Insights emerge behind closed doors | By Jeff Higley

Participating in a planning meeting for next year’s Hunter Hotel Investment Conference (17-19 March 2010) on Thursday provided a good opportunity to catch up on interesting industry tidbits. There’s more belief the economic recovery will take the shape of a W, and the industry has to endure another downward slope before heading into full recovery mode. The savings-and-loan crisis in 1988 was a doozy but pales in comparison to the current situation. The focus at the property level is market share and margins. The anticipated buying spree for distressed hotel assets that was expected to occur beginning in the second quarter of 2009 looks like it’s not going to happen until late this year or early next year.