What the U.S. hotel industry is experiencing today isn’t simply the downside of a highly cyclical business, emphasizes Thomas Magnuson, but rather a massive fundamental shift. “It’s a reset,” declares the CEO and principal of Magnuson Hotels, ranked by Inc. Magazine as the world’s largest independent hotel group.

“There has been such a dramatic drop in occupancy—over 10 points year-to-date this year versus year-to-date last year. We’re seeing this intersecting or colliding with one of the largest supply increases in history,” adds Magnuson, whose Spokane, Wash.-based company represents nearly 1,000 hotels in the U.S. and Canada.

Magnuson’s assessment of the hotel industry’s plight came during a panel discussion, “A View From the Top,” at the 15th annual Lodging Conference. Major players, including owners, operators, brokers and lenders, descended on the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa for the three-day program held last week.

Key metrics compiled by Smith Travel Research corroborate Magnuson’s assessment of the sharp downturn in the hotel industry. Occupancy year-to-date through August stood at 56.6 percent, down 10.3 percent compared with the same period in 2008. The average daily rate fell nine percent while revenue per available room (RevPAR) tumbled 18.3 percent on a year-over-year basis through August.

New hotel openings peaked in the first quarter of 2009 as supply grew 3.2 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to PKF Hospitality Research. Room demand, however, fell eight percent during the same period.

With real estate fundamentals so weak, Magnuson advises hotel owners to stop wondering when demand is going to pick up, and focus instead on developing a low-cost operating cost structure. With an affiliate base representing about  $4.5 billion in hotel assets, when Magnuson speaks the industry listens.

He cautions that because of the disequilibrium between supply and demand, room rates will continue to be negatively affected. “More older hotels are living longer, they have less debt, and they have access to worldwide reservation systems,” says Magnuson. “That’s going to put downward pressure on rates.”