Where to stay

Not every hotel in China can host foreigners. Hotels need a licence to register foreign guests with the police, and many budget and mid-range places don’t have one. Booking a room you cannot check into is the most common accommodation problem visitors hit.

Check before you book

On Trip.com, tick the China travel essentials filter at the top of the list: it keeps only properties with English-speaking staff, foreign card payments or similar, and a guest rating of 8 or higher. The hotel links on our city pages have it applied already. On Booking.com, read the property notes for a line about foreign guests. International chains, hostels that advertise in English, and most four-star hotels and above are fine. If in doubt, message the property.

• ✓[Trip.com](/go/trip?to=hotels&from=guide-stay) has the widest Chinese inventory, English support, and accepts foreign cards. Our default.
• ✓Booking.com works and is familiar, with a smaller selection in smaller cities.
• ✓Agoda is strong for Hong Kong and Macau, thinner on the mainland.
• ✓Airbnb left the mainland in 2022. Local equivalents exist but are Chinese-only and registration is your problem.

Trip.com links on this site are affiliate links: if you book through one we earn a small commission, at no cost to you. It does not change which sites we recommend, and we explain how it works. Every city page also links straight to that city’s hotel list.

International chains are predictable and used to foreigners. Chinese chains (Atour, Ji Hotel, Hyatt’s local brands) are good value and modern, but check the foreign-guest rule. Courtyard guesthouses in Beijing, Pingyao and Suzhou give you the old town; expect small rooms and stairs. Hostels are cheap, social, and excellent sources of local advice; the good ones are listed on Trip.com and Hostelworld.

Every city page on this site has a Where to stay section with two or three areas and who they suit. The general rule: stay where you want to walk in the evening, and check the metro is within ten minutes. Being near the main station is convenient for one night, dull for three.

You will hand over your passport, which the hotel photographs and registers with the police. This is normal. You may be asked for a deposit, taken from a card or paid through Alipay. Breakfast is usually a buffet with Chinese and Western options.

Hosts of private homes must register you at the local police station within 24 hours. Take your passport and the address. It is a form and a stamp; some stations do it online now. Skipping it can cause trouble when you leave, so don’t.

Rules and apps change. Get one email when this guide is re-checked or updated, nothing else.

• ✓2026-09 — First published. Trip.com links are now affiliate links, disclosed on the page.