China travel
China hotels:
Many hotels in China can be booked through the internet. The hotel rates are still cheap compared with the US and Europe. Hotel providers often have better deals than direct bookings with the hotel.
top Chinese hotel providers
The leading Chinese hotel provider is Ctrip (ctrip.com). This company has desks at train stations and airports. Besides hotels they book also flights, packages and cars. The second hotel provider in China is Elong (elong.net) which has partnered with Expedia. With Elong as Ctrip you will receive an immediately confirmation of your hotel or flight. Both companies have many Chinese hotels in their database with discount rates.
other Chinese hotel providers
Travelchinaguide and Chinahighlights are leading Chinese travel companies in Google if you are looking for hotels, packages, tours or flights. Travelchinaguide has an excellent customer service but no real time hotel or flight booking service. ( i think that Chinahighlights also has no real-time flight/hotel booking). So if you want to use them make your reservations at least 24hours ahead.
other hotel providers
Booking.com is the leading European hotel provider. Compared with Elong and Ctrip they have a limited choice of hotels in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The biggest advantage of Booking for Western travelers are their customer reviews which gives you an idea how the hotel is doing. Hotels.com has a good choice of luxury hotels in Beijing and Shanghai but their room rates shown are not including the supplemental rates which are quite big.
hotel confirmation
We traveled 5 weeks through China in 2009 using Elong and Booking for our hotels reservations. Three or four times, the hotels didn't receive the room request from the hotel provider. A reason of this miscommunication could be that i booked often at the very last moment: in the late evening or early morning before departure to the next city. In all cases it was no problem and we could get a room(s). Because of the mexican fever/swine flu/credit crunch there were probably less foreign tourists in China in 2009 than other years.
hostels
If you are on a budget and/or traveling alone, hostels are the cheapest accommodation. A dormitory bed in a Beijing hostel, Shanghai hostel or Hong Kong hostel starts from a few dollars.
Many hostels have computers with internet and a tour/travel desk.
Novotel Xin Qiao Hotel
This accommodation is one of the most booked hotels in Beijing with Booking.com
Just a short stroll away is Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven. The World Shopping Mall is situated just across the street. The metro is in front of the hotel and it is a 10 minute walk to the Beijing Railway Station.
Beijing Hutong Inn
This popular hostel in Beijing is close to the subway station.
Rooms are simply furnished with high-speed internet access, air conditioning and private bathroom.
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