Jonathan Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, told attendees that while the lodging market is on the upswing across the world, the United States is seen as the least desirable tourist destination. With guests looking to go elsewhere due to the difficulty to get into the country even for a short vacation, "We have a crisis on our hands," he said. To negate this growing global sentiment of the inhospitable US market place, Tisch suggested creating a new visa program, to make it easier for tourists to obtain one for a vacation stay, to modernize the points of entry so that customs and other such regulatory points are quicker and more efficient, and to actively work at changing the image of the US abroad.

"This is more than just about tourism, this is about the well being of our country," he said.

Yet even with the US being seen as one of the least desirable places to go on vacation, many hoteliers are looking to grow and expand their businesses within the country, according to the CEO panel held later in the morning. For example, Thomas Baltimore, president of RLJ Development LLC, told attendees that his company is about to launch its third fund. While details are still sketchy, he said the fund is targeting $750 million, but will likely well exceed that price. In total the company owns 71 hotels and has an additional 21 hotels under contract with additional plans to extend in the mixed-use development area, especially in cases where a hotel plays a factor.

Andrew Cosslett, CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, said that after a rocky beginning of the new millennium, "it's only in the last 18 months that we've sailed into smooth waters." Since taking his position, about two years ago, Cosslett has worked to cut out what he calls the unnecessary gizmos and gimmicks and to focus instead on what the customer is really looking for in their experience at an InterContinental hotel. Also in the last three years the company has gotten rid of 63,000 beds through renovation projects and sales.

But the firm is not just slimming down. Cosslett told attendees that the firm is launching more than 200 new prototype Holiday Inn in the US, 90% of which will be new builds. For the Holiday Inn Express brand the company has a pipeline of 600 new hotels. In addition, the hotel firm has rolled out its newest brand the Indigo, having 8 currently up and running, with a pipeline of 50 additional hotels in the US. "The US is a dynamo and it will be for the next 20 years," he said.

On the other hand Gerald Lawless, executive chairman of Jumeriah Group, told attendees that his brand is looking for opportunities in the US to grow its business globally. Currently the firm, has 11 hotels, eight of which are located in Dubai, where the firm is based, with two in England and one in Manhattan, the Jumeriah Essex House. The firm has seven more hotels in the pipeline and has identified key "letterhead" cities where Jumeriah should be located in within the US. In four years the firm hopes to have 60 Jumeriah hotels across the globe.

And lastly Kathleen Taylor, president and COO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, told audience members about her company's aggressive growth plan in the near future. Currently 74 hotels fall under the Four Seasons brand, but Taylor said there are more than 30 additional assets under development and additional 40 in the pipeline, with the goal to deliver five to eight properties per year in the years ahead.

Four Seasons is also rolling out a marine condo offering. The boat will house more than 100 units, which will range between one and four bedrooms. The 'house boat' should be ready to sail in 2010, with the average price per unit set at $3.8 million. Taylor also denied rumors that Four Seasons would be rolling out a 'light' version of the luxury brand, saying that she doesn't think Four Seasons could be made 'light.'

Overall, the panelists saw continued good times ahead. Baltimore said the lodging industry is in the sixth inning with three good years left. Cosslett sees another decade of uncharted lodging growth, due in part to the longer life expectancy, the large world population and the increase in disposable income around the globe. Taylor, who hails from Canada, used a hockey analogy saying the cycle is "clearly in the second period now."