Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 887 House Viewing

A little girl stood up and looked this way: "You're staying here?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Are there any rooms available? Single rooms?"

The other girl looked up, then lowered her head again, seemingly doing nothing, and didn't stand up.

The girl who stood up said, "Only standard rooms are available, 368 yuan. Want a room?"

Chen Hui asked, "How many guests are there now?"

The girl said, "It's alright. It's the off-season now; there are more guests in winter. Are you staying here? How many rooms do you need?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Are all the rooms upstairs standard rooms?"

The girl said, "There are also luxury villas and duplex suites."

Chen Hui asked, "Can I see the room? I don't know what it's like."

The girl said, "Yes, which one do you want to see?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Let's take a look at them all, I don't know which one is better."

The girl sitting next to him glanced up at Xia Maosheng and frowned. The one standing said, "Then let's go upstairs. I'll tell the floor attendant. You'll go to the sixth, sixteenth, and eighteenth floors. The sixth floor is the deluxe standard, the sixteenth floor is the standard, and the eighteenth floor is the suite. The rooms are all the same size."

Xiao Hong asked, "Which floor is the office on?"

The girl gave Xiaohong a slightly strange look, but still answered, "In the 12th and 13th floors, that elevator doesn't stop."

Li Na said, "Let's go to the 18th floor first and look down." Everyone talked as they walked to the elevator entrance and went upstairs.

Zhang Fu looked him up and down, his mind racing with excitement all evening. Xiao Hong had just bought him two shirts and a pair of pants, spending almost a thousand yuan, and he'd been on edge ever since.

Reaching the eighteenth floor, the corridor was carpeted, the lighting dim, and it was deserted. Chen Hui called out a few times before a middle-aged woman entered through a side door, walking over expressionlessly: "Which room are you looking for?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's just get any room. This whole floor is full of suites, right?"

The woman didn't say anything, took out her key, opened a door, and stood to one side.

At this time, hotel door locks were card-operated magnetic card locks, which were standard equipment for star-rated hotels. Hotels that did not use electronic door locks could not participate in star rating. This regulation standardized door locks in the hotel industry and also helped to support a number of lock manufacturers.

Liwei, Dijier, and Aidi'er are all lock manufacturers that developed under this strict regulation in recent years. Bida, Keyu, and Jinzhima were a few years later, while Chuangjia was already established in the late 90s, when IC cards were becoming popular. China's electronic lock manufacturers all started by serving hotels. Throughout the 90s, the hotel industry accounted for 95% of the electronic lock market share.

A suite is a living room-style room with a large sofa and TV downstairs, while the bedroom is upstairs, with bathrooms on both floors.

After looking around, Xiaowei mainly checked the furniture and household items, while Chen Hui tried out the bed and looked at the luggage and bedding. These days, even a high-end room only had a Simmons mattress—the kind that ordinary people wouldn't even consider in later generations. It was very soft, and frankly, if you weren't used to it, you could sleep on it until your back ached, your legs felt weak, and your limbs felt limp. Foreigners slept on this kind of thing too, with this kind of craftsmanship.

After viewing the suite, everyone went down to the sixteenth floor to look at the standard rooms. After calling for a long time, it was still the same middle-aged woman who came out from the stairwell, opened the door with a stern face. I don't know why she knew that everyone was coming down to see the rooms and didn't take the elevator down together, but insisted on walking up two flights of stairs, and for so long.

The standard rooms and suites are about the same size, just on one floor. There are two beds, with mattresses directly on the bed boards, and the rest of the furnishings are not much different. The deluxe suite on the sixth floor doesn't have a Simmons mattress either; the mattress is of some unknown type, about five or six centimeters thick, covered with a sheet.

Aside from the suite having a Simmons mattress and a living room, the rest of the guests couldn't see any difference. The TV, telephone, breakfast, car rental, and ticket booking services were all the same, and they also had to pay the bill when eating at the restaurant.

The floor supervisor on the sixth floor has changed; this one is all smiles, so it seems like one person is responsible for several floors.

Everyone took the elevator downstairs, and Xiao Wei asked Liu Huasheng, "Which type of accommodation do the three of you live in?"

Li Xing said, "There aren't any triple rooms available? We can just make do for one night, at least we can talk."

Chen Hui said, "Yes, I saw it on the sign below. I guess it's a standard room with an extra bed."

Xiao Hong asked, "What's the difference between his standard and premium models? I can't see anything."

Chen Xiao said, "The things are all a bit old, and the tiles in the bathroom are yellowed."

Xia Maosheng asked, "Is their hot water available 24 hours a day? What's the supply method?"

Chen Hui said, "It uses electricity. It's similar to the electric kettle we have at home; it heats up in minutes after you turn it on, but it's very power-consuming. This hot water isn't drinkable; you have to boil it fresh. I didn't pay attention; was he using a thermos or an electric kettle?"

Xiao Wei asked Li Na, "How do you feel about his side?"

Li Na said, "It's so-so. I've been to Marriott, and it's not even in the same league. From the furnishings to the service and environment, they're not even comparable."

Xiao Wei said, "The equipment is fine. When we opened in 88, this was considered luxurious and advanced. We definitely need to renovate, and the items need to be replaced. I'm talking about the people, the management."

Li Na said, "To be honest, I feel like they're not even as well-managed as our factory. Look at these few people just now, it shows that nobody really cares about them. This Changyun Company, humph, I don't think it's anything special."

Xiao Wei said to Chen Hui, "Ask your aunt if she can help us find someone who really understands hotel management."

Chen Hui asked, "What about this side?"

Xiao Wei said, "After the trade city is merged, we'll invest again. Changyun won't have much left. We'll negotiate to buy it back. If they don't want to sell or want to sell at a high price, then forget it. Once the Anton Dalian project is up and running, you can calculate how much they'll have left. Let's include all the hotel assets."

Sister Jin said, "Xiao Wei is so cunning. With several hundred million yuan poured in all at once, Changyun Shares will probably have to be valued at a fraction of a percent."

The elevator went down to the first floor, and the group went to the bar. Xiao Wei said, "Do you have triple rooms? Let's get a triple room."

The person who greeted Xiaowei and his group was the same one who had stood up earlier. The other person didn't even raise his head, but had a smirk on his face as if he had known.

The triple room cost 418 yuan per night. Xiaowei paid the money and handed over his ID card to register.

The girl didn't mention the two ID cards in the triple room, nor did she ask who was staying there. She just noted down Xiaowei's ID card, had him sign it, and handed over the room key. The deposit was 600 yuan.

In those days, there was no mandatory ID registration system; you could stay anywhere as long as you paid, even without an ID. But for star-rated hotels, this management system was somewhat questionable, as recording guest information was also part of their service.

The regulations governing security in the hotel industry were implemented in 87. Before that, a letter of introduction from one's employer and proof of employment were required for accommodation.

After the implementation of the measures, all citizens will no longer need a letter of introduction to check into hotels. They can check in with their ID card or other proof of identity. Hotels are required to register the identity information of guests in accordance with the requirements.

However, this regulation was not strictly enforced in practice, and hotels and inns became good hiding places for itinerant people. It wasn't until around 2010 that the management of ID card registration became stricter and the enforcement became more and more rigorous.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time when many far from home shed tears of joy! Wishing everyone a happy festival and a happy family reunion.

(End of this chapter)