Tips for Hunting for Hotel Rooms in China

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Tips for Hunting for Hotel Rooms in China

Written by Robert Vance on May 29, 2008 – 4:25 am

I have never paid more than 20 USD for a hotel room throughout all of my travels in China. Somehow, I’ve almost always managed to avoid the dark, damp, dirty, and rat infested rooms that are the stuff of legend amongst travelers in China. For under 20 USD, I have usually been able to secure a private room with a lock on the door, 24/7 hot water, television, and a relatively clean bed. If I walked into the bathroom, I would often see a set of neatly folded towels along with some small bottles of shampoo, bath soap, a toothbrush, and a comb. What else could one ask for, really?

If you are a traveler in China on a tight budget, you do not necessarily have to stay in a ’stinky dump.’ You can if you want of course, but with a little research and some perserverance, you can have a comfortable sleep without worrying about what is scampering below you or what is falling on you from the ceiling above. Here are some tips to help you secure a good night’s sleep in China.

–Do some research on the internet and book a room before you arrive at your destination. You can find some great deals on the web and there is usually no booking fee. SinoHotel.com is a good place to start but there are many other great hotel booking sites.

–If you haven’t booked a room before you arrive into a town, then spend some time visiting a few different hotels just to compare prices. I have easily spent 2 hours looking for a decent place to stay before upon my arrival into a new city. While you may not want to go to those extremes it never hurts to check around before you make your decision.

– Learn to recognize the Chinese characters for hotel or guesthouse. Some of the best places that I have stayed in were tucked away behind a bigger or hotel or nearly invisible under a tiny Chinese sign.

– Do not be afraid to check out some of the lower rated or even unrated hotels. Throughout my experience traveling in China, I have found some great unrated hotels that offered clean and safe accomodation.

– Always ask to see the room first. This will give you a chance to check on the cleanliness of the establishment and test the hot water. If you are not satisfied with the room, simply say thank you and leave the hotel.

– Always pay special attention to the security of the room. Does it have a good lock? Will you be given a key or a card? How about the windows? Is your room easily accessible from the outside? Don’t be paranoid about security but definitely make sure that the room appears to be relatively safe.

– Don’t be afraid to bargain a little bit. Some of the smaller hotels need all of the customers that they can get so they be more than willing to negotiate a price with you.

New travelers in China are often confused when they are asked to pay double the price for a one night stay in China. Don’t worry! In the West, we use our credit cards to place a deposit. In China, you usually have to pay double price on the first night to place the deposit. I have never had trouble getting my deposit back. Just make sure you save your receipt or otherwise you may lose the money.

Once you have secured a room, you need to take a few steps to ensure that your belongings will be safe. Most hotels in China, large and small, will allow you to store your valuables in a safe. You should use this service cautiously because items have been known to disappear from hotel safes as well. In my experience, unless you have a really good feeling about the hotel and its staff, it is better to take your own measures to protect your valuables. If you are carrying a large amount of money with you and need to leave the room, it is a good idea to carry some with you and hide some deep in a suitcase or somewhere in the room. Expensive items such as cell phones, laptops, or jewelry should probably be kept on your person at all times. Does this mean that you need to drag your heavy laptop around with you wherever you go? Maybe or maybe not. You need to use your own judgement. Whatever you do, never leave your valuables laying around the room in plain view.

Before you sleep at night, you should always have your passport, money, and other valuables either with your or in very close proximity. In the case of a fire or other emergency, you need to be able to grab those items quickly as you leave the room. You should also familiarize yourself with where the nearest exits are located in case you need to make your way out of the building in the dark.

Many new travelers ask me what I think about hostels in China. I suppose I could write another article just about these types of lodging. In short, I have never liked hostels. It’s not that there is anything wrong with them. They can be a good place to meet other foreigners and catch up on the latest travel news. They just aren’t so safe, especially when you are sharing a room with half a dozen other people. Unfortunately, foreigners can be thieves too. It may be hard to believe but it’s true. While hostels may be dirt cheap in China, I think that it is well worth it to shell out a little extra money and sleep in your own room for a night.

Remember that your hotel room should be just a place for you to sleep. Hopefully, if the weather is good, you won’t have to spend a lot of time in your room as you will be out enjoying the beautiful sights and scenes that China has to offer. If you make a bad choice every once in a while, don’t beat yourself over the head too much. Staying in a ‘crappy’ hotel room in China builds character and gives you something to write home about.

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