Sleep - Accommodation in China

Sleep

Availability of accommodation for tourists is generally good and ranges from shared dorm rooms to 5-star luxury hotels. Sleeper trains can also be a decent option if you schedule your long-distance travel overnight (see the Get around section above).

Since 2024, any licensed hotel outside restricted areas by law must accept foreigners. In practice, many hotels, especially cheaper ones or those in remote areas, never got the memo, don’t know how to use the mandatory registration system, or simply don’t want to bother. Using an English-language booking service like Trip.com can help avoid this hassle, as hotels that choose to list there are almost always foreigner-friendly. Anecdotal accounts have reported success (or at least a free ride to another hotel) requesting the intervention of the Public Security Bureau when hotels refuse to comply with the law. You may also fill in the Online Accommodation Registration Service at the Government Service Platform of National Immigration Administration available in seven provincial-level regions (Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan) instead, but this requires creating an account on the platform.

Hotel reception staff will make a photocopy of your passport, entry stamp and visa (if applicable) as part of the registration process. On rare occasions, someone from your hotel will escort you to the local police station to satisfy the establishment’s reporting requirement.

Finding a hotel when arriving in a Chinese city is difficult if you don’t know where to look and what you’re looking for. In general, neither star ratings nor price are an accurate indication of the quality of the hotel, so research before booking. If you’re willing to pay ¥180 or more for a room, you’ll probably have little problem finding one. There are usually cheap hotels near the train or bus station. If you plan to look for a place to sleep after arriving in town, it’s best to arrive before 18:00 or the most popular places will be booked for the night. If you are absolutely at a loss for finding housing, the local police (警察) or Public Security Bureau (公安局) can help you find a place to crash, at least for one night.

Prices are often negotiable, and a sharp reduction from the price listed on the wall can often be had, even in nicer hotels, by asking “what’s the lowest price?” (最低多少 zuìdī duōshǎo). When staying for more than a few days, it is also usually possible to negotiate a lower daily rate. However, during the busy Chinese holiday seasons prices sky-rocket and rooms are hard to get. Many chains and independent hotels have membership cards offering discounts to frequent guests.

Sometimes, hotel guests might encounter business cards featuring photographs of skimpily-dressed women stuffed under the room door offering “massage” services (actually a euphemism for prostitution, which is illegal). Police may conduct random anti-prostitution raids on hotels, and both the customer and provider will be subject to criminal penalties.

Booking a room over the Internet with a credit card can be a convenient and speedy method of making sure you have a room when you arrive at your destination, and there are numerous websites that cater for this. Credit cards are not widely used in China, particularly in smaller and cheaper hotels. Such hotels usually ask to be paid in cash, and many hotels ask for a cash security deposit of a few hundred yuan up front. Some online services allow you to book without a credit card and pay cash at the hotel. During Chinese holidays, when it is difficult to get a room anywhere, this may be an acceptable option, but in the off-season, rooms are plentiful almost everywhere and it may be just as easy to find a room upon arrival as it is to book one over the Internet.

Across China, check-out is normally noon, and there is often the possibility of paying half a day’s cost to get an 18:00 checkout.

Camping in China is in a legal grey area, but in general, the authorities will not stop you from camping in the wilderness so long as you stay out of restricted areas and do not damage the environment. Try to avoid camping too close to a city, as the police tend to be edgier about that, and you might be forced to unpitch your tent and be escorted to a hotel. Designated campgrounds are still somewhat of a rarity in China, but becoming more common. RV camping is also growing in popularity, and it is possible to explore China by RV with some advanced planning.

Low-cost housing

Many ultra-cheap options would not appeal to most travelers from developed countries for security and cleanliness reasons. In the cheapest range of hotels it is important to ask if hot water is available 24 hours a day (有没有二十四个小时的热水 yǒuméiyǒu èrshisì ge xiǎoshí de rèshuǐ), and check if the shower, sink and toilet actually work. A room next to a busy street as traffic may keep you up late and wake you up early.

Hostels (青年旅社) are the most comfortable low-cost options. They typically cater to foreigners, have English-speaking employees, and provide cheap, convenient transport around town. Some of them are even cleaner and better furnished than more expensive places. Hostels also have a cozy, international atmosphere and are a good place to meet other travelers and get some half-decent Western food. In most cities of any size there is at least one hostel available, and in travel hot spots there are plenty of hostels, although they can still fill up quickly because of their popularity with backpackers. Hostels can often be booked on-line in advance although you should bring a print-out of your confirmation as not all hostels are aware that you can book their rooms (and pay a portion of the cost) on-line in advance. In Beijing, many hostels are in hutongs, traditional courtyard homes in the midst of a maze of traditional streets and architecture. While many of Beijing’s hutongs have been demolished, a movement to save those which remain has led to a boom in youth hostels for backpackers and boutique hotels for the mid-range traveler.
Dorm rooms (宿舍) are found on university campuses, near rural tourist attractions and as part of some hotels. Most travelers have spotty luck with dorms. It is common to have rowdy or intoxicated roommates, and shared bathrooms can take some getting used to, especially if you’re not used to traditional squat toilets or taking cold showers. However, in some areas, especially on top of some of China’s holy mountains, dorm rooms might be the only budget option in a sea of luxury resorts.
Zhùsù (住宿), which simply translates as “accommodation”, can refer to any kind of sleeping accommodation, but those places that have 住宿 written on the wall outside are the cheapest. A zhusu is not a hotel, but simply rooms for rent in homes, restaurants, and near train and bus stations. Zhusu rooms are universally spartan and bathrooms are almost always shared. The price can be quite low, costing only a few dozen renminbi. There are never any English signs advertising a zhusu, so if you can’t read Chinese you may have to print out the characters for your hunt. Zhusus may not be very secure, so watch your belongings.
Spas: spa costs vary but can be as low as ¥25. Admission to a spa is typically for 18-24 hours, but entering a spa late at night (after 01:00) and leaving before noon may get you a 50% discount. These are a popular option for Chinese businessmen visiting a city for just one night so they can save on the hotel bill. Spas provide beds or reclining couches and a small locker for bags and personal possessions (this is ideal if you are traveling light), but there is no privacy because everyone sleeps in one room (but there is more security than in a dorm, since there are attendants watching over the area, and your belongings are stored away in a locker). Don’t be fooled if receptionists try to make up reasons why you have to pay more than the listed rate; just stand your ground and they will back down.

Budget hotels

Budget hotels cater almost exclusively to Chinese clients and usually lack English-speaking staff. Particularly in rural areas, many of them are unaware of how to use the mandatory registration system for foreign guests, and thus reluctant to accept foreigners. However, since 2024, they have been required by law to accept foreigners, so be firm but polite with the front desk staff, and particularly if you can speak some Chinese, you should be able to convince them to accept you.

The cheapest range of Chinese budget hotels (one step above the zhusu) are called zhāodàisuǒ (招待所). Unlike zhusu these are licensed accommodations but are similarly spartan and utilitarian, often with shared bathrooms. Slightly more luxurious budget hotels and Chinese business hotels may or may not have English signs and usually have the words lǚguǎn (旅馆, meaning “travel hotel”), bīnguǎn or jiǔdiàn (宾馆 and 酒店, respectively, meaning “hotel”) in their name. Room options typically include singles and doubles with attached bathrooms, and dorms with shared baths. Some budget hotels include complementary toiletries and Internet. In small towns a night’s stay might be as cheap as ¥25; in bigger cities rooms usually cost ¥80-120. These hotels can be quite noisy as patrons and staff may be yelling to each other across the halls into the wee hours of the morning. In a room with a shared bath, you may have to wait to use a shower or squat toilet that isn’t in any sort of appealing condition. In smaller budget hotels, the family running the place may simply lock up late at night when it appears no more customers are coming. If you plan to arrive late, explain this in advance or else you may have to call the front desk, bang on the door, or climb over the gate to get in.

Mid-range hotels

These are usually large, clean and comfortable, with rooms ranging from ¥150 to over ¥300. Frequently the same hotels will also have more expensive and luxurious rooms. The doubles are usually quite nice and up to Western standards, with a clean private bathroom that has towels and free toiletries. A buffet breakfast may be included, or a breakfast ticket can be purchased for around ¥10.

Sprouting up around China are a number of Western-quality mid-range hotels that include the following chains, all of which have rooms in the ¥150–300 range and on-line advance booking:

7 Days Inns (7天连锁酒店).
JinJiang Inns (锦江之星).
JI Hotel (全季酒店). (updated Dec 2024)
Home Inns (如家快捷酒店).
Green Tree Inns (格林豪泰酒店). (English)
Super 8 Motels by Wyndham (速8酒店). (updated Dec 2024)

Splurge

The high end includes international hotel chains and resorts, such as Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and Shangri-La and their Chinese competitors. They charge hundreds or thousands of yuan per night for luxurious accommodations with 24-hour room service, satellite TV, spas, and western breakfast buffets. Many of these establishments charge heavily for food and amenities (i.e. ¥20 for a bottle of water which costs ¥2 at a convenience store). Internet (wired or wireless), which is usually free in mid-range accommodations, is often a paid service in high-end hotels.

Some hotels in the ¥400–700 range are willing to lower their prices when business is slow. Chinese three and four-star hotels will often give block pricing or better deals for stays of more than 5 days. If you are coming to China on a tour, the tour company may be able to get you a room in a true luxury hotel for a fraction of the listed price.

Content adapted from Wikivoyage, used under CC BY-SA 3.0.