Conferences on Outlook for California Industries

With a looming economic slowdown serving as the elephant in the living room, representatives from major hotel chains, hospitality consulting groups and investment firms will gather this week to discuss what’s next for the hotel industry at the UCLA Extension’s annual Hotel Industry Investment Conference. During the last couple of years, funding for new hotel construction has been hard to come by, given higher interest rates and investor preoccupation with the stock market. But now, with lower rates and the bears starting to flee Wall Street, is there suddenly more money out there for new hotel construction and refurbishment? The conference runs Tuesday through Thursday at the Century Plaza Hotel & Spa. For more information, visit https://www.uclaextension.org/hotel2001.

* Can the recent cut in interest rates rekindle the cooling Southern California real estate market? Brokers, developers, financiers and investors are expected to dissect that question Friday at the Real Estate 2001 Outlook Conference at the Century Plaza Hotel. The daylong conference begins at 7 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m., followed by a networking reception. Call (310) 285-5327 for more information.