Since the late 1980s. the city government has been making effort to improve communication system of
Hangzhou. With more than 20 years of hard work, the number of public telephones in the city has increased from 367 in 1984 to 15,355, with a popularization rate of 0.9%. There are foreign currency exchange services in star-rated hotels of the city. In addition, the Bank of China has provided foreign currency exchange desk at the international airport, the Guangdong Developing Bank set up VIS A-card local currency exchange machine in the public area of the airport, and the Industrial & Commercial Bank set up common ATM to meet various demand of visitors. Of the 37 star-rated hotels, 21 are 3-star or higher, 4 of them having touch multi-media computer, 7 providing information service through Internet. In addition, the 4 hotels that are applying to become 3-star hotels also provide Internet service.
There are 33 air-ticket offices or airline business offices in the urban area of Hangzhou, of which 12 are run by hotels or travel agencies, all capable of making computer reservation across the country. They provide hotels and travel agencies in Hangzhou with telephone or fax air-ticket reservation, along with free delivery.
There are 4 railway ticket offices with computer network. All hotels, travel agencies or individuals in Hangzhou can make railway reservations through telephone or fax. There are 3 kinds of networks for individual guests to make reservation; the Chunqiu Cooperative by the Hangzhou branch of the Shanghai Chunqiu Travel Agency, with offices in 24 cities across the country and linked by computer networks; the cooperative of the 9 travel agencies in Hangzhou, working together to serve individual guests; single travel agency providing special services to individual guests. All of the 3 ways can ensure the reception and service for individual guests. Both the reception hall and salesrooms of hotels can make reservation for individual guests.