Our answer
Atour or Ji Hotel 亚朵 · 全季
Our pick for comfort and value; international brands for luxury
The short answer
For most visitors, a Chinese mid-range chain is the best value: Atour (亚朵) and Ji Hotel (全季) are our picks, with clean, modern rooms and good breakfasts. Budget chains such as HanTing (汉庭) and Home Inn (如家) are fine for a night. For luxury, international and Chinese five-star brands are both reliable. Every hotel must accept foreign guests.
| Our pick | Atour 亚朵 or Ji Hotel 全季 |
|---|---|
| Budget | HanTing 汉庭, Home Inn 如家 |
| Biggest hotel groups | Jin Jiang, H World, BTG Homeinns |
| Can foreigners stay anywhere? | Yes: hotels may not refuse foreign guests (2024) |
| At check-in | Show your passport; the hotel registers you with the police |
How we know
3 signals · SourcedScale
H World, owner of Ji Hotel and HanTing, ran 13,539 hotels with 1.34 million rooms at the end of June 2026, almost all in China. [1]
STRONGGrowth
Atour ran 2,175 hotels at the end of June 2026, up 19.2% in a year, and sold ¥1.58 billion of its own bedding and other goods in that quarter. [2]
STRONGRules for foreigners
In May 2024 the Ministry of Public Security and others said hotels must not refuse foreign guests by claiming they lack “foreign-related qualifications”. [5]
STRONGChina’s big hotel chains, compared
Hotel counts and tiers are the groups’ own: Atour labels its main brand upper midscale, and H World puts Ji Hotel in its midscale and upper-midscale segment. Chinese travellers see Atour and Ji Hotel as the same tier.[1][2][3][4][6]
| Chain | Chinese | Tier | Owner | Owner’s size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atour | 亚朵 | Upper midscale | Atour Group | 2,175 hotels (Jun 2026) |
| Ji Hotel | 全季 | Midscale / upper midscale | H World | 13,539 hotels across all brands (Jun 2026) |
| HanTing | 汉庭 | Economy | H World | 4,710 HanTing hotels (Jun 2026) |
| Home Inn | 如家 | Economy | BTG Homeinns | About 7,870 hotels across all brands (Mar 2026) |
| Jin Jiang brands (e.g. Vienna, 7 Days) | 锦江（维也纳、7天等） | Varies by brand | Jin Jiang | 14,132 hotels worldwide (Dec 2025) |
| International brands (Marriott, Hilton, IHG and others) | 国际品牌 | Midscale to luxury | Various | IHG alone: 1,400+ open and planned hotels in Greater China |
Jin Jiang’s count includes hotels outside China. H World’s count includes about 120 hotels outside China.
Why Chinese chains are worth a look
Chinese mid-range chains have grown fast in the past decade, and many of their hotels are new or recently renovated. Atour is known for its beds and sells its own bedding: its retail arm took ¥1.58 billion in the second quarter of 2026 alone.
The trade-off is English. Staff at international brands are more likely to speak it, and Chinese chains’ apps are mostly in Chinese. Booking through an English-language travel app and using a translation app at the desk solves most problems.[2]
Questions readers ask
Can foreigners stay in any hotel in China?
Yes. Since May 2024 hotels may not refuse foreign guests by claiming they lack foreign-related qualifications. They must register you with the local police using your passport.
What is the best Chinese hotel chain?
For value and comfort our editor recommends Atour (亚朵) and Ji Hotel (全季), both upper mid-range or mid-range chains with clean, modern rooms.
Are budget hotels in China OK?
Chains such as HanTing (汉庭) and Home Inn (如家) are basic but generally clean and fine for a night or two.
What is the biggest hotel company in China?
By hotel count, Jin Jiang (14,132 hotels worldwide at the end of 2025) and H World (13,539 at the end of June 2026) are the largest.
Do I need my passport to check in?
Yes. Hotels must register foreign guests with the police, so bring your passport to the front desk.
Sources
- H World Group, Second quarter and interim 2026 results · accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Atour Lifestyle Holdings, Second quarter 2026 results (via Finviz) · accessed 26 Oct 2026
- The Paper, Jin Jiang Hotels 2025 results (1 April 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Gelonghui, BTG Homeinns: 7,870 hotels at the end of Q1 2026 (10 July 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 26 Oct 2026
- Shanghai government, Hotels told not to turn away foreign guests (29 May 2024) · accessed 26 Oct 2026
- IHG, Hotel openings in the first half of 2026 in Greater China (19 January 2026) · accessed 26 Oct 2026
Update log. 26 October 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 26 January 2027. Suggest a correction
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