| It is a real good bet that many people are going to go | | | | Olympics mostly taking place in northern quadrants |
| to the Beijing Olympics and they are not going to have | | | | between the 3rd and 5th rings. The two areas where I |
| their hotel reservations set up in advance, and are | | | | would look would be south of the Forbidden city and |
| going to try and wing it. I think that it is an equally good | | | | the area around the Beijing Train Station. Then I would |
| bet that people that thought that they had reservations | | | | start looking on the long line that runs east and west |
| are going to find that they don't for one reason or | | | | and look further outside of the city with the best bet |
| another. Another real good bet is that the prices are | | | | heading in the direction of the airport. |
| going to be going higher than the pole vault for the last | | | | Home stays and the internet are going to be available |
| minute reservations, so what to do? | | | | and when the Chinese figure out how much they can |
| The north side of Beijing is going to be fully booked this | | | | make for their places they are going to be doubling up |
| is where the great majority of the sporting events are | | | | and visiting relatives to free up space. These spaces |
| going to take place and it is where the Olympic village | | | | not being traditional guesthouses will be harder to find. |
| is located. There are universities in this area where | | | | One of the interesting things about China is that they |
| they are sure to be putting people up. When scouting | | | | love the internet and have huge computer rooms |
| that area of Beijing last year, there were not many | | | | where they go and socialize. I am sure that there will |
| hotel rooms up in that area. One nice hotel that we | | | | be chartrooms that you will be able to find that will |
| found was the Oriental Bay hotel which is a Beijing 4 | | | | network you to the available rooms & |
| star. I would put lots of money that this hotel will be | | | | accommodations. |
| fully booked. The official Beijing Olympics hotel the | | | | Check the local push taxi guys they are very familiar |
| Raffles - Beijing Hotel are also going to be fully booked | | | | with their little areas and will be good sources of |
| this is around 1000 rooms for the one facility and it is | | | | information for you that is outside of the normal |
| not cheap at anytime being really 2 world class 5 star | | | | channels and with negotiation you can bet that these |
| hotels combined with everything from bowling alleys to | | | | will be the cheapest accommodations available in |
| Jade carvings that take up whole walls to xylophone | | | | Beijing. |
| like music in the atrium, that soars to the heavens. | | | | Being an adventurer myself I would try this, have a |
| So where does one look to find good cheap hotels for | | | | note made in Chinese that says that you are looking |
| the Olympics at the last minute. One of the great | | | | for a room in a family home and then walk around in |
| things about Beijing and the Olympics here is the | | | | the Hutongs near the Forbidden City. If you are lucky |
| subway system which will get you into most areas of | | | | and find one you will get a real look at Beijing where |
| the city. Beijing is setup in expanding squares with the | | | | most others will only see the shiny patina. |