While this is exactly what BP is for, your question indicates you have not taken the time to understand yourself exactly what you expect from people on your team.

Would past performance be the best indicator of the hotel's future profitability?

High response rate may be indicative of a quality list. 

In my experience, opposition to working with newbies in some ways is an indication they're not willing to take the time to talk with you and help work you through the process and be a teammate more than just a lender.

What indicators would you look for to find the hottest leads?

The HOA seems to recognize they have some responsibility since they've take the action to remove the siding and have indicated they're looking into it.

I remember seeing a few loans, one in OK, where the servicing comments indicated that the lender had to get an affidavit or other document executed and filed.

If the new estimate didn't disclose any additional problems that weren't previously disclosed, you're out of luck -- there is no requirement to disclose estimates.But, if the new estimate indicated issues that weren't previously disclosed, you likely have some recourse, against the seller and perhaps the agent as well.

You can find good deals through any source that you indicated above.

Best known for his research that produced the S&P/Case-Shiller house price indices for the U.S., Robert Shiller was one of the first to identify the real estate bubble before the crisis.