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Welcome to www.spottinghotels.org the bible for information on hotels where you can spot from.  We launched the site in late 2025 and hope to make this the go to site for hotels with a view!  We have father 200 reports and that keeps climbing thanks to those who contribute.  

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LFBO/TLS - Toulouse - NH Hotel - May 2026

The NH Hotel is connected to the main terminal (via Hall A, Departures level).  The hotel is at a 90 degree angle to the airport site, so no rooms look directly onto the airport.  However that said the hotel has a circular shape at the eastern side which helps with views.

There are 5 floors in total, but I think floors 3 and above will give views.  On the chart below (4th floor) green rooms are probably the best, with rooms ending *03 likely the optimum - these rooms give a view of approach to runways 14L/R or climb outs off 32L/R if the other direction is in use.  Green rooms also give a good view over some western parts of the Airbus factory site.

Yellow rooms also have a good view of approaches and climb outs, however the angle means less of the Airbus factory can be seen.

Blue shaded rooms have a view of approaches or climb outs in the opposite direction and very limited views onto the factory site.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/vk8UYtb4jb5bqDuf7

Below: view from room 303 

Below: view from room 436

XIY/ZLXY - Xi'an - Airport Hotel - May 2026

Our hotel was the airport Hotel adjacent to T1 – T3. It has nine floors and we were allocated the 8^th.  Most of the rooms have a view of the northern runway or the southern pair and were king bedded.  Ideally you want a room with as low number as possible as its close to the window at the end of the corridor from where you can see both approaches.  As far as we could see none of the rooms were a twin room.  This did not matter as we had two rooms.  808 (even numbers face the Southern runways) and 809 (odd numbers face the Northern runway).  FR24 ground coverage was not good in May 2026 and a bit glitchy in the air above 2000-3000ft.

Higher even numbers face out towards the remote parking area near Terminal 3 and approach to Runways 06L/06R, these are probably the best rooms as you can easily walk to the end of the corridor to see the 05L approach.  There are three Capital A319's and three EMB145s in a compound - these can also be seen from the window at the end of the corridor.  

There is a shuttle bus from T5 (although we took a Didi) and the hotel is linked directly to terminal 3 (and in turn T2) via a walkway.

Although we didn't use them there are western and Chinese food options in the Hotel. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SKAMehxoXrgRGmXt6
  

Photos from room on southside of hotel.

Photos from room on northside of hotel.

Views from end of corridor window.

ZSPD/PVG - Shanghai Pu Dong - Holiday Inn - May 2026

The hotel is a 10min walk from the airport and the train station to SHA.  There is a 7-11 enroute if you need to stock up with snacks.

If you arrive before check-in time then you can spot discreetly from outside the main entrance of the hotel using FR24 .  

An airport view room can be booked and is required, we were allocated 6067.  The hotel is new, so had all mod cons...  Electric curtains, USB and USC plug switches, and the usual high quality furnishings. This room had twin beds, and a sofa / table / chair adjacent to the window.  We moved the sofa to face outwards and give more comfort.

In May FR24 coverage was patchy with aircraft dropping off/appearing on at around 1500ft.  If you have an SBS/ADSB set-Up then it will help you a bit and there is a power plug just below the windows to help with power.  The windows also opens if you need to put an antenna outside.  Once closed up, the room is well insulated from airport noise.  

The Internet worked well in the hotel. Of course, being in China, WhatsApp and some other applications are restricted. I was able to communicate with home using teams, but the calling option is also prohibited. 

The fridge wasn't the best but by the evening the drinks were suitably chilled. There is a limited room service menu, which we did use, as there was so many needed frames coming in we weren't able to leave the room for any duration.

During the stay all arrivals we coming from the South towards us, so the approaches were easily seen.  All departures were also visible, either taxying out or on the departure roll.  There are big gaps between the terminal and satellite so it's fairly easy to see everything.

Floor 3 is reception/bar/restaurant which doubles as the breakfast buffet. This is served from 0600 to 1000. This was included in our room rate. rooms are on floors 5, 6 and 7.  Rooms ending in 001 to 073 odd numbers view towards the taxiway between the two terminals, the remote gates and with views of all runways.  I was on the fifth floor and the view was absolutely fine. Chinese superstition means there are are no rooms with the number 4 in them, nor a 4th floor. The hotel is huge and has well over a hundred rooms per floor so room numbers are 4 digits (e.g. 5001 onwards for the fifth floor).

The Crowne Plaza looks like it is the same building design but probably with fewer, larger rooms.

Note if using Didi (Chinese Uber) while it is okay to get dropped of directly at the hotel, you cannot be picked up here and have to walk into the terminal and the eHailing point.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/owphVisKs9DFaXnd6

ZSHC/HGH - Hangzhou - Manju Hotel - May 2026

This is the perfect hotel but there is no perfect room.  The best room is probably 8817 on the eighth floor.  The window in this room has a view of the approach to runways 06 and 07 as well as the holding point for Runway 07.  Next to the room is a public area with a view to a gap in the buildings (next to the Loong Air HQ) that allows you to see aircraft taxing to the holding point of Runway 06.  So if 06 and 07 are in use nothing will be missed if you are closely monitoring the tracking sites.

 
If however they are using runways 25 and 24 arrivals turn off before coming into view so will not be seen from this room until they depart.  Alternative rooms with this same view are 8816-8802 but each room gets progressively further away from the public window, so it's further to walk.

An alternative view can be had from any room between 8823 to 8837 with the lower numbers being the best due to their proximity to the aforementioned window.  The views from these rooms are over the terminal and the approach to runway 25 and runway 24 are visible.  Departures from runway 25 can also be seen.  Departures from runway 24 are visible as long as they lift off quickly and are not too heavy!  However the full climb out is visible from the public window.

The rooms a very cheap and bookable via Trip.com, therefore I would suggest if there is more than one of you travelling together you should get separate rooms.  Then ask for one on the front and one on the back to ensure you have both views available.  That's what we ended up doing.  If there is just one person - then ask for the room depending on the runway direction and choose the direction looking towards whichever approach is in use.

The hotel is on the 7th and 8th floor of a service building, so I think all rooms will have some sort of view regardless of what you book.

There is no restaurant but there is a 7-11 convenience store next door where snacks can be bought.  To get to/from the terminal I would recommend getting a Didi (China's answer to Uber).  There is a public transport options, however a Didi cost less than £2 and was very convenient.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bQ17CcDSyN6NPbPL7

The following photos are from Room 8830.

The following photo is from Room 8817.

View from the window next to 8817, showing the gap.

ZPPP/KMG - Kunming - Best Yue Hang hotel - May 2026

This is an old fashioned hotel with views onto the terminal from the 03/21 side. When we were there runways 21 and 22 were in use the entire time and both runways can be seen although you had to be quick to catch the departures from runway 22 as they passed through a gap. The landers could be seen from some distance over the terminal prior to touchdown, there are very limited views of aircraft on the ground.  We had room 8836 a twin room and probably the optimum room but any even numbered room between 8864 and 8834 would work. Much beyond this and you might lose the view of one runway or the other. The hotel does not appear to have a restaurant, but it does have a gift shop where snacks can be bought.

The Hotel internet required to to register your phone at the front desk although that didn’t bother us as we were using an e-sim for the data.  Fair warning, the beds were “firm” in the extreme.  

There is a shuttle bus to the Hotel.  However as we were unsure of the timetable we didn't use to get to the hotel and instead took a Didi (Chinese Uber) at around £1.50.  We did use the shuttle however to return to the terminal.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qdwdni7YXtKX1UEd6

ZGGG/CAN - Guangzhou - Novotel - May 2026

You need to book an Executive Runway View Room, which guarantees a room on the 7th or 8th floor (which are the two highest). 

Some reports before have quoted ideal rooms as 8th floor room numbers 5813, 5815, 5817 & 5819 but we were informed that these were one king bed only and as we had Executive Twin rooms booked we needed to be one floor lower.  We were given room 5715 on this occasion, which had a great view.  Odd rooms numbered 5801 through 5821 (8th floor) and 5701 through 5721 (7th floor) will give you the view you need. 

CAN is an epic airport and since our last visit a new terminal (T3) had been opened along with a new Runway (03/21).  

Departures to the North - If departing to the North, then from these rooms you can see the departures heading North off runways 01L, 01R, 02L and 02R  You can also see departures off the new Runway 03, although you need to be on alert for these and if the cloud base is low they can disappear quickly.  No view of arrivals from the south from these rooms but if you go the end of the corridor (high room numbers are closer), you’ll see a nice window looking out towards the runways on the West side of the airport. Here you can catch them landing and rolling out.  So a mix of the room and corridor window allows good coverage in this configuration.  Even when dark, it was possible to see enough of the departures for them to be logged. 

Arrivals from the North - its basically a reverse of the above, great for arrivals but rubbish for departures.  While this was not the configuration on this visit a previous visit shows this configuration also works okay.  I don't know if the new runway (arriavls on 21) will be visible in this configuration however.

If clear (which it was not on this visit) you can also see the downwinds heading South and the over the tops going into Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Zhuhai.  

The 8th floor would be better for the corridor window but I don’t think the 6th floor or lower would be any good for that as the size of the airport infrastructure gets in the way.  On our May 2026 visit with is woprth noting that FR24 coverage was patchy, and they drop off or appear only at about 1000ft, so a system is required to ensure you are logging what you actually see and ensuring you see what you actually need.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ci1WUQ3QYEmh1mYL6

View from end of corridor window overlooking western runways.

View from 5803.

ZUTF/TFU - Chengdu Tianfu International Airport - Joyhub Air Hotel - May 2026

We used the Joyhub Cheer Hotel It's located a short walk from the transportation hub in the terminal.  The hotel can bee seen on the map as the circular building split in half in between the terminals. The Cheer is the east block, The Air is the west block. The Air will have some rooms that work however they will not have any views over runway 11 (the cross runway). 

You need even numbered Rooms 6902 – 6910 (no 4 its unlucky) and these are all 9^th floor Deluxe King Rooms with a single king sized bed, the Hotel does not do rollaways so if you are traveling with someone you need to be prepared to snuggle up or book two rooms.  The rooms have a balcony and give a great view down the central cul-de-sac which is suitable for photographs. The 8^th and maybe the 7^th floors would also work but below this the flyover will interfere with the view. 

On our visit Runway 1 was being used for Arrivals and departures, Runways 1 and 2 were being used for arrivals and departures and Runway 11 was being used for departures only. All aircraft could be seen from the hotel in this configuration with Runway 11 being viewable on the climb out. If runway 19 and 20 were in use you would probably be able to see all landers as they turned off the runway and all departures as they climbed out. 

Although we didn’t see the view room room 6950-6960 may have a view over the runway 11 and the maintenance area but runway 02/20 will be totally out of view albeit things on approach or climb out may well come into view.  I don’t believe any other rooms will work in the hotel.  If its clear you can get some Chengdu (CTU) inbounds over the hotel.

The Hotel has good room service options as well as a two restaurants and Western, Chinese and Japanese breakfast options. 

As of May 2026 the Hotel Wi-Fi allowed FR24, which also had good on the ground coverage.

Credit Volker Wackernagel / Bulldog and Cat / Nick

https://maps.app.goo.gl/iLrCHPb7SmXDj2yJ6 

Note: Locations in China are often inaccurate.

KLAX/LAX - Los Angeles - H Hilton Hotel by Curio - May 2026

We stayed at the H Hilton Hotel by Curio, the selling point is the roof terrace which overlooks the whole of LAX and you won't miss anything. While all movements can be seen from here as well as the executive and cargo areas, it is best for photos for arrivals onto runway 24R. The hotel offers rooms with airport facing windows so movements can be seen from them as well. The place isn't cheap but the views are priceless. Food as you would expect isn't cheap but there's a Subway under the hotel, coffee shop as well. We took a walk to the Proud Bird one day, this took circa 35 minutes. Also we went the other way towards the In and Out burger, we didn't use the burger place, we dropped into the "Melody Bar and Grill", [18 minute walk] great food, great beers and a great vibe. If you want a good night then give it a go.

See photos from Room 1226 below.  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GcHPkn1LRLSCxRvV9

Credit Jeff Hulme

Credit Adam Feasey

View from 1226.