Proxy Statement);

•

Proposal 4: a non-binding shareholder proposal submitted by the Union (as defined below) to adopt a majority voting standard for uncontested trustee elections, if properly brought before the Annual Meeting; and

•

Proposal 5: whether we should conduct an advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers every one, two or three years.

3

Q.

What vote is required to approve the proposals, assuming that a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting?

A.

4

Q.

How are abstentions and broker non-votes treated?

A.

A "broker non-vote" occurs when a bank, broker or other holder of record holding Common Shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because that holder does not have discretionary voting power for that particular item and has not received instructions from the beneficial owner. Pursuant to Maryland law, abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not count "for" or "against" Proposals 1, 3, 4 and 5 and thus will have no effect on the result of the voting on these proposals. Abstentions will not count "for" or "against" Proposal 2 and thus will have no effect on the result of the voting on this proposal.

Under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE"), brokerage firms may have the discretionary authority to vote their customers' Common Shares on certain routine matters for which they do not receive voting instructions, including the ratification of independent auditors, and thus brokers may vote on Proposal 2. The NYSE has stated that the uncontested election of trustees is no longer considered a "routine" matter for purposes of broker discretionary voting. The SEC has specifically prohibited broker discretionary voting with respect to the advisory vote on executive compensation.

Q.

Will there be any other items of business on the agenda?

A.

The Board of Trustees does not know of any other matters that may be brought before the Annual Meeting nor does it foresee or have reason to believe that proxy holders will have to vote for substitute or alternate nominees for election to the Board of Trustees. In the event that any other matter should properly come before the Annual Meeting or any nominee is not available for election, the persons named in the enclosed proxy will have authority to vote all proxies with respect to such matters in their discretion.

Q.

What happens if I submit my proxy without providing voting instructions on all proposals?

A.

Proxies that you properly submit will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with your directions. If a properly submitted proxy does not provide voting instructions on a proposal, the proxy will be voted:

•

to elect (FOR ALL) all of the trustee nominees listed in Proposal 1—Election of Trustees;

5

•

in favor of (FOR) Proposal 2—Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accountants;



•

in favor of (FOR) Proposal 3—Approval, by Advisory and Non-binding Vote, of Executive Compensation ("Say-On-Pay");



•

in favor of (FOR) Proposal 4—Non-binding Shareholder Proposal from the Union to Adopt A Majority Voting Standard for Uncontested Elections of Trustees; and



•

"1 year" for Proposal 5—Recommendation, by Advisory and Non-binding Vote, on Frequency of Conducting Say-On-Pay Votes ('Say-When-On-Pay')."

Q.

Will anyone contact me regarding this vote?

A.

No arrangements or contracts have been made with any solicitors as of the date of this Proxy Statement, although we reserve the right to engage solicitors if we deem them necessary. Solicitations may be made by mail, telephone, facsimile, e-mail or personal interviews.

Q.

Who has paid for this proxy solicitation?

A.

We have paid the entire expense of preparing, printing and mailing the proxy materials and any additional materials furnished to shareholders. Proxies may be solicited by our trustees, officers or employees personally or by telephone without additional compensation for such activities. We will request persons, firms and corporations holding Common Shares in their names or in the names of their nominees, which are beneficially owned by others, to send appropriate solicitation materials to such beneficial owners. We will reimburse such holders for their reasonable expenses.

Q.

May shareholders ask questions at the Annual Meeting?

A.

Yes. There will be time allotted at the meeting when our representatives will answer questions from meeting attendees.

Q.

What does it mean if I receive more than one proxy card?

A.

It probably means your Common Shares are registered differently and are in more than one account. Sign and return, or vote by Internet or phone, all proxy cards to ensure that all your Common Shares are voted.

Q.

May I change my vote after I have voted?

A.

Yes, so long as you do so before the ballots are closed at the Annual Meeting. A shareholder may revoke a proxy at any time prior to its exercise by filing with our corporate secretary a duly executed revocation of proxy, by properly submitting by mail, phone or Internet a proxy to our corporate secretary bearing a later date or by appearing at the meeting and voting in person. Proxies properly submitted by mail, phone or Internet do not preclude a shareholder from voting in person at the meeting. Attendance at the meeting will not by itself constitute revocation of a proxy.

Q.

Is additional information available on the Company's website?

A.

Yes. Our Internet website is located at www.pebblebrookhotels.com. Although the information contained on our website is not part of this Proxy Statement, you can view additional information on the website, such as our corporate governance guidelines, our code of business conduct and ethics, charters of the committees of the Board and reports that we file with the SEC.

6

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF TRUSTEES

        The Board of Trustees consists of seven members who serve for a term of one year and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The term of membership expires at each Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

        The Board of Trustees has nominated each of our seven current trustees, Jon E. Bortz, Cydney C. Donnell, Ron E. Jackson, Phillip M. Miller, Michael J. Schall, Earl E. Webb and Laura H. Wright (each, a "Nominee" and, collectively, the "Nominees"), for election as a trustee to serve until the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. The Board of Trustees anticipates that each Nominee will serve, if elected, as a trustee. However, if any person nominated by the Board of Trustees is unable or unwilling to serve, the proxies will be voted for the election of such other person or persons as the Board of Trustees may recommend.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR ALL" NOMINEES IN
PROPOSAL 1.

Information Regarding the Nominees

        We believe that all of the Nominees are intelligent, experienced, collegial, insightful and proactive with respect to management and risk oversight, and that they exercise good judgment. The biographical descriptions below set forth certain information with respect to each Nominee, including the experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Nominee that led us to conclude that such person should serve as a trustee.

7

8

9

10

Sound Corporate Governance Practices

        We are committed to what we believe are sound corporate governance practices, including having a strong, majority-independent, non-classified Board and maintaining clear share ownership guidelines.

Board of Trustees Structure

•

Non-Classified Board—All of the members of the Board of Trustees must be elected annually. Moreover, as described further below, we have opted out of a provision of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the "MGCL") that permits Maryland real estate investment trusts to classify their boards of trustees without the prior approval of shareholders.



•

Trustee Resignation Policy—Our trustees are subject to our trustee resignation policy as part of our policy on voting procedures with respect to the election of trustees.



•

Lead Trustee—We have appointed a Lead Trustee whose primary responsibilities are to preside at executive sessions of the Board of Trustees and to preside at meetings of the Board of Trustees when the Chairman is absent.



•

Independent Majority—A majority (six of seven) of the members of the Board of Trustees are independent of the Company and its officers and employees.



•

Exclusively Independent Committees—All members of the three standing committees of the Board of Trustees are independent of the Company and our officers and employees.

11

•

Regular Executive Sessions—The independent members of the Board of Trustees, as well as each of its three standing committees, meet regularly without the presence of any of our officers or employees.

Shareholder Right to Proxy Access

•

We were one of the first lodging REITs to provide our shareholders with a right to submit nominations for trustees for inclusion in our proxy statement if both the shareholder proponents and the trustee nominees satisfy the requirements specified in our Company's bylaws (our "Bylaws"). This right is commonly known as "proxy access."



•

We adopted the "3/3/20/20" model for proxy access. A shareholder (or a group of up to 20 shareholders) owning at least 3% of the outstanding Common Shares for at least 3 years may submit trustee nominees (up to 20% of the Board, rounded down) for inclusion in our proxy statement by satisfying the requirements specified in Sections 11 and 12 of Article II of our Bylaws.

Shareholder Right to Amend Bylaws

•

We determined that it was in the best interests of the Company to provide our shareholders the right to amend our Bylaws by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Common Shares then outstanding and entitled to vote.



•

We adopted a "3/3/20" model for bylaws amendments. A shareholder (or a group of up to 20 shareholders) owning at least 3% of the outstanding Common Shares for at least 3 years may propose amendments to adopt, alter or repeal our Bylaws, or to make new bylaws, for inclusion in our proxy statement by satisfying the requirements specified in Sections 11 and 12 of Article II of our Bylaws.

Share Ownership Guidelines

•

3x for Trustees—As described further under "—Share Ownership Guidelines for Independent Trustees," we have adopted share ownership guidelines that apply to our independent trustees. Each trustee should own shares of beneficial interest of the Company in aggregate value at least equal to three times the amount of annual compensation the trustee receives for services as one of our trustees, including any fees for service as a committee chairperson.



•

3x - 5x for Executives—As described further under "Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Share Ownership Guidelines for Named Executive Officers," we have adopted share ownership guidelines that apply to our named executive officers. Each of our executive officers should own shares of beneficial interest of the Company in aggregate value at least equal to the amount of the executive officer's annual base salary: five times in the case of our Chief Executive Officer, and three times in the case of our Chief Financial Officer and our Chief Investment Officer.

Prohibition Against Hedging

•

Our insider trading policy prohibits our officers, trustees, employees and consultants and their respective family members from, among other prohibited activities, engaging in short-term or speculative transactions in the Company's securities or in other transactions in the Company's securities that may lead to inadvertent violations of insider trading laws. We prohibit our officers, trustees, employees and consultants and their respective family members from engaging in short sales of the Company's securities and transactions in publicly traded options on the Company's securities, such as puts, calls and other derivative securities, on an exchange or in any other market.

12

Compensation Clawback Policy

•

We have adopted a policy regarding the recovery of erroneously awarded compensation, also known as a clawback policy. Under the policy, if the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement of its previously filed financial statements due to material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement under federal securities laws, the Board of Trustees will require reimbursement or forfeiture of any incentive compensation that has been paid but that would not have been paid based on the subsequently restated financial statements. The policy requires such recoupment even if fraud, intentional misconduct or illegal behavior were not involved in such noncompliance. The policy applies to incentive compensation that is approved, awarded or granted following adoption of the policy in October 2015 and paid during the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the date on which the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement. The policy is applicable to current and former executive officers of the Company and other officers and employees as may be determined by the Board of Trustees.

Prohibition on Classification of Board without Shareholder Approval—Opt-out of Classified Board Provision of Maryland's Unsolicited Takeovers Act

•

We amended our declaration of trust to opt out of the classified board provision of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL and prohibit the Company from opting back in to that provision without the prior approval of shareholders. Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL is commonly referred to as the Maryland Unsolicited Takeovers Act or MUTA. As a result of the amendment, the Board is prohibited from becoming classified under Section 3-803 of the MGCL unless a proposal to repeal that prohibition is approved by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast on the matter by the Company's shareholders entitled to vote on the matter.

The Board of Trustees and Its Committees

        The Company is managed under the direction of our seven-member Board of Trustees. Members of the Board are kept informed of our business through discussions with our executive officers, by reviewing materials provided to them and by participating in meetings of the Board and its committees. Six of the trustees are independent of the Company's officers and employees. The Board of Trustees held four meetings during 2016. No trustee attended less than 75% of these meetings. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has three standing committees of the Board: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Each of these committees has a written charter, adopted by the Board of Trustees, has four members and is composed exclusively of independent trustees, as defined in the rules and listing qualifications of the NYSE and, with respect to the members of the Audit Committee, Rule 10A-3 promulgated pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). The Board of Trustees may from time to time establish other committees to facilitate the management of the Company.

        The Board of Trustees does not have a policy with respect to trustees' attendance at annual meetings of shareholders, and, because of the routine nature of the meetings and anticipated low levels of in-person shareholder participation at the meetings, members of the Board of Trustees are not expected to attend the Annual Meeting. None of the trustees attended the Annual Meeting in 2016.

13

        We describe each of the three committees of the Board of Trustees below. The composition and leadership of its committees is set forth in the following table.

Audit Committee

        The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and discussing with management and our independent public accountants our annual and quarterly financial statements, engaging independent public accountants, reviewing with the independent public accountants the plans and results of the audit engagement, approving professional services provided by the independent public accountants, reviewing the performance and independence of the independent public accountants, considering the range of audit and non-audit fees and reviewing the adequacy of our internal accounting controls. Ms. Donnell, one of our independent trustees, chairs the Audit Committee. The Board of Trustees has determined that each of Ms. Donnell and Ms. Wright is an "audit committee financial expert" as that term is defined by the SEC. The Board of Trustees has also determined, in accordance with the rules of the NYSE, that Ms. Wright's simultaneous service on the audit committees of CMS Energy Corporation (NYSE: CMS), Consumers Energy Company (a publicly reporting, wholly-owned subsidiary of CMS Energy Corporation) and TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) does not impair her ability to effectively serve also on the Audit Committee. Each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate and able to read and understand fundamental financial statements. The Audit Committee has the power to investigate any matter brought to its attention within the scope of its duties and to retain counsel for this purpose where appropriate. Additionally, the Audit Committee is responsible for monitoring the Company's procedures for compliance with the rules for taxation as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") under Sections 856-860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the "Code").

        The Audit Committee met a total of four times in 2016. The Board of Trustees has affirmatively determined that each member of the Audit Committee is independent as defined in Sections 303A.02 and 303A.07 of the listing standards of the NYSE and under the SEC rules for audit committees. The Audit Committee has adopted a written charter which outlines certain specified responsibilities of the Audit Committee and complies with the rules of the SEC and the NYSE. The charter is available on our website at www.pebblebrookhotels.com.

Compensation Committee

        The Compensation Committee exercises all powers delegated to it by the Board of Trustees in connection with compensation matters. In connection with those responsibilities, the Compensation Committee has the sole authority to retain and terminate compensation consultants employed by it to help evaluate the Company's compensation programs. In 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Compensation Committee retained Mercer LLC ("Mercer"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., to assist the Compensation Committee with its responsibilities related to the Company's executive compensation programs. The Compensation Committee has determined that Mercer meets the criteria for an independent consultant in accordance with SEC guidelines for such services. The Compensation Committee also has authority to grant awards under the Company's 2009

14

Equity Incentive Plan, as amended and restated in 2012 (as amended, the "2009 Equity Incentive Plan"). Mr. Schall chairs the Compensation Committee.

        The Compensation Committee met a total of five times in 2016. The Board of Trustees has affirmatively determined that each member of this committee is independent under the NYSE listing standards. The Compensation Committee has adopted a written charter which outlines certain specified responsibilities of the Compensation Committee and complies with the rules of the SEC and the NYSE. The charter is available on our website at www.pebblebrookhotels.com.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

        The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for seeking, considering and recommending to the full Board of Trustees qualified candidates for election as trustees and recommending a slate of nominees for election as trustees at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, making recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding candidates to fill vacancies in the Board of Trustees, periodically preparing and submitting to the Board of Trustees for adoption the selection criteria for trustee nominees, reviewing and making recommendations on matters involving general operation of the Board of Trustees and our corporate governance and annually recommending to the Board of Trustees nominees for each committee of the Board of Trustees. In addition, this committee annually facilitates the assessment of the Board of Trustees' performance as a whole and of the individual trustees and officers and reports thereon to the Board of Trustees. Mr. Miller chairs the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. In addition, Mr. Miller serves as Lead Trustee. See "—Corporate Governance Matters—Board Management and Leadership—Lead Trustee."

        The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met a total of four times in 2016 and at a meeting in 2017 recommended to the full Board of Trustees each of the Nominees, as presented herein. The Board of Trustees has affirmatively determined that each member of this committee is independent under the NYSE listing standards. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has adopted a written charter which outlines certain specified responsibilities of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and complies with the rules of the SEC and the NYSE. The charter is available on our website at www.pebblebrookhotels.com.

Majority Trustee Independence

        Our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that a majority of our trustees be independent. The Board of Trustees has adopted the categorical standards prescribed by the NYSE to assist the Board of Trustees in evaluating the independence of each of the trustees. The categorical standards describe various types of relationships that could potentially exist between a trustee and the Company and sets thresholds at which such relationships would be deemed material. Provided that no relationship or transaction exists that would disqualify a trustee under the categorical standards and the Board of Trustees determines, taking into account all facts and circumstances, that no other material relationship between the Company and the trustee exists of a type not specifically mentioned in the categorical standards, the Board of Trustees will deem such person to be independent. A trustee shall not be independent if he or she satisfies any one or more of the following criteria:

•

a trustee who is, or who has been within the last three years, an employee of the Company, or whose immediate family member is, or has been within the last three years, an executive officer of the Company;



•

a trustee who has received, or who has an immediate family member serving as an executive officer who has received, during any 12-month period within the last three years more than $120,000 in direct compensation from the Company (excluding trustee and committee fees and pension/other forms of deferred compensation for prior service that is not contingent in any way on continued service);

15

•

(i) a trustee who is or whose immediate family member is a current partner of a firm that is the Company's internal or external auditor; (ii) a trustee who is a current employee of such a firm; (iii) a trustee who has an immediate family member who is a current employee of such a firm and personally works on the Company's audit; or (iv) a trustee who was or whose immediate family member was within the last three years (but is no longer) a partner or employee of such a firm and personally worked on the Company's audit within that time;



•

a trustee who is or has been within the last three years, or whose immediate family member is or has been within the last three years, employed as an executive officer of another company where any of our present executives at the same time serves or served on that company's compensation committee; or



•

a trustee who is a current employee, or whose immediate family member is a current executive officer, of a company that has made payments to, or received payments from, us for property or services in an amount which, in any of the last three fiscal years, exceeds the greater of $1 million or 2% of such other company's consolidated gross revenues (as reported for the last completed fiscal year).

        Under these criteria, the Board of Trustees has determined that the following six members of the Board of Trustees are independent: Cydney C. Donnell, Ron E. Jackson, Phillip M. Miller, Michael J. Schall, Earl E. Webb and Laura H. Wright.

Trustee Compensation

        Each trustee who is not an employee of, or affiliated with, the Company receives an annual retainer fee, at least half of which is paid in Common Shares. Each independent trustee may elect whether to receive a greater percentage of the annual retainer fee in Common Shares in lieu of cash. Payment of the annual retainer fee, whether in cash or Common Shares, is made in January following the year in which the trustee served on the Board of Trustees. The number of Common Shares issued is determined by dividing the dollar amount each trustee elects to receive in the form of Common Shares by the average of the closing prices of Common Shares on the NYSE for the ten trading days preceding the date of payment.

        Each Chairperson of the Board's standing committees receives an additional fee, which is subject to the same cash or Common Shares election described above. New independent trustees receive a one-time grant of 2,500 restricted Common Shares, which vest ratably over three years subject to the recipient's continued service on the Board of Trustees. Five of the current independent trustees received this one-time grant of 2,500 restricted Common Shares upon completion of our IPO on December 14, 2009, and Mr. Miller received his grant on May 6, 2011, when he joined the Board of Trustees.

16

        The following table sets forth the compensation paid in 2016 to our independent trustees for their service to us as trustees.

Summary of Non-Executive Trustee 2016 Compensation

        For the year ending December 31, 2017, the Compensation Committee recommended, and the Board approved, that the amount of compensation we pay to our independent trustees for their service to us as trustees should remain the same as it was for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Share Ownership Guidelines for Independent Trustees

        The Board has established share ownership guidelines for independent trustees of the Company. The Board believes that encouraging each trustee to maintain a meaningful ownership interest in the Company relative to his or her annual fees for service as a trustee is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

        Pursuant to the guidelines, the Board recommends that each trustee should, within five years of joining the Board, own shares in the Company having an aggregate value equal to or greater than three times the amount of his or her total annual compensation for service on the Board, including any fees for service as a committee chairperson, in effect at the time of their joining the Board. The guidelines further provide that Common Shares, restricted Common Shares subject to time-based vesting, deferred Common Shares, if any, preferred shares of beneficial interest of the Company, $0.01 par value per share ("Preferred Shares"), units of limited partnership interest in the Company's operating partnership designated as LTIP units ("LTIP units") and LTIP units subject to time-based vesting count toward the

17

recommended level of share ownership. The guidelines further provide that trustees have five years from the date of any increases in annual compensation to attain the recommended level of share ownership based on the increased compensation. Under the guidelines, shares will be valued at the greater of (i) the average of their closing prices on the NYSE for the ten trading days preceding the date of determination and (ii) the price paid for the shares, or, in the case of share grants, the value or price used to determine the applicable grant. Subsequent declines in the market value of those shares will not change the Board's determination. The Board has determined that all six of our independent trustees own shares in excess of their respective recommended levels of share ownership for independent trustees.

Nomination of Trustees

        Before each annual meeting of shareholders, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers the nomination of all current trustees and also considers new candidates whenever there is a vacancy on the Board of Trustees or whenever a vacancy is anticipated due to a change in the size or composition of the Board of Trustees, a retirement of a trustee or for any other reason. In addition to considering incumbent trustees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee identifies trustee candidates based on recommendations from the trustees, shareholders, management and others. Although the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may in the future engage the services of third-party search firms to assist in identifying or evaluating trustee candidates, no such firm was engaged in 2016.

        The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee annually evaluates the effectiveness of the Board of Trustees as a whole and of each individual trustee and identifies any areas in which the Board of Trustees would be better served by adding new members with different skills, backgrounds or areas of experience, and whether the average tenure of our trustees is appropriate for the Company. The Board of Trustees considers trustee candidates, including those nominated by shareholders, based on a number of factors including: whether the candidate will be "independent," as such term is defined by the NYSE listing standards; whether the candidate possesses the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values; whether the candidate contributes to the overall diversity of the Board of Trustees; and whether the candidate has an inquisitive and objective perspective, practical wisdom and mature judgment. Candidates are also evaluated on their understanding of our business, experience and willingness to devote adequate time to carrying out their duties as trustees of the Company. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also monitors the mix of skills, experience, background and length of service on the Board of the trustees to assure that the Board of Trustees has the necessary composition to effectively perform its oversight function.

        We do not have a formal policy about diversity of Board membership, but the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does consider a broad range of factors when nominating trustee candidates to the Board of Trustees, including differences of viewpoint, professional experience, education, skill, other personal qualities and attributes, race, gender and national origin. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee neither includes nor excludes any candidate from consideration solely based on the candidate's diversity traits.

        The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider appropriate nominees for trustees whose names are submitted in writing by a shareholder of the Company. Trustee candidates submitted by our shareholders will be evaluated by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee on the same basis as any other trustee candidates. Nominations must be addressed to Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1100 West, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, Attn: Raymond D. Martz, Secretary, and must describe the nominee's qualifications and other relevant biographical information and provide confirmation of the nominee's consent to serve as a trustee if elected. In order to be considered for the next annual election of trustees, any such written request

18

must comply with the requirements set forth in our Bylaws and as set forth below under "Other Matters—Shareholder Proposals."

        In addition, shareholders have what is commonly known as the right to "proxy access." A shareholder, or a group of up to 20 shareholders, owning at least 3% of the outstanding Common Shares continuously for at least the prior 3 years may nominate for election to the Board, and include in the Company's proxy materials for its annual meeting of shareholders, nominees representing up to 20% of the number of trustees then serving on the Board (rounding down to the closest whole number). See "Corporate Governance Matters—Shareholder Right to Proxy Access."

Executive Sessions of Our Independent Trustees

        As required by the NYSE rules, the independent trustees, or the non-management trustees, of the Board regularly meet in executive session, without members of management present. Generally, these executive sessions follow regularly scheduled meetings of the Board. In 2016, the independent trustees of the Board met in executive session four times. Our Lead Trustee, Mr. Miller, presides over executive sessions of the Board.

        We have implemented procedures for interested parties, including shareholders, who wish to communicate directly with our independent trustees. We believe that providing a method for interested parties to communicate directly with our independent trustees, rather than with the full Board of Trustees, provides a more confidential, candid and efficient method of relaying any interested party's concerns or comments. See "—Communication with the Board of Trustees, Lead Trustee, Independent Trustees and the Audit Committee."

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

        The Compensation Committee consists of Mr. Schall (Chairperson), Ms. Donnell, Mr. Jackson and Ms. Wright. None of the members of the Compensation Committee is or has been one of our employees or officers. None of our executive officers currently serves, or during the past fiscal year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of another entity that has one or more executive officers serving on the Board of Trustees or the Compensation Committee.

Corporate Governance Matters

Conflicts of Interest and Related Party Matters

        Our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which apply to our officers, trustees and employees when such individuals are acting for or on our behalf, provide in writing that each member of the Board of Trustees will disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the Board and, if appropriate, refrain from voting on a matter in which the trustee may have a conflict of interest. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which applies to our officers, trustees and employees, requires our officers, trustees and employees to report any actual or potential conflict of interest to a supervisor, manager or other appropriate personnel. Any waiver of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for our executive officers or trustees may be made only by the Board of Trustees or one of the Board's committees. We anticipate that any waivers of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be posted on our website. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics can be found under "Corporate Governance" in the "Investor Relations" section of our website at www.pebblebrookhotels.com.

        The Board of Trustees is responsible for reviewing any transactions in which an executive officer or trustee, any nominee for trustee or any immediate family member of any such person has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics expressly prohibits the continuation of any conflict of interest by an employee, officer or trustee except under guidelines approved by the Board of Trustees. Because the facts and circumstances regarding potential conflicts are difficult to predict, the Board of Trustees has not adopted a written policy for evaluating general conflicts of interests. In the event a conflict of interest arises concerning a matter to be voted on by the Board or any of its committees, the Board of Trustees will review, among other things, the facts and circumstances of the conflict, the Company's applicable corporate governance policies, the effects of any potential waivers of those policies, applicable state law, and NYSE continued listing rules and regulations, and will consider the advice of counsel, before making any decisions regarding the conflict.

19

        The Board has adopted a policy for evaluating potential conflicts of interest with respect to investments by our trustees and executive officers in hotel properties. This policy provides that our trustees and executive officers may not acquire a controlling interest or a 5% or greater equity interest in any hotel property or hotel development project without first receiving approval from our Chief Executive Officer and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The policy does not apply to investments in publicly traded securities and passive investments in private entities such as limited partnerships or limited liability companies.

Shareholder Right to Proxy Access

        We were one of the first lodging REITs to provide our shareholders with a right to submit trustee nominees for inclusion in our proxy statement if both the shareholder proponents and the trustee nominees satisfy the requirements specified in our Bylaws. This right is commonly known as "proxy access."

        After extensive conversations with many of our largest investors, several of whom have owned Common Shares since the IPO, we adopted a "3/3/20/20" model for proxy access. A shareholder (or a group of up to 20 shareholders) owning at least 3% of the outstanding Common Shares for at least 3 years may submit trustee nominees (up to 20% of the Board, rounded down) for inclusion in our proxy statement by satisfying the requirements specified in Sections 11 and 12 of Article II of our Bylaws.

Shareholder Right to Amend Bylaws

        We provide our shareholders the right to amend our Bylaws by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Common Shares then outstanding and entitled to vote.

        After extensive conversations with many of our largest investors, several of whom have owned Common Shares since the IPO, we adopted a "3/3/20" model for bylaws amendments proposals. A shareholder (or a group of up to 20 shareholders) owning at least 3% of the outstanding Common Shares for at least 3 years may propose amendments to adopt, alter or repeal our Bylaws, or to make new bylaws, for inclusion in our proxy statement by satisfying the requirements specified in Sections 11 and 12 of Article II of our Bylaws.

Trustee Resignation Policy—Policy on Voting Regarding Trustees

        The Company has a trustee resignation policy as part of our policy on voting procedures with respect to the election of trustees. Pursuant to the policy, in an uncontested election of trustees, any nominee who receives a greater number of votes withheld from his or her election than votes for his or her election must, within two weeks following certification of the shareholder vote by the Company, submit a written resignation offer to the Board of Trustees for consideration by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider the resignation offer and, within 60 days following certification by the Company of the shareholder vote at the election, make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees concerning the acceptance or rejection of the resignation offer.

        In determining its recommendation to the Board of Trustees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider all factors its members deem relevant, which may include:

•

any stated reason or reasons why shareholders who cast "withhold" votes for the trustee did so;



•

the qualifications of the trustee; and



•

whether the trustee's resignation from the Board of Trustees would be in the Company's best interests and the best interests of our shareholders.

20

        The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also consider alternatives to acceptance or rejection of the trustee's resignation offer as the members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee deem appropriate, which may include:

•

continued service by the trustee until the next relevant meeting of shareholders;



•

rejection of the resignation offer; or



•

rejection of the resignation offer coupled with a commitment to seek to address the underlying cause or causes of the majority-withheld vote.

        The Board of Trustees will take formal action on the recommendation no later than 90 days following certification of the shareholder vote by the Company. In considering the recommendation, the Board of Trustees will consider the information, factors and alternatives considered by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and any additional information, factors and alternatives as the Board of Trustees deems relevant. The recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will not be binding on the Board. Any trustee tendering a resignation offer will not participate in the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee or Board's consideration of whether to accept the resignation offer. We will publicly disclose, in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC, the decision of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will also provide an explanation of the process by which the decision was made and, if applicable, its reason or reasons for rejecting the tendered resignation.

Board and Management Leadership

        Lead Trustee.    Mr. Miller serves as Lead Trustee in addition to serving as the Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Lead Trustee presides over executive sessions of the independent trustees and meetings of the full Board of Trustees when our Chairman is absent, in each case coordinating the agenda and moderating the discussion. The Lead Trustee may also, as needed, call meetings of the independent trustees and act as principal liaison between the independent trustees and our Chief Executive Officer in discussing issues from the executive sessions and other meetings of the independent trustees.

        Chairman of the Board.    Mr. Bortz serves as both our Chairman of the Board and our Chief Executive Officer. We believe that it is in the best interests of our Company and our shareholders for Mr. Bortz to serve as our Chairman, because of his unique insight into the Company as well as the lodging industry and his excellent reputation among institutional investors. We believe that regular meetings of independent trustees, without management present, and permitting all trustees to add items to the agenda of meetings of the Board and its committees mitigates the risk that having our Chief Executive Officer serve as our Chairman may cause management to have undue influence on the Board of Trustees.

Risk Management

        The Board of Trustees takes an active and informed role in the Company's risk management policies and strategies. At least annually, the Company's executive officers, who are responsible for the Company's day-to-day risk management practices, present to the Board of Trustees a comprehensive report on the material risks to the Company, including credit risks, liquidity risks, financial risks and operational risks (including cyber-related risks). At that time, the management team also reviews with the Board of Trustees the Company's risk mitigation policies and strategies specific to each risk that is identified. If necessary, the Board of Trustees may delegate specific risk management tasks to management or a committee of the Board. Throughout the year, management monitors the Company's risk profile and updates the Board of Trustees as new material risks are identified or the aspects of a risk previously presented to the Board materially change. The Audit Committee also actively monitors

21

risks to the Company throughout the year, and, with the aid of management, identifies any additional risks that need to be elevated for the consideration of the full Board of Trustees. For a description of our risk management considerations with respect to compensation in particular, see "Executive Officer Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Other Factors Considered by the Compensation Committee—Risk Management Considerations."

Indemnification and Limitation of Trustees' and Officers' Liability

        Our declaration of trust authorizes us, and our Bylaws require us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to indemnify (i) any present or former trustee or officer or (ii) any individual who, while serving as our trustee or officer and at our request, serves or has served as a trustee, director, officer, partner, member, manager, employee or agent of another real estate investment trust, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or any other enterprise, from and against any claim or liability to which such person may become subject or which such person may incur by reason of his or her service in such capacity or capacities, and to pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of such a proceeding. We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our trustees and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law and advancements by us of certain expenses and costs relating to claims, suits or proceedings arising from their service to us.

        Maryland 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 real estate investment trust and its shareholders for money damages except for liability resulting from (i) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (ii) active or deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action. Our declaration of trust contains a provision which limits the liability of our trustees and officers to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.

Communication with the Board of Trustees, Lead Trustee, Independent Trustees and the Audit Committee

        Any party may contact the Board of Trustees, the Lead Trustee or any independent trustee via mail at the following address:

Board of Trustees/Lead Trustee/name of independent trustee
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust
7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1100 West
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

        In addition, the Audit Committee has adopted confidential, anonymous processes for anyone to send communications to the Audit Committee with concerns or complaints concerning the Company's regulatory compliance, accounting, audit or internal controls issues. Any party may contact the Audit Committee via mail at the following address:

Ms. Cydney C. Donnell,
Chairperson, Audit Committee of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust
c/o David C. Wright
Hunton & Williams LLP
Riverfront Plaza, East Tower
951 East Byrd Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219

22

Biographical Information Regarding Executive Officers Who Are Not Trustees

23

PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

        The Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Company has selected the accounting firm of KPMG LLP ("KPMG") to serve as the independent registered public accountants of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2017, and the Board of Trustees is asking shareholders to ratify this appointment. Although current laws, rules and regulations, as well as the Audit Committee charter, require the Company's independent auditor to be engaged, retained and supervised by the Audit Committee, the Board of Trustees considers the appointment of the independent auditor to be an important matter for shareholders and is submitting the appointment of KPMG for ratification by shareholders as a matter of good corporate practice. KPMG has served as the Company's independent registered public accountants since the Company's formation in October 2009 and is considered by management of the Company to be well qualified.

Fee Disclosure

        The following is a summary of the fees billed to the Company by KPMG for professional services rendered for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015:

Audit Fees

        "Audit Fees" consist of fees and expenses billed for professional services rendered to audit financial statements, assess effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, review interim consolidated financial statements, review registration statements and prepare comfort letters, services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.

Audit-Related Fees

        "Audit-Related Fees" consist of fees and expenses for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements that are not "Audit Fees."

Tax Fees

        "Tax Fees" consist of fees and related expenses billed for professional services for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning. These services include assistance regarding federal and state tax compliance and tax planning and structuring.

All Other Fees

        "All Other Fees" consist of fees and expenses for products and services that are not "Audit Fees," "Audit-Related Fees" or "Tax Fees."

24

Pre-Approval Policy

        All audit, tax and other services provided to us are reviewed and pre-approved by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee concluded that the provision of such services by KPMG was compatible with the maintenance of that firm's independence in the conduct of its auditing functions. All of the fees paid to KPMG that are described above were approved by the Board.

        We expect that a representative of KPMG will be present at the Annual Meeting, will be given the opportunity to make a statement if he or she so desires and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

        The Audit Committee has considered whether, and has determined that, the provision by KPMG of the services described under "Audit-Related Fees," "Tax Fees" and "Other Fees" is compatible with maintaining KPMG's independence from management and the Company.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" PROPOSAL 2.

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

        The Audit Committee oversees the Company's financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of Trustees, in accordance with the Audit Committee charter. Management has the primary responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process, including the system of internal controls. In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviewed with management the audited financial statements included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and discussed with management the quality, not just the acceptability, of the accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments and the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements. The Audit Committee also reviewed and discussed with management the Company's year-end earnings release.

        The Audit Committee reviewed with the independent registered public accountants, who are responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of the Company's audited financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles, their judgments as to the quality, not just the acceptability, of the Company's accounting principles and such other matters as are required to be discussed with the Audit Committee under generally accepted auditing standards. In addition, the Audit Committee has discussed with the independent registered public accountants the auditors' independence and the matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 1301 (Communications with Audit Committees) as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB"), and discussed and received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent registered public accountants required by the PCAOB regarding the independent auditors' communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence.

        The Audit Committee discussed with the Company's independent registered public accountants the overall scope and plans for their audit. The Audit Committee met four times in 2016 with the independent registered public accountants, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examinations, their evaluations of the Company's internal controls and the overall quality of the Company's financial reporting. The Audit Committee held meetings with management prior to the filing of each of the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q with the SEC and the release to the public of the Company's quarterly earnings, and reviewed and discussed with management the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its quarterly earnings releases.

        In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Trustees (and the Board approved) that the audited financial statements be included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the SEC.

25

        The Audit Committee is also responsible for monitoring the Company's procedures for compliance with the rules for taxation as a REIT under Sections 856-860 of the Code.

        The members of the Audit Committee are not professionally engaged in the practice of auditing or accounting. Members of the Audit Committee rely, without independent verification, on the information provided to them and on the representations made by management and the independent registered public accountants. Accordingly, the Audit Committee's oversight does not provide an independent basis to determine that management has maintained appropriate accounting and financial reporting principles or appropriate internal controls and procedures designed to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and regulations. Furthermore, the Audit Committee's considerations and discussions referred to above do not assure that the audit of the Company's financial statements has been carried out in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, that the financial statements are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles or that KPMG LLP is in fact "independent."

        The Audit Committee has adopted a written charter that outlines certain specified responsibilities of the Audit Committee and complies with the rules of the SEC and the NYSE.

        Each member of the Audit Committee is independent as defined by the NYSE listing standards and each member is financially literate. The Board of Trustees has identified each of Ms. Donnell and Ms. Wright as an "audit committee financial expert" within the meaning of the SEC rules.

Submitted by the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees
Cydney C. Donnell (Chairperson)
Phillip M. Miller
Earl E. Webb
Laura H. Wright

26

PROPOSAL 3: APPROVAL, BY ADVISORY AND NON-BINDING VOTE,
OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS' COMPENSATION

        In accordance with the requirements of Section 14A of the Exchange Act, and as previously reported, the Board has determined that we will hold annually a non-binding, advisory vote on the compensation paid to our named executive officers.

        Accordingly, we are asking our shareholders to approve, in an advisory and non-binding vote, the following resolution in respect of this Proposal 3:

        "NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the shareholders approve, in an advisory and non-binding vote, the compensation of the Company's named executive officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement relating to the Company's 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders."

        This vote is advisory, and therefore not binding on the Company, the Board or the Compensation Committee. However, the Board and the Compensation Committee value the opinions of the Company's shareholders and, to the extent there is any significant vote against the named executive officer compensation as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, we will consider that vote and the Compensation Committee will evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address those concerns.

        The Compensation Committee has developed and maintained a compensation program that is intended to reward performance and encourage actions that drive success in our business objectives. As described in more detail under "Executive Officer Compensation," the Company's primary objective is to deliver attractive, risk-adjusted long-term total returns to shareholders through appreciation in the value of Common Shares and by providing income to shareholders through distributions from distributable cash flow. The Company's compensation philosophy and structure for our senior executives is designed to achieve these objectives.

        The following is a summary of the Company's compensation philosophy's components and the rationale for those components.

        Compensation should reinforce business objectives and Company values.    The Company strives to provide a rewarding and professionally challenging work environment for its executive officers. The Company believes that executive officers who are motivated and challenged by their duties are more likely to achieve the individual and corporate performance goals approved by the Compensation Committee. The Company's executive compensation package should reflect this work environment and performance expectations.

        Executive officers should be retained and motivated.    The primary purpose of the Company's executive compensation program is to achieve the Company's business objectives by attracting, retaining and motivating talented executive officers by providing them financial incentives and economic security.

        A significant percentage of compensation for executive officers should be based on performance.    Performance-based pay aligns the interests of management with those of the Company's shareholders by motivating and rewarding individual efforts and Company success. We provide performance-based pay in the form of equity awards that may vest based on actual results of certain metrics at the end of multi-year measurement periods and cash bonus arrangements that may pay out based on actual results of certain metrics after a one-year measurement period. For 2016, approximately 53% to 60% of the executive officers' target total compensation was linked to achievement of the Company's objectives and performance. In terms of actual total compensation for 2016, approximately 56% to 64% was linked to achievement of the Company's objectives and performance. For 2017, approximately 54% to 61% of the executive officers' target total compensation is at risk based on both absolute and relative performance over one- and three-year measurement periods.

27

        Compensation should align interests of executive officers with those of shareholders.    The Company seeks to align these interests by providing that a significant portion of executive officers' compensation takes the form of Common Shares and LTIP units. Through share ownership guidelines for executive officers, grants of restricted Common Shares and LTIP units that vest over a period of years and grants of performance-based equity awards, the value of the executive officers' total compensation should increase as total returns to shareholders increase. Moreover, the Company's executive compensation is designed to reward favorable total shareholder returns, both in an absolute amount and relative to peers of the Company, taking into consideration the Company's competitive position within the real estate industry and each executive's long-term career contributions to the Company.

        Compensation should be competitive.    To attract and reduce the risk of losing the services of valuable executive officers but avoid the expense of excessive pay, compensation should be competitive. The Compensation Committee assesses the competitiveness of the Company's compensation to its executive officers by comparison to compensation of executive officers at certain other public companies.

        For 2016, executive compensation consisted of three main components: (i) annual cash base salaries; (ii) annual cash incentive bonuses based on performance against the one-year management business objectives established at the beginning of the year; and (iii) two forms of long-term equity-based compensation—40% as restricted share awards subject to time-based vesting provisions over a three-year period and 60% as performance-based equity awards subject to performance-based vesting provisions over a three-year performance period. We discuss each of these three components in more detail under "Compensation Discussion and Analysis."

        In determining the actual cash incentive bonuses for our named executive officers, and as described further in "Compensation Discussion and Analysis," the Compensation Committee reviewed progress made against planned annual performance objectives established at the beginning of 2016. The Compensation Committee noted the following particular areas of achievement against those objectives when approving the bonuses for our named executive officers in early 2017:

•

Hotel operating performance improvement exceeded that of our peers by over 90%:  our same-property hotel-level earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") for the year ended December 31, 2016 grew by 4.4% compared to the prior year, whereas the average growth in same-property hotel-level EBITDA of the REITs in the full-service hotel sector whom we consider to be our peers was 2.2%. We consider Chesapeake Lodging Trust, DiamondRock Hospitality Company, Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., LaSalle Hotel Properties, Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. and Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. to be our peers (the "Peer Group").



•

Adjusted funds from operations ("Adjusted FFO") growth exceeded that of our peers by over 300%:  our Adjusted FFO for the year ended December 31, 2016 grew by 11.2% compared to the prior year, whereas the average growth in Adjusted FFO of the Peer Group was 2.7%.



•

Successfully completed or consummated numerous strategic projects and initiatives on time and within budget:  for 2016, we relaunched Hotel Zeppelin on time and under our initial budget; completed the renovation and rebranding of Hotel Colonnade Coral Gables; concluded the renovation of the guestrooms and public space at Hotel Monaco Washington DC while also reconcepting and relaunching the restaurant to a new concept, Dirty Habit; commenced the comprehensive renovation at Revere Hotel Boston Common; and focused on improving the performance at a select number of hotels.



•

Completed multiple strategic dispositions and unwound our interest in our New York joint venture :  we completed dispositions of Viceroy Miami, The Redbury Hotel, DoubleTree Bethesda and a land parcel at Revere Hotel Boston Common. In addition, we redeemed our

28

equity interest in our New York joint venture, which resulted in our taking ownership of two of the joint venture's hotel properties. Following that redemption, we sold the Manhattan NYC and thereby reduced our New York exposure to one property, Dumont NYC.

•

Successfully originated $150 million in term loans, paid off $169 million of debt maturities, redeemed $225 million of preferred shares and issued $125 million of preferred shares:  The term loans consist of two $75 million accordions, with maturity dates in January 2021 and April 2022; the $169 million of debt maturities bear a weighted-average interest rate of 5.2%; the $225 million of preferred shares we redeemed had a weighted-average distribution rate of 7.9%; and the $125 million of preferred shares we newly issued have a distribution rate of 6.375%.



•

Maintained financial controls and risk management:  the audit of our internal controls and procedures again found no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, as set forth in the audit reports filed as part of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

        We believe that the Compensation Committee has developed a compensation program for our named executive officers that motivates outstanding performance and rewards behavior that aligns management's interest with those of shareholders.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" PROPOSAL 3.

29

PROPOSAL 4: NON-BINDING SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL FROM THE UNION TO ADOPT A MAJORITY VOTING STANDARD FOR UNCONTESTED ELECTIONS OF TRUSTEES

        Set forth in the italicized text below is a shareholder proposal (the "Union Proposal") and supporting statement that we received from UNITE HERE! (the "Union"), 275 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001. The Union is the largest union representing hotel workers in the United States.

        The Union represents hotel workers who are employees of operators at some of our hotels. The Union has advised us that it is the beneficial owner of 150 Common Shares, which constitute approximately 0.0002% of the outstanding Common Shares.

        The italicized text below contains the Union Proposal and supporting statement as submitted to us by the Union. The Union bears sole responsibility for the contents of the Union Proposal and supporting statement. If the Union Proposal is properly brought before the Annual Meeting or at any adjournment or postponement thereof, the Union Proposal will be voted upon.

        The affirmative vote of a majority of all the votes cast on the Union Proposal at the Annual Meeting is necessary for approval of the proposal. If approved, the Union Proposal would be a non-binding recommendation to the Board of Trustees.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECOMMENDS THAT YOU
VOTE "FOR" THE UNION PROPOSAL.

Shareholder Proposal

        RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (the "Company") recommend that the Board of Directors ("the Board") take all steps necessary to require director nominees to be elected by an affirmative vote of the majority of votes cast for uncontested director elections, that is, when the number of director nominees is the same as the number of board seats, with a plurality vote standard retained for contested director elections, that is, when the number of director nominees exceeds the number of board seats.

Supporting Statement

        We believe that the accountability of the board of directors to its shareholders is integral to the success of our Company. The election of directors is a fundamental right of shareholders. However, when directors are elected using a plurality vote standard, as is used by our Company, director elections are less meaningful.

        Under the plurality vote standard, a nominee for the board can be elected with as little as a single vote, even if a substantial majority of the votes cast are "withheld" from the nominee. For this reason, we believe that plurality voting should only be used in contested director elections. We recommend that our Company change its director election vote standard to a majority vote standard, under which a director must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected. Furthermore, we recommend that the Board adopt a director resignation policy providing for the replacement of directors who do not receive the required vote for election.

        The majority vote standard for director elections is fast becoming the norm at listed companies. Eighty-eight percent of S&P 500 companies have adopted a majority vote standard. The Council of Institutional Investors has launched a campaign urging Russell 3000 boards to do likewise. A majority of listed lodging REITs currently use a majority vote standard for uncontested director elections. In 2016, Ernst and Young reported that shareholder proposals to adopt a majority vote standard for director elections received the support of 69% of votes cast, on average.

        Directors of Pebblebrook, a lodging REIT formed near the beginning of the current lodging cycle, have enjoyed high levels of shareholder support. Industry fundamentals, however, reflect the maturing of the

30

current cycle; Wells Fargo analysts report that supply growth is expected reach 3% in major markets in 2017, outstripping expected GDP growth (predictive of demand). Growth in Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) has been decelerating since late 2014 after several consecutive years of increase. Adopting a majority vote standard for director elections as the lodging cycle matures sends a signal to shareholders that board members will be accountable to shareholders at times when the lodging industry begins to face greater challenges.

        We urge shareholders to recommend Pebblebrook join the majority of its peer listed lodging REITs and adopt a majority vote standard for uncontested director elections.

Our Statement in Support of the Union Proposal

        The Union Proposal is the third shareholder proposal submitted to the Company by the Union. At our 2015 annual meeting, the Union proposed that we opt out of all of the provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law commonly known as the Maryland Unsolicited Takeovers Act. The Board recommended that shareholders vote against the proposal, and the proposal was overwhelmingly defeated by a shareholder vote of 41.9 million (62.9%) "against" and only 24.7 million (37.1%) "for." At our 2016 annual meeting, the Union proposed that we amend the Bylaws to permit shareholders to amend the Bylaws. In June 2016, a member of the Union filed a lawsuit against the Company, providing another example demonstrating that the Union's economic interests are not aligned with those of the Company and its other shareholders. The Board recommended that shareholders vote against the proposal, and that proposal, too, was overwhelmingly defeated by a shareholder vote of 46.7 million (69.9%) "against" and only 20.1 million "for." In both cases, the Board determined that the proposals were not in the best interests of the Company.

        In contrast to the Board's determination regarding the Union's prior two proposals, the Board has determined that the proposal as submitted by the Union this year is good corporate governance and is in the best interests of the Company. The Board carefully considers proposals from every shareholder, regardless of the possible motives that a shareholder proponent may have.

        After careful consideration and discussion with several of our larger shareholders, the Board is recommending that shareholders vote in favor of the Union Proposal.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THE UNION PROPOSAL.

31

PROPOSAL 5: ADVISORY AND NON-BINDING VOTE ON FREQUENCY OF
VOTE REGARDING EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

        In accordance with the requirements of Section 14A of the Exchange Act (which was added by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the related rules of the SEC), we are including in this Proxy Statement a separate resolution to request that our shareholders recommend, in an advisory and non-binding vote, whether a non-binding shareholder vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers (that is, a vote similar to the advisory and non-binding vote in Proposal 3 set forth beginning on page 28 of this Proxy Statement) should occur every one, two or three years.

        Accordingly, you may cast your advisory and non-binding vote on your preferred voting frequency by choosing the option of one year, two years, three years or abstain from voting when you vote in response to the following resolution:

        "NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the voting choice of once every year, once every two years, or once every three years that receives the highest number of votes cast in connection with this resolution will be considered to be the frequency preferred by shareholders on an advisory basis for the Company to hold a non-binding vote to approve the compensation of the named executive officers."

        The option of one year, two years or three years that receives a majority of all the votes cast will be the frequency for the advisory and non-binding vote regarding executive compensation that has been selected by shareholders. In the event that no option receives a majority of the votes cast, we will consider the option that receives the most votes to be the option selected by shareholders. However, because this vote is advisory and not binding on the Board or the Company in any way, the Board may decide that it is in the best interests of the Company to hold an advisory and non-binding vote regarding executive compensation more or less frequently than the frequency selected by shareholders.

        In considering their vote, shareholders may wish to carefully review the information presented in connection with Proposal 3 beginning on page 28 of this Proxy Statement and the information regarding our compensation policies and decisions regarding our named executive officers presented in this Proxy Statement.

        We believe a one-year voting frequency is consistent with both our approach to good corporate governance and our approach to offering a compensation program that has both short- and long-term compensation components.

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "1 YEAR" FOR PROPOSAL 5.

32

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

        The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis contained in this Proxy Statement ("CD&A") with management of the Company. Based on the Compensation Committee's review of the CD&A and the Compensation Committee's discussions of the CD&A with management, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Trustees (and the Board of Trustees has approved) that the CD&A be included in the Company's Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A prepared in connection with the Annual Meeting.

Submitted by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Trustees
Michael J. Schall (Chairperson)
Cydney C. Donnell
Ron E. Jackson
Laura H. Wright

EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Overview

        The Company's primary objective is to deliver attractive long-term total returns to shareholders through appreciation in the value of Common Shares and by providing income to shareholders through distributions from distributable cash flow. To do so, the Company seeks to enhance the return from, and the value of, the hotels in which it invests. We have established a compensation philosophy and structure for our three named executive officers that are designed to achieve these objectives. Our named executive officers are: Jon E. Bortz, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer; Raymond D. Martz, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary; and Thomas C. Fisher, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer.

        The Company was formed in October 2009, completed its IPO in December 2009 and, as of December 31, 2016, owned 29 hotel properties. As the Company has matured, we have modified our executive compensation accordingly, to continue to provide appropriate incentives to management and alignment with shareholders' interests. In 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Compensation Committee retained Mercer, an independent compensation consulting firm, to assist the Compensation Committee with its responsibilities related to the Company's executive officer compensation program. The Compensation Committee has determined that Mercer meets the criteria for an independent consultant in accordance with SEC guidelines for such services. The Compensation Committee did not retain an independent compensation consulting firm in 2015, 2016 or 2017, having determined that the Company and the compensation program had sufficiently matured not to require a consultant's services for those years.

33

        The following table summarizes the primary components and rationale of our compensation philosophy and the pay elements that support that philosophy.

34

35

Role of the Compensation Committee

        The Compensation Committee determines compensation for Messrs. Bortz, Martz and Fisher, our named executive officers. The Compensation Committee consists of Mr. Schall (Chairperson), Ms. Donnell, Mr. Jackson and Ms. Wright, four of the Board's independent trustees. The Compensation Committee exercises independent discretion in respect of executive compensation matters, including the retention or termination of any compensation consultant. Although the Compensation Committee may not delegate its primary responsibility of overseeing executive officer compensation, it may delegate to management the administrative aspects of our compensation plans that do not involve the setting of compensation levels for our named executive officers. As part of the executive compensation determination process, the Compensation Committee seeks input from the trustees who are not on the Compensation Committee and the Chief Executive Officer, whose recommendations are evaluated along with all other compensation data gathered by the Compensation Committee.

        Within the first two months of each year, a list of management business objectives ("MBOs") for the named executive officers is prepared for that year and each named executive officer's actual annual cash incentive bonus (discussed below) is later determined based on performance against the MBOs. MBOs may vary from year to year and may consist of matters such as achievement of specified financial performance at individual hotels or the portfolio overall; success in the pursuit of new hotel investments or hotel divestments; achievement of particular business operating goals, such as asset management initiatives, renovations or repositioning of hotels; development and maintenance of compliance programs; and development of strategic plans. MBOs focus, in part, on enhancing the return from, and value of, the Company's hotels. Each year's proposed MBOs are reviewed by the Compensation Committee, which may modify the proposed MBOs. The final MBOs are approved by the Compensation Committee and the Board of Trustees. On a quarterly basis, the executive officers provide the Compensation Committee and the Board of Trustees status reports on the progress toward achieving the MBOs.

        In February 2016, the Company prepared a report for the Compensation Committee to assess the competitiveness of the Company's compensation levels for the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Investment Officer. The report consisted of information and an analysis of the compensation programs of a peer group of 11 publicly traded REITs, comparing the Company's compensation of the named executive officers to that of officers at comparable levels of those companies. The 11 REITs whose information was included in the report were lodging REITs (Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc., Chesapeake Lodging Trust, DiamondRock Hospitality Company, FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated, Hersha Hospitality Trust, LaSalle Hotel Properties, RLJ Lodging Trust, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. and Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.) and non-lodging REITs (EPR Properties and Washington Prime Group Inc. (formerly WP Glimcher Inc.)).

        Taking this information and analysis into consideration, in February 2016, the Compensation Committee and the Board determined the compensation program for fiscal year 2016 for the named executive officers. In determining the program, the Compensation Committee and the Board also

36

considered the experience of the named executive officers, the executives' and the Company's previous results and the Company's goals for 2016 and beyond. Company objectives for 2016 were reviewed by the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and were then discussed, finalized and approved by the Compensation Committee and the Board. The MBOs for 2016 included: the Company's achievement of relative growth in hotel-level EBITDA measured against the average growth in the same measure of a group of six peer lodging REITs; achievement of relative growth in Adjusted FFO per Common Share measured against the average growth in the same measure of the same peer group; and achievement of particular business goals, such as certain capital re-investment programs, asset management initiatives, acquisition goals, financing/refinancing goals and internal controls and compliance. The objectives were structured to focus the executives, in part, on enhancing the return from, and value of, the Company's hotels. The six peer lodging REITs are Chesapeake Lodging Trust, DiamondRock Hospitality Company, Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., LaSalle Hotel Properties, Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. and Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc., and we refer to them collectively as the "Peer Group."

        The compensation program for fiscal year 2017 for the named executive officers was determined by the Compensation Committee and the Board in February 2017. The Compensation Committee reviewed a February 2017 comparison of the Company's compensation of the named executive officers to that of officers at comparable levels of the Peer Group companies. The Compensation Committee considered the comparison and also took into consideration the experience of the named executive officers, the executives' and the Company's previous results and the Company's goals for 2017 and beyond. Company objectives for 2017 were reviewed by the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and were then discussed, finalized and approved by the Compensation Committee and the Board. The MBOs for 2017 include: the Company's achievement of relative growth in hotel-level EBITDA measured against the average growth in the same measure of a group of six peer lodging REITs; achievement of growth in Adjusted FFO per Common Share measured against the same measure per share provided in the Company's budget; achievement of growth in the Company's RevPAR penetration index compared to the competitive sets for the Company's portfolio; identification of annualized hotel-level EBITDA improvements; and achievement of particular business goals, such as asset management initiatives, acquisition/disposition goals, financing/refinancing goals and internal controls and compliance. The objectives were structured to focus the executives, in part, on enhancing the return from, and value of, the Company's hotels.

        Shareholder Advisory Votes Regarding Executive Compensation.    The Compensation Committee also considers the results of the Company's most recent shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation when evaluating the Company's compensation program and considering changes to the program. At the 2016 Annual Meeting, the Company's shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favor of the compensation of our named executive officers: approximately 96% of the votes cast were in favor of the program. In light of these results, the Compensation Committee decided to continue to include in the 2017 executive compensation program all of the features of the compensation program previously approved by the Company's shareholders. The Board previously determined that future shareholder advisory votes on executive compensation will be submitted to shareholders of the Company annually until the next required advisory vote on the frequency of conducting advisory votes on executive compensation. This year, with Proposal 5, we are again asking shareholders to recommend, in an advisory and non-binding vote, whether a non-binding shareholder vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers should occur every one, two or three years.

Components and Criteria of Executive Compensation

        The Compensation Committee and the Board have determined that executive compensation should consist of: (i) annual cash base salaries; (ii) cash incentive bonuses based on performance against the one-year management business objectives established at the beginning of the year; and (iii) two forms

37

of long-term equity-based compensation—40% as restricted share awards subject to time-based vesting provisions over a three-year period and 60% as performance-based equity awards subject to performance-based vesting provisions over a three-year performance period. The Compensation Committee and the Board have structured the current program so that a significant portion of each named executive officer's overall compensation: (i) is earned and paid over a period of more than one year; (ii) depends on the Company's performance relative to that of peer lodging and similarly sized REITs; (iii) is, at target levels of compensation, measured against total target compensation paid by peer lodging REITs; and (iv) depends on the Company's total absolute and relative shareholder returns and other absolute and relative performance measurements. In this compensation framework, if the Company has poor relative performance and/or poor total shareholder returns, the named executive officers could receive incentive compensation below established target amounts (potentially as low as zero) and lower total compensation. In return, the named executive officers should have an opportunity, in the event of superior relative performance and superior total shareholder returns, to earn overall compensation packages significantly greater than established target amounts.

        In February 2016, the Compensation Committee and the Board determined that executive compensation for fiscal year 2016 would consist of the same components as in 2015: (i) annual cash base salaries; (ii) annual cash incentive bonuses based on performance against the MBOs established at the beginning of the year; and (iii) two forms of long-term equity-based compensation—40% as restricted share awards subject to time-based vesting provisions over a three-year period and 60% as performance-based equity awards subject to performance-based vesting provisions over a three-year performance period. Pursuant to the performance-based vesting provisions, the performance-based equity awards will vest after January 1, 2019 only if certain performance objectives are achieved. The following table shows each of the three components of target total compensation as a percentage of target total compensation for 2016 as determined by the Compensation Committee and the Board in February 2016.

        For fiscal year 2017, the Compensation Committee and the Board determined that executive compensation would consist of the same components that comprised the 2016 compensation program as described above. Pursuant to the performance-based vesting provisions, the performance-based equity awards will vest after January 1, 2020, only if certain performance objectives are achieved. The following table shows each of the three components of target total compensation as a percentage of

38

target total compensation for 2017 as determined by the Compensation Committee and the Board in February 2017.

        The following narrative discusses the components of fiscal year 2016 and 2017 compensation.

Base Salary

        Base salary is the only predictable form of annual cash compensation to our named executive officers and for that reason the Compensation Committee believes base salary is an important element of total compensation. The Compensation Committee believes that base salary should be commensurate with each named executive officer's position and experience, responsibility and accountability, subject to annual adjustments based on market conditions, peer group compensation, size and scope of the Company's operations and individual contributions and performance.

        For 2016 and 2017, the base salary of each of our named executive officers was based on the following qualitative and quantitative factors:

•

an amount considered necessary to retain the named executive officer;



•

an assessment of the scope of the named executive officer's responsibilities, leadership and individual role within the executive management team;



•

the named executive officer's reputation and experience in the lodging industry;



•

the competitive market compensation paid to executive officers in similar positions at peer REITs; and



•

the operating history, size and age of the Company.

        The Compensation Committee annually reviews the individual responsibilities and leadership attributes of each named executive officer. The Compensation Committee's review includes its evaluation of each named executive officer's role and contributions to the Company during the last year. Among other matters, the Compensation Committee considers the performance of employees managed by the named executive officers, the asset management strategies proposed or implemented by the named executive officer to improve hotel property performance, the status of the Company's hotel property acquisition and disposition activities, the Company's execution on short- and long-term strategic initiatives for which the named executive officer is responsible and the Company's compliance with applicable laws and regulations to the extent within the named executive officer's responsibility.

        In addition, the Compensation Committee measures a named executive officer's performance by his contributions with respect to the Company's MBOs, which, as described above, are reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee and the Board each year. Quarterly progress reports with respect to the MBOs provide the Compensation Committee with a regular update on the performance of the named executive officers. As noted elsewhere in this Proxy Statement, MBOs are primarily used

39

to determine the annual cash incentive bonus, but MBOs can also influence the Compensation Committee's determination of base salaries.

        The Compensation Committee's review of a named executive officer's role and contribution to the Company includes the observations of the Chief Executive Officer with respect to the performance of the other named executive officers, especially as to day-to-day responsibilities and intra-company leadership qualities and growth.

        With respect to each named executive officer's expertise and experience within the industry, the Compensation Committee considers involvement in industry or trade groups such as NAREIT and reputation in the institutional investor community, as well as awards or other recognition by industry or trade groups or other industry participants.

        The 2016 annual base salaries for the named executive officers are provided in the Summary Compensation Table located elsewhere in this Proxy Statement. For 2017, after considering an analysis regarding the compensation levels of executive officers of the Peer Group companies, the Compensation Committee and the Board decided not to increase the annual base salary of any of the named executive officers, having determined, among other things, that the current amounts are in line with those of the Company's peers and sufficient as part of the target compensation to retain and motivate each executive officer. As a result, the Compensation Committee and the Board approved annual base salaries for 2017 for Messrs. Bortz, Martz and Fisher of $750,000, $450,000 and $450,000, respectively.

Annual Cash Incentive Bonus

        The Compensation Committee emphasizes the importance of incentive cash compensation (the annual cash incentive bonus program) as a component of total compensation for the named executive officers. The Company believes this component of the Company's compensation program is an investment in high-quality, successful employees who can improve the operational performance of the Company's hotels and generate new business and transaction opportunities that create value for shareholders.

        The annual cash incentive bonus program is intended to compensate our named executive officers for achieving our annual goals at both the corporate and hotel property levels, as well as for implementing long-term plans and strategies. However, we do not guarantee any bonuses and actual amounts paid may range from 0% to 200% of the target amounts. In 2016, the target annual cash incentive bonuses were established based on MBOs described below as the 2016 Annual Objectives. The actual cash incentive bonus for 2016 was paid in the first quarter of 2017, after audited financial statements for 2016 for the Company and the data required to calculate performance against all of the MBOs became available, and when the Compensation Committee, after consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, determined the percentage above, at or below the target cash incentive bonuses the named executive officers should receive based upon the Company's achievement of the approved MBOs.

        For each executive, the 2016 target cash incentive bonus was contingent on the Company meeting the target levels of certain MBOs established by the Board ("2016 Annual Objectives"), which were set in February 2016 and were designed to align the incentives of the Company's employees and management with the interests of the Company's shareholders. The actual amount of cash bonus that was paid in 2017 for performance in 2016 depended on the Company's performance against the 2016 Annual Objectives and could have been as little as 0% and as much as 200% of the target cash incentive bonus. The Company does not guarantee any bonus.

40

        The 2016 Annual Objectives had three primary components:

•

35% of the target bonus, subject to a maximum of 87.5%, was based on the percentage growth of the Company's same-property hotel-level EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to that of the year ended December 31, 2015 relative to the average percentage growth in the same measure of the Peer Group (the "2016 EBITDA Growth Objective");



•

35%, subject to a maximum of 87.5%, was based on the percentage growth of the Company's Adjusted FFO per Common Share for the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to that of the year ended December 31, 2015 relative to the average percentage growth in the same measure per share for the Peer Group (the "2016 Adjusted FFO Growth Objective"); and



•

30%, subject to a maximum of 60.0%, was based on the degree to which particular business objectives, including asset management initiatives, acquisition/disposition goals, internal controls and compliance and finance and balance sheet goals, were executed and met (the "2016 Operating Objective").

        The level of performance against each of the 2016 Annual Objectives was measured relative to a target and was subject to a maximum and minimum, each of which varied by objective, as shown in the following table:

        Regardless of the Company's actual performance against one or more of the components of the 2016 Annual Objectives, no executive officer would have received more than a maximum of 200% of his target cash incentive bonus for an annual cash bonus incentive award. In addition, each component had a maximum cap on the percentage of the target cash incentive bonus that the executive officers

41

could have earned: 87.5%, 87.5% and 60% in the case of the 2016 EBITDA Growth Objective, the 2016 Adjusted FFO Growth Objective and the 2016 Operating Objective, respectively.

        For 2016, the Company's actual performance against each of the 2016 Annual Objectives was as follows:

        The Compensation Committee noted the following particular areas of achievement against the 2016 Annual Objectives when approving the actual cash incentive bonuses for our named executive officers in early 2017:

•

Hotel operating performance improvement exceeded that of our peers by over 90%:  our same-property hotel-level earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") for the year ended December 31, 2016 grew by 4.4% compared to the prior year, whereas the average growth in same-property hotel-level EBITDA of the REITs in the full-service hotel sector whom we consider to be our peers was 2.2%. We consider Chesapeake Lodging Trust, DiamondRock Hospitality Company, Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., LaSalle Hotel Properties, Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. and Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. to be our peers (the "Peer Group").



•

Adjusted funds from operations ("Adjusted FFO") growth exceeded that of our peers by over 300%:  our Adjusted FFO for the year ended December 31, 2016 grew by 11.2% compared to the prior year, whereas the average growth in Adjusted FFO of the Peer Group was 2.7%.



•

Successfully completed or consummated numerous strategic projects and initiatives on time and within budget:  for 2016, we relaunched Hotel Zeppelin on time and under our initial budget; completed the renovation and rebranding of Hotel Colonnade Coral Gables; concluded the renovation of the guestrooms and public space at Hotel Monaco Washington DC while also reconcepting and relaunching the restaurant to a new concept, Dirty Habit; commenced the comprehensive renovation at Revere Hotel Boston Common; and focused on improving the performance at a select number of hotels.



•

Completed multiple strategic dispositions and unwound our interest in our New York joint venture:  we completed dispositions of Viceroy Miami, The Redbury Hotel, DoubleTree Bethesda and a land parcel at Revere Hotel Boston Common. In addition, we redeemed our equity interest in our New York joint venture, which resulted in our taking ownership of two of the joint venture's hotel properties. Following that redemption, we sold the Manhattan NYC and thereby reduced our New York exposure to one property, Dumont NYC.



•

Successfully originated $150 million in term loans, paid off $169 million of debt maturities, redeemed $225 million of preferred shares and issued $125 million of preferred shares:  The term loans consist of two $75 million accordions, with maturity dates in January 2021 and April 2022; the $169 million of debt maturities bear a weighted-average interest rate of 5.2%; the $225 million of preferred shares we redeemed had a weighted-average distribution rate of 7.9%; and the $125 million of preferred shares we newly issued have a distribution rate of 6.375%.

42

•

Maintained financial controls and risk management:  the audit of our internal controls and procedures again found no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, as set forth in the audit reports filed as part of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

        Although the Company significantly exceeded the target level of performance of the 2016 Annual Objectives—including greatly exceeding the cap on the 2016 Adjusted FFO Growth Objective—the named executive officers recommended that the Compensation Committee reduce the payout percentage from the calculated 166.5% to a lower amount. The named executive officers made this recommendation in light of the performance of the Company's total shareholder return in 2016. Taking into account both this recommendation and the actual results for each of the 2016 Annual Objectives, the Compensation Committee determined, in its sole discretion, that it would reduce the payout percentage to 150.0% of the target cash incentive bonuses for 2016. As a result, Mr. Bortz received $1,687,500 and Messrs. Martz and Fisher each received $600,000.

        For 2017, the target cash incentive bonus for Mr. Bortz is $1,203,750 (which is 161% of his annual base salary, or approximately 32% of target total compensation, which includes the grant of time-based restricted Common Shares and performance-based equity awards discussed below). The target cash incentive bonus for each of Messrs. Martz and Fisher is $428,000 (which is 95% of his annual base salary, or approximately 26% of target total compensation, which includes the grant of time-based restricted Common Shares and performance-based equity awards discussed below).

        For each executive, the target cash incentive bonus is contingent on the Company meeting the target levels of certain MBOs established by the Board ("2017 Annual Objectives"), which were set in February 2017 and are designed to align the incentives of the Company's employees and management with the interests of the Company's shareholders. The actual amount of cash bonus that will be paid in 2018 for performance in 2017 will depend on the Company's performance against the 2017 Annual Objectives and could be as little as 0% and as much as 200% of the target cash incentive bonus. The Company does not guarantee any bonus.

        There are five 2017 Annual Objectives:

•

30%, subject to a maximum of 90%, will be based on the percentage growth of the Company's comparable hotel-level EBITDA from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017 compared to the average percentage growth in the same measure for the Peer Group (the "2017 EBITDA Growth Objective");



•

20%, subject to a maximum of 60%, will be based on the growth of the Company's Adjusted FFO per Common Share from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017 compared to the same measure per share provided in the Company's budget (the "2017 Adjusted FFO Growth Objective"); and



•

20%, subject to a maximum of 60%, will be based on the growth in the Company's RevPAR penetration index from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017 compared to the competitive sets for the Company's hotel properties portfolio (the "2017 RevPAR Penetration Objective");



•

10%, subject to a maximum of 20%, will be based on the amount of annualized hotel-level EBITDA improvements that can be made based on asset management enhancements identified during 2017 (the "2017 Asset Management Objective"); and



•

20%, subject to a maximum of 40.0%, will be based on the degree to which particular business objectives, including asset management initiatives, acquisition/disposition goals, corporate finance and balance sheet goals and internal controls and compliance, are executed and met (the "2017 Operating Objective").

43

        The level of performance against each of the 2017 Annual Objectives will be measured relative to its target and will be subject to a maximum and minimum, each of which varies by objective, as shown in the following table: