The condo hotel trend, branding and the image of the timeshare market were discussed as part of a NYCREW panel discussion dealing with lodging as the first part of its Industry Spotlight Series.

Irene Hoek, vice president, real estate investment for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., called the industry a "quickly evolving one." She said Starwood in not "entirely comfortable with the hotel/condo concept." Nicholas Mecca, managing director, structure department, resort finance division for Textron Financial Corp., said the timeshare industry has "changed so much in the past 10 years." He said one of the key issues has been the impact of the brands on the marketplace.

Martin Heilmann, relationship manager, GE Commercial Finance, Real Estate, says the timeshare is "an operating company, not a real estate development company. Marketing drives the business. The entrance of the brands brought a lot of credibility to the industry. If you say Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, it makes the sales process easier." Kimberly Moffitt Hehir, vice president, strategic planning for Leading Hotels of the Word Ltd., said the company will be launching a resident's club membership in June. She said the company wanted to insure that it can have a sustainable product, not something that simply a trend.