http://www.chinapost.com.tw/sports/detail.asp?id=165423&sY=olympics/2008&sM=07&sD...

Beijing hotels report low bookings

By Joelle Garrus, AFP
Monday, July 14, 2008

BEIJING -- Rooms are going begging one month out from the Beijing
Olympics with hotels reporting low

er-than-expected advance bookings and crossing their fingers for a
late influx of tourists.

After being warned that an accommodation crunch was likely during the
Games, Beijing went on a hotel building binge after winning the right
to host the Games in 2001 -- and now the opposite appears to be in
prospect.

With few exceptions -- notably some niche hotels in Beijing's old
quarter -- hotels are in fierce competition to attract Olympic
customers.

So far the luxury sector has come off best with top hotels achieving
75 percent booking rates while four star hotels are less than half
full and bookings for three-star hotel rooms are running at 30
percent, according to the Beijing Tourism Bureau.