Press conference: Beijing Olympic Games service

China Radio International

I am from China Radio International. Ms. Kang, are there any foreign chefs that are taking part of the catering services? Where are the ingredients from? Are there any foreign delegations who asked to take with them their special food?

Kang Yi

First of all, there are more than 80 chefs from more than 20 countries. They are very high level chefs. As for the food materials or ingredients, we have more than 800 sorts of ingredients, and more than 200 come from abroad. For the self-prepared food of foreign teams, our policy is that in the Village, they are not allowed to bring the food into the Village. Otherwise, the consequences will be their own responsibility.

AP

I am from the Associated Press. Within less than a week to go until the Games starts, could the panel sum up please that where do you think the preparations are now. Are you satisfied that everything is in place? If not, what remains to be put into place?

Sun Weide

BOCOG preparation for the Games has been going on for 7 years. Over the past 7 years, we stick to the three principles which is 'Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics and People's Olympics'. In the venues and infrastructure construction, environment protection, security and press service, a lot of work has been done and accomplishment has bee made. We are confident that what we have done do not only provide a good foundation for the operation of the Games, but also for the future development of China. I believe that everyone can feel that we are very well prepared as Olympics is approaching.

Phoenix TV

My question is for Ms. Xiong. In your presentation, you said that the booking rate is going up and the price is going down. Can you give us some specific data? Also can you give us explanation of the hotel price during the Games?

Xiong Yumei

For the Games-time booking of hotels, we collected data at the end of May. Now the data for July has not come up. According to my rough estimation, I think the data will come out soon and you will get them in a few days. For the Games-time hotel reservation, we have set up the room price for renting, and price will remain as reserved.

Ta Kung Pao

My question is 80 to 90 foreign dignitaries will come to Beijing. Do you have any specific hotels for them and what are the requirements set on the hotels? Also some athletes stars, like the Dream Team, will stay in hotels outside the Village, do you have any requirement of their accommodation?

Xiang Ping

Most of the 80 to 90 will attend the opening and closing ceremony. The reception of the international dignitaries is different from the normal reception procedures of the foreign leaders, because they are invited by the NOC. They are guests of the NOCs so they will make arrangement. From BOCOG's point of view, in order to well receive them, we have signed agreement with 2 five star hotels which are the best in Beijing for the international dignitaries. But for all the international guests, if they would like the service from BOCOG, they can come to us to make booking service so that we can make necessary arrangement. Otherwise, if they don't want to stay in the hotels we designated, they can look for hotels they think appropriate. On our side, they are not simply required to stay in the designated hotels but the two contracted hotels do receive some guests.

Also we have other 5 or 4 star hotels, which have received the bookings for those dignitaries. At the national level, we will make some special arrangements for their safety. They are not different from other hotels in terms of safety guarantee. And they will operate as they do normally. As for the sports stars, like the U.S. basketball Dream Team, they move to the Intercontinental Hotel, and they already have the arrangement. The Intercontinental Hotel will operate normally. Also as the request of the U.S., the hotel will make some special arrangement for the safety purposes. The security department make and keep a very good channel with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

CCTV

We have 119 contracted hotels. There are the Olympic information desks for those hotels, and you have 1800 services volunteers in the hotels, what is their composition? What kind of training you can provide for the volunteers?

For instance, on the afternoon of July 29, I went to building No. 6 in the Beijing Conference Center, I want to send emails, and I asked the volunteers where I can sent the email, but some of them don't know, and others point me to the wrong direction so my work has been delayed, I would like to know more about it.

Xiang Ping

I am sorry for the inconvenience. What is the unfortunate is that maybe the day you went into the building is when the volunteers were just put on the spots, and maybe they don't know much about the info. In the building, we set up information desk, mainly operated by the volunteers. They will provide info for the guests and provide language assistance when necessary. Some of the guests speak various languages. At the above three star hotels in Beijing, English language services is not a problem. But for other languages, there are problems. We provide 6 language services, and those 1800 services volunteers are composed of three categories.

1. University students from 9 universities in Beijing, majored in tourism and languages.

2. Some come from foreign companies. They worked with the foreign company and they have language skills.

3. We have a small number of volunteers coming from tour agencies. The Administration of Tourism mobilized their own staff to work as volunteers. We trained them on the Olympics concept and knowledge, and venues and sports events. In the meantime, we also provide training with the tourists services. Like what the hotels services are about, we give some ideas about hotel services. Following the professional training, all the volunteers need to be trained on the job so that they know what kind of guests they will provide service to. At the hotels they will provide services to guests from different parts of the country. And they need to know the jobs of journalists, they got to know the habit of the guests they provide service to, the basic info of the hotel guests.

Your story shows maybe some volunteers don't have very good training. Maybe in the Beijing Conference Center the volunteers went on job on the 29th. That is a very big buildling, very complicated. The volunteers may not be quite familiar with it and it takes 2 to 3 days to get to know. I hope they can learn quickly what they need to know to provide good service. From the feedbacks we have received, our guests are generally satisfied with the services provided by volunteers.

Beijing Youth Daily

My question is for Madam Xiang. It is related to the dignitaries. As you have said, there are 2 hotels which will receive foreign dignitaries. One is Beijing hotel, what is the other hotel? also for the leaders from Japan, France and the U.S., where are they going to stay?

Xiang Ping

Beijing Hotel is not the one for foreign dignitaries. It is only one of the 5 hotels we designated for the Olympic family members. We call it the Olympic Family Hotel. We have 2 headquarters hotel rated the best in Beijing in line with the current operation of the hotels. We don't hope you will expose the names of the hotels in the press. As for U.S., Japan and France, where they are going to stay, we know indeed that without the permission from those people, we are not in the position to disclose the information to the public.

CRI

There are some foreign media reporting that the operation of the working hours of the entertainment places, like bars, will be adjusted, which will be inconvenient for foreigners. What is your reaction to those foreign reports?

Xiong Yumei

I need to do more research and get back to you later.

Xiang Ping

Maybe I can add on to that question based on my understanding. I don't know about the situation in Beijing in general. But from our point of view, we do require the designated hotels to change their working hours. We do not require them to stop earlier. Instead, we request them to extent their working hours for their guests. Actually, their bars in many hotels working around the clock so that the guests can relax during the night.

Sun Weide

If you don't have any more questions, this will be the end of our press conference. Tomorrow, at 11 am, we will have another press conference on the weather conditions during the Games. Thank you our guests and thank you all.