Trip.com, Booking.com or Agoda for hotels in China?

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You can book a hotel in China on whatever site you already use at home. Nothing stops you. But the big platforms aren't equal here, and the differences show up in the places you least want surprises: the choice of rooms outside the big cities, how payment works, and whether the front desk is ready for your passport.

This is how I'd choose, how I'd book, and what to do when a booking goes sideways.

The three you'll actually consider

The pattern is simple. In Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou, all three will find you something good, and it's worth comparing prices. The further you go from the big cities, the more Trip.com pulls ahead on choice, because it sits on the same inventory Chinese travellers use.

The scale of that shows in its own numbers. Reporting on Trip.com Group's full-year 2025 results, PhocusWire said the company served about 20 million inbound travellers to China. That's a lot of foreign passports going through its listings, and it's one reason the "accepts foreign guests" information on its hotel pages tends to be more reliable now than it was a few years ago.

Why not Airbnb?

Airbnb closed its domestic business in mainland China on 30 July 2022, removing all homes and experiences hosted there. Chinese users can still book stays abroad, but you can't book a flat in Chengdu on it.

Homestays haven't gone away, they've moved to Chinese platforms. Xinhua reported in February 2025 that, according to the homestay platform Tujia, Spring Festival homestay bookings by foreign tourists in Shanghai more than tripled year on year, and the number of homestays open to foreign guests rose by about 30%. Trip.com also lists many apartments and guesthouses.

My view: for a first trip, a hotel is simpler. The hotel does your accommodation registration automatically when it scans your passport. With a private flat, you or the host may need to sort it, and not every host knows how. Save homestays for a second trip, or for a longer stay where a kitchen really matters.

The problem that used to be common

For years, some smaller hotels told foreigners they "couldn't" take them. In May 2024, China Daily reported that complaints posted on a central government website described travellers from Nigeria, the UK, Pakistan and elsewhere being refused by hotels that claimed they lacked "foreign-related qualifications" or didn't know how to enter a passport into the system. The issue was most common in small cities and budget hotels.

The response was direct. The Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Immigration Administration said hotels may not turn away foreign guests on those grounds, and hotels still have to register foreign guests with police within 24 hours.

So is it solved? Mostly. International chains and mid-range city hotels check in foreigners all day. Where I'd still take a moment to check is cheap guesthouses in small towns and very new hotels whose staff may never have scanned a foreign passport. More on that in can foreigners stay in any hotel.

How I book, step by step

1. Pick the area before the hotel. Filter by distance to a metro station. In big cities, a ten-minute walk to the metro matters more than a nicer lobby. Where I'd stay in each city is on the Cities page.
2. Look for the foreign-guest note. On Trip.com, listings usually state whether the property accepts guests from outside mainland China. If it's missing or vague, move on or ask.
3. Read recent reviews from foreign guests. Sort by newest. A line like "checked in with a UK passport, no problem" from last month is worth more than a 4.8 average.
4. Message the hotel if in doubt. Most platforms have in-app chat. Ask: "Do you accept foreign passport holders?" A yes in writing helps if things go wrong later.
5. Prefer prepaid, refundable rates. Paying online with your card avoids any surprises at the desk, and a free-cancellation rate lets you rebook if plans change. I'll pay a little more for flexibility until the trip is certain.
6. Book in the exact name on your passport. Same spelling, same order. The desk will match it.
7. Save the hotel's name and address in Chinese, offline, for taxis and DiDi.

At check-in: what to expect

• Your passport, always. A photo or copy isn't accepted. Every guest over a certain age in the room is usually registered, so have everyone's passport ready.
• A deposit is normal. Many hotels take a refundable deposit at check-in. International chains generally take a foreign card. Smaller hotels may ask you to pay it by Alipay or WeChat Pay, which is one more reason to link your card to Alipay before you arrive.
• Face check. Some desks photograph you or ask you to look at a camera when registering. That's routine.
• Breakfast and invoices. If you need a receipt for business, ask at check-in rather than at checkout.

When it goes wrong

The desk says they can't take foreigners. Stay polite. Show the booking, and if you have it, the hotel's written yes from the app chat. Ask if a manager can help. If they still refuse, ask them to call a nearby hotel that can, then contact the booking platform from the lobby. Ask for a full refund and help rebooking. Platforms deal with this regularly and tend to resolve it faster when you contact them on the spot.

Your card was charged but the hotel says you haven't paid. Show the confirmation in the app. If the rate was "pay at property", that's a different matter: you pay there, and the platform didn't charge you.

The room isn't what the listing showed. Take photos straight away and report it to the platform before you settle in. It's harder to argue the next morning.

You arrive late at night. Tell the hotel your arrival time through the app. Some smaller places close the desk or release unclaimed rooms.

Different trips, different choices

• First trip, big cities only: any of the three. Compare prices, choose a chain or a well-reviewed mid-range hotel near the metro.
• Smaller cities, rural areas, scenic spots: Trip.com, because of the wider listing and better foreign-guest labelling.
• Hotel loyalty members: book direct on the chain's own app or site. Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor and Hyatt all have plenty of properties here.
• Families or longer stays: serviced apartments. Most run a front desk and register you like a hotel, but confirm before booking.
• Business travellers: book where your company's policy allows, but check the hotel issues the receipts you need.

Chinese-language apps such as Meituan and Fliggy also list lots of rooms, often cheap ones. They're built mainly for people with a Chinese ID and phone number, though, and I wouldn't use them for a first trip.

Timing: when to book early

Most of the year, booking a week or two ahead in a big city is fine. Three periods are different: Spring Festival (late January or February, moving each year), the May Day holiday at the start of May, and Golden Week in the first week of October. Hundreds of millions of people travel inside China then, prices at popular spots rise sharply, and the good-value hotels near famous sights go first.

If your dates touch one of those, book as soon as your flights are fixed, on a free-cancellation rate. You can always cancel and rebook if a better option appears closer to the time.

Quick questions

Is it cheaper to book in person?

Rarely. Walk-in rates at the desk are usually higher than online prices, and you take a risk on availability during holidays like Golden Week.

Do I need a Chinese phone number to use Trip.com?

No. An email address and your home number work fine.

Can I book trains on the same app?

Trip.com sells China rail tickets with an English interface, which is convenient. The official 12306 app is the other option. Both are covered in our train guide.

Will my booking site handle registration?

No, the hotel does it when it scans your passport at check-in. The platform isn't involved in that step.

Sources: NBC News (Airbnb closes mainland domestic business); Xinhua via gov.cn (homestays and foreign guests); China Daily (hotels told not to turn away foreign guests); PhocusWire (Trip.com 2025 results); China Briefing; CBBC.

If something here has changed, email me. I re-check every guide and update the date at the top.

Affiliate disclosure: some links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Written by David, who lives in China. About me

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