International travel

Language not a problem in most Chinese hotels

Business First of Columbus - February 24, 2006

Business First

Much has changed in China since President Richard M. Nixon's historic visit in 1972. As you walk down a street and see McDonald's, KFC, Starbucks, American luxury cars, cell phones, Pizza Hut, bars, restaurants, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works - even Sen. Hillary Clinton on billboards. You may think you are in New York , Los Angeles or Chicago rather than Beijing , Shanghai or Guangzhou .

This is evidence of China 's growing economy. And as China 's economy grows, so does its tourism and travel industry.

With all the increased travel, new hotels are sprouting up almost daily. This is one area of the Chinese economy that is remarkably similar to the hotel industry, especially with affluent accommodations.

Also similar are the methods used to book accommodations. In many ways, booking a hotel room or meeting room in China , especially with four- and five-star hotels is as simple as going online.

First class

Hotels in China are generally classified into three categories - first, second and third class with the appropriate number of stars depicting grade. The five-star hotels and many of the four-star ones fall within first class and include some of the finest hotels in the world.

Sheraton, Hilton, Accor, Hyatt, Shangri-la, Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Ritz Carlton, Peninsula Group, Mandarin Oriental Group have hundreds of properties. These are where a majority of Western business people and affluent tourists stay.

Guest rooms come with private bathrooms, soft towels, silk or cotton robes, glasses, soap, shampoo, tooth brushes and sometimes razors, refrigerators, high speed Internet access and television sets.

However, the T.V. stations are more global, including numerous Chinese, Japanese, Arab, German and Hong Kong-based stations and others received through cable. The first-class hotels also include some or all of the following facilities, executive floors, bilingual business centers, bank and ATM machines, conference centers, beauty parlors, saunas, foreign exchange counters, bowling, discos, swimming pools, fitness center, multiple international restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, airline ticketing offices and cocktail bars that are open 24 hours a day.

Multilingual staff are available at the front desk, concierge or business center, so people speaking English, German, French or Japanese rarely encounter a problem.

Second and third class
Second-class hotels are generally three-star hotels whose guest room service and facilities are slightly inferior to those of the first class hotels. Value-conscience tourist groups often stay in these hotels. Facilities may include some of those listed above but simply fewer of them and not as nice.

The fluent, multilingual capabilities begin to drop off in the second-class hotels. In hotels in the larger cities English is normally passable but you must have patience. As you move inland or into smaller cities, your expectation of English-speaking staff should be at a minimum.

Third-class hotels look much like travel motels in Western countries. As far as guest room facilities, they are stripped-down and simple. But the primary difference between the two is that in these third-class Chinese hotels, the language spoken is Mandarin.

There will often be no English-speaking staff members, but these hotels do offer by far the lowest prices. This is why many Chinese tourists choose to stay in such hotels.

Making reservations

Just as we do in the U.S. , reservations are made either through a travel agency or directly with the hotel. You can make the reservation by phone, e-mail, secure Web, fax or by regular mail.

Here's what the process entails (it will sound familiar):
Provide your personal information such as name, desired room category, check-in and check-out time.
You will usually receive a response or confirmation within 24 hours.
You should notify the hotel of any change on your schedule in order to avoid any cancellation fees.

Making business meeting room arrangement at Chinese hotels is also similar to the process in the U.S.
Check if meeting room types are listed on the hotel Web site.
Contact hotel reservations, sales or the business center via e-mail, fax or phone. Give them your dates and requirements.

A reminder for audio-visual needs: China 's electric system runs on 220V 50Mhz, so the plugs are different. That means your regular extension cords will not work either.

If you bring your own laptop or video projector, ask for a step-down transformer. But even with a transformer, your audio-visual equipment often will not work as well, but you can always ask to rent the hotel's equipment. It will not come cheap, but audio-visual support comes with the equipment, something that is becoming a necessity even in the U.S.

China may be a major U.S. threat in the manufacturing sector, but don't be intimidated by China 's hotels - they're a lot like ours.

Judy Huang Lewis is president of 889 Global Solutions - Your China Connection in Columbus . Reach her at 614-235-8889 or jhuang@889globalsolutions.com.

889 Global Solutions is not a stocking distributor and does not supply small quantities.

We source quality fasteners, stampings, wire forms, castings, plastic parts and virtually any component or assembly.

100% quality manufacturing.
All facilities are quality certified.
We guarantee that our products meet your supplied specifications
Extremely competitive pricing
Delivery to your port or front door
12 week lead times
We handle all paperwork
Partial container orders
Flexible payment options
Unique tooling options
Full range of packaging options from bulk to retail ready
Complete testing services available