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NEW YORK CITY-Industry professionals at Wednesday's RealShare Hotel Investment and Finance Summit touched on a number of topics, but the theme they all came back to was the uncertainty facing the hospitality industry. For the first time in a while the future seems "fuzzy," according to Patrick Ford, president of Lodging Econometrics.

The first ever hospitality-focused conference to be hosted by RealShare began with remarks from Michael Desiato, group publisher and editorial director of Real Estate Media, and Geoff Davis, president of HREC Investment Advisors; the event was co-sponsored by these two groups. The all-day event hosted more than 300 attendees from a variety of hospitality-focused businesses and focused almost exclusively on hotel investment and finance. Real Estate Media, publisher of GlobeSt.com, Real Estate Forum and a variety of regional and niche products, sponsors the RealShare Conference Series.

During his keynote address, Steve Mendell, EVP of HEI Hotels & Resorts, said the end of cycle's peak might be nearer than some expected. "All indicators are showing the economy is weakening quicker than expected, even from a couple months ago," he said. "I'm a little bit anxious at what I see in the data."