Hotels Hear the Sound of Kaching! in Beijing
Not only will the whole world be watching for the bronze, silver and gold in Beijing, the world's travelers will see Olympic-size prices there, too, with hotel rates going up 400% and 1,000% this summer.
Olympic guests need be prepared to shell out a tidy sum these days, say up to $1,000 per night as compared to the $50-250 standard norm.
In an interview with the Xinhau News Agency, Tang Xiaofreng, senior hotel business development manager for Ctrip.com, China's largest online reservation site, stated that only luxury hotels have rooms to spare. We're sure he's betting on the fact that many Westerners prefer asking for room service in English rather than the 14 Chinese dialects spoken, including the national Mandarin.
No matter the price or reason, luxury brand hotels are nearly sold out. Even luxury properties still under construction, like the 241-room Mandarin Oriental, have long wait lists. But never fear. If you've already purchased those Archery tickets, there still are hotels available at the lower-to-mid-price range brands and independent Chinese hotels.
At Agoda.com you'll find numerous Beijing hotels with special Internet rates starting at a low $211.00 USD. Or try Roadtrips.com where "Summer Games Packages" listed include accommodations at one of six Beijing hotels and tickets to four Olympic events.
Beijing is expecting about 500,000 foreign visitors and more than one million Chinese tourists this August. The city, which offers 806 rated hotels with 220,000 beds, according to the tourism administration, will also provide 1,000 officially designated "Olympic Family Hotels" to accommodate the visitors at a cost of $50-80 US per night.
Got a hot tip on booking hotels in Beijing for the Summer 2008 Olympics? Let us know.
[Photo: Ryan Yam]
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