Where to Stay in China: Hotels, Booking and Check-In

For travel in mainland China. Information checked: October 1, 2026.

If this is your first trip to China, I would choose an established international hotel chain, such as Hilton, or a major Chinese chain, such as JI Hotel, for your first night. After a long flight, you want to arrive, take a shower and rest, rather than spend time sorting out the small hassles I describe below. Once you feel more familiar with China and comfortable using a translation app to communicate with local people, you can be more adventurous and choose accommodation closer to the places or attractions you want to visit.

1. Which hotels can foreign visitors stay in?

You may have read older guides saying that foreign visitors can only stay in hotels with a special license to accept international guests. This should no longer be treated as a general rule for choosing a hotel. Chinese authorities have stated that hotels must not refuse overseas guests simply because they lack such a license. Measures published in 2024 also say that licensing requirements should not be used to restrict hotels from hosting overseas visitors.[1][2]

In practice, some hotels are reluctant to accept foreign visitors because they want to avoid the extra work of reporting their details to the police. That is why I recommend booking through Trip.com when traveling in China. Having a major booking platform involved gives hotels more reason to follow proper procedures and can greatly reduce the amount of communication you have to handle yourself. Trip.com also has customer support that can contact the hotel and help resolve check-in problems.

You can send the hotel this message through your booking platform:

I will be checking in with a foreign passport. Please confirm that you can complete my accommodation registration. I expect to arrive on [date] at [time].

Confirming in advance is about reducing difficulties when you arrive, not excusing a hotel for refusing you. Keep the written reply; it is more useful than relying on a promise made over the phone.

2. What type of accommodation should you choose on your first trip?

Accommodation type	When to consider it	What I would check first
International hotel brands	You prefer a familiar service setup or need support in a particular language	Whether that language is available at reception, the location of the specific hotel, and the final price
Chinese hotel chains	You want a balance of budget, location and basic comfort	Recent reviews of that particular branch, passport registration, soundproofing, and room conditions
Independent or boutique hotels	Design, the neighborhood or local character matters more to you	Actual guest photos, arrival instructions, and reception opening hours
Homestays or short-term rentals	You are traveling as a group, staying longer, or want to stay in a particular community	Check-in arrangements, communication with the host, accommodation registration, and cancellation terms

My personal benchmark is around US$65 per room per night. That is also around the price of JI Hotel, a Chinese business hotel chain, in many Chinese cities. During China’s long public holidays, the price may be roughly 25% higher. Above that benchmark, I would generally be much less concerned about facilities, cleanliness or communication at check-in. A lower price does not necessarily mean a poor hotel, but it is more likely to involve extra communication.

For example, many small chains and independent hotels occupy floors in commercial buildings near shopping centers, rather than a separate hotel building. Their signs can be hard to spot and may be only in Chinese. Reception staff are also unlikely to speak English. Even as a Chinese person, I sometimes have trouble finding the entrance and need to call reception for directions. This is why I strongly recommend a major hotel chain for your first night.

I am more willing to pay a little extra for a convenient location and a good night’s sleep than to chase a higher star rating. Check each branch separately: a brand name cannot replace looking carefully at the hotel you will actually stay in.

3. Location matters more than the distance from the city center

First, mark the places you actually want to visit on a map, then look for hotels. A city may have several commercial centers, and its nominal city center may not be where you spend most of your time.

I would focus on these three things:

The actual walking route to the metro entrance. Check which entrance you will use, whether there is a detour, and whether there are stairs. With luggage, the walking route is more useful than a straight-line distance on a map.
The full journey time to your main attractions. Include walking, transfers and waiting, rather than just the time spent in a vehicle. If most of your plans are in one area, staying there usually makes life easier.
Transport arrangements for your first and last nights. Check airport transport separately if you arrive late or leave early. Whether an airport hotel is worthwhile depends on your flight times and itinerary; you do not need to spend your entire holiday near the airport.

When booking a hotel near a railway station, check the station’s full name. Stations with “East,” “South,” “North” or “West” in their names are different places.

4. Which platform should you use to book?

If you want to search, pay and communicate with customer support in English, you can start with Trip.com. China’s official guide for overseas visitors describes booking hotels through Trip.com and paying with international bank cards.[3]

You can also compare Booking.com, Agoda or the hotel’s own website. My advice is to choose a channel whose terms you understand, whose payment process works for you, and whose customer support you can reach if something goes wrong. The cheapest option depends on your dates and room type.

When comparing prices, match the conditions: the same hotel, number of guests, bed type, breakfast arrangements and cancellation policy. A slightly cheaper non-refundable room is a different product from a room with free cancellation.

Keep the booking confirmation and customer support details for whichever channel you use. Do not just save a screenshot of the hotel name. Keep at least the booking number, room type, dates, guest names and cancellation terms.

5. Six things to check before paying

First, guest names. Follow the platform’s instructions and use names that match the passports you will present. If you are traveling with others, check what information is required for each guest.

Second, room details. Does the room have one double bed or two single beds? Does it have a window? Is it non-smoking? Can it accommodate your children? Read the specific room description, rather than relying on the nicest photos on the hotel’s main page.

Third, recent reviews. I pay particular attention to noise, cleanliness, odors, air conditioning and nearby construction. Look for the issues that matter most to you before focusing on the overall score.

Fourth, the final price. Check taxes, breakfast, extra beds and other charges. Make sure you know whether the price shown is for one room for one night or for your entire stay.

Fifth, the cancellation deadline. Free cancellation usually has a cutoff time. Whether you can change or cancel a booking, and what it will cost, depends on that booking’s rules. Platform terms also make clear that different room rates may have different restrictions.[4]

Sixth, your arrival time and reception arrangements. Tell the hotel when you expect to arrive, especially if it is after midnight. For example, if you arrive at 1 a.m. on October 5 and want to go straight to your room, you will generally need to book the night of October 4 and have the hotel confirm that it will hold the room for your late arrival. A booking starting on October 5 does not automatically give you access to a room at 1 a.m. that morning.

If your itinerary might change, I recommend comparing cancellable rates first. You are paying for more than the possibility of a refund: you are also giving yourself room to adjust your transport and route.

6. What should you bring to check-in?

Bring the original passport used for the booking and your booking confirmation. Other guests should also bring their own valid identification. When foreign visitors stay in a hotel, the hotel is legally responsible for registering their accommodation and reporting the information to the authorities.[3][5]

Save the hotel’s Chinese name, Chinese address and telephone number separately. Showing this information to a taxi driver or someone helping with directions is easier than trying to explain an English hotel name on the spot.

At check-in, confirm breakfast times, the check-out time, and whether a deposit or credit card pre-authorization is required. Even if you have prepaid for the room, check whether there are other payment arrangements. Most hotel chains in China no longer require a deposit, but some hotels, particularly older ones near scenic areas, may still ask for one through WeChat Pay, Alipay or cash.

If a deposit is required, ask how it will be returned and keep the receipt. Releasing a credit card pre-authorization is different from processing an ordinary refund; ask the hotel and your card issuer when the funds or available credit will be restored. If you pay a cash deposit, remember to collect it from reception.

7. What if the hotel says you cannot check in?

First, find out why. Is the hotel unable to find your booking? Do your identification details differ from the booking? Is there a problem with your arrival time? Or is reception saying it cannot accept a foreign passport? These situations need different solutions.

Show your booking and the hotel’s earlier confirmation. Ask reception to contact the duty manager or the person responsible for accommodation registration.
Contact the channel you booked through. Ask customer support to check the booking and the hotel’s reply, and help arrange check-in or an alternative stay.
Keep records. Save messages, payment receipts and the reason the hotel gives you. If a refund is involved, ask the platform how it will be handled before canceling the booking yourself.
Sort out somewhere to stay that night. If it is already late, prioritize finding accommodation you can check into, while keeping a clear record of the original booking’s refund and any additional costs.

If you booked through Trip.com, you can ask its customer support to call the hotel for you rather than handle all the communication with reception yourself.[6] Usually, this helps get the issue resolved. If you booked directly, do not spend your entire first evening arguing at reception either. Get yourself and your luggage settled first, then continue dealing with the booking.

8. Staying in a homestay or with friends: accommodation registration

Foreign visitors staying somewhere other than a hotel must have their accommodation registered within 24 hours of arrival, either by themselves or by the person hosting them. Paying through a booking platform does not mean this registration happens automatically.[5]

Since September 21, 2026, the National Immigration Administration has rolled out online registration nationwide for foreign visitors staying outside hotels. The service is available through its government services website, the NIA 12367 app, and its WeChat or Alipay mini programs. Registration in person with the local public security authorities remains available.[5]

If you choose a homestay, short-term rental or stay with friends, agree in advance who will handle registration and what documents are needed. I would prioritize—and preferably only choose—hosts who can help complete it. Overnight stays in some homestays inside scenic areas may conflict with that area’s rules. You will need to weigh the convenience of staying inside the attraction against the possibility of extra complications.

Before you travel, save your first-night accommodation details

Keep the hotel’s Chinese address, your booking, the cancellation deadline and the arrival confirmation on your phone. Ideally, take screenshots and have each person traveling with you save a copy.

A smooth first night makes the rest of the trip much easier. Start with a hotel you can confidently reach and rest in, then explore more unusual accommodation once you are settled.

If you are unsure about a hotel’s location or arrival arrangements, you can contact me for advice. I will do my best to help you work it out; general travel advice is free.