If you listen to some hotel industry leaders, you'll discover that many of them are optimistic about the year that's just begun. Whether it's reasoned judgment or just wishful thinking, these leaders believe we've turned the corner and good times lie ahead. How good and how soon are questions for which no one has definitive answers, however.

In a story in the upcoming issue of Lodging Hospitality, Best Western CEO and current AH&LA Chairman David Kong says he's seen steady improvement in bookings through the Best Western res system, which he sees as a harbinger for the industry. Calling himself a "contrarian," Kong thinks industry RevPAR will "turn positive" this year.

Hotel brokers, another optimistic-by-nature group, also have high hopes for 2010. The volume of hotel transactions was so low in 2009 it's got to be higher this year, or so they believe. Their reasoning, and it makes sense, is that many hotels under duress will finally come to market, lenders may begin to loosen their purse strings and pools of private equity are forming to pounce on good deals.

Even the timeshare industry, which was bloodied when securitization financing dried up in late 2008, is optimistic about the near future. ARDA chief Howard Nusbaum, a noted glass-half-full guy, says his members are returning to the basics of what made their business grow annually by double digits for nearly three decades. Nusbaum also says the market for securitization of timeshare loans is beginning to return.

These positive sentiments are admirable since part of the industry's (and country's) problem has been its attitude of pessimism. However, it will take more than good thoughts and a chorus or two of "kumbaya." Here are seven things that need to happen in 2010 for these optimistic projections to become reality:

1. The economy must continue to rebound; the number of hirings must exceed the number of layoffs; and consumers must regain the confidence to buy big-ticket items.

2. The global transportation system must remain stable and not experience any more terrorist attacks or scares like the recent Christmas Day incident.

3. In Washington and state and local capitals, the politics of rancor must give way to consensus and mutual problem solving by our elected officials.

4. Banks and other financial firms must get back to doing what they were created to do—lend money to both consumers and, more specifically, businesses.

5. Business travelers must get back on the road, visiting customers, attending meetings, conferences and trade shows and, despite the perceived taboo, participating in incentive trips as earned.

6. So, too, must high-net-worth individuals go back to their lifestyles of luxury, including high-end travel.

7. Hotel owners and operators must sharpen their pencils and take whatever steps necessary to keep their properties afloat. On the other hand (and this is the hard part), they must ensure that customer service remains their number-one priority.

Ed Watkins is editor of Lodging Hospitality.