Hotel rooms are still available for the Beijing Olympics, but that doesn't mean you are in. Even if you manage to score tickets to one of the sporting events and then manage to find and book a great hotel at a great rate you still have no guarantee that you will be attending the 2008 Olympics. There is no guarantee that the Chinese government will let you in to their country.
Officials warned that just having a ticket to an event is no guarantee that you will be issued a Chinese Visa. They are going to be watching the people coming into the country to be sure that nothing gets in that they don't want in.
The 2008 Olympics have already been plagued with rumors and controversy and they haven't even begun yet. This latest warning from the Chinese government should not be a surprise to anyone at this point. With talk going around that the Chinese government would be bugging athletes' rooms and other areas, it is no surprise that they are going to also be watching who comes into their country.
If you do manage to book one of the few remaining hotel rooms in the area and if you secure tickets to an event, you better make sure that there is a rebate policy. If you get off the plane and the government officials decide not to let you in then that room and that ticket will not do you much good.
The Olympics always offer a taste of the host country and an amazing experience. It just seems that the Chinese are determined to make their taste a bitter one. There has to be a way for the country to feel at ease and to also make the guests feel at ease. If things don't change there may end up being a lot more empty hotel rooms by the time the games begin.