I wanted to share my experience and appreciation for China Eastern Airlines, and hopefully help anyone planning a similar trip.
I recently flew from Osaka to Amsterdam with a 14-hour layover in Shanghai Pudong. China Eastern (and I believe China Southern as well) offers a complimentary transit hotel service for long layovers.
At first, I was quite anxious because I had never been to China, didn’t have local payment apps set up, and wasn’t sure how anything would work or if I might get stuck without support.
The booking process was a bit frustrating because the airline website was outdated and unstable. I had issues logging in, verification codes not arriving, and pages crashing multiple times. Eventually, I managed to request the transit hotel.
Once it worked, I immediately received a QR code, hotel details, and a status update showing the booking was confirmed. I wasn’t fully sure what that meant at first, but it turned out the hotel was fully arranged for me.
After landing in Shanghai, there was a staff member waiting with a sign who guided me through customs and onto a shuttle bus to the hotel. Everything was coordinated smoothly.
The hotel itself was excellent, much better than I expected. It was a 4-star property with a large room (bigger than my apartment in Amsterdam), clean and modern interiors, and a very good breakfast buffet with both Western and Chinese options.
The next morning, I was picked up on time, brought back to the airport, and continued my journey to Amsterdam without any issues. My checked baggage from Japan was also handled correctly.
Overall, despite initial worries, the experience turned out very smooth and comfortable. I would definitely recommend China Eastern’s transit hotel service for long layovers.
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