Despite hotels' efforts at drumming up business—with group discounts, spa and dining credits, and even complimentary room nights—five times more hotel loans are behind on payments this year than last, the Associated Press reported this week, citing data from mortgage research firm Trepp LLC.According to Trepp, 8.7 percent of U.S. hotel loans were distressed in October 2009, compared with 1.5 percent in October 2008. Most of that debt is on new or newly renovated high-end resorts built from 2005 to 2007.For comparison's sake, the rate of distressed loans is 4.8 percent for commercial property, and 4.5 percent for retail stores.Although loan delinquencies are high, meeting planners who have events scheduled at struggling properties generally needn't worry, because in most cases, delinquencies on hotel loans are by investment funds—not major hotel companies—which don't typically own properties, but rather franchise them. For that reason, the Associated Press reports, "most of the 1,231 U.S. hotels and casinos with troubled financing are remaining open."