Tourism authorities in Beijing are looking for welcoming
households to provide rooms for foreign visitors during the summer
Olympics.
Xiong Yumei, deputy director of the Beijing Tourist Bureau, said
that the bureau would recruit about 1,000 households as "Olympic
Family Hotels" to increase the city's guest room supply for the
event. More than 500,000 overseas visitors are expected during the
summer Games, with the largest daily inflow estimated at
300,000.
Xiong said that Beijing has 806 star-ranked hotels that have
130,000 rooms with 220,000 beds. Other lodging houses and inns have
another 646,000 beds.
"The guest room supply may still fall short of demand,
especially for hotels close to the sports venues," said Xiong.
She said that the bureau would choose among households'
applications in March. "Families should own the apartments that
they plan to offer and be able to provide foreign guests with spare
rooms, good ventilation and sanitary conditions," said Xiong. She
added that at least one person in each household should be able to
communicate in English.
Homestays are popular in Western countries but relatively new to
China. Other requirements set by the Beijing Tourist Bureau include
changing of bedding, appropriate dressing by household members and
a willingness to help guests find their way around the city and the
Games.
The charge for homestays will be US$50 to 80 per day, less than
most hotels. Xiong said that the price might be adjusted to reflect
market fluctuations.
The cost of a five-star hotel room during the Games is forecast
to be about 2,960 yuan (US$411) per night. For four-star hotels, it
is forecast at 2,320 yuan; for three-star rooms, 1,600 yuan and for
two-star accommodations, 1,200 yuan.
(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2008)