BEIJING - All hotel staff and volunteers are ready in the Olympic Village here to welcome more than 20,000 athletes and other guests from around the world, officials said on Thursday, 50 days ahead of the opening ceremony.

The gate of the Olympic Village is seen in this photo taken on March 5, 2008. The village will be officially opened on July 27 for the Olympics and August 30 for the Paralympics. [chinadaily.com.cn]

Some 2,700 hotel workers and nearly 5,000 college volunteers are on duty in the village, said Yu Debin, vice director of the Olympic Village Department under the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG).

"Foreign guests' needs are at the heart of all our services," said Yu.

The staff and volunteers "are busy installing more than 20 million items in 64 buildings, which will provide 17,470 rooms for guests. Trial operations will start soon to ensure all the facilities work well," he said.

Located in the Olympic Green in northern Beijing, the Olympic Village was expected to open on July 27. It consists of a residential area and an international area, covering 660,000 square meters.

The village will be home to some 16,000 athletes and sports officials and 7,000 media staff from 205 countries and regions during the Games.