(1) Includes principal as well as interest payments.

The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits as of year-end 2008 and year-end 2007 was $141 million and $132 million, respectively, and is not reflected in the Contractual Obligations table. As a large taxpayer, we are under continual audit by the IRS and other taxing authorities. It is possible that the amount of the liability for unrecognized tax benefits could change during the next 52-week period, but we do not anticipate that a significant impact to the unrecognized tax benefit balance will occur. See Footnote No. 2, "Income Taxes," for additional information.

The following table summarizes our commitments as of year-end 2008:

Our guarantees where we are the primary obligor of $298 million listed in the preceding table include $33 million of operating profit guarantees that will not be in effect until the underlying properties open and we begin to operate the properties, along with $3 million of debt service guarantees that will not be in effect until the underlying debt has been funded.

The guarantees in the preceding table for which we are secondarily liable include $206 million of guarantees that we anticipate will expire in the years 2011 through 2013, related to Senior Living Services lease obligations totaling $145 million and lifecare bonds of $61 million for which we are secondarily liable. Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. ("Sunrise") is the primary obligor of the leases and $9 million of the lifecare bonds, and CNL Retirement Properties, Inc. ("CNL"), which subsequently merged with Health Care Property Investors, Inc., is the primary obligor of $50 million of the lifecare bonds. Five Star is the primary obligor of the remainder of the lifecare bonds. Prior to our sale of the Senior Living Services business in 2003, these preexisting guarantees were guarantees by us of obligations of consolidated Senior Living Services subsidiaries. Sunrise and CNL have indemnified us for any guarantee fundings we may be called on to make in connection with these lease obligations and lifecare bonds. While we currently do not expect to fund under the guarantees, according to recent SEC filings made by Sunrise there has been a significant deterioration in Sunrise's financial position and access to liquidity; accordingly, Sunrise's continued ability to meet these guarantee obligations cannot be assured.

The guarantees in the preceding table for which we are secondarily liable include lease obligations for which we became secondarily liable when we acquired the Renaissance Hotel Group N.V. in 1997, consisting of annual rent payments of approximately $6 million and total remaining rent payments through the initial term of approximately $67 million. Most of these obligations expire at the end of 2023. CTF Holdings Ltd. ("CTF") had originally made available €35 million in cash collateral in the event that we are required to fund under such guarantees (approximately €7 million [$10 million] remained at year-end 2008). As CTF obtains releases from the landlords and these hotels exit the system, our contingent liability exposure of approximately $67 million will decline. Since the time we assumed these guarantees, we have not funded any amounts and we do not expect to fund any amounts under these guarantees in the future.

In addition to the guarantees noted in the preceding table, we have provided a project completion guarantee to a lender for a project with an estimated aggregate total cost of $586 million. Payments for cost overruns for this project will be satisfied by the joint venture through contributions from the partners, and we are liable on a several basis with our partners in an amount equal to our pro rata ownership in the joint venture, which is 34 percent. We do not expect to fund under the guarantee. At year-end 2008, the carrying value of the liabilities associated with this project completion guarantee was $6 million. We have provided a project completion guarantee to another lender for a project with an estimated aggregate total cost of $460 million. Payments for cost overruns for this project will be satisfied by the joint venture through contributions from the partners, and we are liable on a several basis with our partners in an amount equal to our pro rata ownership in the joint venture, which is 20 percent. We do not expect to fund under the guarantee. At year-end 2008, the carrying value of the liabilities associated with this project completion guarantee was $3 million.

In addition to the guarantees described in the preceding paragraphs, in conjunction with financing obtained for specific projects or properties owned by joint ventures in which we are a party, we may provide industry standard indemnifications to the lender for loss, liability or damage occurring as a result of the actions of the other joint venture owner or our own actions.

In addition to the guarantees noted previously, as of year-end 2008, we had extended approximately $10 million of loan commitments to owners of lodging properties, under which we expect to fund approximately $8 million, which expire within one year. We do not expect to fund the remaining $2 million of commitments, which expire in one year.

At year-end 2008, we also had commitments to invest up to $44 million of equity for minority interests in partnerships that plan to purchase North American full-service and limited-service properties or purchase or develop hotel-anchored mixed-use real estate projects, which expire as follows: $34 million within three years; and $10 million after three years. Of the $44 million in commitments, we expect to fund $29 million within one to two years and $15 million within three years. In addition, as of year-end 2008, we had commitments, with no expiration date, to fund up to $25 million in joint ventures for development of new properties of which we expect to fund $13 million within one year and $12 million in one to two years. Also, as of year-end 2008, we had a commitment, with no expiration date, to invest up to $8 million in a joint venture of which we have funded $1 million and have $7 million remaining that we do not expect to fund. And, as of year-end 2008, we had a commitment to invest up to $28 million (€20 million) in a joint venture in which we are a partner. We do not expect to fund under this commitment.

At year-end 2008, we had $126 million of letters of credit outstanding, the majority of which related to our self-insurance programs. Surety bonds issued as of year-end 2008 totaled $465 million, the majority of which were requested by federal, state or local governments related to our lodging operations, including our Timeshare segment and self-insurance programs.

In the normal course of the hotel management business, we enter into purchase commitments to manage the daily operating needs of hotels we manage for owners. Since we are reimbursed from the cash flows of the hotels, these obligations have minimal impact on our net income and cash flow.

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