Budget hotel with high-end culture

China's budget hotel operator Home Inns has added some artistic culture to its Yitel brand in the capital by installing art work to attract high-end business travelers.

The art project was launched on April 8 in Beijing's Yitel, located near the capital's iconic 798 Art Zone, to turn public spaces in the hotel into a gallery.

Wang Wenduo, vice president of Home Inns, said the art project was an innovative way to engage customers with art in a more friendly way as Yitel tries to add cultural flavor to its services.

"We want to spread the message to the public that art is everywhere in life and art belongs to everyone." Wang also said Yitel was chosen due to its proximity to the 798 Art Zone but Home Inns has no immediate plans to expand the project.

Artists are required to remain anonymous to display their artworks.

"We hope visitors can overcome the stereotypes, break the constraints of familiarity with artists, and appreciate the works as they are," said the project organizing committee in a press release.

Zhang Chaoming, the project's chief organizer and also art director of Time Machine Image Center, said artists need to consider the specific spatial features to better integrate their artworks with the environment in hotel.

Paper-made curtains with pierced holes make an otherwise dull dining hall shine. One wall is covered by photos of workers from the 2008 Olympic Games. In another corner, hotel attendants seemed surprised by a pile of televisions that can be powered by bicycle-type generator. Statues symbolizing a man and a woman falling in love greet visitors near the elevator.

But one must-see of the art collection is holed in Room 8208 where artist Wang Jun put his weight-losing efforts under 24 hour CCTV surveillance. Sitting on an electronic scale, he told his visitors that he will remain in the room until his weight is below 60 kilograms.

"The idea is to break out of the comfort zone in life."