Beijing will build 110 star hotels to cope with the demand for accommodation during the 2008 Olympic Games.

"The planned 110 hotels will range from one star to five stars, with a majority of them targeting high-end guests," Du Jiang, director of Beijing Tourism Bureau, said at a seminar on economy hotels on Friday.

Although there is a great demand for economy hotels in Beijing, the trend is to develop high-end hotels, Du acknowledged.

During the 2008 Olympic Games, most guests will be accommodated in Beijing hotels, Du said. "But the hotels in neighboring Hebei Province, which are about 100 kilometers away from Beijing, will be on stand-by."

According to the official, there are 56 hotels, including 8 four or five stars hotels, within 100 kilometers of Beijing.

By 2007, the number of star hotels in Beijing is expected to reach 800, providing approximately 130,000 rooms, Beijing's Vice Mayor Zhang Mao said at the seminar.

According to an estimate, about 250,000 foreign tourists, regular tourists and Games viewers will make Beijing hotels accommodate 550,000 people per day during the 2008 Olympic Games.

Currently, Beijing has 658 star hotels with a total of 109,000 rooms.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)