Booking Accomodation

Accommodation in China

Important to note:  Foreigners are only allowed to stay in

a) Foreigner approved hotels or 

b) stay with friends if you register at the local police station. 

There are no exceptions to this.  This rule is stated on your China Entry card.

That being said, China has worked to ensure the abundant supply of hotels.  If you stay at a hotel, the hotel will ask to make a photocopy of your passport and may also verify you have a valid Visa.  Your hotel registration needs to match the name on your passport.   The hotel will automatically forward your information to the PSB (Public Security Bureau).  You don’t need to worry about registering at the police office.

If you are staying at a residence being rented to you by anyone other than a registered hotel business, you must register at the local police station within 24 hours of arrival.   If staying at a friends home the friend must go with you to the police station with their house registration.  You will be given a residence permit which you should keep until you exit China for proof of registration.  Some cities now offer online registration. Make sure you have this available at all times because sometimes the police will show up at the residence to verify that you registered.   This is a very normal and common practice.

Note: Airbnb is no longer operating in China. Your best bet is to book accommodation on Trip.com  or the Trip app. The Chinese version of trip.com is ctrip.com

Looking for Accommodation

When looking for a hotel in China, your best bet is to search for a hotel on Trip.com  or the Trip App (Ctrip.com is the Chinese version of Trip.com).  When creating your Trip,com account, enter your passport information correctly and passport information for those staying with you.  You will then only be shown hotels that can accept foreigners.

When registering at Trip.com or on the Trip app, or on any booking service, make sure you enter your name and passport information correctly. The hotel will verify your information on arrival. The registration information must match the information provided on the booking site.

Hotels will ask for your passport and make a copy of your identification page and visa. The will also note your port of entry and visa validity.  This information is passed on to the PSB. They might ask for a local phone number but if you don’t have one this has not been an issue.  You could provide the number of your tour guide if on a tour.

Using Trip.com site or app

Trip.com allows you to search by city, by map, and by price range.   The best practice is to register, then enter your passport information in your account.  This will result in only hotels that can accept foreigners being shown to you

There is quite a range of options for you.

• internet and wifi
• location to subway
• breakfast (western or Chinese)
• refrigerator
• bed size
• non smoking
• airport transfer
• Restaurant (western or Chinese)
• ,…. many more

When selecting a hotel, make sure they are licensed to accept foreigners.

Hotels in China must have a special license to accept guests holding a foreign passport.  They agree to certain regulations that require them to verify your name and passport and port of entry.  They forward this information to the Public Service Bureau.  On Trip you can verify the hotel can accept foreign passports under the Hotel Amenities tab of the hotel listing. There should be a note that states that the guest can accept foreign passports.

During covid there were very few foreigners traveling so many hotels relinquished their foreign guest license, but with the opening up most of those hotels have renewed their licenses.

 

 

 

Check-in is Easy

Most hotel staff will speak some English. If they don’ they will usually have a card with common questions printed on it, or they will use the translation app on their phone.

It is normal practice for the hotel to take a copy of your passport and a copy of your visa and verify that the name on the passport matches the name on the reservation. They will also confirm your port of entry and that your visa is still valid.   The passport information and visa information is forwarded to the local PSB (Police) office for you.

They may also ask for a local Chinese number. If you don’t have one, simply provide the number of your tour guide, or say that you don’t have one. They will not usually absolutely require a Chinese number.

 

Using the Air Conditioning and Heating

My solution to setting the air conditioning or heat is quite simple.  The remote buttons are in Chinese characters which I cant read, so I take a picture of the buttons and use the image translation feature of my translation app to see the English commands.

Sometimes the English word isn’t a perfect translation, but you will get the idea of what each button means! Most remotes will have a sliding cover that, when pulled down, will reveal more buttons and features.

 

 

Hotel Wifi and Internet

If you are using an esim (such as Airalo or Holify or any other E-sim), you will need to turn on your VPN such as Astrill   to access social media etc

There will usually be a login screen for the hotel.  Sometimes it will request your passport and or phone number.

Staying with Friends? You Must Register with the Local Police Office

The Public Service Bureau requires Foreigners to register with the local police station if staying with friends. If staying in a hotel, the hotel will take care of this registration. They will take a photocopy or photo of your passport and visa (if you needed one).

If you are staying with friends, you must go with your friend to the local police station and register your stay within 24 hours of arrival. You will be given a piece of paper confirming you registered – keep this with your passport. If your friend says you do not have to worry about it you can end up in big trouble (a warning, fines , or detention) as it is easy for the PSB to confirm that you did not register at a hotel, nor at a local police station.  No problem for your friend, but big problem for you!

Cash Deposit at Some Hotels

In some areas of China, hotels will ask for a 200-400 cash deposit on the room even though it’s paid for through your booking.  Keep the receipt as you need to present this when checking out to get your deposit back.