BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing wants to recruit more than 1,000 households to provide homestay rooms for foreign visitors during August's Olympic Games, local media reported on Friday.

Until the reform and opening up of China in the 1980s, just talking to a foreigner could be a cause of trouble for Chinese and the idea of inviting "overseas guests" to stay in their homes would have been unthinkable.

The "Olympic families" must have a spare bedroom, basic toilet and shower facilities and at least one English-speaking family member, the Beijing Daily reported.

"We hope the foreign tourists and the Beijing family will become not only renters and owners but good friends," said Xiong Yumei, deputy director of Beijing's Tourist Bureau.

The 1,000 rooms with "Olympic families" will supplement the city's 220,000 beds in 806 star-rated hotels as supply may still fall short of demand, especially close to the sports venues, said Xiong.

Ventilation, lighting, sanitary conditions, fire safety, toilet and shower facilities, location, transportation and family pets will all be under scrutiny when the bureau inspects applicant properties in March.

Other requirements include families dressing appropriately, having good manners and basic Olympic knowledge as well as a willingness to help the guests discover Beijing and its traditions.

Beijing is expecting 500,000 foreign visitors and a million domestic tourists during the Games.

The homestay rooms will cost $50-80 a night, said Xiong, but the price might be adjusted according to market conditions.

(Reporting by Liu Zhen, editing by Nick Mulvenney, Ken Wills and Sanjeev Miglani)