Bartell Hotels 401(k) Review & Grade
Bartell Hotels 401(k) Plan
San Diego, CAAccommodation & Food Services616 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$148Employer $ per active participant
$1,756Employee $ saved per active participant
0.59%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$13.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity16.6 / 5033th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost4.5 / 2518th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.3 / 1582th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score33 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (458 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 33th |
| Lower admin cost | 18th |
| Employee saving | 82th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 17% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $33,840 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Bartell Hotels put in about $148 per active participant, below the typical peer ($266). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.59% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $91,022 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,082,422 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $944 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $76,220 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $31,326 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,091,858 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $12.3M / $13.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 637 / 596 |
| Participants with account balances | 261 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Lavine Lofgren Morris & Engelber |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Adp, Inc. | $44,894 reported compensation |
| Morgan Stanley Smith Barney | $31,326 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015155041NAL0005045505001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 95-6449464, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.