Accommodations are more luxurious in the large and thriving cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xian and Shenzhen. Fewer luxury hotels can be found in smaller cities or remote areas. However, there are plenty of economical or standard hotels away from the larger cities that are clean, comfortable and safe.

Some traditional Chinese hotels like those found in the quadrangle in Beijing are becoming more and more popular among foreign tourists. In China, not all hotels are permitted to receive foreigners depending on whether or not they meet certain requirements.

Compared with international hotel industry, China hotels, especially those accommodate foreign tourists, are more advanced on hardware.

Star Rating System

The Star Rating System based on western perceptions and occasionally used by hotel authorities in China. The system comprises:

Five star:  usually used to mean foreign invested hotels.

Four star:  including most remaining foreign invested hotels and some state-owned properties.

Three star: including a large number of state-owned hotels and some private hotels.

Two star:  including mostly collective, pooled and private hotels.

One star:  including mostly Chinese hotels that, as with two star establishments, cater largely to Chinese guests.

No star rating:  this is the bulk of Chinese small hotels catering almost solely to the local population.

Useful Information

1) You must be at least 18 to check into a hotel.

2) The hotels consider guests aged 11 and under, at time of travel, to be children.

3) China hotels are always in great demand; the hotels do not guarantee bed type and smoking preferences.

4) Availability of accommodation for extra guests is not guaranteed by hotels.

5) For all hotels, check in is generally after 2:00 p.m. and check out is usually by noon the next day. Later check out can be arranged, but an extra charge (typically half of the daily room rate) may be required.

6) Normally, the hotel room rate will be increased during public holidays, such as International Labor Day (from May 1st to May 7th), China National Day (from Oct 1st to Oct 7th), New Year's Eve and Chinese Spring Festival. The published hotel room rate is subject to change without any prior notice but is fixed once a reservation has been confirmed.