How to Book Hotels in China as a Foreigner: 2026 Guide

When you are preparing for a business trip to China and open Booking.com or Expedia to book a hotel, you may notice something odd: for such a large country, why are there so few hotels available?

On top of that, because China's digital payment system is dominated by apps such as Alipay and WeChat, and because there are specific rules around foreign guests checking into hotels, booking accommodation can be more complicated than you might expect.

Don't worry. Below, I will walk through these issues one by one so you can prepare before coming to China and choose a hotel that is more suitable and better priced.

Quick Conclusion: How Should You Book Hotels in China?

1. If this is your first time in China, prioritize Trip.com
2. Use Agoda, Booking.com, and Expedia to compare prices and read user reviews
3. If you are booking budget hotels, independent hotels, or guesthouses in smaller cities, confirm in advance whether they can accept foreign guests
4. You must bring your original passport when checking in (Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents should use the corresponding mainland travel permit)
5. Before choosing a hotel, check reviews, whether free cancellation is available, and whether prepayment is required

Why do I say this? Keep reading.

Why Do Some Hotels Refuse Foreign Guests?

China used to have an old rule that required hotels to have the proper qualification to receive foreign guests. After July 2024, the government officially issued guidance requiring hotels not to refuse foreign guests, and that restriction has now been abolished.

However, when choosing budget hotels, independent hotels, or guesthouses in smaller cities, I still recommend confirming whether they can accept foreign guests first. The main reasons are:

• Policy implementation takes time, and some hotels have not trained their staff properly
• Hotels need specific equipment to register foreign guests' accommodation information with the public security system
• Some merchants worry that mistakes in the process could lead to penalties

That said, there is no need to worry too much. Trip.com usually shows the types of guests a hotel can accept in the hotel's accommodation policy. Even if you do not book on the platform, you can still use it to check this information first.

Finally, if you really encounter a hotel refusing to accept you, contact the hotel booking platform's customer service first and ask them to coordinate with the hotel. If circumstances allow, you can also try calling China's police emergency number, 110, for support.

Which Platform Is Better for Booking Hotels in China?

If you are a member of a hotel brand's loyalty program, I recommend checking the official website first for member rates and exclusive benefits.

The table above shows the number of hotels I found on several platforms during the same time period in different cities.

You can see that Trip.com and Agoda are clearly in the first tier. In first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, their hotel coverage is fairly similar. But in third- and fourth-tier cities such as Guilin and Datong, Agoda's coverage starts to look weaker.

This is one reason I recommend choosing Trip.com first.

Trip.com

Ctrip is China's largest online travel platform. It provides hotels, flights, train tickets, travel products, and many other travel services. It has long been an industry leader in China and has extensive resources for both international hotels and local Chinese hotels.

Trip.com is the online travel platform Ctrip designed specifically for international users. Its main advantages are:

• It relies on Ctrip's local hotel resources, so it can offer more competitive services and prices
• It supports 24 languages and 44 currencies, and you can book online directly with major international credit cards
• It provides 24/7 multilingual customer service, with real-time online support or free phone support, and can use its local advantages to help solve problems faster

That is why I say Trip.com is the first choice for booking hotels in China.

Although Trip.com has these advantages, I have also found that for some hotels, prices on Trip.com are not always the lowest among these platforms. If you have time, I will introduce other platforms below, and I recommend comparing multiple platforms to find the hotel you like most at the best price.

Agoda

Agoda is one of Asia's leading online travel platforms. It is headquartered in Singapore and belongs to Booking Holdings, the same company behind Booking.com.

Compared with Trip.com, Agoda does not have the same local advantage in China. But as the table shows, in China's first-tier cities, Agoda's hotel coverage is not weaker than Trip.com's.

When booking hotels, Agoda is also a good option for comparing prices and checking user reviews.

Booking.com & Expedia

I do not need to introduce these two platforms too much. They are long-established global travel platforms, and you may already use them often.

But from the data in the table, their hotel resources in China are clearly fewer than Trip.com and Agoda, and the gap becomes even larger in third- and fourth-tier cities.

If you are going to a smaller city in China, these two platforms may not help you much.

Meituan, Ctrip, Qunar, Fliggy, and Tongcheng

These are local hotel platforms designed for Chinese users, so they often have advantages in hotel resources and prices. But if this is your first time in China, I do not recommend using them as your first choice because of the following issues:

• Limited English interface support
• Registration may run into problems because international phone numbers may not be supported, so you may not receive verification codes
• The payment system may not support your international credit card, so you may need to register and use Alipay or WeChat Pay

If you will stay in China long term, or if you want to look for boutique hotels, I can briefly explain how to use these app services and how to deal with these issues.

1. You can use the WeChat mini programs of these app services to book hotels. These mini programs are embedded inside WeChat and support page translation, which can help with the language barrier. But you need to register WeChat first and bind a bank card as your payment method.

   If you are not familiar with WeChat, I recommend reading: WeChat Pay in China 2026: Setup Guide for Foreigners

2. If you use WeChat or Alipay mini programs to book hotels, you do not need to worry about international phone numbers not being supported. These mini programs can log in directly through WeChat or Alipay. But if you download these apps from the Apple Store or Google Play, registration with an international phone number may run into problems. In that case, you will need a Chinese phone number.

   Read this article to learn how to get a Chinese phone number: China SIM Card, eSIM or Roaming? 2026 Guide for Foreigners

As you can see, these issues are not easy to handle. Sometimes solving one problem creates another. If this is your first time in China, or if you are only staying for a short trip, using an international platform like Trip.com will be much easier.

How to Book Cheaper Hotels in China

1. Trip.com and Agoda both have deals pages with hotel coupons, discounted hotels, flight deals, and similar offers. If your itinerary is already fixed, booking flights and hotels together may be cheaper.

   Go directly to the deals pages below:

   • Trip.com deals page
   • Agoda deals page
   • Trip.com flight + hotel booking page
   • Agoda flight + hotel booking page

2. Avoid Chinese public holidays. Chinese travelers take trips in large numbers during holidays such as Chinese New Year, Labor Day, and National Day, and hotel prices usually rise sharply

3. Book early and choose hotels with free cancellation to avoid extra costs if your itinerary changes

4. If you choose to pay at the hotel, the hotel may not support international credit cards. If you switch to WeChat Pay or Alipay, there may be an additional 3% fee

   For more details about WeChat Pay and Alipay, you can read:

   • A Foreigner’s Guide to Registering and Using Alipay in China
   • WeChat Pay in China 2026: Setup Guide for Foreigners

5. You can filter out room types that include meals and handle breakfast on your own

6. Choose a convenient transportation location and avoid more expensive hotels in the city center

Step-by-Step: From Booking a Hotel to Checking In

Step 1: Prepare Your Booking Information

1. The guest's surname and given name
2. Email address: used to receive the booking confirmation
3. Phone number: used for contact and reminders
4. International bank card: used for online payment

Step 2: Choose a Platform

Based on the introduction above, choose the platform that fits your needs. You can book through a mobile app or directly on the platform's website:

1. Trip.com
2. Agoda
3. Booking.com
4. Expedia

I recommend using Trip.com first to search and filter hotels, then using the other three platforms to compare prices and read reviews.

The steps below use Trip.com as an example. Other platforms work in a similar way.

Step 3: Search and Filter Hotels

1. Search for hotels by city, location, hotel brand, check-in date, number of guests, and other conditions
2. Then filter for suitable hotels based on room type, user rating, payment method, whether free cancellation is available, and other conditions
3. Check the hotel's facilities, nearby facilities, user ratings and reviews, accommodation policy, and other information before deciding whether to book

   • Do not fully trust the star rating. China's hotel star-rating system is not exactly the same as Western systems and often focuses more on facilities and hardware
   • Pay close attention to negative reviews and check whether guests mention problems you care about, such as poor soundproofing, smoking smell, or renovation odor
   • Trip.com's accommodation policy will indicate whether the hotel can accept foreign guests

4. Search for the same hotel on other platforms to compare prices and check user ratings and reviews

Step 4: Book

1. Fill in the information you prepared earlier
2. If you have special requests, you can add them separately
3. Confirm the booking dates, room type, total price (taxes and service fees), cancellation policy, and other details

Step 5: Check In

1. Provide your original passport and booking information. The hotel will register and upload your identity information
2. The hotel may collect a deposit (refunded at checkout), and it may not support international credit cards, so I recommend preparing WeChat Pay, Alipay, and cash in advance

Recommended Hotel Brands

You are probably already familiar with international hotel groups, so I will not say much about them here. Instead, I will briefly introduce China's four major hotel groups and some of their brands. You can click their links to visit the official websites and learn more:

• Jin Jiang Hotels
• H World Group
• BTG Homeinns Hotels Group
• Atour Lifestyle Holdings

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Platform Is the Best Way to Book Hotels?

I recommend choosing Trip.com first. It is backed by Ctrip, China's largest travel service platform, has a clear advantage in local hotel resources, provides round-the-clock customer service, supports 24 languages and 44 currencies, and lets you book online directly with major international credit cards.

Can Foreigners Stay at Any Hotel in China?

The law requires hotels to accept foreign guests. But in actual travel, some small hotels may refuse foreign guests because of insufficient training, outdated registration equipment, and similar issues. You can read the detailed section for more information.

What Should I Do If a Hotel Says It Cannot Accept Foreigners?

Contact the booking platform's customer service first and ask the platform to coordinate with the hotel. If circumstances allow, you can also call China's police emergency number, 110, for support.

Can I Book a Hotel Without a Chinese Phone Number?

Yes. International platforms such as Trip.com, Booking.com, Agoda, and Expedia can usually complete bookings with an email address and international phone number.

How Can I Book Cheaper Hotels in China?

Use multiple platforms to compare prices or check platform deals pages, avoid Chinese public holidays, choose hotels with free cancellation, and try to avoid the 3% fee that may come with paying at the hotel through Alipay or WeChat Pay. These are all practical ways to save money. You can read the detailed section for more information.

Can I Book Hotels in China Through WeChat?

Yes. WeChat and Alipay both have many hotel mini programs, including Meituan, Ctrip, Qunar, Fliggy, and Tongcheng.

But for overseas travelers, there are several issues:

• Limited English interface support
• Registration may run into problems because international phone numbers may not be supported, so you may not receive verification codes
• The payment system may not support your international credit card, so you may need to register and use Alipay or WeChat Pay

If this is your first time in China, booking directly with Trip.com will be more convenient. If you want to try these local platforms, you can read the detailed section for more information.

Can I Pay Hotel Fees with a Credit Card?

Some large chain hotels usually support international credit cards, but Chinese local brands or smaller independent hotels may not. I recommend booking online through platforms such as Trip.com. If you use WeChat Pay or Alipay, there may be an additional 3% fee.

How Can I Book Boutique Hotels in China?

I recommend first looking for hotels on social media platforms such as Dianping, Xiaohongshu, and Instagram, then checking and booking on Trip.com, Agoda, or even Chinese local hotel apps such as Meituan, Ctrip, and Qunar.

If you are not familiar with Dianping or Xiaohongshu, you can read: Find Restaurants in China 2026: Guide for Foreigners

What Do I Need to Bring When Checking into a Hotel in China?

You must bring your original passport.

I also recommend preparing:

• A screenshot of your booking confirmation
• A small amount of RMB cash
• Alipay or WeChat Pay
• A usable international bank card