Agoda is gearing up to help meet consumer needs during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
The Beijing Organizing Committee estimates that more than 1.5 million beds will be needed to accommodate foreign and Chinese tourists. Beijing currently has only 109,000 rooms in 658 star-rated hotels. Agoda has been aggressively improving inventory relationships in China, seeking out new sources of supply and setting up special service and content teams to meet Olympic needs.
Agoda currently offers 2,144 hotels in China, in 70 provinces, with 248 hotels in Beijing.  Agoda offers hotel reservations to customers around the world through many native language sites such as agoda.com.cn for mainland Chinese customers, agoda.com.hk, and agoda.jp. The company expects wide interest from customers across the globe, including visitors from Europe and the United States. Many of these clients will be making their first trip to China, combining the Olympics with other tourism.
Wilfred Fan, Vice President of Business Development for Agoda says,  “In addition to increasing the number of hotels we offer in Beijing, we’ve also been gearing up to support both tourists who want to see more of China and local Beijing residents who may want to flee the crowds during the events. During this time, we expect increased demand in Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.”
A new Olympic Coordinator will be available on agoda.com to point visitors in the right direction, and content at travel.agoda.com will offer tips on day trips, tours and other activities for visitors to the Beijing Games, such as venue directions and last-minute accommodation deals. Agoda Company is also translating hotel names and directions into Mandarin to make it easier for foreign customers to reach their accommodations, and highlighting properties that work well for the Olympics. Fan says, “Many customers aren’t aware that the Sino-Swiss Hotel and the Howard Johnson Paragon Hotel are quite convenient for both the Football Stadium and the Field Tracks, where Olympic events will be held. Our job at Agoda is to make that information available now, so our customers get the first opportunity to book rooms. It’s going to be competitive for availability.”
Agoda customers receive Agoda Rewards Points, which can be used for cash discounts on future bookings at any of Agoda’s 27,000+ hotels around the world. To celebrate next summer’s Olympics, Agoda is offering Double Points at several hotels in key locations, such as the Sino-Swiss Hotel, which is close to Beijing Capital International Airport, the Howard Johnson Paragon Hotel in Dongcheng District, the Gloria Plaza Hotel, the Prime Hotel, and many other properties listed in Beijing and other areas likely to be popular during the events.
“We’re doing everything we can to make the Olympics a great experience for our customers, whether they want to visit China, see the Olympics or even get out of Beijing. We are advising all our clients to make plans quickly”, says Fan.
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