Hotel : FAQs

Hotels FAQs

Before booking

How can I find a hotel on your website?: www.travelchinaguide.com provides a great number of Chinese hotels of over 110 cities for our guests' choices. On the homepage of our website you can easily view these cities arrayed in order, or find out your preferred cities by "Hotel Search". Please feel free to click on it, in the following second your target or expectation could be easily met.
CHINA HOTELS: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/hotel/
How do I make a reservation online?: To make a hotel booking, you need to follow the four steps: searching a hotel, check the room rate, submit your booking and then confirm it. Our webpage designer devises a Hotel Booking Form for you. When you locate a hotel, you will easily find the booking form under the hotel price table. Then you need to complete several items for your booking information, including exact reservation period, check-in guest(s)' name(s) as well as the check-in and check-out time, then we offer you the room availability and the booking details by e-mail. Apart from this, you can contact us by email at hotel@travelchinaguide.org & hotel@travelchinaguide.com as well with your specified request.
After receiving our email, you would better reply us by email, telephone, fax or any other means to confirm your reservation.
How do I make a reservation for someone else?: Making a reservation for someone else has the same procedure as making a reservation for you. The only difference is the registration name(s) should be the check-in guest(s)', instead of yours.
Can I reserve a hotel room that is not shown on your webpage?: Our answer is yes, definitely. All you should do is to let us know all necessary information related to your reservation, such as hotel name, your check-in and check-out date and room type by email to hotel@travelchinaguide.org & hotel@travelchinaguide.com with your clear requirements. You can also easily reach us by Tel: +86 29 8523 6688 ext 555, or Fax: +86 29 8526 1922. Another online support MSN and Skype are available for service as well, our MSN ID is hotelbooking@travelchinaguide.com, Skype ID is tcgbooking. Please feel free to contact us.
Can I specify which type of bed I prefer and where I would like my room located (Non-smoking room, King-sized-bed, Twin-bed, preferred floor, etc.)?: Yes, of course you can. You only need to leave words for your room preference when filling in a hotel Booking Form or email us directly. Once receiving your hotel booking information or email, we will confirm with the hotel to arrange the room based on your requests. Generally speaking, requests for King-sized-bed and non-smoking room are submitted to the hotel room availability on your arrival day, therefore, we are unable to 100% guarantee these sorts of requests arranged.
Should I inform you my arrival flight No and arrival time at the time of making hotel reservation?: Yes, if possible, please inform us. Generally, most of the hotels will not keep the reservations after 18:00 unless we offer them your flight No and arrival time. In order to 100% guarantee your reservation in the peak season, please do inform us your flight information to make sure your room is available when you arrive at the hotel.
Is there any special requirement for us to book a hotel in Lhasa?: Since your destination is Tibet, Tibet Permit is required by the Tibet Tourism Bureau to visit Lhasa and the surrounding cities. Besides, foreign tourists are not allowed to visit Tibet individually; they must take a guided tour there. Please make sure you have got the Tibet Travel Permit ready before traveling. If you prefer a tour to Tibet, please visit our Tibet Tour Package.
Can I make a reservation directly through the hotel itself?: Yes, clients can make a hotel room reservation through hotels directly. However, in most cases, it is nearly impossible for you to obtain a good price from the hotel itself, especially in peak season.
For this reason, we would like to kindly suggest you make the reservation through TravelChinaGuide Booking Center, where you can enjoy a much lower price you never experience in the hotel rack rates; furthermore you can easily reserve hotel rooms in more than one city at the same time.
Is the room rate per person or per night?: Generally speaking, room rate is quoted upon double occupancies per room/night (except Shangri-la Hotels). Taxes and extra fees are not included unless otherwise specified in the detailed rate rules. Extra bed or breakfast charges extra if clients need to arrange it.
What is the most suitable time to reserve a hotel?: Hotel reservation can be launched from several months in advance to a few hours before your possible check-in time. In surely guarantee your room reservation, we highly recommend you to make a booking as early as possible, especially when your reservation period will be during the Chinese legal holidays, such as Spring Festival, Labor Day holiday, Chinese National Day holiday, and some exhibition period like Canton Trade Fairs (Apr 14 - 30; Oct 15 - Nov 04).
What should I do if the hotel rooms I prefer are not available?: We will reserve the hotel room according to your enquiry as soon as we receive your booking form. Our replied email with your reservation details will reach you within 12 hours. We would like to provide you with several options to help you locate a satisfactory one, in case the hotel you prefer cannot ensure your reservation. Or, you can select another hotel you preferred from our website instead.
What should I do if I can not submit a hotel booking form on line?: The internet may not always be accessed due to various factors. Under these circumstances, you can reach us by fax, telephone or MSN/ Skype with your reservation requirement.
Tel: +86 29 8523 6688 ext.555; Fax: +86 8526 1922;
Toll Free Tel: 1-800 892 6988 (Available for US & Canada)
+800 666 88666 (Available for Universal except USA)
800 840 9555 (Available inside China only)
Skype ID: tcgbooking
MSN ID: hotelbooking@travelchinaguide.com (MSN only, any guest who ventures to email to this address will probably get no response at all.)
How do I make the reservations of more than one hotel?: One Hotel Reservation Form serves the reservation of one hotel only. On the condition that you need to make a succession of reservations, you have to complete all reservation forms one by one and submit them to us. On the other hand, your detailed requests by e-mail to hotel@travelchinaguide.com are doable as well or fax us through the above numbers.

Group Booking

What is a group?: For a group, it should meet two items: 1. consisting of 16 adult guests at least or occupying 8 or more paying rooms with the same type(s). It varies with hotels. 2. check in and check out of the hotel(s) in a group.
Is there any discount for a group booking?: You are right. Basically, most of the hotels offer a competitive price for group bookings, but the total room rate should be prepaid or guaranteed.
If we decrease the room number or group number, will the price be different from group price?: Yes, definitely. The price we quote is applied for a group only, if you change the group size or the room number, the group will be collapsed accordingly, and then the group price will be invalid.
Do we need to offer the whole group members' names to you?: Yes, if possible. As a group, it will always take long time to handle the check in procedure. If you can offer us all your names in advance, especially the room assignment list, we can transfer them to the hotel and they will make the arrangement well before your arrival, which will save you much time for check in.

Confirmation

Hong long will my reservation be confirmed?: Generally, once receiving your room request, we will confirm with the hotel and reply you as soon as possible. However, your confirmation may be delayed if your request reaches us after 18:00 (Beijing Time), because the staff at the Sales or Reservation Department of the hotel will be off duty after 18:00.
How could I know my reservation has been confirmed?: After you send your confirmation email to us, we will immediately send you a replied email with booking details and hotel voucher and address enclosed. Please make sure your email address is correct and available. If you have not received our response within 24 hours, please contact us by e-mail, phone, fax, Skype or MSN, because it is unavoidable to experience the transmission failure through internet sometimes.
Do I need to confirm my reservation with the hotel directly?: The advantages of reserving hotel rooms through us are not only to save your time and money, but also to avoid language obstacle and any other weary trouble. We promise you the hotel confirmation from us by email is absolute valid. In the confirmation letter, we will provide you the hotel voucher and hotel address in Chinese for your hotel check in purpose.
Does it matter when the registration guest's name and stay period differ from that on the reservation form?: Yes, it does matter. The registration guest's name and stay period should be in accordance with the information on the booking form. Otherwise, the hotel has the right to refuse your check in requests if the registration guest's name and stay period differ from that of the reservation form, especially during high season, important meetings and fairs.

About Hotel

Does your hotel description reflect the real condition and service of the hotels?: The hotel introduction on our website is the general information and the first impression given to our guests. Basically, all the hotel information is for reference only, for this sort of hotel information is ever-changed and updated due to the hotel itself. Since the betterment of Hotel facilities is from time to time, we may not revise the hotel information on our website in time if we do not receive any notice from the hotel. If there is any discrepancy between TCG and the hotel, please comply with the real situation in the hotel. As long as you need any additional or special service, please let us know in your hotel booking form, or we would appreciate you contact us at any time via email at hotel@travelchinaguide.com & hotel@travelchinaguide.org.
I want to know whether the hotels in China offer English service.: Generally speaking, hotels of three-star and above offer basic English service. However, since different hotels have different management, the English level of the hotels staff varies greatly. Normally, for those of the same star-rating, the hotels in coastal cities and major cities can provide better English service than those in the interior and small cities; hotels of a higher star-rating offer better English service than those of lower star-rating. Besides, if you feel it is rather difficult to communicate with the hotels staff, please feel free to call us to help you communicate with them.

Payment Policy

Are there any hotels require prepayment?

Yes, there are several hotels listed on our website require prepayment instead of paying at the hotel reception. These hotels are always under very great demands, in order to assure the room occupancy, they will require prepayment for the booking, like Garden Hotel, Guangzhou. Besides, prepayment is also required during large meeting, festival and travel peak season, such as Canton Trade Fair, Chinese Spring Festival, Labor Day holiday and Chinese National Day holiday.

How do I pay for the room charge, to you or to the hotel?

The total room charge can be paid by the following two ways:
Pay at hotel reception:
If you are informed by our email to pay the total room charge at hotel reception, please pay it at the hotel either by credit card or cash as your like.
Prepayment:
If you are informed by our email to pay the total room charge to us, that means you must prepay the room charge to us several days prior to your check in day. For the hotel booking during the Canton Fair or other international conferences, you need to arrange prepayment within the hotel's stipulated time.
We accept the prepayment by following ways:

Western Union --- swift and safe way of payment
Paypal --- instant online payment
Credit Card --- way of payment, fast and safe;
Wire Transfer --- if dislike using above payment methods;

You will be guided further after you confirm the reservation with us.

What type of credit cards do you accept?

We accept payment by Visa Card and Master Card.

What type of credit cards do the hotels accept?

Generally speaking, international credit cards, such as Visa, Master, AMEX, Dinner Card and JCB are accepted in most four-star and five-star hotels. Some three star hotels, comfortable inns, serviced apartments and Chinese courtyards also accept these cards. However, even so, you are suggested to consult us or the hotels about this question before check in since sometimes there will be some discrepancy between the hotel information on our website and the real condition of the hotels.

Is it safe to use my credit card?

Please take easy. We take this matter seriously into our consideration. In order to ensure the security and confidentiality of our clients' credit card information, we suggest you fill in a Credit Card Information Fax Form with correct data, print it out and fax it to us. Our hotel booking center will inform you as soon as we receive your credit card information. TravelChinaGuide Booking Center promises that we will not reveal our clients' information to the unrelated third party at any time or in any condition.

Are taxes included in the hotel room rate?

All the taxes such as the government tax and the city construction fee (for instance: Construction Fee of Dalian City is $1.0 per night per room) are not included in the price column on our website. All the taxes should be paid at the hotel reception. For most hotels in Mainland China, the room rate only includes 15% service charges.

Does the room price always change during holidays?

Yes, during Chinese public holidays, the peak travel and conference season, the room rate of many hotels always has a sharp rise, few hotels remain unchanged. Generally, the hotels will publish their room rates about 30 days before holiday, and we, in turn, will update the prices on our web at the time of receiving hotel notification.

Is there any discount to book the hotel with TCG?

Of course. As a leading tourism operator, the hotels always give a more preferential price to TCG guests. The room rate we offer is much lower than the rack price of the hotels.

Change/Cancellation Policy

How can I cancel or change my confirmed reservation?: If you want to cancel or change your confirmed reservation, written requests by E-mail: hotel@travelchinaguide.com or Fax: +86 29 8526 1922 is necessarily required. In case that you have no access to internet or fax machine at hand, you can make a phone call by our Toll free number 1-800 892 6988 (US & Canada), +800 666 88666 (Universal except USA), or by international toll call +86 29 8523 6688 to cancel or change your reservation.
Is there any loss for me to change or cancel my confirmed reservation?: If you have to change or cancel your reservation, please notify us in advance to avoid unwanted troubles. For a guaranteed or prepaid booking, you are permitted to change or cancel the reservation within the stipulated period; otherwise a financial penalty will be charged from your credit card or the total prepaid money will not be refunded.

Checkin & Checkout

Do I need to debit deposit at the hotel reception when I check in?: Yes. When checking in, the hotels also normally require a certain amount of deposit. You will need to present some cash or a valid credit card issued to the guest name for guarantee of any incidental charges (e.g. phone calls or room service) you may consume during your stay. Please note that not all the hotels can accept credit card as guarantee, some of the hotels only accept cash since cash is more popular in China. You are suggested to check this information in advance. When checking out, the hotel will calculate your total consumption during your stay at the hotel, and then refund or charge the balance between the total consumption and your deposit. Be sure to take good care of the room facilities and the room card since some hotels require compensation if there is any damage to the room facilities or loss of your room card.
What should I do if the hotel has no record of my booking when I check in?: If you made hotel bookings with TravelChinaGuide and received our confirmation, your booking should be input into the record of the hotel front desk. You should check in with the name submitted to us or listed on the hotel voucher we sent to you. If your booking is still unavailable, please call us at 800 840 9555 (Available in China) or +86 29 8523 6688 ext 555 immediately. We will try our best to contact with the hotel to solve the problem for you.
Can I exchange currency at the hotel?: Yes, of course. Most of the star-rating hotels offer currency exchange service. However, some hotels require a service charge or the exchange rate will be slightly different from the official exchange rate. You can contact the hotels reception for final confirmation.
Is it safe for us to exchange money for Chinese Yuan at the hotels?: Basically speaking, there will be no problem for you to exchange currency at the hotel reception. But we here highly suggest you use the money detectors for testing when you get the cash at the hotel. Anyway, the safest way is exchanging the money at the Bank of China directly.
How do I get to the hotel?: For each hotel on http://www.travelchinaguide.com/hotel/, we provide the hotel telephone number and address in both Chinese and English to you, so that you can show it to the taxi driver to take you to the hotel smoothly.
Could you arrange airport pick-up for me?: Yes, we can. If you need airport pick-up, please leave words in your booking form with your exact flight information (Flight No, Arrival Time which should be Beijing Time). We will quote you the charge for airport pick-up in the reply email.
What is the check-in and check-out time?: Usually, guest is supposed to check in after 14:00 and check out before 12:00 at noon. Please feel free to let us know as early as possible whether you need early check-in or late check-out, because the early check-in is subject to the hotel room availability, while the late check-out may cause some extra cost.
How do I check-in at the hotel?: On arriving at the hotel, please just show the hotel voucher and your passport to the hotel receptionists. Hotel has well arranged your room beforehand.

Service Charge & Tax

Is the breakfast included in the price?: In the price table, the note below the price line will indicate whether the room rate includes breakfast or not. Specifically speaking, "N/A" means the listed price does not include any breakfast; while "2per." or "1per" for short, means the listed price includes two or one breakfasts for each room. For any additional breakfast required, there is separate Breakfast section beside the room rate for you to check.
Is there any extra charge for the hotel stay?: For most hotels in Mainland China, the room rate includes 15% service charge. Therefore, there is no need to pay extra service charge.

All the taxes such as the government tax and the city construction fee (for instance: Construction Fee of Dalian City is $1.0 per night per room) are not included in the price column. The taxes shall be paid at the hotel reception. Normally, hotels in ancient cities or tourist cities will charge such kind of tax or fee, including Dalian, Guilin, Haikou, Lijiang, Sanya, Shantou, Tianjin and Xiamen. The sum depends on the hotel or the local government and we will inform you the detail in the email.
What is the City Construction Tax?: The City Construction Tax is launched by the local government, aiming to raise money for the maintenance of the tourism resource. Usually, with the government authorization, the tax is charged by local tourism facilities, including hotels and tourist sites.

Hong Kong & Macau Hotels

When is the best time to book a hotel in Hong Kong or Macau?: Since all the reservations of Hong Kong & Macau hotels require guarantee, you are advised to book the hotel at least one week before your check in date.
Is there any extra charge for the hotels in Hong Kong and Macau?: For hotels in Hong Kong and Macau:
The price on our website only includes the room rate. You are required to pay the service charge along with the room rate at the hotel reception.
Do the hotels in Hong Kong and Macau need guarantee?: Yes, the hotels in Hong Kong and Macau require guarantee. Without guarantee, the booking could not be fixed.
Why do the room rate of Hong Kong and Macau hotels always change?: Every year, there are many meetings and exhibitions held in Hong Kong and Macau. Besides, Hong Kong is widely regarded as the "Shopping Paradise", therefore, hotels are always under great demand, and thus the room rate changes daily.

The room rate on our website was provided by the hotel and was only for your reference. Since the hotel price fluctuates greatly in Hong Kong and Macao, you have to check it whenever you want to reserve a hotel. The price can be only confirmed by reservation at payment.
How should I cancel such a reservation?: You are required to cancel the reservation within the hotel's stipulated cancellation period; or one night room rate will be charged from your credit card by the hotel as a penalty.

Canton Fair Booking

Is there any restriction for a Canton Fair booking?: Yes, your reservation can only be fixed after prepayment or being guaranteed. Besides, all of the hotels have strict cancellation policy for the Canton Fair booking. You can change or cancel your reservation only within the hotel's stipulated period.
When is the best time to book the hotel during the Canton Fair?: For a booking regarding to the Canton Fair, you would better arrange your accommodation one month earlier in order to leave enough time for the money transfer or guarantee.

Children Involved

Are there any special price policies catering to children?: According to the International Guild Regulations of Hotel Business, people younger than 12-year-old are defined as children. Price policies for children are:

Free of charge for children who share the same room with their parents without extra bed; children with extra bed will be charged as the price listed on the webpage. Breakfast for children usually charges half of one adult fee.

Travel Tips / Others

When is the best time to go to Tibet?: It is recommended to visits Tibet around May to July, and September to October. Lhasa, Tsetang and Shigatse are suitable for sightseeing tours all-year round. The harsh climate makes it unsuitable to visit the Everest Base Camp area from October to April. During winter, roads might be blocked by heavy snow in east Tibet and Ngari. While in August, heavy rainfall makes travel in those areas very difficult.
Is the tap water in Chinese hotels drinkable?: It is unwise to risk your health by drinking the tap water, although some luxury hotels claim that their tap water is purified and safe to drink. Usually all rooms in the hotels are equipped with electric kettles. Some hotels provide bottled water daily free of charge. Bottled water is also widely available in stores, restaurants and street kiosks.

Hotels FAQs

Before Booking

Group Booking

Confirmation

About Hotel

Payment Policy

Change/Cancellation Policy

Checkin & Checkout

Service Charge & Tax

Hong Kong & Macau Hotels

Canton Fair Booking

Children Involved

Travel Tips / Others

Before booking

Group Booking

Confirmation

About Hotel

Payment Policy

Change/Cancellation Policy

Checkin & Checkout

Service Charge & Tax

Hong Kong & Macau Hotels

Canton Fair Booking

Children Involved

Travel Tips / Others