just finished a 3 week trip and never paid more than 30 usd a night for a hotel. here's how.
use chinese apps. i downloaded ctrip and used google translate. prices are often cheaper than booking.com. the same room was sometimes 20 percent less.
look for chinese chains. home inn, hanting, and 7 days inn are everywhere. they're clean, have private bathrooms, and cost 20 to 30 usd. the staff speak little english but you can manage.
book for weekdays. prices in beijing and shanghai jump on weekends. i shifted my schedule to be in smaller cities on weekends.
stay outside the tourist center. in shanghai, i stayed near century avenue instead of the bund. subway is cheap and fast. saved 15 usd a night.
check if the hotel accepts foreigners. some small hotels don't have the license. ctrip filters this automatically.
read recent reviews. a hotel can change quickly. i filtered by "most recent" not "most helpful".
my favorite was a hanting in chengdu. 25 usd a night. clean room, comfortable bed, hot water. what more do you need.
Posted on 2026-7-11 19:04:28