The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesAugust 8-24 2008
Related story: 1,800 volunteers to provide multi-language services in hotels during Games
Date/Time: 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 2
Venue: Main Press Center (MPC)
Sun Weide
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, welcome to today's press conference. Today's topic is on Games services during the Beijing Olympic Games. Our guests with us today are Xiang Ping, deputy director of BOCOG Games Services Department, Xiong Yumei, deputy director of Beijing Ddministration of Tourism, Kang Yi, chief of Catering Division, BOCOG Games Services Department. And now I would like to invite Ms. Xiang to give a brief introduction of the Games services during the Games.
Xiang Ping
Thank you Mr. Sun. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, good morning. Today I'm very honored to be here to introduce to you the Games services.
The Games of the XXIX Olympiad will receive 52,000 registered guests, including 17,000 athletes and team officials who will reside in the Beijing Olympic Village.
The remaining 35,000 registered guests from the Olympic Family, Olympic sponsors and media agencies will stay at 119 contracted hotels and Media Village in Beijing. So according to the star rating system, we have 42 five-star hotels with 12,800 rooms, 44 four-star hotels with 10,000 rooms and 33 three-star hotels (or lower star-rated hotels) with 6,000 rooms. There are 42 contracted hotels for media, 23 contracted hotels for Ifs, 31 contracted hotels for sponsors, 14 contracted hotels for NOCs. and 2 hotels for supplementary needs.
For the time being, we already completed the inspection and allocation of the rooms and we have signed the accommodation and allocation agreement so we confirmed what we promised during the bid. In the three months before the opening of the Games, BOCOG Games Services Department and Beijing Tourist Administration have inspected 119 member hotels. We can guarantee the installation facilities, hotel and service quality.
During the Games, the Games Services Department and Beijing Tourists Administration, together with the Olympic accommodation group under the leadership of the Main Operation Center, are going to be in charge of the operations. During Games-time, all contracted hotels will be in full operation from July 8 to August 31, 2008. Currently, 56 contracted hotels have commenced accommodation operations. Until yesterday, we have received 3395 people and today there will be another 1129 people arrive.
We wanted to show the hospitality of the ancient capital and give our guests a whole new experience of Beijing Olympics. That's why we really pay attention of the service and 119 hotels to make sure that they are really providing very good services and they will take into account the religious beliefs and nationalities diversities to provide customized and catering services. In these 119 contracted hotels, we have 1800 volunteers who can speak different languages. They can provide inquiry services and accommodation services. They can provide accommodation hotline which will run 24 hours everyday at the Olympic Tower to handle inquiries and complaints.
MPC has accommodation desk to provide services for those who wanted to go to co-host cities for hotel bookings. In Beijing Hotel desk, there is the information desk for the Olympic family members who wanted to go to co-host cities so we can provide hotel bookings for those who wanted to go outside Beijing. I hope that with all the preparations and services, we can provide good experience for all of you.
Sun Weide
Now you can ask question, before asking identify yourselves and your agency.
Beijing Youth Daily
I wanted to ask a question to Ms. Xiong Yumei, deputy director of Beijing Administration of Tourism. Some time ago, you said that the booking rate of four-star hotels was below 50%. So what is booking rate now?
Xiong Yumei
For the time being, the booking rate is steady and increasing. The price is steady and reducing. Starting from August 1, we started collecting the statistics for the room booking. So by August 1, the rate is higher than our expectations especially for lower star hotels. The booking rate is beyond the expected rate. This is in compliance with the habits of the Chinese visitors and tourist.
Xinhua News Agency
I would like to ask Ms. Kang. As you said, we have a very bizarre Chinese dishes translations at the menu. For example, here at the Olympic Media Village on the menu, we have the English version of the Chinese dishes. They are strange translation of the dishes. Next question is that in the Olympic Village, we can only see a few of Chinese therapist methods. Does it mean that the Chinese therapist methods are still unacceptable by IOC?
Kang Yi
Let me answer the first question which is about the translation of the Chinese dishes in the menus. For the first time when I saw the name translated you just mentioned, for example, the Chinese Jiaozi, I think it does not only exist in China. I know it is also served in Italy. These names are quite different and it indicates something different from the content of the dish. We really have to think about the ingredients.
Xiang Ping
Maybe I can make additional answers. I was an English teacher in the past. When I want to translate a menu, it is very difficult, because Chinese dishes are very descriptive and very beautiful. Sometimes it does not tell us what the dishes are composed of, whereas in English menu, you know whether it is meat, fish or vegetables. When it's translated, usually, we put the contents.
In China, there is a kind of soup called Fei cui bai yu soup, if you translate it into "the crystal jade or white jade", people will not know anything about it. It's just basically a soup of vegetables and tofu. You see. That's why. The second question is about why in the Olympic Village we only have the Chinese therapist? Actually it's because we are having a sports event. The athletes need a relaxing massage to recover the energy and relax the muscles. That is why it is really important to have the therapist. In NOC, they have their own therapists, and that's why we provide the Chinese therapist in the Olympic Village. Every country's team has one or two therapist to help them to relax and have a massage. The Chinese therapists are very excellent and have a long time experience. Whether there is any other Chinese medicine disciples that will go to the Village, I don't know. Maybe you can refer to principals in charge of the medical services.
Tianjin TV
Mr. Sun, I have questions for you. Yesterday, there was another earthquake in Sichuan disaster zone. It was a weaker one. But is it going to affect the torch relay? Do you have any emergency measures? Whether Liu Xiang is going to light the torch in the Opening Ceremony?
Sun Weide
Your second question is about the lighting of the torch in Beijing. We have to wait and be patient. The after-shock earthquake in Sichuan didn't affect the torch relay. It is going to be very smooth.
Beijing Radio Station
With the Olympics approaching, do you have any figures about the foreign visitors in Beijing and their accommodations?
Xiong Yumei
During the Games, as for foreign tourists or visitors or from other provinces of China, there will be 400, 000 to 450,000 people, that is what we forecasted. For those who will be accommodated in the Olympic families, we will provide later statistics.
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