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August 11, 2005

Per Vivian’s invitation last night, I paid her a visit. I was a little late for the hotel was not too easily accessible by public transportation. The hotel itself was very impressive. The decoration was modern and slick. The lobby was large and open. Many guests walked in and out. It did not really look like just newly opened. The occupation rate was already at 70% to 80%. I guessed that all the hard work of Vivian’s and her staff’s now started to pay off.

Vivian invited me to have dinner in one of the hotel restaurants with one of her friend from out-of-town and one of her colleagues Ms. Mao. They were both very nice and friendly people. The restaurant was full of people, which was a proof of how good the food was. The main style was Shanghai food. While not a big fan for its sweetness, I found the food here was fitting and satisfactory.

After dinner, Vivian went to see her friend off to the airport while Ms. Mao showed me some of rooms in the hotel. I saw their standard, business and suite rooms. I was very impressed. All the rooms were clean, well designed and practical. It would be ideal place for both leisure and business stays.

A TV show was being shot in one of the suites on the top floor. We were invited to take a look. Being in movies before, I know how difficult to make them. A scene would have to be shut multiple times before it was satisfactory to directors. All the crew members have to play as a team. This particular show was perhaps a low budget endeavor. The main actor and actress were not big names. One of funny episode was that at one point the actress was supposed to cry but she couldn’t shed tears. She tried eye drops but all the drops went into her eyes and did not come up. The director joked that her eyes were holes for sucking in liquid. I could tell that she was a little embarrassed.

Vivian arranged a hotel car to send me back to my hotel. When I left the hotel late in the evening, the shut was still going on. None of the crew had dinner yet at the point. It is a tough business to be in. Nothing is easy.

posted by Unknown @ 6:23 AM