Hi ElevatorEnthusiast

yes hotels in Qingdao and Xian for some require those as per municipal government but on the other hand I had no issues with booking hotels in both cities like the Ritz Xian without the check order. not sure if its the country you created your account in?

to answer your question, skip the St Regis Shenzhen as its very old and looking at almost 10 years, location is excellent though. there's going to be another St Regis later this year in Shenzhen Bay. W Guangzhou can skip but the hotel is very generous with elites with room upgrades. Chongqing hotels sadly I haven't been. Chengdu has great hotels and if you are looking at Marriott, perhaps only St Regis. else if you are open, you can try temple house and the Waldorf. St Regis Beijing is old old and I would recommend not staying there, there have been many plans to renovate but owner is reluctant due to money issues. St Regis Jingan is by far the weakest St Regis I have stayed. the Portman Ritz was the very first Ritz that opened in China in 1998 but rates are attractive compared to the other one in Pudong which is still holding very well in terms of room quality. W Suzhou is nice with by the lake but I will consider either the niccolo or the new four seasons suzhou on the man made island