Hotel deals seen picking up in 2010-consultant

* Hotel deals in 2010 could pick up 10-15 pct - analyst

* Deal volume in 2009 projected to be under $2 bln

* Improving fundamentals in 2010 to spur deals

NEW YORK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The hotel industry, battered by the drop in corporate spending this year, is expected to see improved demand in 2010, which could fuel more deals in the sector, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels said on Wednesday.

The consulting firm expects low interest rates, greater clarity about the demand for hotels and improving debt markets in 2010 will help spur hotel sales and transactions.

"We do expect to see hotels potentially rebound first among property types and for 2010, we see some slightly positive demand trends," Josh Gelormini, director of capital markets research for the Americas, told a news briefing.

Still, the expected increase in deal volume next year from what has been a dismal 2009 is expected to be marginal, the firm said. The volume of U.S. hotels changing hands is projected to wind up just below $2 billion in 2009, sharply lower than the $8.5 billion in deals recorded in 2008.

In 2007, that figure was $45 billion, boosted by Blackstone Group's (BX.N) buyout of Hilton Hotels, a company now named Hilton Worldwide.

"The real lift in activity will come in 2011," said Gregory Rumpel, executive vice president for Jones Lang LaSalle.

The firm does not have a specific projection for how much hotel deal volume could increase in 2010 from this year, but Rumpel said he would not be surprised if it rose 10 percent to 15 percent.

The initial wave of deals will likely be smaller hotels valued below $15 million or distressed properties in markets that have a high barrier to entry such as New York or San Francisco, Rumpel said. (Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)