Liu Jingming presents the Olympic flag Members of the Olympic Family will stay in Beijing Hotel and neighboring Grand Hotel Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games, according a contract signed in Beijing on Sunday.[BOCOG]

The contracted hotels provide not only accommodation for the Olympic Family, but also serve as the headquarters and command center of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 29th Olympiad, so that they play a vital role in staging a successful Olympic Games, said Liu Jingmin, vice mayor of Beijing and executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), who witnessed the signing ceremony.

He urged hotel staff to offer excellent services and ensure efficiency for IOC Games-time operations.

The Olympic Family comprises of international sports organizations, national Olympic Committees, Games organizing committees and others.

Up to 200 people, including officials of the national and municipal tourism authorities, attended the ceremony. Present was also Wang Wei, BOCOG executive vice president and secretary-general.