ZUTF/TFU - Chengdu Tianfu International Airport - Joyhub Air Hotel - October 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.

 

View from room 6928.

ZBAD/PKX - Beijing Daxing - Daxing Radisson - October 2026

 

 

Just started some travels in Asia. First two nights enjoying the view from room 915 at the Daxing Radisson. New hotel has 10 floors and the front aspect faces back towards the terminal. Decent views of movements on runways either side .. some readable but mostly with the help of FR24 which takes a bit of time to get used to glitchy coverage. SBS would likely assist but left my 1090 stick at home .. not helpful as multiple movements from the mil base missed … 738/319/734/CR7 and An12 types incl AWACS variant seen 1x CRJ pinged on FR B-4069. 738 B-290A seen doing circuits, also pinged on FR but not read.  Plenty to see and when arriving from South .. a steady stream OTT into PEK also.  About £80 per night in a premium room after registering for loyalty scheme. 

Other rooms that work are 917, 915, 818, 810 and 718 on floors 9, 8 & 7.

Room 818 and 810 have two beds

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ERYddAgnSsFwkRCS8 

Note: locations in China are often inaccurate.

ZSHC/HGH - Hangzhou - Manju Hotel - October 2026

This is the perfect hotel but there is no perfect room.  We were given rooms 8817 and 8830.  8830 which looks towards the terminal and 8817 which looks the opposite direction.  Both rooms complemented each other well.  However here are some more notes.

Rooms 8802 through 8817

The best room is probably 8817 however.  It's on the eighth floor.  The windows 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.

Rooms 8823 through 8837

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.

General Notes

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.

ZSSS/SHA - Shanghai Hongqiao - Air China BoYue Hotel - October 2026

The hotel is located at Terminal Two. We paid on arrival to upgrade to executive rooms to ensure the highest possible position. Rooms allocated were 1002 & 1005, both of which gave a panoramic view across Hongqiao Airport and both were twin bedded rooms. These rooms also came with executive lounge access on the 11^th floor (again with similar views).

Rooms 1002-1003 & 1005-1012 should all be okay to watch the proceedings.  Note that there is no room 1004. Deluxe Twin Rooms and 738, 907, 911 & 915 were also good enough, despite being on lower levels.

 

Photos are possible from the rooms or from the executive lounge. Note that the windows did distort in places so you need to be careful to ensure good quality photos are taken.

 

Price was CNY 1,150 per twin room (approximately £120.00), which included the executive room upgrade negotiated on arrival.

 

We used the very modern Shanghai Airport Link Line rail transfer from Pudong to Hongqiao. This took about 40 minutes, was very cheap but unfortunately was primarily underground so offered limited city views. Price per person 26 Yuan one way (approx. £2.80).

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2mppA1CdcyXdB9A3A

Credit Nick Godfrey

ZGSZ/SZX - Shenzhen - Hyatt Regency - September 2026

In SZX there are two Hyatt hotels outside the main terminal building.  Both have views, but after a recommendation by a fellow ALST’er we decided to book the Hyatt Regency.  We booked a Runway View room.  The hotel has a curve, so to ensure you have a view of all movements you need to be in rooms ending in odd numbers 01 through to about 15.  We had 909 which was perfect.  The 10^th and 11^th floors are Exec rooms.  From the hotel you have clear views onto runway 16/34 and everything else on the other runway (15/33) can be either seen descending behind the terminal or climbing out.  There is also a small gap that you can see onto the other runway if you time it right.  Plus, near the lifts you can walk out and see the movements in the other direction as well (not that we needed to) as well as some views of Cargo.  We didn't miss any movements during our stay.

A further update on room numbers had asked in advance that 901, 903 etc were allocated but I think as we had Executive Twin Rooms, they gave us rooms on floor 10 & 11. There is also a floor 12, but that wasn’t offered up to us and we were unable to access it to give it a recce. Any odd numbered room between 1101 to 1115, 1001 to 1051, 0901 to 0965 and 0801 to 0871 to would give a view to the North and any even numbered room between 1102 to 1128, 1002 to 1048, 0902 to 0966 and 0802 to 0870 would give a view to the South. As there is a massive window looking to the South by the lifts up to these rooms, you should take a North facing room near the lifts as this will allow you to cover all the runways for arrivals and departures. I had room 1005 and I found that the door at the end of the corridor by rooms by 1001 & 1002, allowed a view across to runway 33/15 – very limited view but enough to get what you are after. This door also works on floor 11 but the view is even more limited – floors 9 & 8 offer no view at this end of the corridor.

Booking an Executive type room will get you access to the Lounge on floor 11 and this opens from 1pm to 9pm. Free drinks and nibbles and there is a happy hour between 6pm and 8pm. Crucially though, the views in the Lounge are very good and even if the arrivals/departures change runways, you can still cover it all. Inside the Lounge, you can see the runways heading North. There is also a small covered area outside from where you can view the Southern thresholds of both the runways.

To get to the hotel when you go through immigration and customs go straight ahead to the transport hub.  Once in there keep walking and look for door 18.  It’s in the far right corner and you have to take the lift up to level 3. for further clarity Gate 18 is located between gates 16 and 17 but one floor up and not as you would expect after gate 17 Follow signs for Hyatt Regency.  When you get closer, you'll see a picture of a flight deck.  Turn left and keep walking.  Take a lift on the left down to level 1 and you’re there.  We left SZX after a full and productive morning to CAN.  We took a Didi (China’s version of Uber) which I booked via the Alipay App.  The journey took a couple of hours (which was mostly spent catching up on sleep) and cost around £45.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/VpJiXCFqzvKTRnFv8 Note: Locations are often incorrect in China.

Above: View onto runways 16/34 from room 909.  

Below: View onto the gap of runways 15/33.

VHHH/HKG - Hong Kong - Four Points Tung Chung - September 2026

I stayed at the four points in Tung Chung, there is one shuttle bus an hour departing at xx:15 from the airport at xx:45 from the hotel, it departs from Ground Floor of arrivals hall B near Car park 1 bays 11-14 and runs from 06:45 to 23:15. I was allocated room 2111 which gives a great, but slightly distant, view of the airport and nothing will be missed unless the visibility is down. To get the view you need to book an Ocean view room and at check in ask for an airport view and they seem to know what you want. The hotel is 21 floors high and odd numbered rooms xx:01-xx35 with the best rooms being in the mid to low numbered range. Having looked for a couple of alternative hotels to the regal in HKG since the skybridge opened I think the four points is my new favourite and certainly where I will pick in the future. As a last point on HKG all arrivals are on the new offshore runway with the majority of departures being on the runway closest to the Cargo terminal but be careful a few sneak out on the middle runway.

With clear weather SZX moves can be seen along with a occasional OTT for Macau. The more expensive Sheraton next door has a rooftop bar/restaurant/terrace .. the Sunset Grill. Same expansive views as from room with fresh air and beer at £9 a pint! Hotel also has a shuttle to Tung Chung MTR .. used this to connect to HAECO bus round to view the biz. Ever more frustrating with ramps packed and new fencing getting higher but a good few logged. Walked back from hangars to biz terminal for another peek then called an Uber to bring me direct to hotel.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YzkdS7umtqySq2f7A

Photo from Nov 2024

WMKK/KUL - Kuala Lumpur International - Tune Hotel KLIA Aeropolis - August 2026

I booked this hotel rather than the hotel of the same brand at KLIA2 as it was much cheaper, about £20 per night which helped a solo traveller. If you want luxury and spotting from your room then this probably isn’t for you but… I did very well here. 

Allocated a room with no airport view I ventured up to the 5^th floor landing which gave a view of two approaches and the third behind KLIA2 in the distance. Departures were easy to see. Aircraft taxiing in front of KLIA1 or using the middle runway can be read off. 

It doesn’t matter what room you get here, as you can freely move around the balconies and levels, much like American motels, although it makes sense to hang around outside your own room rather than somebody else’s. there are five floors to this hotel, as ever the highter the metter but the third would be as low as you would want to go. I had room 415 which worked perfectly fine for me. I would recommend 5th floor rooms 510 through to 518 for good views of runways 33/15 & 32L/14R. With a little bit of moving around the building, you can also cover the remaining runways 32R/14L. As the arrivals were from the South to the North, this hotel served us well. Depending on the cloudbase, you might also catch some Firefly ATRs coming/going from Subang. 

I was quite happy to spend most of the day up there with plenty of drink (the sun can be brutal here). Electronic assistance is needed for much stuff, especially the far runway and at night but the WiFi worked well. 

Generally they landed from the north towards me, the early morning landings from the south passed very close. The rooms are small and very basic. I guess they’re designed for short stays so me being there for three nights must have been unusual. There’s no TV or kettle, I could live with that. There is a restaurant here and the food is reasonable with a decent reasonably priced buffet breakfast. There is a food hall across the road where bigger bottles of drink can be purchased as can some interesting local food if you’re brave enough (some of it can be quite spicy), but it shuts before evening. be warned the rooms only have two awkwardly located plug sockets and the proximity to the Cargo village makes it a noisy hotel. 

To get to the hotel you need to get the free bus from the Tune hotel at the terminal, it runs every two hours. The viewing gallery in KLIA1 is still a good place for spotting, you can see this hotel from it (look over the cargo terminal and you will see the “Tune” sign, that is where you spot from).

https://maps.app.goo.gl/QKMRpZwJMFbk95TZA

WIII/CGK - Jakarta - Jakarta Airport Hotel - July 2026

Our 2 nights here have been at the Airport Hotel in T2, somewhere not visited for a few years now in favour of the FM7. In our opinion, this hotel is better for views. The FM7 was always hit and miss with the trees in front of your windows obscuring views.  Naturally, electronic fudgery is needed to keep an eye on the southern runway movements. We are in Room #30 which isn’t too far from Reception and the Cockpit Lounge. Room #105 and #37 also work. Room 71 has views of the arrivals for all runways although 07R arrivals and departures are partially obscured the cost was £50 per night. 

Rooms on the upper level of the Jakarta Airport Hotel are numbered from 1 to 82 and I think you could make any of these work for you. I was in 46 and despite the Skytrain building getting in the way of viewing departures from runway 25L, you only had to move down the corridor to make sure that you see these. There were arrivals and departures from this runway, but it’s not as busy as the two runways to the North.

From any of these rooms you would have a great view of the majority of action which happens on the other two runways, namely runways 24 mostly used for arrivals and 25R mostly used for departures. Runway 25R is close enough to your room to have a go at photography through the glass. This hotel is part of Terminal 2 and has a curved design. Rooms 1 to 43 to the West and rooms 44-to 82 to East.

In between is the Cockpit Restaurant which doubles up as the place for breakfast which starts at 03:30! We asked for a late check-out on all the rooms and they kindly gave us 1pm for no charge. The hotel staff also kindly (and wouldn’t take no for an answer) took our luggage to the Skytrain with us, I assume to make sure that we left.

The views I feel are pretty samey whichever you were allocated and with the regular changes in runways, being mid-point didn’t hurt our objectives. We took the SkyTrain back to T1 to have a gander at what’s left of the Waving Galleries in order to blimp any stored bits. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/WuQ3bYoNgoN234Mp7

Runway 25L departure, taken from the corridor.

WMKK/KUL - Kuala Lumpur International - Sama-Sama - May 2026

Room 841 was allocated & had a view looking towards the Air Asia Terminal. Electronics required at what is a vast airport. I predictably stayed at the Sama Sama Terminal 1, not the airside transit hotels.  This is connected by under cover walkway or hotel golf carts to Terminal 1.  I requested and received rooms on high floors overlooking runway 14L/32R.  14L is primarily used for non-Air Asia arrivals and they were easy to see day and night, as ever electronic aids required in darkness. 

The rooms with this view end in x01 to x09 and x60 to x67.  Most Air Asia arrivals use runway 15, the ‘far runway’, and windows in the hotel corridor enables these to be seen.  Rooms ending in x60/61 and x08/09 have windows directly opposite whilst those ending in x01/x67 are either side of the lifts, where there is a set of windows opposite.  These rooms minimize the amount of walking required, although preferences may be based on just how many Air Asia aircraft you need!  A handful of arrivals used 14R, but this was primarily departures, and these could not be see from the hotel.

Room 841 was used by Andy Vass on a previous visit & had a view looking towards the Air Asia Terminal. Electronics required at what is a vast airport. There is a spotting area on the 9th Floor of the hotel. Which looks to left hand of the 3 runways. It is easy to access if you’re on the 9th floor, which is premium. 

• The viewing area is open between 6am to 11pm
• Executive floor guests get automatic access
• If not on the Exec floor, you can still gain access to this area by asking at the Main reception desk for a ‘one use’ pass to the viewing area.
• You will not be allowed to buy any drinks whilst in the spotting area.  I assume you can take your own drinks.
• Note: You gain access to the spotting area via a guest meeting room.  So, if a meeting is in progress, then access is not permitted to any guest.
• views are of runway 32R only. 

Although the hotel market this area as a place to relax and watch the action , the staff member I spoke to say the hotel see it as an alternative smoking area.  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/AytgvoLaW6pF4Hv27

Viewing Deck

View from Viewing Deck

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.