“I’m not sure that Europe, structurally, is going to get it right,” he said, in terms of its economy, “There’s just no oxygen there; it’s very hard to develop. The people are great, but if they don’t get structural reforms in Europe, it’s not going to lift off. Germany’s trying to hold the glue together. It may be in Germany’s capacity to keep absorbing.”

Neil Amin, chief executive officer of Shamin Hotels, raised an interesting point regarding America and domestic tourism. “There’s a tremendous love to still come and visit America,” he said, citing Asian countries including India that really love American pop culture. And that this affinity for the States is evident there. “As these countries continue to grow and people have disposable income, they'll come and visit New York and these gateway cities,” he said, as he predicted this will generate more revenue at home.

But will visitors transalte soon into a healthy development pipeline? It’s possible, but not highly likely. “Development in many markets isn’t going to happen any time soon,” Amin said. “Urban select service is one trend, and adaptive reuse is a good opportunity for development in the near term.”

However, the development issue isn’t really stressing out the industry too much; things will come around when the time is right and the capital is available. The owners and lenders finished off the day and the conference by revealing some of the larger issues that “keep them up at night” as Desiato asked them to explain.

Patel kept it simple: “It’s my business,” he said, and added, “I’m glad we're heading into some steady times,” summarizing what most felt at the conference.

Shaner’s voiced the concerns of many: “We’re not going to get growth until we resolve our political situation,” naturally, since the election is a big issue for all.

Amin, on the other hand, worries a little about the price of oil, and Greg O’Stean, principal and CFO, Access Point Financial, added that the Middle East presented the potential for a sleepless night.

It was refreshing to hear that none of the panelists raised issues that are truly dire for the hotel industry, and that it seems that things are beginning to level out. Overall, the Lodging Conference this year presented an opportunity for looking forward, this year with positivity rather than fear. And many concluded that it was a successful, productive event across the board.