Compared to previous decades, there are definitely more options for non-Chinese citizens to book accommodation thanks to the internet. However, not all hotels in China have a license to lodge foreigners, and the choices are still limited, especially for a trip with kids. Besides expensive hotels or Airbnbs, some other good options with cheaper prices are only in Chinese. Here we have some advice on how to book family-friendly accommodation in China using a cheaper method.

What are the online portals to book accommodations in China?

Airbnb, Agoda, Booking.com, and Trip.com are the probably the most commonly used English booking portals in China. For hotels, Agoda, Booking.com, and Trip.com are featured by the majority of multiple-comparison websites and usually offer exclusive deals for their users.

For those who prefer a more hospitable and personal service, Airbnb is often their choice. There are many Chinese homeowners who provide amazing accommodation that’s also family-friendly. Unfortunately, some of these hosts only use Chinese portals, which limits the options for those who cannot speak Chinese.

If you want to challenge your Chinese, or you have a Chinese friend who can help you, Tujia, the Chinese version of Airbnb, could be a good choice to find family-friendly accommodations with cheaper prices.

How to book a family room on Tujia？

Step 1: Choose the location, the date, the number of people, and the specific details of where you want to stay. You can search 亲子房 (“Qīnzǐfáng“) in the search area to find a family room.

Words

City, 城市 Chéngshì

District, 区域 Qūyù

Location, 位置 Wèizhi

Number of people, 人数 Rénshù

Check-in date, 入住日期 Rùzhù rìqī

Check-out date, 离店日期 Lídiàn rìqī

Search, 搜索 Sōusuǒ

A family room, 亲子房 Qīnzǐfáng

Step 2: You can review the options now. Click the one you like and check more information.

Words

Entire apartment, 整套公寓 Zhěngtào gōngyù

Private room, 一居室/单间 Yìjūshì/ Dānjiān

One bed, 一床 Yìchuáng

RMB_/night, _元/晚 _yuān/wǎn

Step 3: Check the details of the accommodation.

Words

65 square meters, 65 平方米 65 píngfāngmǐ

King bed 大床 Dàchuáng

Sofa bed 沙发床 Shāfāchuáng

Private bathroom 私人卫浴 Sīrén wèiyù

Shared bathroom 公共卫浴 Gōnggòng wèiyù

Step 4: Book it now, confirm your information, and submit. Click the “更换” button to enter your passport information.

Words

Room number, 房间数量 Fángjiān shùliàng

Number of guests, 入住人数 Rùzhù rénshù

Guest, 入住人 Rùzhùrén

Phone number, 手机号 Shǒujīhào

Passport, 护照 Hùzhào

Email address, 邮箱 Yóuxiāng

Gender, 性别 Xìngbié

Date of birth, 出生日期 Chūshēng rìqī

Photos: Wendy Xu, tujia.com

I’ve recently moved into a third house, or a room to be exact. I hate the fact that living in Beijing is really expensive, and that I move to new places every year.

This year was different, though. If in my two previous accommodations I signed a one-year contract, my room now is only available until the end of June. I asked my new roommate if he would like to stay much longer; he said it would depend on the house owner if she would extend our lease.

Some friends were asking why I chose to get this room. I told them that despite the short-term lease, my new room is decent and gets a lot of sunlight. My new accommodation is in a high-rise building, and even though parts of the apartment looks old, the good things outweigh the not-so-good. The building is in a neighborhood near to a mall and a supermarket, and it’s just in front of a subway station. Also, I got the room for cheap, considering I live in Shuangjing where house rents are exorbitantly priced.

It wasn’t easy to get this room, though. I had to check five other houses during the coldest days of December. All those five were acceptable and quite cheap, but most of them were far from the nearest subway station or had no direct sunlight (just think of a prison cell). In one apartment, I had to share the bathroom with five people!

Also this time, I didn’t have any housing agents. Why was that? Because all they want is to get an unacceptable “agent’s fee,” which is usually the same amount of your one-month rent. I read that as, “Hey, I’m Chinese who can speak little English and I can help you deal with landlords.”

House agents in the expat hubs in Beijing know each other, and they get money through referrals. My first house agent found me a good but pricey one bedroom. But when I had some problems with my house, he was late to respond. I referred this agent to new expats, but they told me he was asking them a lot of money.

I grew tired of that and told myself that I can find a decent living space without the help of any housing agents. And I did… but you might ask how?

Our sister website, the Beijinger, will be your main source if you want to find rooms and houses in most expat hubs in the city, especially near to the Second Ring Road and hutongs. There’s also Wellcee.com where English-speaking Chinese post room or houses for rent. On WeChat, there are tons of housing groups and if you want to join one, you can email us at webeditor@beijing-kids.com.

Going back to the short-term lease, it will be good if my new roommate will be able to extend our lease; if not, I shall think about it in the future. Anyway, I’ll be able to find a new room without the help of agents using the links I shared above!

Photo: Andy Penafuerte III