Empire State Realty OP, L.P. ESBA US Equity☆

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are including this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “contemplates,” “aims,” “continues,” “would” or “anticipates” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases. In particular, statements pertaining to our capital resources, portfolio performance, dividend policy and results of operations contain forward-looking statements. Likewise, all of our statements regarding anticipated growth in our portfolio from operations, acquisitions and anticipated market conditions, demographics and results of operations are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond our control, and you should not rely on them as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements depend on assumptions, data or methods which may be incorrect or imprecise, and we may not be able to realize them. We do not guarantee that the transactions and events described will happen as described (or that they will happen at all).

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those set forth or contemplated in the forward-looking statements: (i) economic, political and social impact of, and uncertainty relating to, the COVID-19 pandemic; (ii) a failure of conditions or performance regarding any event or transaction described herein, (iii) resolution of legal proceedings involving the Company; (iv) reduced demand for office, multifamily or retail space, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; (v) changes in our business strategy; (vi) changes in technology and market competition that affect utilization of our office, retail, broadcast or other facilities; (vii) changes in domestic or international tourism, including due to health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical events and/or currency exchange rates, which may cause a decline in Observatory visitors; (viii) defaults on, early terminations of, or non-renewal of, leases by tenants; (ix) increases in the Company’s borrowing costs as a result of changes in interest rates and other factors, including the potential phasing out of LIBOR after 2021; (x) declining real estate valuations and impairment charges; (xi) termination of our ground leases; (xii) changes in our ability to pay down, refinance, restructure or extend our indebtedness as it becomes due and potential limitations on our ability to borrow additional funds in compliance with drawdown conditions and financial covenants; (xiii) decreased rental rates or increased vacancy rates; (xiv) our failure to execute any newly planned capital project successfully or on the anticipated timeline or at the anticipated costs; (xv) difficulties in identifying and completing acquisitions; (xvi) risks related to our development projects (including our Metro Tower development site); (xvii) impact of changes in governmental regulations, tax laws and rates and similar matters; (xviii) our failure to qualify as a REIT; (xix) environmental uncertainties and risks related to climate change, adverse weather conditions, rising sea levels and natural disasters; and (xx) accuracy of our methodologies and estimates regarding ESG metrics and goals, tenant willingness and ability to collaborate in reporting ESG metrics and meeting ESG goals, and impact of governmental regulation on our ESG efforts. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could impact the company's future results, performance or transactions, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

While forward-looking statements reflect the company's good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. The company disclaims any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events, or other changes after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, except as required by applicable law. Prospective investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to the company.

Overview

Unless the context otherwise requires or indicates, references in this section to "our company," "we," "our" and "us" refer to Empire State Realty OP, L.P. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 and the notes related thereto which are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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2021 Highlights

•Net loss attributable to the company of $13.0 million.

•Core FFO of $194.9 million.

•Signed 129 leases, new, renewal, and expansion leases, representing 1,005,630 rentable square feet. This included 87 leases representing 801,254 rentable square feet for the Manhattan office portfolio.

•On December 22, 2021, we completed the acquisition of 625 units in two Manhattan multifamily assets with a total transaction value of $307 million, inclusive of $186 million of assumed debt. We now own a 90% interest, and a Fetner Properties affiliate retained a 10% interest.

Impact of COVID-19

In March 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The spread of COVID-19 has created a global public health crisis that has resulted in unprecedented economic, social and political uncertainty, volatility and disruption in the United States and globally. The following sections discuss specific COVID-19 impacts on our business operations.

Liquidity

We currently hold $423.7 million in cash and cash equivalents on our balance sheet and have $850 million undrawn capacity under our unsecured revolving credit facility. Our $850 million unsecured revolving credit facility matures in March 2025 and has two six-month extension options, subject to certain conditions.

Property Operations

All of our office buildings have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have scaled back certain building operations in cleaning, security, lobby concierge and recurring maintenance, which reduced costs until buildings are repopulated. A portion of the reduction in operating expenses was offset by a reduction in tenant expense recoveries.

Our operations team worked diligently to develop and implement plans for tenants' reoccupation of our buildings to ensure a safe, clean and healthy work environment. These plans involved staff reassigned to screen tenants and visitors, changes to cleaning and maintenance standards, and changes to building operations for access by tenants and their guests.

Despite the challenge of the uncertain near-term environment, we continue to believe in the long-term demand for office space. We believe many tenants have acknowledged the challenges, inequities, and worries about divided workplaces between home and office work, the challenges with onboarding new employees and miss the connectivity and productivity that an office environment provides.

Leasing

The economic uncertainty and concerns over health and safety relating to the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the pace of our leasing activity and could result in higher vacancy than we otherwise would have experienced, a longer amount of time to fill vacancies, increased concessions and potentially lower rental rates. In addition, the potential for continued remote work or hybrid remote/in-person work arrangements could negatively impact the office leasing market. As of December 31, 2021, our portfolio was 85.7% leased, including signed leases not yet commenced, with 5.7% subject to leases scheduled to expire in 2022 and 6.3% subject to leases scheduled to expire in 2023.

New leasing activity was impacted during 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place rules that were in effect for much of the period. On June 15, 2021, New York State ended pandemic-linked restrictions given the broad-based distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. During the second quarter 2021, we experienced a sustained increase in leasing tour volume in our Manhattan office portfolio which led to our improved leasing performance in the third and fourth quarters of 2021.

Our smaller food and service type retailers have been hit particularly hard. They provide critical amenities and services to our office tenants. In many instances, we have converted some of their fixed rent to a percentage rent structure. We intend to support our food and service retailers so that they can service our office tenants as they continue to re-occupy.

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Retailers, in general, have been hardest hit by the pandemic. Our retail-orientated tenants are no exception. As with all landlords, we are working with some of our tenants that are financially challenged. Some of these tenants may end up in bankruptcy or default in their leases in the near term.

On July 29, 2021, GBG USA Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Brands Group Holding Limited, announced that its North America wholesale business and certain subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, “GBG USA”) filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 (the "GBG Bankruptcy"). At the time of the filing, GBG USA leased 353,325 square feet of office space at 1333 Broadway and the Empire State Building, or 3.5%, of our total portfolio rentable square feet, representing approximately 3.6% of total portfolio annualized rent. Of that total, all but 191,000 square feet, or 1.9% of our total portfolio rentable square feet, has been sublet to tenants, where both GBG USA and the subtenant are liable for the rent, and we have the right to require the subtenant to pay directly to us. The sublets are for GBG USA’s entire premises at 1333 Broadway and have been in effect for several years. We have current discussions to convert the subtenants to direct tenants. Subsequently, GBG USA filed to reject their leases and both lease rejections were approved by the bankruptcy court during the third quarter.

In the third quarter we recorded a $1.6 million non-cash write-off of the straight-line receivables related to GBG USA's 1333 Broadway lease.

We collected rent from GBG USA through June 2021 and have converted the full balance of its $17.0 million letter of credit to cash, which was applied as follows:

• $5.2 million was applied against GBG USA's straight-line rent receivable balance related to their lease at the Empire State Building,

• $1.7 million was recognized as GAAP rental revenue for the partial period in the third quarter when their lease remained in place, and

• $10.1 million was recognized as lease termination income.

Observatory Operations

On March 16, 2020, we complied with governmental mandates regarding the closing of non-essential businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and closed the Empire State Building observatory. The 86th floor observatory deck reopened on July 20, 2020 and the 102nd floor observation deck reopened on August 24, 2020.

Due to the lifting of New York State COVID-19 restrictions, on June 16, 2021, the observatory fully reopened with interactive exhibits. We continue to operate with reduced hours, staffing, services, operating costs, credit card fees and marketing expenses. We have seen a higher local visitor mix, followed by a ramp up of nationally sourced travel. We anticipate this pattern will then be followed by a restoration of our typical visitor mix that is approximately two-thirds international which we do not expect to achieve until the broad resumption of international air travel some time in 2022.

The closure and gradual ramp-up of our observatory operations caused us during each quarter of 2020 and throughout each quarter of 2021 to choose to perform an impairment test related to goodwill. We engaged a third-party valuation consulting firm to perform the valuation process. Based upon the results of the most recent goodwill impairment test of the stand-alone observatory reporting unit, which is after the intercompany rent expense paid to the Real Estate reporting

unit, we determined that the fair value of the observatory reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by less than 15.0%. Many of the factors employed in determining whether or not we would need to record a non-cash goodwill impairment charge are outside of our control and it is reasonably likely that assumptions and estimates will change in future periods. We will continue to assess the impairment of the observatory reporting unit goodwill going forward and that continued assessment may again utilize a third-party valuation consulting firm. Goodwill allocated to the observatory reporting unit was $227.5 million at December 31, 2021.

Results of Operations

Overview

The discussion below relates to the financial condition and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

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Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2020

The following table summarizes the historical results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (amounts in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,

Revenues:

Third-party management and other fees 1,219 1,225 (6) (0.5) %

Operating expenses:

Other income (expense):

Loss on early extinguishment of debt (214) (86) (128) (148.8) %

Private perpetual preferred unit distributions (4,201) (4,197) (4) (0.1) %

Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests 17 — 17 — %

Rental Revenue and Tenant Expense Reimbursement

The decrease in rental revenue was attributable to lower occupancy, straight-line rent write-offs and lower tenant expense reimbursements, consistent with lower property operating expenses.

Observatory Revenue

Observatory revenues were higher driven by increased visitation due to a reduction in COVID-19 restrictions in 2021.

Lease Termination Fees

Higher termination fees were earned in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020.

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Property Operating Expenses

The decrease in property operating expenses was primarily due to lower payroll costs, lower repair and maintenance costs, and other lower operating expenses. The lower costs are primarily driven by lower tenant utilization in our buildings.

General and Administrative Expenses

The decrease in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to lower equity compensation expense, lower severance costs and lower legal costs than the year ended December 31, 2020.

Observatory Expenses

The modest decline in observatory expenses was driven by cost controls and reduced hours of operation instituted in response to reduced visitors due to COVID-19 travel restrictions for the vast majority of 2021.

Real Estate Taxes

Lower real estate taxes in the year ended December 31, 2021 were attributable to the overall reduction in property assessment values due to the impact of COVID-19.

Depreciation and Amortization

The increase in depreciation and amortization reflects tenant improvement write-offs primarily related to GBG USA.

Interest Income

The decrease in interest income reflects higher cash investments in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 and lower interest rates in the year ended December 31, 2021.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased due to higher debt balances and higher deferred financing cost amortization reflecting higher deferred financing cost balances associated with new debt.

Income Taxes

The decrease in income tax benefit was attributable to lower net operating loss for the observatory segment.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity is a measure of our ability to meet potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to repay borrowings, fund and maintain our assets and operations, including lease-up costs, fund our redevelopment and repositioning programs, acquire properties, make distributions to our securityholders and other general business needs. Based on the historical experience of our management and our business strategy, in the foreseeable future we anticipate we will generate positive cash flows from operations.

While we may be able to anticipate and plan for certain liquidity needs, there may be unexpected increases in uses of cash that are beyond our control and which would affect our financial condition and results of operations. For example, we may be required to comply with new laws or regulations that cause us to incur unanticipated capital expenditures for our properties, thereby increasing our liquidity needs. Even if there are no material changes to our anticipated liquidity requirements, our sources of liquidity may be fewer than, and the funds available from such sources may be less than, anticipated or needed. Our primary sources of liquidity will generally consist of cash on hand, short term investments, cash generated from our operating activities, debt issuances and unused borrowing capacity under our unsecured revolving credit and term loan facility. We expect to meet our short-term liquidity requirements, including distributions, operating expenses, working capital, debt service, and capital expenditures from cash flows from operations, cash on hand, debt issuances, and available borrowing capacity under our unsecured revolving credit and term loan facility. The availability of these borrowings is subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable loan agreements. We expect to meet our long-term capital requirements, including acquisitions, redevelopments and capital expenditures through our cash flows from operations, cash on hand, our unsecured revolving credit and term loan facility, mortgage financings, debt issuances, common and/or preferred equity issuances and asset sales. Our properties require periodic investments of capital for individual lease related tenant

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improvements allowances, general capital improvements and costs associated with capital expenditures. Our overall leverage will depend on our mix of investments and the cost of leverage. ESRT's charter does not restrict the amount of leverage that we may use.

At December 31, 2021, we had approximately $423.7 million available in cash and cash equivalents and there was $850 million available under our unsecured revolving credit facility.

At December 31, 2021, we had approximately $2.3 billion of total consolidated indebtedness outstanding, with a weighted average interest rate of 3.89% and a weighted average maturity of 7.5 years. As of December 31, 2021, excluding debt amortization, we have no outstanding debt maturing until November 2024 when principal repayments would amount to $77.7 million in 2024, $315.0 million in 2025 and $1.8 billion thereafter. As of December 31, 2021, interest expense obligations from 2022 through 2026 and thereafter amount to $612.9 million while debt amortization amount to $85.8 million. Our net debt to total market capitalization was 42.4% as of December 31, 2021.

In connection with our three ground leases (i.e. long-term leaseholds of the land and the improvements) at 1350 Broadway, 111 West 33rd Street and 1400 Broadway), we also have contractual rent obligations totaling $71.3 million as of December 31, 2021 of which $7.6 million is due within the next five years.

Investments in Real Estate

On December 22, 2021, we closed on the acquisition of two multifamily assets located in Manhattan, the Victory (561 10th Avenue) and 345 East 94th Street, previously owned by a joint venture of Fetner Properties and an institutional owner. The total transaction value was $307 million, inclusive of $186 million of assumed debt. Fetner Properties retained a 10% equity stake and continues to manage onsite operations. We will asset manage the properties, make all decisions, and have the right to assume day-to-day management at any time and for any reason for no additional consideration.

Unsecured Revolving Credit and Term Loan Facilities

On March 31, 2021, we entered into a second amendment to an existing credit agreement dated August 29, 2017 ("Amended Credit Agreement") that will govern an amended senior unsecured credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, and Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, Capital One, National Association and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as co-syndication agents, and the lenders and the letter of credit issuers party thereto.

The Credit Facility is in the initial maximum principal amount of up to $1.065 billion, which consists of a $850.0 million revolving credit facility and a $215.0 million term loan facility. We borrowed the term loan facility in full in August 2017. We may request the Credit Facility be increased through one or more increases in the revolving credit facility or one or more increases in the term loan facility or the addition of new pari passu term loan tranches, for a maximum aggregate principal amount not to exceed $1.50 billion. The Credit Facility will be used for our working capital needs and for other general corporate purposes. As of December 31, 2021, we had no borrowings under the revolving credit facility and $215.0 million under the term loan facility.

The revolving credit facility matures on March 31, 2025. We have the option to extend the initial term for up to two additional 6-month periods, subject to certain conditions, including the payment of an extension fee equal to 0.0625% and 0.075% of the then outstanding commitments under the revolving credit facility on the first and the second extensions, respectively. The term loan facility matures on March 19, 2025. We may prepay the loans under the Credit Facility at any

time in whole or in part, subject to reimbursement of the lenders’ breakage and redeployment costs in the case of prepayment of Eurodollar Rate borrowings.

On March 19, 2020, we entered into a senior unsecured term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility”) with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC as sole bookrunner, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Capital One, National Association, U.S. Bank National Association and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. as Joint Lead Arrangers, Capital One, National Association, as syndication agent, U.S. Bank National Association and Truist Bank, as documentation agents, and the lenders party thereto.

The Term Loan Facility is in the original principal amount of $175 million which we borrowed in full at closing. We may request the Term Loan Facility be increased through one or more increases or the addition of new pari passu term loan tranches, for a maximum aggregate principal amount not to exceed $225 million. As of December 31, 2021, our borrowings amounted to $175.0 million under the Term Loan Facility.

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The Term Loan Facility matures on December 31, 2026. We may prepay loans under the Term Loan Facility at any time in whole or in part, subject to reimbursement of the lenders’ breakage and redeployment costs in the case of prepayment of Eurodollar rate borrowings and, if the prepayment occurs on or before December 31, 2021, a prepayment fee.

The terms of both the Credit Facility and the Term Loan Facility include customary covenants, including limitations on liens, investment, distributions, debt, fundamental changes, and transactions with affiliates and require certain customary financial reports. It also requires compliance with financial ratios including a maximum leverage ratio, a maximum secured leverage ratio, a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, a minimum unencumbered interest coverage ratio, and a maximum unsecured leverage ratio. The agreements also contain customary events of default (subject in certain cases to specified cure periods), including but not limited to non-payment, breach of covenants, representations or warranties, cross defaults, bankruptcy or other insolvency events, judgments, ERISA events, invalidity of loan documents, loss of real estate investment trust qualification, and occurrence of a change of control.

As of December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with the covenants, as described below:

Financial Covenant Required December 31, 2021 In Compliance

Maximum total leverage < 60% 43.5 % Yes

Maximum secured debt < 40% 17.9 % Yes

Minimum fixed charge coverage > 1.50x 2.4x Yes

Minimum unencumbered interest coverage > 1.75x 4.4x Yes

Maximum unsecured leverage < 60% 34.7 % Yes

Mortgage Debt

On December 22, 2021, we acquired 90% of two multifamily assets, the Victory (561 10th Avenue) and 345 East 94th Street. In connection with this acquisition, we assumed $134.0 million of principal balance of debt on the Victory, which matures in November 2033 and has an effective interest rate of 3.85%, and $52 million of principal balance of debt on 345 East 94th Street, which matures in November 2030 and has an effective interest rate of 3.56%.

As of December 31, 2021, mortgage notes payable, net, amounted to $948.8 million. The first maturity is in 2024. See Note 5 - Debt for more information on mortgage debt.

Senior Unsecured Notes

Series A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H Senior Notes (collectively, "Senior Unsecured Notes") are senior unsecured obligations with an aggregate principal amount of $975.0 million maturing on various dates from 2025 to 2035.These Senior Unsecured Notes are unconditionally guaranteed by each of our subsidiaries that guarantees indebtedness under the unsecured revolving credit and term loan facility. Interest on the Senior Unsecured Notes is payable quarterly.

The terms of the Senior Unsecured Notes include customary covenants, including limitations on liens, investment, debt, fundamental changes, and transactions with affiliates and require certain customary financial reports. These terms also require compliance with financial ratios including a maximum leverage ratio, a maximum secured leverage ratio, a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, a minimum unencumbered interest coverage ratio, and a maximum unsecured leverage ratio. The agreement also contains customary events of default (subject in certain cases to specified cure periods), including but not limited to non-payment, breach of covenants, representations or warranties, cross defaults, bankruptcy or other insolvency events, judgments, ERISA events, the occurrence of certain change of control transactions and loss of real estate investment trust qualification.

As of December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with the covenants under the outstanding Senior Unsecured Notes.

Leverage Policies

We expect to employ leverage in our capital structure in amounts determined from time to time by ESRT's board of directors.Although ESRT's board has not adopted a policy that limits the total amount of indebtedness that we may incur, we anticipate that ESRT's board will consider a number of factors in evaluating our level of indebtedness from time to time, as well as the amount of such indebtedness that will be either fixed or floating rate.ESRT's charter and bylaws do not limit the amount

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or percentage of indebtedness that we may incur nor do they restrict the form in which our indebtedness will be taken (including, but not limited to, recourse or non-recourse debt and cross-collateralized debt).Our overall leverage will depend on our mix of investments and the cost of leverage, however, we initially intend to maintain a level of indebtedness consistent with our plan to seek an investment grade credit rating.ESRT's board may from time to time modify our leverage policies in light of the then-current economic conditions, relative costs of debt and equity capital, market values of our properties, general market conditions for debt and equity securities, fluctuations in the market price of ESRT's common stock and our traded OP units, growth and acquisition opportunities and other factors.

Capital Expenditures

The following tables summarize our tenant improvement costs, leasing commission costs and our capital expenditures for each of the periods presented (dollars in thousands, except per square foot amounts).

Office Properties(1)

Years Ended December 31,

Leasing commission costs per square foot(3) $ 20.14 $ 11.67 $ 17.46

Retail Properties(4)

Years Ended December 31,

Number of leases signed(2) 11 14 9

Leasing commission costs per square foot(3) $ 57.27 $ 32.31 $ 40.71

_______________

(1)Excludes an aggregate of 507,276, 504,284 and 511,984 rentable square feet of retail space in our Manhattan office properties in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Includes the Empire State Building broadcasting licenses and observatory operations.

(2)Presents a renewed and expansion lease as one lease signed.

(3)Presents all tenant improvement and leasing commission costs as if they were incurred in the period in which the lease was signed, which may be different than the period in which they were actually paid.

(4)Includes an aggregate of 507,276, 504,284 and 511,984 rentable square feet of retail space in our Manhattan office properties in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Excludes the Empire State Building broadcasting licenses and observatory operations.

(5)The tables above exclude two multifamily properties.

Years Ended December 31,

Total Portfolio

_______________

(1)Includes all capital expenditures, excluding tenant improvements and leasing commission costs, which are primarily attributable to the redevelopment and repositioning program conducted at our Manhattan office properties.

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As of December 31, 2021, we expect to incur additional costs relating to obligations under signed new leases of approximately $109.6 million for tenant improvements and leasing commissions. We intend to fund the tenant improvements and leasing commission costs through a combination of operating cash flow, cash on hand, short term investments and borrowings under the unsecured revolving credit and term loan facilities.

Capital expenditures are considered part of both our short-term and long-term liquidity requirements. We intend to fund the capital improvements to complete the redevelopment and repositioning program through a combination of operating cash flow, cash on hand, short term investments and borrowings under the unsecured revolving credit and term loan facilities.

Distribution Policy

We intend to distribute our net taxable income to our security holders in a manner intended to satisfy REIT distribution requirements and to avoid U.S. federal income tax liability on our income.

Before we pay any distribution, whether for U.S. federal income tax purposes or otherwise, we must first meet bothour operating requirements and obligations to make payments of principal and interest, if any. However, under somecircumstances, we may be required to use cash reserves, incur debt or liquidate assets at rates or times that we regard asunfavorableormakeataxabledistributionofoursharesinordertosatisfy REITdistribution requirements.

We and our board continue to prioritize balance sheet flexibility and the maximization of our operating runway amidst an uncertain environment. During August 2020, we announced the suspension of our third and fourth quarter 2020 dividends to holders of ESRT's Class A common stock and Class B common stock and to holders of our Series ES, Series 250 and Series 60 operating partnership units and Series PR operating partnership units. During May 2021, we announced our decision to reinstate the quarterly dividend, one quarter earlier than previously announced, driven by confidence in the New York City recovery and improvement in our results and liquidity. We declared a dividend of $0.035 per share for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2021, which equates to an annualized rate of $0.14 per share. The Board of Directors will continue its regular review of its dividend and capital allocation policies at each Board meeting.

Distribution to Equity Holders

Distributions and dividends have been made to equity holders in 2019, 2020 and 2021 as follows (amounts in thousands):

Stock and Publicly Traded Operating Partnership Unit Repurchase Program

ESRT's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of our Class A common stock and the Operating Partnership’s Series ES, Series 250 and Series 60 operating partnership units from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021 and reauthorized a new $500 million from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023. Under the program, ESRT may purchase its Class A common stock and our Series ES, Series 250 and Series 60 operating partnership unitsin accordance with applicable securities laws from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions.The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchases will be determined by us at our discretion and will be subject to stock price, availability, trading volume and general market conditions.The authorization does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of securities, and the program may be suspended or discontinued at our discretion without prior notice.

The following table summarizes our purchases of equity securities for the year ended December 31, 2021:

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Cash Flows

Comparison of Year Ended December 31, 2021 to the Year Ended December 31, 2020

Net cash. Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash were $474.6 million and $567.9 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to the acquisition of real estate property, partially offset by lower spending for capital expenditures, lower dividends paid and lower repurchases of common shares in 2021.

Operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $30.2 million to $212.5 million primarily due to the settlement of a derivative contract in the year ended December 31, 2020.

Investing activities. Net cash from investing activities increased by $69.6 million to $212.7 million used in investingactivitiesduetotheacquisitionofrealestatepropertyintheyearendedDecember31,2021andlowerspendingonbuildingandimprovementsduetoCOVID-19.

Financing activities. Netcashfromfinancingactivitiesdecreasedby$350.2millionto$93.0millionusedinfinancingactivities primarily due to the netproceedsfromissuanceof debtintheyear ended December 31,2020.

Net Operating Income

Our financial reports include a discussion of property net operating income, or NOI. NOI is a non-GAAP financial measure of performance. NOI is used by our management to evaluate and compare the performance of our properties and to determine trends in earnings and to compute the fair value of our properties as it is not affected by: (i) the cost of funds of the property owner, (ii) the impact of depreciation and amortization expenses as well as gains or losses from the sale of operating real estate assets that are included in net income computed in accordance with GAAP, (iii) acquisition expenses, loss on early extinguishment of debt and loss from derivative financial instruments, or (iv) general and administrative expenses and other gains and losses that are specific to the property owner. The cost of funds is eliminated from NOI because it is specific to the particular financing capabilities and constraints of the owner and because it is dependent on historical interest rates and other costs of capital as well as past decisions made by us regarding the appropriate mix of capital which may have changed or may change in the future. Depreciation and amortization expenses as well as gains or losses from the sale of operating real estate assets are eliminated because they may not accurately represent the actual change in value in our office or retail properties that result from use of the properties or changes in market conditions. While certain aspects of real property do decline in value over time in a manner that is reasonably captured by depreciation and amortization, the value of the properties as a whole have historically increased or decreased as a result of changes in overall economic conditions instead of from actual use of the property or the passage of time. Gains and losses from the sale of real property vary from property to property and are affected by market conditions at the time of sale which will usually change from period to period. These gains and losses can create distortions when comparing one period to another or when comparing our operating results to the operating results of other real estate companies that have not made similarly-timed purchases or sales. We believe that eliminating these costs from net income is useful because the resulting measure captures the actual revenue, generated and actual expenses incurred in operating our properties as well as trends in occupancy rates, rental rates and operating costs.

However, the usefulness of NOI is limited because it excludes general and administrative costs, interest expense, depreciation and amortization expense and gains or losses from the sale of properties, and other gains and losses as stipulated by GAAP, the level of capital expenditures and leasing costs necessary to maintain the operating performance of our properties, all of which are significant economic costs. NOI may fail to capture significant trends in these components of net income which further limits its usefulness.

NOI is a measure of the operating performance of our properties but does not measure our performance as a whole. NOI is therefore not a substitute for net income as computed in accordance with GAAP. This measure should be analyzed in conjunction with net income computed in accordance with GAAP and discussions elsewhere in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations regarding the components of net income that are eliminated in the calculation of NOI. Other companies may use different methods for calculating NOI or similarly titled measures and, accordingly, our NOI may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other

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companies that do not define the measure exactly as we do.

The following table presents a reconciliation of our net income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to NOI for the periods presented (amounts in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,

Add:

Loss on early extinguishment of debt 214 86 —

IPO litigation expense — 1,165 —

Less:

Third-party management and other fees (1,219) (1,225) (1,254)

Other Net Operating Income Data

Amortization of acquired below-market ground leases $ 7,831 $ 7,831 $ 7,831

Funds from Operations ("FFO")

We present below a discussion of FFO. We compute FFO in accordance with the “White Paper” on FFO published by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or NAREIT, which defines FFO as net income (loss) (determined in accordance with GAAP), excluding impairment writedowns of investments in depreciable real estate and investments in in-substance real estate investments, gains or losses from debt restructurings and sales of depreciable operating properties, plus real estate-related depreciation and amortization (excluding amortization of deferred financing costs), less distributions to non-controlling interests and gains/losses from discontinued operations and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. FFO is a widely recognized non-GAAP financial measure for REITs that we believe, when considered with financial statements determined in accordance with GAAP, is useful to investors in understanding financial performance and providing a relevant basis for comparison among REITs. In addition, FFO is useful to investors as it captures features particular to real estate performance by recognizing that real estate has generally appreciated over time or maintains residual value to a much greater extent than do other depreciable assets. Investors should review FFO, along with GAAP net income, when trying to understand an equity REIT’s operating performance. We present FFO because we consider it an important supplemental measure of our operating performance and believe that it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of REITs. However, because FFO excludes depreciation and amortization and captures neither the changes in the value of our properties that result from use or market conditions nor the level of capital expenditures and leasing commissions necessary to maintain the operating performance of our properties, all of which have real economic effect and could materially impact our results of operations, the utility of FFO as a measure of performance is limited. There can be no assurance that FFO presented by us is comparable to similarly titled measures of other REITs. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP or to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. FFO is not indicative of cash available to fund ongoing cash needs, including the ability to make cash distributions. Although FFO is a measure used for comparability in assessing the performance of REITs, as the NAREIT White Paper only provides guidelines for computing FFO, the computation of FFO may vary from one company to another.

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Modified Funds From Operations ("Modified FFO")

Modified FFO adds back an adjustment for any above or below-market ground lease amortization to traditionally defined FFO. We consider this a useful supplemental measure in evaluating our operating performance due to the non-cash accounting treatment under GAAP, which stems from the third quarter 2014 acquisition of two option properties following our formation transactions as they carry significantly below market ground leases, the amortization of which is material to our overall results. We present Modified FFO because we consider it an important supplemental measure of our operating performance in that it adds back the non-cash amortization of below-market ground leases. There can be no assurance that Modified FFO presented by us is comparable to similarly titled measures of other REITs. Modified FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP or to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. Modified FFO is not indicative of cash available to fund ongoing cash needs, including the ability to make cash distributions.

Core Funds From Operations ("Core FFO")

Core FFO adds back to Modified FFO the following items: IPO litigation expense, severance expenses and loss on early extinguishment of debt.. The company presents Core FFO because it considers it an important supplemental measure of its operating performance in that it excludes items associated with its IPO and formation transactions and other non-recurring items. There can be no assurance that Core FFO presented by the company is comparable to similarly titled measures of other REITs. Core FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP or to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. Core FFO is not indicative of cash available to fund ongoing cash needs, including the ability to make cash distributions. In future periods, we may also exclude other items from Core FFO that we believe may help investors compare our results.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to FFO, Modified FFO and Core FFO for the periods presented (amounts in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,

Private perpetual preferred unit distributions (4,201) (4,197) (1,743)

Loss on early extinguishment of debt 214 86 —

Severance expenses — 3,813 —

IPO litigation expense — 1,165 —

Weighted average Operating Partnership units

Factors That May Influence Future Results of Operations

Impact of COVID-19

See "Overview" section.

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Rental Revenue

We derive revenues primarily from rents, rent escalations, expense reimbursements and other income received from tenants under existing leases at each of our properties. “Escalations and expense reimbursements” consist of payments made by tenants to us under contractual lease obligations to reimburse a portion of the property operating expenses and real estate taxes incurred at each property.

We believe that the average rental rates for in-place leases at our properties are generally below the current market rates, although individual leases at particular properties presently may be leased above, at or below the current market rates within its particular submarket.

The amount of net rental income and reimbursements that we receive depends principally on our ability to lease currently available space, re-lease space to new tenants upon the scheduled or unscheduled termination of leases or renew expiring leases and to maintain or increase our rental rates. Factors that could affect our rental incomes include, but are not limited to: local, regional or national economic conditions; an oversupply of, or a reduction in demand for, office or retail space; changes in market rental rates; our ability to provide adequate services and maintenance at our properties; and fluctuations in interest rates, all of which could adversely affect our rental income in future periods. Future economic or regional downturns affecting our submarkets, or downturns in our tenants’ industries, could impair our ability to lease vacant space and renew or re-lease space as well as the ability of our tenants to fulfill their lease commitments, and could adversely affect our ability to maintain or increase the occupancy at our properties.

Tenant Credit Risk

The economic condition of our tenants may also deteriorate, which could negatively impact their ability to fulfill their lease commitments and in turn adversely affect our ability to maintain or increase the occupancy level and/or rental rates of our properties. Potential tenants may look to consolidate, reduce overhead and preserve operating capital and may also defer strategic decisions, including entering into new, long-term leases at properties.

Leasing

We signed 1.0 million, 0.9 million, and 1.3 million rentable square feet of new leases, expansions and lease renewals, for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

Due to the relatively small number of leases that are signed in any particular quarter, one or more larger leases may have a disproportionately positive or negative impact on average rent, tenant improvement and leasing commission costs for that period. As a result, we believe it is more appropriate when analyzing trends in average rent and tenant improvement and leasing commission costs to review activity over multiple quarters or years. Tenant improvement costs include expenditures for general improvements occurring concurrently with, but that are not directly related to, the cost of installing a new tenant. Leasing commission costs are similarly subject to significant fluctuations depending upon the length of leases being signed and the mix of tenants from quarter to quarter.

As of December 31, 2021, there were approximately 1.4 million rentable square feet of space in our portfolio available to lease (excluding leases signed but not yet commenced) representing 14.3% of the net rentable square footage of the properties in our portfolio. In addition, leases representing 5.7% and 6.3% of net rentable square footage of the properties in our portfolio will expire in 2022 and in 2023, respectively. These leases are expected to represent approximately 6.2% and 7.6%, respectively, of our annualized rent for such periods. Our revenues and results of operations can be impacted by expiring leases that are not renewed or re-leased or that are renewed or re-leased at base rental rates equal to, above or below the current average base rental rates. Further, our revenues and results of operations can also be affected by the costs we incur to re-lease available space, including payment of leasing commissions, redevelopments and build-to-suit remodeling that may not be borne by the tenant.

Market Conditions

The properties in our portfolio are located in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, which includes Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. Positive or negative changes in conditions in these markets, such as business hirings or layoffs or downsizing, industry growth or slowdowns, relocations of businesses, increases or decreases in real estate and other taxes, costs of complying with governmental regulations or changed regulation, can impact our overall performance.

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Observatory and Broadcasting Operations

For the year ended December 31, 2021, the observatory hosted 827,000 visitors, compared to 507,000 visitors for the same period in 2020, an increase of 63.1%. Our return of attendance to pre-COVID-19 levels is closely tied to national and international travel trends and these remain adversely impacted by developments around the COVID-19 pandemic.

Observatory revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $41.5 million, a 42.6% increase from $29.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The observatory revenue increase was driven by higher visitation levels in 2021 given the closing of the observatory during 2020 due to COVID-19.

Observatory revenue and admissions are dependent upon the following: (i) the number of tourists (domestic and international) that come to New York City and visit the observatory, as well as any related tourism trends; (ii) the prices per admission that can be charged; (iii) seasonal trends affecting the number of visitors to the observatory; (iv) competition, in particular from other new and existing observatories; and (v) weather trends.

We license the use of the Empire State Building mast to third party television and radio broadcasters and providers of data communications. We also lease space in the upper floors of the building to such licensees to house their transmission equipment and related facilities. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we derived $13.5 million of revenue and $5.6 million of expense reimbursements from the Empire State Building’s broadcasting licenses and related leases.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses generally consist of depreciation and amortization, real estate taxes, ground lease expenses, repairs and maintenance, security, utilities, property-related payroll, and insurance. Factors that may affect our ability to control these operating costs include: increases in insurance premiums, tax rates, the cost of periodic repair, redevelopment costs and the cost of re-leasing space, the cost of compliance with governmental regulation, including zoning and tax laws, the potential for liability under applicable laws and interest rate levels. If our operating costs increase as a result of any of the foregoing factors, our future cash flow and results of operations may be adversely affected.

The expenses of owning and operating a property are not necessarily reduced when circumstances, such as market factors and competition, cause a reduction in income from the property. If revenues drop, we may not be able to reduce our expenses accordingly. Costs associated with real estate investments, such as real estate taxes and maintenance generally, will not be materially reduced even if a property is not fully occupied or other circumstances cause our revenues to decrease. As a result, if revenues decrease in the future, static operating costs may adversely affect our future cash flow and results of operations. If similar economic conditions exist in the future, we may experience future losses.

Cost of Funds and Interest Rates

As of December 31, 2021, our variable rate debt was $125.0 million which represented 5.4% of our total indebtedness and 2.5% of our total enterprise value. Our variable rate debt may increase to the extent we use available borrowing capacity from our unsecured credit facility to fund capital improvements.

Competition

The leasing of real estate is highly competitive in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan market in which we operate. We compete with numerous acquirers, developers, owners and operators of commercial real estate, many of which own or may seek to acquire or develop properties similar to ours in the same markets in which our properties are located. The principal means of competition are rent charged, location, services provided and the nature and condition of the facility to be leased. In addition, we face competition from other real estate companies including other REITs, private real estate funds, domestic and foreign financial institutions, life insurance companies, pension trusts, partnerships, individual investors and others that may have greater financial resources or access to capital than we do or that are willing to acquire properties in transactions which are more highly leveraged or are less attractive from a financial viewpoint than we are willing to pursue. In addition, competition from new and existing observatories and/or broadcasting operations could have a negative impact on revenues from our observatory and/or broadcasting operations. Adverse impacts on domestic travel and changes in foreign currency exchange rates may also decrease demand in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates, below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, in better locations within our markets or in higher quality facilities, we may lose potential tenants and may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge in order to retain tenants when our tenants’ leases expire.

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Reference is made to ITEM 1A. Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional factors that that may influence future results of operations.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP and with the rules and regulations of the SEC represent our assets and liabilities and operating results. The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and our wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

We consolidate entities in which we have a controlling financial interest. In determining whether we have a controlling financial interest in a partially owned entity and the requirement to consolidate the accounts of that entity, we consider factors such as ownership interest, board representation, management representation, authority to make decisions, and contractual and substantive participating rights of the partners/members as well as whether the entity is a variable interest entity (“VIE”) and we are the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is the entity that has (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could be significant to the VIE. The primary beneficiary is required to consolidate the VIE. We had no VIEs as of December 31, 2021 and 2020.

We will assess the accounting treatment for each investment we may have in the future. This assessment will include a review of each entity’s organizational agreement to determine which party has what rights and whether those rights are protective or participating. For all VIEs, we will review such agreements in order to determine which party has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and benefit. In situations where we or our partner could approve, among other things, the annual budget, or leases that cover more than a nominal amount of space relative to the total rentable space at each property, we would not consolidate the investment as we consider these to be substantive participation rights that result in shared power of the activities that would most significantly impact the performance and benefit of such joint venture investment.

A non-controlling interest in a consolidated subsidiary is defined as the portion of the equity (net assets) in a subsidiary not attributable, directly or indirectly, to a parent. Non-controlling interests are required to be presented as a separate component of equity in the consolidated balance sheets and in the consolidated statements of income by requiring earnings and other comprehensive income to be attributed to controlling and non-controlling interests.

Goodwill

Goodwill is tested annually for impairment and is tested for impairment more frequently if events and circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. An impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount, including goodwill, exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value and the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying amount of that goodwill. Non-amortizing intangible assets, such as trade names and trademarks, are subject to an annual impairment test based on fair value and amortizing intangible assets are tested whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.

The closure of our observatory and subsequent reopening under international, national, and local travel restrictions and quarantines caused us during the second quarter of 2020 to choose to perform an impairment test related to goodwill. We engaged a third-party valuation consulting firm to perform the valuation process. The analysis used a combination of the discounted cash flow method (a form of the income approach) utilizing Level 3 unobservable inputs and the guideline company method (a form of the market approach). Significant assumptions under the former included revenue and cost projections, weighted average cost of capital, long-term growth rate and income tax considerations while the latter included guideline company enterprise values, revenue multiples and control premium rates. Our methodology to review goodwill impairment, which included a significant amount of judgment and estimates, provided a reasonable basis to determine whether impairment had occurred. Based upon the results of the goodwill impairment test of the standalone observatory reporting unit, which is after the intercompany rent expense paid to the Real Estate reporting unit, we determined that the fair value of the observatory reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by less than 15.0% at December 31, 2021. Many of the factors employed in determining whether or not goodwill is impaired are outside of our control and it is reasonably likely that assumptions and estimates will change in future periods. We will continue to assess the impairment of the observatory reporting unit goodwill going forward and that continued assessment may again utilize a third-party valuation consulting firm.

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Income Taxes

We are generally not subject to federal and state income taxes as our taxable income or loss is reportable by our partners. Accordingly, no provision has been made for federal and state income taxes. ESRT elected, together with ESRT observatory TRS, L.L.C., our subsidiary which holds our observatory operations, to treat ESRT observatory TRS, L.L.C. as a taxable REIT subsidiary ("TRS"), and ESRT has elected, together with ESRT Holdings TRS, L.L.C., our subsidiary that holds our third party management, construction (through cessation of our construction business in the first quarter of 2015), restaurant, cafeteria, health clubs and certain cleaning operations, to treat ESRT Holdings TRS, L.L.C. as a TRS. TRSs may participate in non-real estate activities and/or perform non-customary services for tenants and their operations are generally subject to regular corporate income taxes. Each of our TRSs account for their income taxes in accordance with GAAP, which includes an estimate of the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. The calculation of the TRSs tax provisions may require interpreting tax laws and regulations and could result in the use of judgments or estimates which could cause its recorded tax liability to differ from the actual amount due. Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The TRSs periodically assess the realizability of deferred tax assets and the adequacy of deferred tax liabilities, including the results of local, state, or federal tax audits or estimates and judgments used.

As of December 31, 2021, our parent and general partner, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., had $73.0 million of NOL carryforwards that may be used in the future to reduce the amount otherwise required to be distributed by ESRT to meet REIT requirements. However, for federal income tax purposes, the NOL will not be able to offset more than 80% of ESRT’s REIT taxable income and, therefore, may not be able to reduce the amount required to be distributed by ESRT to meet REIT requirements to zero. The federal NOL may be carried forward indefinitely. Other limitations may apply to ESRT’s ability to use its NOL to offset taxable income.

As of December 31, 2021, the observatory TRS had a federal income tax receivable of $5.5 million. This receivable reflects an anticipated refund resulting from the carryback of 2020 NOL to previous tax years.

The observatory TRS had $3.1 million NOL carryforwards that may be used to offset future taxable income, if any. The federal NOL may be carried forward indefinitely and the state and local NOL can be carried forward for up to 20 years.

We apply provisions for measuring and recognizing tax benefits associated with uncertain income tax positions. Penalties and interest, if incurred, would be recorded as a component of income tax expense. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we do not have a liability for uncertain tax positions. As of December 31, 2021, the tax years ended December 31, 2018 through December 31, 2021 remain open for an audit by the Internal Revenue Service, state or local authorities.

Share-Based Compensation

Share-based compensation for market based equity awards is measured at the fair value of the award on the date of grant and recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over the stated vesting period, which is generally three or four years, depending on retirement eligibility. Share-based compensation for time-based equity awards is measured at the fair value of the award on the date of grant and recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over the shorter of (i) the stated vesting period, which is generally three, four or five years, or (ii) the period from the date of grant to the date the employee becomes retirement eligible, which may occur upon grant. The determination of fair value of these awards is subjective and involves significant estimates and assumptions including expected volatility of ESRT stock, expected dividend yield, expected term, and assumptions of whether these awards will achieve parity with other operating partnership units or achieve performance thresholds. We believe that the assumptions and estimates utilized are appropriate based on the information available to management at the time of grant.

Accounting Standards Update

Reference is made to Note 2 in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for information about recently issued and recently adopted accounting standards.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Our future income, cash flows and fair values relevant to financial instruments are dependent upon prevalent market interest rates. Market risk refers to the risk of loss from adverse changes in market prices and interest rates. One of the principal market risks facing us is interest rate risk on our variable rate indebtedness. As of December 31, 2021, our floating rate debt of $125.0 million represented 2.5% of our total enterprise value.

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Subject to maintaining ESRT's qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may mitigate the risk of interest rate volatility through the use of hedging instruments, such as interest rate swap agreements and interest rate cap agreements. Our primary objectives when undertaking hedging transactions and derivative positions will be to reduce our floating rate exposure and to fix a portion of the interest rate for anticipated financing and refinancing transactions. This in turn will reduce the risk that the variability of cash flows will impose on floating rate debt. However, we can provide no assurances that our efforts to manage interest rate volatility will successfully mitigate the risks of such volatility on our portfolio. We are not subject to foreign currency risk.

We are exposed to interest rate changes primarily on our unsecured revolving credit facility and debt refinancings. Our objectives with respect to interest rate risk are to limit the impact of interest rate changes on operations and cash flows, and to lower our overall borrowing costs. To achieve these objectives, we may borrow at fixed rates and may enter into derivative financial instruments such as interest rate swaps or caps in order to mitigate our interest rate risk on a related floating rate financial instrument. We do not enter into derivative or interest rate transactions for speculative purposes.

As of December 31, 2021, we have interest rate LIBOR swap and cap agreements with an aggregate notional value of $451.3 million, which fix interest at swap rates between 1.757% to 2.500% and cap rates between 4.5% and 5.5%, and mature between August 24, 2022 and November 1, 2033. The interest rate swaps have been designated as cash flow hedges and are deemed highly effective with a fair value of ($25.3) million which is included in accounts payable and accrued expenses on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021.

Based on our floating rate debt balances, interest expense would have increased by approximately $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, if short-term interest rates had been 1% higher. As of December 31, 2021, the weighted average interest rate on the $2.2 billion of fixed-rate indebtedness outstanding was 3.9% per annum, each with maturities at various dates through March 17, 2035.

As of December 31, 2021, the fair value of our outstanding debt was approximately $2.3 billion which was approximately $35.0 million more than the historical book value as of such date. Interest risk amounts were determined by considering the impact of hypothetical interest rates on our financial instruments. These analyses do not consider the effect of any change in overall economic activity that could occur in that environment. Further, in the event of a change of that magnitude, we may take actions to further mitigate our exposure to the change. However, due to the uncertainty of the specific actions that would be taken and their possible effects, these analyses assume no changes in our financial structure.

On March 5, 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) announced that USD LIBOR will no longer be published after June 30, 2023. This announcement has several implications, including setting the spread that may be used to automatically convert contracts from LIBOR to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). Additionally, banking regulators are encouraging banks to discontinue new LIBOR debt issuances by December 31, 2021.

We anticipate that LIBOR will continue to be available at least until June 30, 2023. Any changes adopted by the FCA or other governing bodies in the method used for determining LIBOR may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in reported LIBOR. If that were to occur, our interest payments could change. In addition, uncertainty about the extent and manner of future changes may result in interest rates and/or payments that are higher or lower than if LIBOR were to remain available in its current form.

We have contracts that are indexed to LIBOR and are monitoring and evaluating the related risks, which include interest on loans and amounts received and paid on derivative instruments. These risks arise in connection with transitioning contracts to an alternative rate, including any resulting value transfer that may occur, and are likely to vary by contract. The value of loans or derivative instruments tied to LIBOR, as well as interest rates on our unsecured revolving credit facility and our unsecured term loan facilities and the swap rate for our interest rate swaps, may also be impacted if LIBOR is limited or discontinued. For some instruments the method of transitioning to an alternative reference rate may be challenging, especially if we cannot agree with the respective counterparty about how to make the transition.

While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until at least the end of June 30, 2023, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that point. This could result, for example, if sufficient banks decline to make submissions to the LIBOR administrator. In that case, the risks associated with the transition to an alternative reference rate will be accelerated and magnified.

Alternative rates and other market changes related to the replacement of LIBOR, including the introduction of financial products and changes in market practices, may lead to risk modeling and valuation challenges, such as adjusting interest rate accrual calculations and building a term structure for an alternative rate.

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The introduction of an alternative rate also may create additional basis risk and increased volatility as alternative rates are phased in and utilized in parallel with LIBOR.

Adjustments to systems and mathematical models to properly process and account for alternative rates will be required, which may strain the model risk management and information technology functions and result in substantial incremental costs for us.

Our exposures to market risk have not changed materially since December 31, 2020.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The financial statements beginning on Page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Exchange Act is processed, recorded, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and regulations and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including ESRT's Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

As of December 31, 2021, the end of the period covered by this Report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of ESRT management, including ESRT's Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, regarding the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures at the end of the period covered by this Report. Based on the foregoing, ESRT's Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded, as of that time, that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by us in reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act (i) is processed, recorded, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (ii) is accumulated and communicated to our management, including ESRT's Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

No significant changes to our internal control over financial reporting were identified in connection with the evaluation referenced above that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

(a) Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13(a)-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 as required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13(a)-15(c). In making this assessment, we used the criteria set forth in the framework in Internal Control–Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the "COSO criteria"). Based on our evaluation under the COSO criteria, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2021 to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

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Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm that audited our Financial Statements included in this Annual Report, has issued an attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, which appears in paragraph (b) of this Item 9A.

(b) Attestation report of the independent registered public accounting firm

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Partners of Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited Empire State Realty OP, L.P.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework)(the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Empire State Realty OP, L.P. (the Operating Partnership) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based onthe COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the 2021 consolidated financial statements of the Operating Partnership and our report dated February 25, 2022 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The Operating Partnership’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Operating Partnership’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Operating Partnership in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

New York, New York

February 25, 2022

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

We are managed by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. in its capacity as our sole general partner. The information required by Item 10 will be set forth in Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.'s definitive proxy statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (which is scheduled to be held on May 12, 2022), to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the ESRT Proxy Statement, and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

We are managed by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. in its capacity as our sole general partner. The information required by Item 11 will be set forth in the ESRT Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The information required by Item 12 will be set forth in the ESRT Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information under Item 5 of this Form 10-K under the heading “Securities Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans” is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by Item 13 will be set forth in the ESRT Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by Item 14 will be set forth in the ESRT Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SCHEDULES

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this report:

1.The consolidated financial statements are set forth in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

2.The following financial statement schedules should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Schedule III-Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation as of December 31, 2021 on page F-41.

Schedules other than those listed are omitted as they are not applicable or the required or equivalent information has been included in the financial statements or notes thereto.

57

(b) The exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K (§229.601 of this chapter) are listed below:

Exhibit Index

Exhibit No. Description

3.1 Certificate of Limited Partnership of Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

58

59

21.1* Subsidiaries of Registrant

23.1* Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

101.SCH* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Document

101.DEF* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definitions Document

101.LAB* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Document

101.PRE* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Document

60

Notes:

* Filed herewith.

ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY

None.

61

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.

By: Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., its general partner

Date: February 25, 2022 By:/s/ Anthony E. Malkin

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Date: February 25, 2022 By:/s/ Christina Chiu

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

Date: February 25, 2022 By:/s/ Stephen V. Horn

Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer

(Principal Accounting Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., as general partner of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature Title Date

Anthony E. Malkin

(Principal Executive Officer)

Christina Chiu

Stephen V. Horn (Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Leslie D. Biddle Director February 25, 2022

Leslie D. Biddle

/s/ Thomas J. DeRosa Director February 25, 2022

Thomas J. DeRosa

/s/ Steven J. Gilbert Lead Independent Director February 25, 2022

Steven J. Gilbert

/s/ S. Michael Giliberto Director February 25, 2022

S. Michael Giliberto

/s/ Patricia S. Han Director February 25, 2022

Patricia S. Han

/s/ Grant H. Hill Director February 25, 2022

Grant H. Hill

/s/ R. Paige Hood Director February 25, 2022

R. Paige Hood

/s/ James D. Robinson IV Director February 25, 2022

James D. Robinson IV

62

EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

PAGE

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 42) F-1

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 F-3

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-9

Financial Statement Schedule:

Schedule III - Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation F-41

63

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Partners of Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Opinion on the Financial Statements:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. (the Operating Partnership) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), capital and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Operating Partnership at December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Operating Partnership's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 25, 2022, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion:

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Operating Partnership’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Operating Partnership’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Operating Partnership in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

F-1

Valuation of goodwill - observatory

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Operating Partnership’s auditor since 2010.

New York, New York

February 25, 2022

F-2

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(amounts in thousands, except unit and per unit amounts)

Commercial real estate properties, at cost:

LIABILITIES AND CAPITAL

Liabilities:

Unsecured revolving credit facility — —

Deferred revenue and other liabilities 84,358 88,319

Commitments and contingencies

Capital:

Private perpetual preferred units:

Series PR operating partnership units:

Non-controlling interest in other partnerships 13,252 —

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-3

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(amounts in thousands, except per unit amounts)

For the Year Ended December 31,

Revenues:

Operating expenses:

Other income (expense):

Loss on early extinguishment of debt (214) (86) —

IPO litigation expense — (1,165) —

Private perpetual preferred unit distributions (4,201) (4,197) (1,743)

Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest in other partnerships 17 — —

Total weighted average units:

Earnings (loss) per unit:

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-4

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(amounts in thousands)

For the Year Ended December 31,

Other comprehensive income (loss):

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-5

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Capital

(amounts in thousands)

General Partner Limited Partners

Repurchases of common units — — (4,887) (46,704) — — — — — — — — — (46,704)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-6

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(amounts in thousands)

For the Year Ended December 31,

Cash Flows From Operating Activities

Amortization of non-cash items within interest expense 10,862 9,482 7,328

Amortization of acquired below-market ground leases 7,831 7,831 7,831

Settlement of derivative contract — (20,281) (11,802)

Loss on early extinguishment of debt 214 86 —

Accounts payable and accrued expenses (99) (3,305) 427

Cash Flows From Investing Activities

Short-term investments — — 400,000

Development costs (165) — —

Acquisition of real estate property (117,540) — —

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-7

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (continued)

(amounts in thousands)

For the Year Ended December 31,

Cash Flows From Financing Activities

Proceeds from mortgage notes payable — 180,000 —

Proceeds from unsecured senior notes — 175,000 —

Repayment of unsecured senior notes — — (250,000)

Proceeds from unsecured term loan — 175,000 —

Repayment of unsecured term loan — (50,000) —

Proceeds from unsecured revolving credit facility — 550,000 —

Repayment of unsecured revolving credit facility — (550,000) —

Private perpetual preferred unit distributions (4,201) (4,197) (1,743)

Reconciliation of Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash:

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

Interest capitalized $ — $ — $ 1,433

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

Right of use assets — — 29,452

Ground lease liabilities — — 29,452

Debt assumed with the acquisition of real estate properties 177,453 — —

Contribution from other partnerships 13,269 — —

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-8

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Description of Business and Organization

As used in these consolidated financial statements, unless the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us,” "our," and the "company,” mean Empire State Realty OP, L.P. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P. is the entity through which Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. ("ESRT"), a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust, or REIT, conducts all of its business and owns (either directly or through subsidiaries) substantially all of its assets. We own, manage, operate, acquire and reposition office, retail and multifamily properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area. Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.'s Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ESRT." We were organized as a Delaware limited partnership on November 28, 2011.

ESRT as the sole general partner in our company, has responsibility and discretion in the management and control in our company, and our limited partners, in such capacity, have no authority to transact business for, or participate in the management activities of our company. As of December 31, 2021, ESRT owned approximately 60.5% of our operating partnership units.

As of December 31, 2021, our total portfolio contained 10.1 million rentable square feet of office, retail and multifamily space. We owned 14 office properties (including three long-term ground leasehold interest) encompassing approximately 9.4 million rentable square feet of office space. Nine of these properties are located in the midtown Manhattan market and encompass in the aggregate approximately 7.6 million rentable square feet of office space, including the Empire State Building. Our Manhattan office properties also contain an aggregate of 0.5 million rentable square feet of premier retail space on their ground floor and/or lower levels. Our remaining five office properties are located in Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York, encompassing in the aggregate approximately 1.8 million rentable square feet. The majority of square footage for these five properties is located in densely populated metropolitan communities with immediate access to mass transportation. Additionally, we have entitled land at the Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Connecticut, adjacent to one of our office properties, that will support the development of an approximately 0.4 million rentable square foot office building and garage, which we refer to herein as Metro Tower. As of December 31, 2021, our portfolio also included four standalone retail properties located in Manhattan and two standalone retail properties located in the city center of Westport, Connecticut, encompassing 0.2 million rentable square feet in the aggregate. Additionally, at December 31, 2021, our portfolio included two multifamily properties totaling 625 units.

We have two entities that elected, together with ESRT, to be treated as taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs, of ESRT. The TRSs, through several wholly owned limited liability companies, conduct third-party services businesses, which include the Empire State Building observatory, cleaning services, cafeteria, restaurant and health clubs, and asset and property management services.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements, have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), represent our assets and liabilities and operating results. The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and our partially owned and wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

We consolidate entities in which we have a controlling financial interest. In determining whether we have a controlling financial interest in a partially owned entity and the requirement to consolidate the accounts of that entity, we consider factors such as ownership interest, board representation, management representation, authority to make decisions, and contractual and substantive participating rights of the partners/members as well as whether the entity is a variable interest entity (“VIE”) and whether we are the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is the entity that has (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could be significant to the VIE. The primary beneficiary is required to consolidate the VIE. We had no VIEs as of December 31, 2021 and 2020.

F-9

We will assess the accounting treatment for each investment we may have in the future. This assessment will include a review of each entity’s organizational agreement to determine which party has what rights and whether those rights are protective or participating. For all VIEs, we will review such agreements in order to determine which party has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and benefit. In situations where we or our partner could approve, among other things, the annual budget, or leases that cover more than a nominal amount of space relative to the total rentable space at each property, we would not consolidate the investment as we consider these to be substantive participation rights that result in shared power of the activities that would most significantly impact the performance and benefit of such joint venture investment.

A non-controlling interest in a consolidated subsidiary is defined as the portion of the equity (net assets) in a subsidiary not attributable, directly or indirectly, to a parent. Non-controlling interests are required to be presented as a separate component of equity in the consolidated balance sheets and in the consolidated statements of income by requiring earnings and other comprehensive income to be attributed to controlling and non-controlling interests.

Accounting Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to use estimates and assumptions that in certain circumstances affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported revenues and expenses. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include allocation of the purchase price of acquired real estate properties among tangible and intangible assets, determination of the useful life of real estate properties and other long-lived assets, valuation and impairment analysis of commercial real estate properties, goodwill, right-of-use-assets and other long-lived assets, estimate of tenant expense reimbursements, valuation of the allowance for doubtful accounts, and valuation of derivative instruments, ground lease liabilities, senior unsecured notes, mortgage notes payable, unsecured revolving credit and term loan facilities, and equity based compensation. These estimates are prepared using management’s best judgment, after considering past, current, and expected events and economic conditions. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Revenue Recognition

Rental Revenue

Rental revenue includes base rents that each tenant pays in accordance with the terms of its respective lease and is reported on a straight-line basis over the non-cancellable term of the lease which includes the effects of rent steps and rent abatements under the leases. In general, we commence rental revenue recognition when the tenant takes possession of the leased space or controls the physical use of the leased space and the leased space is substantially ready for its intended use. We account for all of our leases as operating leases. Deferred rent receivables, including free rental periods and leasing arrangements allowing for increased base rent payments, are accounted for in a manner that provides an even amount of fixed lease revenues over the respective non-cancellable lease terms. Differences between rental income recognized and amounts due under the respective lease agreements are recognized as an increase or decrease to deferred rent receivables.

In addition to base rent, our tenants also generally will pay their pro rata share of increases in real estate taxes and operating expenses for the building over a base year. In some leases, in lieu of paying additional rent based upon increases in building operating expenses, the tenant will pay additional rent based upon increases in an index such as the Consumer Price Index over the index value in effect during a base year, or contain fixed percentage increases over the base rent to cover escalations.

For Coronavirus 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic related rent deferral agreements, we will generally elect to record rental revenue and a receivable during the deferral period.

We recognize rental revenue of acquired in-place above- and below-market leases at their fair values over the terms of the respective leases, including, for below-market leases, fixed option renewal periods, if any.

Lease termination fees are recognized when the fees are determinable, tenant vacancy has occurred, collectability is reasonably assured, we have no continuing obligation to provide services to such former tenants and the payment is not subject to any conditions that must be met or waived.

F-10

Observatory Revenue

Revenues from the sale of observatory tickets are recognized upon admission or ticket expirations. Deferred revenue related to unused and unexpired tickets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 was $0.9 million and $0.8 million, respectively, and is included in deferred revenue and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Gains on Sale of Real Estate

We record a gain on sale of real estate pursuant to provisions under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 610-20, Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets. Under ASC 610-20, we must first determine whether the transaction is a sale to a customer or non-customer. We do not sell real estate within the ordinary course of our business and therefore, expect that sale transactions will not be contracts with customers. We will next determine whether we would have a controlling financial interest in the property after the sale. If we determine that we do not have a controlling financial interest in the real estate, we would evaluate whether a contract exists under ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and whether the buyer has obtained control of the asset that was sold. We recognize the full gain on sale of real estate when the derecognition criteria under ASC 610-20 have been met.

Third-Party Management and Other Fees

We earn revenue arising from contractual agreements with related party entities for asset and property management services. This revenue is recognized as the related services are performed under the respective agreements in place.

Other Revenues and Fees

Other revenues and fees includes parking income, legal, tax and insurance settlements, demand response energy use earnings and sales from our restaurant at the Empire State Building.

Advertising and Marketing Costs

Advertising and marketing costs are expensed as incurred. The expense for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 was $7.9 million, $7.4 million and $9.7 million, respectively, and is included within operating expenses in our consolidated statements of operations.

Real Estate Properties and Related Intangible Assets

Land and buildings and improvements are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. The recorded cost includes cost of acquisitions, development and construction and tenant allowances and improvements. Expenditures for ordinary repairs and maintenance are charged to property operating expense as incurred. Significant replacements and betterments which improve or extend the life of the asset are capitalized. Tenant improvements which improve or extend the life of the asset are capitalized. If a tenant vacates its space prior to the contractual termination of its lease, the unamortized balance of any tenant improvements are written off if they are replaced or have no future value. For developed properties, direct and indirect costs that clearly relate to projects under development are capitalized. Costs include construction costs, professional services such as architectural and legal costs, capitalized interest and direct payroll costs. We begin capitalization when the project is probable. The assets relating to the project are stated at cost and are not depreciated. Once construction is completed and the assets are placed in service, the assets are reclassified to the appropriate asset class and depreciated in accordance with the useful lives as indicated below. Capitalization of interest ceases when the asset is ready for its intended use, which is generally near the date that a certificate of occupancy is obtained. Total capitalized interest for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $1.4 million. There was no capitalized interest for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Depreciation and amortization are computed using the straight-line method for financial reporting purposes. Buildings and improvements are depreciated over the shorter of 39 years, the useful life, or the remaining term of any leasehold interest. Tenant improvement costs, which are included in building and improvements in the consolidated balance sheets, are depreciated over the shorter of (i) the related remaining lease term or (ii) the life of the improvement. Corporate and other equipment is depreciated over three to seven years.

Acquisitions of properties are accounted for utilizing the acquisition method and accordingly the purchase cost is allocated to tangible and intangible assets and liabilities based on their fair values. The fair value of tangible assets acquired is determined by valuing the property as if it were vacant, applying methods similar to those used by independent appraisers of

F-11

income-producing property. The resulting value is then allocated to land, buildings and improvements, and tenant improvements based on our determination of the fair value of these assets. The assumptions used in the allocation of fair values to assets acquired are based on our best estimates at the time of evaluation.

Fair value is assigned to above-market and below-market leases based on the difference between (a) the contractual amounts to be paid by the tenant based on the existing lease and (b) our estimate of current market lease rates for the corresponding in-place leases, over the remaining terms of the in-place leases. Capitalized above-market lease amounts are amortized as a decrease to rental revenue over the remaining terms of the respective leases. Capitalized below-market lease amounts are amortized as an increase to rental revenue over the remaining terms of the respective leases. If a tenant vacates its space prior to the contractual termination of the lease and no rental payments are being made on the lease, any unamortized balance of the related intangible will be written off.

The aggregate value of other acquired intangible assets consists of acquired ground leases and acquired in-place leases and tenant relationships. The fair value allocated to acquired in-place leases consists of a variety of components including, but not necessarily limited to: (a) the value associated with avoiding the cost of originating the acquired in-place leases (i.e. the market cost to execute a lease, including leasing commissions, if any); (b) the value associated with lost revenue related to tenant reimbursable operating costs estimated to be incurred during the assumed lease-up period (i.e. real estate taxes, insurance and other operating expenses); (c) the value associated with lost rental revenue from existing leases during the assumed lease-up period; and (d) the value associated with any other inducements to secure a tenant lease.

We assess the potential for impairment of our long-lived assets, including real estate properties, annually or whenever events occur or a change in circumstances indicate that the recorded value might not be fully recoverable. We determine whether impairment in value has occurred by comparing the estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected from the use and eventual disposition of the asset to its carrying value. If the undiscounted cash flows do not exceed the carrying value, the real estate is adjusted to fair value and an impairment loss is recognized. Assets held for sale are recorded at the lower of cost or fair value less costs to sell. During the fourth quarter 2021, we suspended debt service related to a $30 million mortgage secured by our property in Norwalk, Connecticut and we identified this action as an indicator of impairment. We concluded that the cost basis of the asset exceeds its fair value when considering our reduced holding period given our new intent to transfer property ownership to the lender. As such, we incurred a $7.7 million impairment charge. Our methodology to calculate the fair value of the property involved a combination of the discounted cash flow method, utilizing Level 3 unobservable inputs such as market capitalization rates obtained from external sources, and the market based approach utilizing recent sales comparables. We do not believe that the value of any of our other properties and intangible assets were impaired during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand, government money markets, demand deposits with financial institutions and short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased. Cash and cash equivalents held at major commercial banks may at times exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation limit. To date, we have not experienced any losses on our invested cash.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash consists of amounts held for tenants in accordance with lease agreements such as security deposits and amounts held by lenders and/or escrow agents to provide for future real estate tax expenditures and insurance expenditures, tenant vacancy related costs and debt service obligations.

Short-term Investments

Short-term investments include time deposits with original maturities of greater than three months and remaining

maturities of less than one year.

Tenant and Other Receivables

Tenant and other receivables, other than deferred rent receivable, are generally expected to be collected within one year.

F-12

Deferred Leasing Costs

Deferred leasing costs consist of fees incurred to initiate and renew leases, are amortized on a straight-line basis over the related lease term and the expense is included in depreciation and amortization in our consolidated statements of income. Upon the early termination of a lease, unamortized deferred leasing costs are charged to expense.

Deferred Financing Costs

Fees and costs incurred to obtain long-term financing have been deferred and are amortized as a component of interest expense in our consolidated statements of income over the life of the respective long-term financing on the straight-line method which approximates the effective interest method. Unamortized deferred financing costs are expensed when the associated debt is refinanced or repaid before maturity. Costs incurred in seeking debt, which do not close, are expensed in the period in which it is determined that the financing will not close.

Equity Method Investments

We account for investments under the equity method of accounting where we do not have control but have the ability to exercise significant influence. Under this method, investments are recorded at cost, and the investment accounts are adjusted for our share of the entities’ income or loss and for distributions and contributions. Equity income (loss) is allocated based on the portion of the ownership interest that is controlled by us. The agreements may designate different percentage allocations among investors for profits and losses; however, our recognition of the entity’s income or loss generally follows the entity’s distribution priorities, which may change upon the achievement of certain investment return thresholds.

To the extent that we contributed assets to an entity, our investment in the entity is recorded at cost basis in the assets that were contributed to the entity. Upon contributing assets to an entity, we make a judgment as to whether the economic substance of the transaction is a sale. In accordance with the provisions of ASC 610-20, we will recognize a full gain on both the retained and sold portions of real estate contributed or sold to an entity by recognizing our new equity method investment interest at fair value.

To the extent that the carrying amount of these investments on our combined balance sheets is different than the basis reflected at the entity level, the basis difference would be amortized over the life of the related asset and included in our share of equity in net income of the entity.

On a periodic basis, we assess whether there are any indicators that the carrying value of our investments in entities may be impaired on an other than temporary basis. An investment is impaired only if management’s estimate of the fair value of the investment is less than the carrying value of the investment on an other than temporary basis. To the extent impairment has occurred, the loss shall be measured as the excess of the carrying value of the investment over the fair value of the investment.

As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had no equity method investments.

Goodwill

Goodwill is tested annually for impairment and is tested for impairment more frequently if events and circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. An impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount, including goodwill, exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value and the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying amount of that goodwill. Non-amortizing intangible assets, such as trade names and trademarks, are subject to an annual impairment test based on fair value and amortizing intangible assets are tested whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.

In compliance with the requirements of authorities, we closed the Empire State Building observatory on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it remained closed until the 86th floor observation deck was reopened on July 20, 2020. The 102nd observation deck was reopened on August 24, 2020. The closure of our observatory and subsequent reopening under international, national, and local travel restrictions and quarantines caused us during the quarter, and each subsequent quarters, to choose to perform an impairment test related to goodwill. We engaged a third-party valuation consulting firm to perform the valuation process. The analysis used a combination of the discounted cash flow method (a form of the income approach) utilizing Level 3 unobservable inputs and the guideline company method (a form of the market approach). Significant assumptions under the former included revenue and cost projections, weighted average cost of capital, long-term growth rate and income tax considerations while the latter included guideline company enterprise values, revenue multiples and

F-13

control premium rates. Our methodology to review goodwill impairment, which included a significant amount of judgment and estimates, provided a reasonable basis to determine whether impairment had occurred. Based upon the results of the goodwill impairment test of the stand-alone observatory reporting unit, which is after the intercompany rent expense paid to the Real Estate reporting unit, we determined that the fair value of the observatory reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by less than 15.0%. Many of the factors employed in determining whether or not goodwill is impaired are outside of our control and it is reasonably likely that assumptions and estimates will change in future periods. We will continue to assess the impairment of the observatory reporting unit goodwill going forward and that continued assessment may again utilize a third-party valuation consulting firm.

Fair Value

Fair value is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement, and should be determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, the FASB guidance establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between market participant assumptions based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity (observable inputs that are classified within levels one and two of the hierarchy) and the reporting entity's own assumptions about market participant assumptions (unobservable inputs classified within Level 3 of the hierarchy).

The methodologies used for valuing financial instruments have been categorized into three broad levels as follows:

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments.

Level 2 - Valuations based principally on other observable market parameters, including:

•Quoted prices in active markets for similar instruments;

•Quoted prices in less active or inactive markets for identical or similar instruments;

•Other observable inputs (such as risk free interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks and default rates); and

•Market corroborated inputs (derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data).

Level 3 - Valuations based significantly on unobservable inputs, including:

•Valuations based on third-party indications (broker quotes or counterparty quotes) which were, in turn, based significantly on unobservable inputs or were otherwise not supportable; and

•Valuations based on internal models with significant unobservable inputs.

These levels form a hierarchy. We follow this hierarchy for our financial instruments measured or disclosed at fair value on a recurring and nonrecurring basis and other required fair value disclosures. The classifications are based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

We use the following methods and assumptions in estimating fair value disclosures for financial instruments.

Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short term investments, tenant and other receivables, prepaid expenses and other assets, deferred revenue, tenant security deposits, accounts payable and accrued expenses carrying values approximate their fair values due to the short term maturity of these instruments.

The fair value of derivative instruments is determined using widely accepted valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis on the expected cash flows of each derivative. Although the majority of the inputs used to value our derivatives fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the credit valuation adjustments associated with our derivatives utilize Level 3 inputs, such as estimates of current credit spreads to evaluate the likelihood of default by ourselves and our counterparties. The impact of such credit valuation adjustments, determined based on the fair value of each individual contract, was not significant to the overall valuation. As a result, all of our derivatives were classified as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

The fair value of our mortgage notes payable, senior unsecured notes - Series A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, and unsecured term loan facilities which are determined using Level 3 inputs, are estimated by discounting the future cash flows using current interest rates at which similar borrowings could be made to us.

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Derivative Instruments

We are exposed to the effect of interest rate changes and manage these risks by following policies and procedures including the use of derivatives. To manage exposure to interest rates, derivatives are used primarily to fix the rate on debt based on floating-rate indices. We record all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value. We incorporate credit valuation adjustments to appropriately reflect both our own nonperformance risk and the respective counterparty’s nonperformance risk in the fair value measurements. We measure the credit risk of our derivative instruments that are subject to master netting agreements on a net basis by counterparty portfolio. For derivatives that qualify as cash flow hedges, we report the gain or loss on the derivative designated as a hedge as part of other comprehensive income (loss) and subsequently reclassify the gain or loss into income in the period that the hedged transaction affects income.

Income Taxes

We are generally not subject to federal and state income taxes as our taxable income or loss is reportable by our partners. Accordingly, no provision has been made for federal and state income taxes. ESRT has elected, together with ESRT Observatory TRS, L.L.C., our subsidiary which holds our observatory operations, to treat ESRT Observatory TRS, L.L.C. as a TRS. ESRT has elected, together with ESRT Holdings TRS, L.L.C., our subsidiary that holds our third party management, restaurant, cafeteria, health clubs and certain cleaning operations, to treat ESRT Holdings TRS, L.L.C. as a TRS. TRSs may participate in non-real estate activities and/or perform non-customary services for tenants and their operations are generally subject to regular corporate income taxes. Our TRSs account for their income taxes in accordance with GAAP, which includes an estimate of the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. The calculation of the TRSs' tax provisions may require interpreting tax laws and regulations and could result in the use of judgments or estimates which could cause its recorded tax liability to differ from the actual amount due. Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The TRSs periodically assess the realizability of deferred tax assets and the adequacy of deferred tax liabilities, including the results of local, state, or federal statutory tax audits or estimates and judgments used.

We apply provisions for measuring and recognizing tax benefits associated with uncertain income tax positions. Penalties and interest, if incurred, would be recorded as a component of income tax expense. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we do not have a liability for uncertain tax positions. As of December 31, 2021, the tax years ended December 31, 2018 through December 31, 2021 remain open for an audit by the Internal Revenue Service, state or local authorities.

Share-Based Compensation

Share-based compensation for market based equity awards is measured at the fair value of the award on the date of grant and recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over the stated vesting period, which is generally three or four years, depending on retirement eligibility. Share-based compensation for time-based equity awards is measured at the fair value of the award on the date of grant and recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over the shorter of (i) the stated vesting period, which is generally three, four or five years, or (ii) the period from the date of grant to the date the employee becomes retirement eligible, which may occur upon grant. An employee is retirement eligible when the employee attains the (i) age of 65 and (ii) has first completed ten years of continuous service with ESRT or its affiliates. During the second quarter of 2020, the Board approved changing the definition of retirement age from 60 to 65 starting with the grant awards issued in March 2020 under the 2019 Plan. Any forfeitures of share-based compensation awards are recognized as they occur.

The determination of fair value of these awards is subjective and involves significant estimates and assumptions including expected volatility of ESRT stock, expected dividend yield, expected term, and assumptions of whether these awards will achieve parity with other operating partnership units or achieve performance thresholds. We believe that the assumptions and estimates utilized are appropriate based on the information available to management at the time of grant.

Per Unit Data

Basic and diluted earnings per unit are computed based upon the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the respective period.

Segment Reporting

We have identified two reportable segments: (1) Real Estate and (2) observatory. Our real estate segment includes all activities related to the ownership, management, operation, acquisition, repositioning and disposition of our real estate assets. Our observatory segment operates the 86th and 102nd floor observatories at the Empire State Building. These two lines of

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businesses are managed separately because each business requires different support infrastructures, provides different services and has dissimilar economic characteristics such as investments needed, stream of revenues and different marketing strategies. We account for intersegment sales and rent as if the sales or rent were to third parties, that is, at current market prices.

Recently Issued or Adopted Accounting Standards

During April 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") staff issued a question and answer document (the “Lease Modification Q&A”) focused on the application of lease accounting guidance to lease concessions provided as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Under existing lease guidance, the entity would have to determine, on a lease by lease basis, if a lease concession was the result of a new arrangement reached with the tenant, which would be accounted for under the lease modification framework, or if a lease concession was under the enforceable rights and obligations that existed in the original lease, which would be accounted for outside the lease modification framework. The Lease Modification Q&A provides entities with the option to elect to account for lease concessions as though the enforceable rights and obligations existed in the original lease. This election is only available when total cash flows resulting from the modified lease are substantially similar to the cash flows in the original lease.

During March 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848). ASU 2020-04 contains practical expedients for reference rate reform related activities that impact debt, leases, derivatives and other contracts. The guidance in ASU 2020-04 is optional and may be elected over time as reference rate reform activities occur. During the first quarter 2020, we elected to apply the hedge accounting expedients related to probability and the assessments of effectiveness for future LIBOR-indexed cash flows to assume that the index upon which future hedged transactions will be based matches the index on the corresponding derivatives. Application of these expedients preserves the presentation of derivatives consistent with past presentation. We continue to evaluate the impact of the guidance and may apply other elections as applicable as additional changes in the market occur.

Note 3. Acquisitions

On December 22, 2021, we acquired 90% of two multifamily assets located in Manhattan, the Victory (561 10th Avenue) and 345 East 94th Street, previously owned by a joint venture of Fetner Properties and an institutional owner. The total transaction value was $307.0 million, inclusive of $134.0 million of debt on the Victory, that matures in 2033 and has an effective interest rate of 3.85%, and $52.0 million of debt on 345 East 94th Street, that matures in 2030 and has an effective interest rate of 3.56%. Fetner Properties retained a 10% equity stake and continues to manage onsite operations. We will asset manage the properties and have control over all decision making through our voting interests in each entity. Additionally, we have the right to assume day-to-day management for no additional consideration. The fair value of the non-controlling interest retained by Fetner Properties was equivalent to 10%, the equity stake they retained, of the gross purchase price less their pro-rata share of the debt assumed. The purchase price of the non-controlling interest is its fair value at the date of acquisition.

The Victory is a 417 unit, 45-story apartment building at the corner of 10th Avenue and 41st Street near Hudson Yards. It is a participant in an extendable 421a tax abatement program. The Class A, 310,707 square feet asset offers a mix of studio, 1- and 2-bedroom units and a full suite of amenities including 24-hour concierge, fitness center with half-court basketball, resident lounge with outdoor terraces, roof deck and parking, as well as an 11,000 square feet retail space leased to CVS through 2040.

345 East 94th Street is a 208 unit, 30-story, apartment building at the corner of 1st Avenue and 94th Street near the 2nd Avenue subway line at 96th Street. It is a participant in an extendable 421a tax abatement program. The Class A, 168,243 square feet asset offers a mix of studio, 1- and 2- bedroom units and a full suite of amenities including a 24-hour concierge, fitness center, resident lounge, outdoor terrace and parking.

Assets and liabilities acquired are as follows (amounts in thousands):

Intangibles

Land Building and Improvements Assets Liabilities Total

*Includes total capitalized transaction costs of $2.4 million.

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4. Deferred Costs, Acquired Lease Intangibles and Goodwill

Deferred costs, net, consisted of the following at December 31, 2021 and 2020 (amounts in thousands):

Acquired in-place lease value and deferred leasing costs 166,491 181,336

At December 31, 2021 and 2020, $7.2 million and $2.1 million, respectively, of net deferred financing costs associated with the unsecured revolving credit facility was included in deferred costs, net on the consolidated balance sheets.

Amortization expense related to deferred leasing and acquired deferred leasing costs was $28.6 million, $24.8 million, and $24.5 million, for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. Amortization expense related to acquired lease intangibles was $10.5 million, $7.6 million and $10.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Amortizing acquired intangible assets and liabilities consisted of the following at December 31, 2021 and 2020 (amounts in thousands):

Acquired below-market leases, net $ (24,941) $ (31,705)

Rental revenue related to the amortization of below market leases, net of above market leases was $5.9 million, $3.6 million and $7.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The remaining weighted-average amortization period as of December 31, 2021 is 23.1 years, 3.6 years, 3.8 years and 3.0 years for below-market ground leases, in-place leases and deferred leasing costs, above-market leases and below-market leases, respectively. We expect to recognize amortization expense and rental revenue from the acquired intangible assets and liabilities as follows (amounts in thousands):

As of December 31, 2021, we had goodwill of $491.5 million. In 2013, we acquired the interests in Empire State Building Company, L.L.C. and 501 Seventh Avenue Associates, L.L.C. for an amount in excess of their net tangible and identified intangible assets and liabilities and as a result we recorded goodwill related to the transaction. Goodwill was allocated $227.5 million to the observatory operations of the Empire State Building, $250.8 million to Empire State Building, and $13.2 million to 501 Seventh Avenue.

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In compliance with the requirements of authorities, we closed the Empire State Building observatory on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it remained closed until the 86th floor observation deck was reopened on July 20, 2020. The 102nd observation deck was reopened on August 24, 2020. The closure of our observatory and subsequent reopening under international, national, and local travel restrictions and quarantines caused us during the quarter, and each subsequent quarters, to choose to perform an impairment test related to goodwill. We engaged a third-party valuation consulting firm to perform the valuation process. The analysis used a combination of the discounted cash flow method (a form of the income approach) utilizing Level 3 unobservable inputs and the guideline company method (a form of the market approach). Significant assumptions under the former included revenue and cost projections, weighted average cost of capital, long-term growth rate and income tax considerations while the latter included guideline company enterprise values, revenue multiples and control premium rates. Our methodology to review goodwill impairment, which included a significant amount of judgment and estimates, provided a reasonable basis to determine whether impairment had occurred. Based upon the results of the goodwill impairment test of the standalone observatory reporting unit, which is after the intercompany rent expense paid to the Real Estate reporting unit, we determined that the fair value of the observatory reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by less than 15.0%. Many of the factors employed in determining whether or not goodwill is impaired are outside of our control and it is reasonably likely that assumptions and estimates will change in future periods. We will continue to assess the impairment of the observatory reporting unit goodwill going forward and that continued assessment may again utilize a third-party valuation consulting firm.

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5. Debt

Debt consisted of the following as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 (amounts in thousands):

Fixed rate mortgage debt

Senior unsecured notes: (4)

Unsecured revolving credit facility (4) — — LIBOR plus 1.30% — % 3/31/2025

Unamortized debt discount (8,547) —

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