Yesterday at the NYU Hotel Conference
![Yesterday at the NYU Hotel Conference](https://62b44a55c8f3a87440df-45c7b4d5aac2f388172e587008aaac69.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/37915-1408395193-stevejoyce-large.jpg-large.jpg)
We're in New Yorkfor the NYU hotel conference, so of course we saw familiar faces. (The sun never sets on DC's hotel empire. Though if you put a sign on the door, the sun will come back later.) We snappedRockville-based Choice Hotels CEO Steve Joycetelling the crowd his firms biggest opportunity is the "conversion" biz, particularly in largely unbranded Central Europe and the UK. Independent hotels are having a hard time competing on distribution channels and are looking for a known name. Its our next big push, he says. Thursday, Steves back in Rockville with Foulger-Pratt principal Clayton Foulger and local/state government officials to cut the ribbon on Choices new international HQ in Rockville Town Square.