The inside of a typical room of Home Inns hotel in this file photo undated. [sohu.com]

While many people coming to Beijing for the Olympics can afford to stay in four or five-star hotels, there are many others who cannot. And that is why budget hotels are booming this summer.

While "Higher, faster and stronger" is the motto of the Olympics, it is "Lower, sweeter and safer" that budget hotels are using to market themselves. They offer comfortable, convenient and clean service for a decent price and have only recently appeared in China since the late 1990s.

And for the upcoming Games, things are looking good.

"Our rooms are very popular," said Zhou Hangcheng, shift manager at Jinjiang Inns Hotel, which is close to the National Stadium or Bird's nest.

"The reservation rate increased rapidly in the past two months, particularly on August 22, there is no room available. It seems to be the day Liu Xiang will compete in the 110-meter hurdles race."

Name your price

Budget hotel chain 7 Days Inn uses the tag line, "To make customers enjoy an economical and pleasant Olympic tour."

Boasting an online booking system, the hotel, in cooperation with Chinese Internet portal Sohu.com, launched a five-month online room bidding among its 30 hotels in Beijing and Tianjin in the run-up to the Olympics, according to Zhou Huaisheng, vice president of 7 Days Inn Group.

The bidding concept, the first of its kind in China, gives travelers the chance to name the price they want to pay for a room through a transparent online system, according to Zhou.

A room usually costs 188 rmb. There are four rounds of bidding, with each round a bit more expensive than the last. The minimum rate for a standard room in 7 Days Inn's Beijing hotels during the fourth period, which lasts from July 1 to August 24, is 500 rmb per night, with the maximum reaching 762 rmb.

"The bidding has given our booking rate a boost, especially those close to the sports venues and subway lines," said Zhou. "The rate for a standard room now is at an average of 600 rmb."

"The aim of this promotion is to bring more people to Beijing and help them enjoy their Olympic visits as much as possible without causing too much of a financial burden," he added.

"We've also set up a way for customers to make donations. The price difference between the price the customer bids at, and the actual price of the room, will go to charities," Zhou said.

However, there are some budget hotels that are charging even higher rates. Home Inns Anzhen Hotel, which is close to both the National Stadium and Huixinxijie Nankou station along Beijing's relatively new subway Line 5, is full for the Olympics, as a local company has booked the entire hotel with rooms at 1,999 rmb each.

Compared with the prosperity of budget hotels, the short-term service apartment for the Olympics seems to be suffering from a gloomier business. The occupancy rate is only one percent, according to statistics from real estate agents.

"House owners have overestimated the market. The rent for an apartment near the Bird's Nest for August could reach an astonishing 80,000 rmb, but now it falls to 40,000 to 50,000 rmb," said Gong Ping, vice general manager of the third-class market division of Zhongyuan Real Estate Agent Co. Ltd in Beijing. "The price is unrealistic. With the Olympics approaching, the price reduction will continue to attract more customers."

"Another reason is that Olympic hotels and home-stays have taken many customers away from short-term service apartments, especially budget hotels," Gong said.