Rates At Beijing Star-grade Hotels Decrease By 6%

Xiong Yumei, vice director of Beijing Tourism Bureau, said in a press conference held in the Beijing International Media Center that the booking volume of star-grade hotels in Beijing increased by 1% but rates went down six percentage points from the end of May 2008.

As of the end of July, room-booking volume kept rising while rates showed a slight decrease; reservations for high-level hotels in the downtown area are higher than those for hotels at lower levels in the Beijing suburbs. For the period from August 7 through August 24, reservations have reached a sustainable peak season level.

Generally, the main source markets of four- and five-star hotels were from overseas, and most domestic tourists chose to book hotels below three-star levels or economy hotels.

Xiong said that Beijing currently has 5,790 star-grade hotels and inns with a total of 665,000 beds, plus 598 resident families that are recommended to be reception locations for spectators and tourists from around the world during the Olympics.