DENVER-According to results from commercial real estate's annual Lodging Industry Investment Council survey titled, The LIIC Top Ten, executives are still debating just exactly when the hotel market will peak. Significantly, 37% of respondents believe the industry won’t hit its height until 2015. A further 30% were less optimistic, anticipating that the climate won’t be top-notch until 2016, and additionally, 24% expect a peak in 2017 or later.

However, for 2012, people seem to think that things will stay on an upward trend.  In the next year, a whopping 98% of respondents feel that lodging real estate values will continue to increase, the organization found, and upper upscale and luxury values will swell the most.

Across the board, hotel property developments are predicted to increase in a big way. More than 50% of those on the LIIC council expressed that the coming year will be a good time to develop hotels, provided that individuals are cautious with the product and market they select.

In terms of transaction volume, 50% of survey respondents are optimistic, indicating that it will increase by 5% to 10% for hotels through 2013. Additionally, a further 86% said that hotel debt lending availability will improve over the next year. It is also anticipated that ADR levels will taper, as approximately 90% of those surveyed predict slight to moderate growth.

Of course, the looming election can’t be ignored, and LIIC also addressed this in their survey. Of those who responded, 46% feel that if Obama is reelected, it will have a “negative” impact on hotel real estate values.  Many seem to be unsure, however, for 52% expressed a neutral opinion. Interestingly, the release noted, only one survey respondent felt that Obama’s reelection would have a “positive” impact on values in the coming year.