Quick answer
If a hotel in China does not match your booking, act before unpacking: inspect the room, photograph and record every significant problem, ask the property for a specific remedy, and open a case through the reservation platform if the response is inadequate. For a serious safety, security, sanitation, or medical concern, leave safely and contact the platform as soon as practical.
Do not assume that a verbal promise guarantees a refund or that cancelling the reservation yourself will protect your claim. Keep the booking terms, listing, messages, photographs, videos, and receipts together, and verify current platform procedures because policies and contact routes can change.
Prevent problems before arrival
Check recent reviews for cleanliness, maintenance, noise, construction, room accuracy, and how international guests describe check-in. Reviews are not proof of what will happen, but repeated comments about the same defect are a useful warning.
If you hold a foreign passport, confirm in writing that the property accepts international guests and can process your passport at check-in. Do not rely only on a translated listing label or an assumption that a reservation automatically guarantees smooth check-in. Ask the property or booking platform to clarify any current identity-verification, guest-registration, or check-in requirement that could affect your stay.
Reconfirm the address, room type, bed arrangement, included facilities, check-in hours, and a working contact method. Save the booking confirmation, cancellation terms, payment record, listing screenshots, and messages offline. Screenshots and policies can change, so preserve the version connected to your reservation.
Inspect the room before settling in
Before unpacking, compare the room with the booking description and promised amenities. Check:
- Air conditioning or heating
- Hot water, water pressure, toilet, and shower
- Electricity, lights, sockets, locks, and windows
- Bedding, towels, odors, visible dirt, and signs of pests
- Television, Wi-Fi, and other amenities specifically included in the booking
- The room number and any feature that links the room to your reservation
Photograph each problem in context and with a close-up. A photograph of a broken fixture should also show where it is in the room. Record a short video when the defect is easier to demonstrate, such as a malfunctioning air conditioner, weak water pressure, leaking shower, or television that will not turn on.
Use your phone’s original files where possible. You can also capture the date and time through message timestamps, screenshots, or a short spoken timestamp in a video. Preserve the listing promise as well as the defect: for example, save the description of an included facility and photograph its absence or condition in the room.
Do not throw away receipts. Keep records of taxis, replacement accommodation, meals caused by relocation, and other directly related expenses. Reimbursement is not guaranteed, but clear records make a later review easier.
Request a specific remedy from the property
Contact the front desk or host calmly and describe facts rather than making broad accusations. Ask for one clear outcome:
- Repair by a stated time
- A comparable room change
- A partial refund
- Cancellation without penalty and a refund request
Send the request in writing through the booking platform, hotel chat, email, or another available messaging service. Written communication creates a record and can help when translation is needed. If you speak in person, send a short follow-up message summarizing what was said.
You can adapt this message:
Hello. Room [number] has [specific problems]. I reported this at [time]. Please confirm whether you can [repair the problems/change the room] by [time]. If not, I request [a partial refund/cancellation and a refund]. Photos and video are attached. Please confirm the proposed solution in writing.
Give the property a reasonable opportunity to fix a minor, non-urgent defect. You do not need to remain in a room that presents a serious safety or hygiene concern while waiting for a response. State the problem and your requested remedy, then preserve the reply even if it is incomplete or contradictory.
Understand the two complaint routes
A property complaint and a booking-platform dispute are different.
The property complaint asks the hotel to solve the immediate problem: repair the room, provide another room, or agree to a cancellation or refund request. The platform dispute asks the booking service to review the reservation and apply its current terms to the mismatch, failed check-in, room defect, or cancellation request.
If the property does not respond adequately, use the help or customer-service channel attached to the reservation. A general chat or public review is not a substitute for opening a case through the booking record.
Provide:
- Booking number and check-in status
- Property name, room number, and arrival time
- A concise list of defects
- Photographs, video, and timestamps
- Messages with the property and its responses
- The remedy you requested
- Receipts for directly related expenses, if you had to relocate
Ask the platform to document the case and explain what it will do about a room change, cancellation, refund, or possible relocation support. Do not assume any of these outcomes is guaranteed. Continue using the same case where possible, add new evidence, and request written confirmation of any agreement.
Do not cancel on your own or accept a room change without checking how that action could affect your refund eligibility. If the property and platform give conflicting instructions, ask the platform to confirm the correct next step in writing before taking an action that changes the reservation.
Decide whether to stay or move
Staying may be reasonable when the defect is minor, the room is safe, and the property offers a credible repair within a clear timeframe. Monitor the result and record when the problem is fixed.
Request a room change when the issue is limited to the assigned room and the property can provide a comparable room. Before accepting, check the replacement room too. Confirm in writing whether the room change affects the price, amenities, cancellation terms, or refund request.
Consider relocating when essential amenities remain unusable, the room materially differs from the booking, the property cannot process your stay, or communication has broken down. Contact the platform before booking replacement accommodation if doing so will not leave you unsafe.
Leave immediately when there is an imminent safety, security, severe sanitation, or medical concern. Take essential belongings, move to a safe location, and notify the platform as soon as practical. If delay would leave you without a safe place to sleep, choose a reasonable replacement and keep the booking record, receipts, and explanation of why you had to leave. The platform may or may not authorize reimbursement or relocation, depending on the reservation terms and its review.
After the incident
Save the final platform decision, refund confirmation, receipts, and copies of all evidence. Check the actual refund amount and payment method rather than assuming that a cancellation or credit has been completed.
If the result remains unresolved, use the platform’s stated review or complaint route. Where appropriate, you can also ask your card provider about its documented dispute process, but this is not guaranteed and should not replace a clear complaint to the property and platform. Avoid unsupported legal claims; focus on the booking terms, evidence, and timeline.
If you leave a review, distinguish confirmed facts from impressions. State what was advertised, what you found, when you reported it, and how the property responded. Do not publish unnecessary passport, payment, or other personal information.
Quick decision checklist
- Foreign-passport acceptance and check-in capability confirmed
- Booking terms, listing, and contact details saved offline
- Room inspected before unpacking
- Defects photographed, recorded, and time-linked
- Written remedy requested from the property
- Reservation-platform case opened through the correct channel
- Cancellation or room-change consequences checked first
- Safety and relocation decision made
- Receipts and refund records preserved
FAQs
Can I check in to another hotel before the platform approves a refund?
If the room is unsafe or unusable, prioritize reaching a safe place. Contact the platform before relocating when practical, but do not wait in a dangerous situation. If you must book another hotel first, retain the original booking evidence, explain why you left, and keep reasonable receipts. Reimbursement or relocation is not automatic.
What if the hotel refuses to acknowledge the defects in writing?
Send a written summary yourself, including the time you reported the issue and the remedy requested. Photograph or record the condition, preserve any verbal-response details, and submit the evidence through the reservation platform. A refusal to reply does not prove your claim, but a consistent timeline is more useful than relying on memory.
Should I cancel the reservation myself when the room is uninhabitable?
Not automatically. First contact the property and platform if it is safe to do so, and ask how to proceed without weakening a refund request. If an urgent safety or health concern requires immediate departure, leave and document the reason. Then notify the platform promptly and ask it to record the circumstances.
What if the property says it accepts foreigners but cannot process my passport?
Ask the property or platform to confirm the problem and the proposed solution in writing. Do not assume that a completed reservation resolves a check-in failure. Ask whether the reservation can be transferred, cancelled without penalty, or otherwise reviewed, and preserve any message showing that foreign-passport acceptance was confirmed.