Olympics not driving heavy hotel bookings in Beijing

It looks like the Beijing Olympics may be a bust as far as Beijing hotels are concerned.

The 17 days of games were expected to bring in droves of tourists throughout the summer, translating into fully-booked hotels, customers with plenty of money to spend, and an atmosphere of euphoria.

The reality is that the summer tourism season in Beijing is slow, and travel agencies and hotel operators are reporting that many potential guests have been put off by tightened visa regulations, the heavy air pollution in Beijing, and the attitudes of immigration officials, who seem to concern themselves more with keeping visitors out than welcoming foreigners to the Games.

China reports spending approximately US$40 billion on new and upgraded infrastructure and stunning Olympic venues, with the hopes of impressing tourists with a modern capital city that would attractive to foreign visitors. This may not work, however, and this could significantly impact a lodging industry, which has more than doubled its number of four- and five-star hotels since the Olympics were awarded to Beijing seven years ago.

“We are not full at the moment, and we have rooms to fill,” commented Anthony Ha, the general manager of the new Marriott Courtyard Beijing Northeast. “There’s not much time left, and we have a way to go.”

Ha did not discuss the hotel’s actual occupancy rate, but did express concern over a report issued last month by the Beijing Tourism Bureau, indicating that five-star hotels were 77 percent booked during the 17 days of the Olympic Games, and that four-star hotels were at 44 percent.

“That’s worrisome,” Ha added. “All of the hoteliers, anyway in Beijing, we’re hoping to hit 90 percent daily. It’s a huge thing.”

He noted further that 90 percent occupancy would be normal for an event as important as the Olympic Games.

“This is once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Ha said.

According to a report by the Beijing Tourism Bureau, foreign visitor numbers dropped in May by 12.5 percent from the same month last year. Japanese visitors were down by 45 percent, while American arrivals were down by 17.15 percent.

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