---
schema_version: "secwatch.filing_event.v1"
accession: "0001232582-24-000072"
form_type: "8-K"
ticker: "AHT"
cik: "0001232582"
company_name: "ASHFORD HOSPITALITY TRUST INC"
filed_at: "2024-05-15T23:59:59+00:00"
generated_at: "2026-06-01T22:42:50.341537+00:00"
event_type: "other_material"
sentiment: "neutral"
materiality_score: 0.6
calibrated_materiality_score: 0.6
confidence: "high"
source: SEC EDGAR
---

# Ashford Hospitality Trust Annual Meeting: Two Directors Fail to Win Majority, Retained by Board

## Summary
- At May 14 annual meeting, 54.68% of eligible shares voted; only ~7% of outstanding shares voted on Blackwells proxy card.
- Directors Monty Bennett and Kamal Jafarnia failed to receive majority votes (Bennett: 5.3M for, 8.1M against; Jafarnia: 5.3M for, 8.1M against).
- Board did not accept their tendered resignations, citing Bennett's leadership and Jafarnia's regulatory and real estate expertise.
- Stockholders approved advisory executive compensation and ratified BDO USA as auditor for fiscal 2024.

## SEC filing metadata
- accession: 0001232582-24-000072
- form_type: 8-K
- ticker: AHT
- cik: 0001232582
- company_name: ASHFORD HOSPITALITY TRUST INC
- filed_at: 2024-05-15T23:59:59+00:00
- event_type: other_material
- sentiment: neutral
- materiality_score: 0.6
- calibrated_materiality_score: 0.6
- confidence: high
- sec_items: 5.07, 7.01, 9.01
- EDGAR index: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1232582/000123258224000072/0001232582-24-000072-index.htm
- EDGAR primary document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1232582/000123258224000072/aht-20240514.htm

## Machine-readable alternates
- HTML: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001232582-24-000072
- JSON: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001232582-24-000072.json
- Plain text: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001232582-24-000072.txt

## Key facts
- Shareholder Votes
  ASHFORD HOSPITALITY TRUST INC shareholders approved Ratification of BDO USA, P.C. as independent auditors for fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 at the 2024-05-14 meeting.
  - Proposal: auditor ratification
  - Outcome: passed
  - Meeting: 2024-05-14
  source text: Proposal Three – To ratify the appointment of BDO USA, P.C., a national public accounting firm, as the Company's independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1232582/000123258224000072/0001232582-24-000072-index.htm
- Shareholder Votes
  ASHFORD HOSPITALITY TRUST INC shareholders approved Advisory approval of the Company's executive compensation at the 2024-05-14 meeting.
  - Proposal: say on pay
  - Outcome: passed
  - Meeting: 2024-05-14
  source text: Proposal Two – To obtain advisory approval of the Company's executive compensation.
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1232582/000123258224000072/0001232582-24-000072-index.htm
- Shareholder Votes
  ASHFORD HOSPITALITY TRUST INC shareholders approved Election of nine nominees to the Board of Directors at the 2024-05-14 meeting.
  - Proposal: director election
  - Outcome: passed
  - Meeting: 2024-05-14
  source text: Proposal One – To elect nine nominees to the Board of Directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1232582/000123258224000072/0001232582-24-000072-index.htm

This AI-assisted summary is a reading aid. Review the linked SEC EDGAR filing before relying on any specific claim.