By Viva Goldner (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-25 14:22

Dutchman Piet Bos is ready to cash in by providing homestay packages to tourists coming for the Beijing Olympics. Chris Hyde

For many Beijing expatriates, the looming Olympic Games is something of a holy grail, an unmatched career opportunity and the ultimate excuse to party in their adopted homeland. But some foreigners are preparing to bypass the chaos in August, vacating their homes in order to collect fees of up to 3,000 yuan ($420) per night-or even more-from tourists seeking an alternative to hotel accommodation.

While Beijing tourism authorities last month stepped up a campaign to recruit some 1,000 Chinese households as "Olympic family hotels", hundreds of foreigners have already reached private agreements to become homestay hosts, either through specialized agencies or direct negotiations with tenants.

Enterprising Dutchman Piet Bos established the online agency, Homestay Beijing 2008 (www.homestaybeijing2008.com) last March, recognizing the potential windfall to be made accommodating the 2 million tourists - including 500,000 overseas guests - expected to make their way to the Chinese capital for the Olympics. The largest daily inflow of visitors for the Summer Games is estimated at 300,000.

Bos, a hospitality industry consultant who has lived in China for 10 years, says Beijing's booming expat community includes many individuals who live in large apartments with at least one extra guest room. Many also employ ayi to cook and clean as well as drivers and translators - extra services that can be offered as part of homestay packages attracting higher rates.

And because expats are most likely to share their language and culture with international visitors, Bos says they make particularly suitable hosts.

Homestay Beijing 2008 requires landlords to be fluent in both written and spoken English, in order to eliminate some of the communication problems frequently experienced by overseas tourists in China.

"The landlord will be able to give relevant, up-to-date and non-sponsored information to the guests," Bos says.

"Go to any 4- or 5-star hotel and ask information from the concierge, and you will have difficulties getting what you want, if you can communicate at all!"

"(There is) also the fact that most expat homes look and feel more like suitable homes for overseas visitors and the cultural aspect of it counts, too," he adds.

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