Q & A: China Hotels Booking
Read Frequently asked questions about booking a hotel in China. You can follow the categories below or search an answer using the search box at the left bottom of this page. If you unable to have your questions answered, please 
here.
- How to Book a China Hotel Online?
- Is Internet access available in hotels in China?
- On your web site, there are different kind of hotels, deluxe, comfortable and budget, what are the differences?
- Why are the beds in China so hard?
- Can I confirm a non-smoking hotel room?
- Chinese Hotels ask for a large deposit when I check in, is this normal?
- I have been told that hotels in Beijing don't run the air-conditioning all the time; is this correct?
- I have heard the standard of hotels in Jiuzhaigou is not so good, is that true?
- Why Book a China Hotel with Us?
- Is it safe to drink water from a bottle water dispenser in my hotel room?
1.How to Book a China Hotel Online? - Top
| Our Hotel Search Engine allows you to search for a hotel that meets your needs. | |
If this page still can not solve all you questions, please contact us |
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2.Is Internet access available in hotels in China? - Top
Yes, most major hotels provide convenient Internet service with reasonable fees.
3.On your web site, there are different kind of hotels, deluxe, comfortable and budget, what are the differences? - Top
In most circumstances, China Highlights uses 5 star hotels for Superior Class, 4 star hotels for Deluxe Class, 3 star hotels for Tourist Class.
In some remote areas or small towns it is impossible to provide the standards of the larger cities. China Highlights will provide the best accommodation available and your travel advisor will explain the situation in detail. The cost of the hotel will be reflected in the price.
To get a quick idea of the hotel standard, please read on.
Tourist Class, 3 Star Hotel
A 3 star hotel will provide AC room, 24 hours hot water shower, clean bed, desk, drawers and closet, carpet or wood floor, telephones in every room with international direct dial(IDD), mini-bar and refrigerator, color television sets, in-house movies, music, writing materials, western and Chinese dinning rooms with English-speaking attendants, coffee shop, banquet hall or function room, buffet breakfast and bar service foreign exchange, safe deposit boxes, store, camera film developing, fax and telex service, luggage storage, 24-hour laundry and dry-cleaning, wake-up calls, shoe polishing, and taxis, accept major credit cards and medical services
In remote areas or small villages which have no star hotels, the guests house or family Inn will always be equipped with clean bed, AC room, private bathroom with hot water shower. Limited English may be available at the reception desk but it is unlikely that any other employees will speak any English.
Deluxe Class, 4 star hotel
Based on the equipments of 3 star hotels, 4 star hotels should have luxurious and spacious sound-proof rooms, low-noise toilets, and hair dryers. They should have guests and service elevators, background music, health club, swimming pool, sauna, business center, greenhouse, 24-hour doorman, babysitting services, 24-hour room service available. A guest reception and assistant manager should be available in the lobby 24 hours a day. Laundry should be returned by next day. The restaurants in four-star hotels should provide two kinds of Chinese food. Bar service should be available to one am. There should be a 24-hur coffee shop and a breakfast and dinner buffet. A clinic should be on-site. A business center with photocopying, typing and translation services should be available. (However there are some exceptions in Shanghai and Hong Kong since they have limited space they can not provide swimming pools). English should be available at the reception desk and other employees may speak limited English.
Superior Class, 5 star hotel
Five-Star hotels are usually palatial with huge lobbies, their standards not quite matching the best of Paris or New Year, but very close. Service should be better than the four-star hotels described above. There are many hotels of five-star international standard, just as good as hotels in Washington or Ottawa except for the standard of English. Some hotels have their own fleets of Mercedes limousines of Toyota vans that make regular runs to the airport or city center. At least two hotels have Rolls Royce. Many have executive floors with concierges, free continental breakfasts, and fast check-in. Many have magnificent ball rooms and lobbies and cater to foreign business people on expense accounts. They have the best western food and probably the best Chinese food in town, and the most luxurious breakfast buffets. Some leave chocolates on your pillow, or a rubber ducky on your bathtub, nice litter touches that bring a smile.
The Chinese hotel star are determined by China National Tourism Bureau with a very strict standard, to know more differences of 5, 4, or 3 star hotels, please click here. However, please keep in mind that, China Highlights Travel do not choose hotels for our clients only based on hotel stars which was given by China National Tourism Bureau, we choose hotels for our clients based on many other factors as well, for example, feed back from our clients, location of the hotels, management of the hotels, market preference of the hotels (for example, some hotels are very experienced in serving Chinese clients but not Western Guests) and so on. English will be available at the reception desk and other employees should be able to speak English.
4.Why are the beds in China so hard? - Top
Hard beds are very popular in China. Chinese people believe that hard beds are good for your health so the beds are made this way. Even though there are many foreign tourists coming to China, the majority of tourists in China are domestic tourists so the hotels cater for their biggest market. More and more hotels are realizing that foreign guests have different needs and the situation is changing slowly. If you find that the beds are too hard for you, please ask the housekeeping staff for a couple of extra blankets which you can put over the mattress. This will soften the bed a little. If you get extra blankets from the hotel, please allow enough time at check-out for the hotel to check that the blankets have been returned.
5.Can I confirm a non-smoking hotel room? - Top
Yes,we can book a non-smoking or other type of room for you upon your requirements.
6.Chinese Hotels ask for a large deposit when I check in, is this normal? - Top
Unfortunately, all Chinese hotels will ask for a deposit upon check in. The amount required will vary depending on the hotel. The deposit should range from RMB 100 a night to RMB 800 per night. Hotels in Beijing demand the highest deposits. The deposit can be paid in cash or by credit card. The hotel will process the credit card transaction and then process a credit at check out. A receipt is issued for cash deposits and it is necessary to present the receipt to obtain the refund of the deposit. The deposit is to cover mini bar usage or similar usage of chargeable item in the room or damage to the room.
7.I have been told that hotels in Beijing don't run the air-conditioning all the time; is this correct? - Top
Yes, unfortunately, hotels in Beijing do not operate the air-conditioning in spring and autumn. There are two reasons for this:
1. The government requires that all businesses conserve energy and will take action against organizations that do not comply.
2. They believe that the temperatures in spring and autumn are generally acceptable and therefore do not believe that air-conditioning is required.
China Highlights has no control over this situation.
8.I have heard the standard of hotels in Jiuzhaigou is not so good, is that true? - Top
There are indeed several 4-star hotels and 2 five Star Hotels in Jiuzhaigou. However, as in other isolated or less developed areas of China, the facilities and service standard may not be as customers would expect from a hotel with this rating. Prices soar in the high seasons.
9.Why Book a China Hotel with Us? - Top
- Price
We offer great prices because we get great deals form the Hotels. We are a travel agency with a substantial presence throughout China. We have built up good over many years with hotels in all of the major cities in China. They value our business and therefore provide great service as well as process to our customers. - Service
All enquires and bookings at China Highlights are handled by real people, on the ground in China. We have negotiated all of our deals in person so we have a personal relationship with each hotel we promote. Price and ratings are not always a reliable guide to quality in China. We only offer hotels that provide quality product that is value for money. Do you need any other travel services? As a full service travel agency we can take care of your every need from airport pickups, flight tickets, tours and guides. - Reliability
Finding a travel agent that you can trust is not always easy. We have been in business since early 1998, and we are a subsidiary of CITS Guilin, who has been in existence since 1959. We are big enough to meet all your needs and small enough to care. We offer value for money to our clients and responsibility to our suppliers. We are also registered members of major travel industry associations such as USTOA, PATA, IATA, CATS. Read more about our company here.
We realize that circumstance change and therefore we have developed a cancellation which we believe is very fare. Check it our here
If this page still can not solve all you questions, please contact us
by Phone ( 86-773-288-9066/9718)
or email us at: service@chinahighlights.com
10.Is it safe to drink water from a bottle water dispenser in my hotel room? - Top
No. We advise our customers not to drink from any bottled water dispenser in a hotel room. Most hotels provide individual bottles of water or large containers of hot water.
Custom Tailoring: Design your own tour with our help to meet your unique interests, You don't have to compromise, do exactly what you want to do! Let us assist you to tailor-make your own China Experience. Tell us what you need now!
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