[photopress:Beijing_budget_hotel.jpg,full,alignright]Beijing tourism administration’s Deputy Director Xiong Yumei said Beijing is opening the door to more national and international economy hotels to improve its services sector during the 2008 Olympic Games.
She said, ‘Rated hotels have a whole set of standards for their facilities and services, and their cooperation with the non-rated and budget accommodations can elevate the city’s services sector to a new level.’
By the end of last year, the capital had 3,981 non-rated and 700 star hotels that cumulatively had 287,000 rooms with 517,000 beds. Though they can ‘meet the needs during the Olympics’ the same level of comfort and services can’t be expected in all accommodations.
Xiong Yumei said many of the non-rated hotels, where most of the visitors will stay, have yet to attain an acceptable standard.
Now there is a list of what must be available to show an ‘acceptable standard’ and non-rated hotels have been asked to improve their facilities and services.
By the end last year, 253 non-rated hotels had ‘qualified’ so were put on the recommended list for national and international travelers. The administration now hopes to have 600 more non-rated hotels qualify.
But, Xiong Yumei said, ‘In big cities such as Beijing, many small hotels don’t seem interested in getting a one- or two-star ranking. That leaves the economy hotels with a lot of room for development and cooperation.’
She confirmed the government will not set an upper limit on charges for non-rated hotels.
Nearly 4,000 non-rated hotels are included in the project, and the administration wants their managers to undergo training first so that they, in turn, can train the other employees.
Source: China Daily
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