The 2010 World Exposition which will be held in the city of Shanghai, has prompted a great need for economic hotels. Many small inns in the city plan to become a member of the economic hotel chain group by taking a series of measures.

Information from a recent economic hotel project fair showed that by 2010, the city needed to provide 100,000 more beds for visitors. However, only a few non-star hotels or inns have currently met the criteria and thus become a member of the economic hotel chain group. At the same time, many small inns, scattering in downtown area, can only make ends meet by cheap price due to its out-of-dated facilities and inadequate services.

Some of these inns, however, are now planning to become a member of the economic hotels either by improving facilities or relocating to a better place.

Wang Dawu, director of tourist research center at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences said economic hotels should provide "3B+1P", which refers to bathroom, bedroom, breakfast and parking lot. Economic hotels have a clean environment but do not have some facilities that are available only in star-hotels, like Karaoke, Sauna, ballroom and conference center.

At present, both local-operated and foreign-operated economic hotels have begun to take actions to expand their network. Many private-funded hotels are trying to enter into the market. Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission said they planned to boost the individual small inns to operate in a chain group mode in aspects of property ownership, management, criteria and marketing. By these efforst, economic hotels are expected to see a jump in number in 2010.

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