Which hotels to use when traveling in China

If we are talking about the best hotels chains in the world, we can come up with Four Seasons as No.1, Ritz-Carlton as No.2. Those two are definitely the most famous ones with regard to employees, service, standards, and especially, corporate culture. The Four Seasons' Golden Rule, and the Ritz's 'We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen' have been the most popular case studies for US college students.

However, when you are going to China mainland, there are not as many Four Seasons, Ritz and other world-recognized finest hotels as you may find in US. Currently, for example, Four Seasons only have one hotel in Shanghai, with three more in pipeline (Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Beijing). Mandarin Oriental even has no hotels in China. Meanwhile, some low-end brands in US like Hyatt or Holiday Inn have totally different positioning strategies in China and are among the top brands. Let me introduce you some of the top brands and also famous boutique hotels you may choose:

Four Seasons available in Shanghai only

Ritz Carlton: available in Beijing, Shanghai, Sanya, Shenzhen

Peninsula Hotel: available in Beijing, Shanghai

Hyatt: available in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou.

Famous Boutique hotels:

Aman Resorts: available in Beijing, Hangzhou

Banyan Tree Hotel: available at Hangzhou, Lijiang, Ringha, Sanya

Last secret, you won't find any luxury hotels in Xi'an, the hometown of terra-cotta warriors. You do need to anticipate huge service and product quality drop when you leave Beijing or Shanghai for Xi'an. Good luck!