It is estimated that at least 1.5 million visitors will descend
upon the capital for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
That should bring about commercial success for the city's
hospitality business and a big challenge for its reception
capacity.
Despite the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the
XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) being fully confident of taking in such huge
number of incomers on record, the president of the World Tourism
and Travel Council criticized China's service sector, saying it is
less mature than expected, with new and under-trained staff working
in domestic hotels.
The research cited in the latest issue of China Journalism
Weekly highlights 112 hotels that have official dealings with
the BOCOG and have been appointed to take care of officials,
referees, and organizations sponsoring the Olympics during the
Olympic Games, offering 70% of their guest rooms for the expected
50,000 guests.
Athletes and journalists will stay in the Olympic Village which
is to be completed later this year.
Other visitors that do not fall into these two categories will
stay in less luxurious hotels. The current capacity of Beijing's
star-rated hotels can only hold visitors from abroad for the Games.
Statistics from the Beijing Tourism Bureau confirm this. According
to the statistics 20% of Olympic tickets sold abroad may result in
600, 000 overseas visitors, which would require an approximate
capacity of 900,000 to 1,000,000 rooms, in addition to the expected
domestic demand for approximately 22.5 million to 22.8 million beds
during the peak period.
BOCOG service department officer Xiang says the statistics are
conservative. The amount of current 658 star-rated hotels
offering109,000 rooms is too far below the Olympic anticipation of
800, with including 37 five star and 83 fourth star hotels offering
a total of 130,000 guest rooms.
The tourism bureau is not worried about the dilemma. President
Du Jiang promised to add at least 110 eligible hotels either
rebuilt or redecorated to its current 658 star-rated and 168
special hotels to bring the number of hotels up to par with what is
necessary.
Not everyone coming to see the Games is a millionaire. Common
people comprise the main body of the Olympic audience, and they
simply require a clean and sanitary place to stay. Because of this
there is a potential market for budget hotels. "I believe (budget
hotels) are a significant business", Xiang said, "but the
unsatisfactory service quality, lower-end management and unsanitary
conditions of the budget hotels in Beijing might make them less
capable of accommodating foreigners."
"The most urgent thing right now is to improve service quality
in all hotels. That is what we are actively and carefully working
on," Xiang said. .
It is also planning to enhance service by upgrading hardware,
improving facilities and training fast-track employees, she
added.
(China Daily February 28, 2007)
