Beijing - Hotel Transfer Disaster

I slept GREAT last night - have every night since we got here actually.  This hotel is amazing and they actually have a book with a selection of pillows to choose from!  I have about 6 I think.  LOVE it! 

So I slept in and got up around 7:30 which is pretty late for me.  Today we all transferred hotels from the Sofitel Wanda to the Grand Mercure Xidan.  How hard can it be to transfer hotels, right?  So I'm thinking this is going to be a cruisy day -- and it was absolutely a total DISASTER of a day! :(

We had two different times for people to check out if they wanted to take the bus we provided to the new hotel: 10am and 12pm.  I went down to the lobby around 9:30 to see if people were checking out and to check on the busses...and NO ONE was there.  By 10:10...we had 5 people (out of about 75 transferring) that had checked out and were headed to the bus.  FIVE.  Great.  So I got those people on the bus, and explained to them that since the traffic was so bad today and since there were only five of them, I really had to just send them on by themselves to the next hotel.  I couldn't risk missing the BIG transfer of people.  So off they went, thinking it would be fine. 

I got a call from the hotel about an hour later saying the first bus had not arrived.  Thankfully, I had the bus driver’s cell phone number.  I called him - and he explained to me (in broken English) that they were closing off roads right and left for the Olympic torch coming through, so they were stuck in traffic.  Good thing I didn’t get on that bus with them! 

They eventually made it about an hour and a half later and checked in okay - I think.  From what I heard it went okay anyways.  Like I said, it was only 5 of them, but Beijing hotels can be a little sketchy!  I ate a quick breakfast and got ready for the big group – and it was BIG.  We probably had 70 HUGE bags to fit on the TWO buses we were supposed to have.  Except somewhere along the way, one of the busses got lost.  So it was just perfect that we had TWO busses at 10am for 5 people ad now only had 1 bus for 65 people and 8,000 bags!!  It was such a mess...and the bus was late getting there anyways because of the traffic and road closures.  So somehow, after sticking a few not-so-thrilled people in CABS, we did manage to get everyone and all the luggage on the bus and to the next hotel.  We made it in less than an hour, so that was really good.  I called the hotel ahead of time to let them know we were all coming, thinking if I gave them a heads up they would be ready for us.  Boy was I wrong. 

They had about 20 of the rooms with 1 bed that needed 2 beds, and probably another 15 that needed 2 beds and only had 1.  It was just a TOTAL disaster!!!  I literally spent over three hours (seriously) standing in the lobby yelling at the staff (the ones who spoke English) as the clients went up to there rooms and then came back down saying they were wrong...it was just terrible.  And to add to it, this place is a DUMP compared to our first hotel.  It is supposedly a 4 star hotel...but I’m telling you, I wouldn't even give it 2!!  The staff is terrible, the bathrooms are gross, the hotel is very old, and my room overlooks a flooded roof-top next door.  It's just so gross...and our very high maintenance clients agree.  I got plenty of phone calls saying they weren't happy with the rooms...and what am I supposed to do about it!?  We’re in freaking CHINA and it’s the OLYMPICS!  We booked this block of rooms well over a year ago, at the hype of the Beijing Olympic hotel room situation -- when everyone said all of the rooms were going to be sold out and blah blah blah.   Well now there are lots of rooms available and for a much cheaper price than what we paid.  Oh well -- I finally sorted it all out and got everyone happy (kind of) and in the proper rooms.  It was SO SO frustrating though. 

I had to go back to the Sofitel this evening to get two of our employee’s bags that got left behind, and that place was an absolute zoo, too.  The Australian president and many of the Australian athletes checked in there today (probably why we couldn't get more rooms and had to check out!).  You couldn't even breathe at that place!!  I'm sure most of the hotels are like that now - the city is just getting crazier and busier with each day.  We have already been warned that most of the city will be shut down tomorrow for the Opening Ceremonies.

So anyways - that was my disaster of a day.  I'm hoping things slow down now - we are having a surprise 50th birthday party for my boss on Saturday night here at this crappy hotel, but other than that, I think I should finally be able to relax a little!  I'm off to see the night life tonight!  I hear the Today Show is here in Beijing...maybe I'll try and find out where they are...

I'll write more tomorrow!

-TK