Where to stay when you leave.
Olympics 2008 Hotels: Beijing's #1 Hotel Not Booked Out For Opening Night
6/18/2008 at 9:03 AM
Tags: Beijing Hotels, Olympics Hotels, 2008 Olympics, Concierges
Are the 2008 Olympics going to be a huge flop or what? We say this because we think it's really weird that the most popular hotel in Beijing (according to TripAdvisor reviews, at least) isn't even booked out on the night of the Opening Ceremony.
This #1 hotel is the Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing, and it's popular despite being located in a less-than-convenient spot (most people say taxis are cheap and easy enough that the exact location doesn't matter).
Apparently the big attraction at this hotel is a concierge named Storm Li, whose good deeds are described in literally dozens and dozens of detailed TripAdvisor reviews.
This Storm guy does all kinds of things far beyond his job description, and one guest even reported that Storm got on a train from Beijing to Shanghai to bring him items he'd left in his room personally, because any other method mightn't get the stuff to him in time before he flew out of China.
We checked for rooms on August 8, the night of the Olympics Opening Ceremony, and it looks they still have all kinds of rooms available--you can start with a basic double for CNY3600 (US$520).
That's a lot for a Holiday Inn especially since rooms are usually around the $188 mark. But it could be worth it to see Storm Li in action. Take that Whatever/Whenever!
[Photo: chris036]
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Beijing Hotels Aren't Full Up Yet [HotelChatter]
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