I will be attending the Canton Fair/CECF in October of this year.  I
would like to get practical tips on my visit to the trade show.  I
would also like a list of the best hotels in Guangzhou by someone that
has actually stated in them.

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Request for Question Clarification by leader-ga on 07 Jul 2003 18:26 PDT

Hello candibates-ga:

I have stayed in Guangzhou in the past. I can recommend you the best
hotels in the area but I am not sure about what kind of practical tips
will you consider? Are you looking for tips on how to best attend the
trade fairs?

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Clarification of Question by candibates-ga on 07 Jul 2003 18:38 PDT

Hello,

Thanks for your response.  A list of reasonably priced hotels would be
great, along with perhaps a comparison to any US chains that are
similar.  Tips on how best to attend the show would be great.  I have
never been, so I really dont know what to expect or how to prepare.  I
have found some general info on Google, but any specific, practical
tips would be appreciated.

For example, the best time to take a train from Hong Kong, safety
concerns at the show, etc.

Hello candibates-ga:

CONTENTS:

Things to watch out for.
Transportation from Hong Kong 
Hotels

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Thank you for your clarification. Let me start with 'the things to
look out for' while you are at the canton fair. Because of the
popularity of the fair you can expect a traffic jam when commuting
through the city. Thus, the best way to travel between the fair and
the hotel is the free shuttle service provided by the hotels. Make
sure that you talk to the hotel about the shuttle services before
arriving in Guangzhou. Please be aware, while most cabs have meters
they usually only get switched on by accident.

If you are travelling around the city, the best way to travel will be
to take the new metro rail (please see tranportation) which run all
around the city. Another major problem might be the language barrier.
I will recommmend to take a language guide book with you. If you are
taking a cell phone, please check on the services provided by your
vendor in China.

TRANSPORTATION

Information on Transportation from Hong Kong, Train Schedules from
Hong Kong to Guangzhou and the Guangzhou inter city mono rail can be
accessed at http://www.travel.com.hk/china/guanzhou.htm.

ATTENDING THE TRADE SHOW

Please read the page on how to best attend any trade show at
http://graphexpo.gasc.org/showinfo/tips.cfm
Official Website
http://guangzhou-cantonfair.com/

HOTELS

Hotels are always expensive during the canton fair. The problem with
most hotels in Guangzhou is that most of them are not affiliated with
a major hotel chain. Therefore, problems "like the problem encountered
by one of the reviwer" are frequent even among the top quality hotels.
My recommendation will be to stay at the WHite Swan hotel. The reason
is that it is a member of the "leading hotels of the world" where you
will not only get the quality service but also stay out of 'basic
stuff'. It is also the number one choice for the business travellers
as it is reknown for its business services.
The rooms at the hotels at the canton fair period at the time of this
writing are going for approx. $290. To me its not bad taking into
consideration the quality of service. Please log onto
http://www.lhw.com/ for booking. You can also read the reviews of the
travellers who stayed at this hotel at http://www.asia-hotels.com. If
you don't mind travelling, than the only hotel that is in the middle
range and provides quality service is located in the suburbs. It is
the Oriental Resort Hotel.

I stayed at the Guandong International Hotel and enjoyed my visit. You
might want to consider that.

If you are looking for a more affordable hotel than please log on to
http://www.asiatravel.com and check their trade fair prices.

I hope this will answer your question. Please feel free to clarify.
Good luck with your visit.

Helpful Keywords:

attending trade fair


Best regards,
leader-ga.

I was there in April of 2002.  I was late at registering for the Fair
so I could only get a room at the China Hotel.  Since it was so late
they only had one room available for $450 a night.  It was a great
suite but too expensive.  If you reserve early you should get a cheapr
room.  The China Hotel seems to be where most of the major business
men stay so it is good for contacts.  I met the MD of the airline I
flew there in a social setting.  The China Hotel is located across the
street from the Trade Ground saving you the trip through one of the
worst traffic cities in the world from other hotels.  Most other
hotels provide free shutle service through out the day.  The greatest
problem besides price with the China hotel is that is is crawling with
prostitutes.  This turned a 5 star hotel into a 1 star hotel.  I just
found it uncomfortable so I switched to the Guangdong International
http://www.gitic.com.cn/  I found it to be less expensive and very
modern.  A better choice.

They where finnishing a brand new hotel not far from the Guangdong
International hotel but I don't know the name of it but it looked very
nice.

So http://www.gitic.com.cn/ is where I would stay next time.