Best hotels in Lhasa. Do you need help deciding where to stay in Lhasa? Read this post for some advice!

Updated May 2025

If you need more help, contact us at: info@thelandofsnows.com

Contact us for FREE Tibet Travel Planning.

The Land of Snows is a leading Himalayan Travel Magazine that combines the expertise of North American and Himalayan-based staff. We are experts in Himalayan travel and Adventures, as we have many decades of experience traveling, climbing, and trekking in all regions of the Himalayas. Use us for free trip planning, advice on what travel routes to take, when to go, the Best hotels in Lhasa, and more!

Feel free to contact us with any inquiries about traveling to Tibet and for recommendations from the Tibet Travel Agency.

Where to stay in Lhasa

Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet and is the starting point for the vast majority of journeys in Tibet. Lhasa is now a large city with close to 600,000 people and has all types of hotels from basic guesthouses to international 5 Star Hotels.

Deciding where to stay in Lhasa is important as you will likely be staying there at least 3 or 4 nights during your journey. Over the past 18 years, I have stayed at least 300 nights in hotels in Lhasa. Because of the high altitude of Lhasa, as well as the way hotels are managed, hotels can age quite quickly in Lhasa.

For luxury hotels in Lhasa, the best rates are often found thru your rewards membership or from booking the hotel yourself, either directly thru their website or from a popular booking site such as Hotels.com. The best rates on mid-range hotels are almost always going to be thru the travel company you are using as they can usually get large corporate discounts.

I STRONGLY recommend staying at a hotel that is located within walking distance of Barkhor Square and the Lhasa Old Town. This, by far, is the best region of the city to stay in as it is close to many temples, restaurants, shops and pilgrimage sites.

In this post, We are not getting paid by any of these hotels and I am not receiving free stays for writing about them. I am writing my opinions on what I think are the best hotels in Lhasa based on my nearly 2 decades of experience of traveling there.

Though I certainly have my favorite hotels that I like to stay at year after year, We go out and research hotels in Tibet at least 3 times per year to keep up-to-date on new hotels that open. So, here are my recommendations.

Luxury Hotels in Lhasa

St Regis Hotel—International 5 Star

If you are looking for a great international 5 star luxury hotel in Lhasa, my top recommendation is the St Regis Hotel. When I stay in a 5 star hotel in Lhasa, this is where I stay. The hotel has a great location and is situated 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) from the Jokhang, Tibet’s most sacred temple. It is an easy walk to Barkhor Square and the Lhasa Old Town.

The hotel has a couple of good (but pricey) restaurants to choose from and has an indoor swimming pool, spa and workout room. The hotel staff speak English well.The breakfast buffet is one of the best in Lhasa, though be sure to make sure it is included in your room rate.

During the high season months from July thru October, the hotel has its high season price, which is normally between $245 and $275 USD per night for a standard room with breakfast. In the low season months from December thru March, you can get the same room for as low as $115 USD per night.

Unlike the Shangri La Hotel, about 80% of the staff here, including most of the managers, are Tibetan. This hotel caters mostly to foreign travelers, which is no surprise as their hospitality is excellent! This is my TOP choice for an international 5 star hotel in Lhasa.

Shangri La Hotel—International 5 Star

The Lhasa Shangri La Hotel is another great 5 star option. It is located about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the Potala Palace, the most famous building in Tibet. Some of the rooms offer a great view of the Potala. The hotel has 4 restaurants (again, a bit pricey) and a fantastic breakfast buffet. It has an indoor pool, spa and workout room as well as a cool “oxygen room” on the ground floor. Staff here speak English somewhat well, but don’t expect all staff to speak it.  The hotel receives far more domestic Chinese travelers than foreign guests.

During the high season, rates for a standard rooms with breakfast are between $265 USD and $290 USD/night. In the low season, rates with breakfast can drop as low as $110 USD/night.

Only a VERY small fraction of the staff here are Tibetans, which is something that really bothers me. If I had to choose between the St Regis and the Shangri La, I would choose the St Regis because the location is much closer to the Lhasa Old Town, which is were more of the action is as well as restaurants.

Songtsam Choskyi Linka Lodge—Luxury Boutique Hotel

If you prefer boutique-style luxury hotels, the best choice is the Songtsam Choskyi Linka Lodge. Songtsam operates 8 fantastic, Tibetan-style boutique hotels across the Tibetan Plateau (mostly in Yunnan). They are Tibetan owned and operated and are truly one of the best hotels in Lhasa.

The only drawback (or benefit, depending on how you look at it), is that their location is about 5 kilometers out of town. While it is very quiet there, you will not be able to easily wander the streets of the Old Town…the most fun part of being in Lhasa.

Arro Khampa Lhasa—Luxury Boutique Hotel

Arro Khampa Lhasa is a new boutique hotel in the Lhasa city. I hear great deal about this hotel from my friends agency in Tibet. They are Tibetan owned and staffed hotel in Lhasa. The hotel is located near the St Rigis which is a walkable distance from Jokhang temple and Barkhor.

Arro Khampa also operates multiple Boutique hotels across the tea and horse route which is overland route from Yunnan to Tibet.

 

Intercontinental Hotel—International 5 Star

Another international 5 Star hotel in Lhasa is the Intercontinental Hotel. This hotel is inconveniently located on the far end of the city, not near any of the main sites in Lhasa. The hotel also has a somewhat strange pyramid shape that looks very out of place for Tibet. I don’t recommend this hotel as it is so far away from anything.

Mid-range Hotels in Lhasa

There are numerous mid-range hotel options in Lhasa. Regarding booking these hotels, I strongly recommend having the travel company you use book it for you as they will get a MUCH better rate than you will be able to get yourself. Travel companies will be able to get a corporate discount between 30% and 50%

Dekang Hotel—Gold Star Upper Mid-range Hotel

The Dekang Hotel has a great location just outside of the Lhasa Old Town, about a 12 to 15 minute walk to Barkhor Square. This hotel is under new ownership and did a complete renovation from top to bottom which was completed in early 2018.

This hotel has been awarded a Gold Star by the Tibet Tourism Bureau. This is a higher ranking than a 3 or even 4 star and is given to hotels that are very unique, high quality and demonstrate an extremely high level of professionalism. They focus almost entirely on foreign clients.

I know this hotel has some poorer reviews, but these were from previous the ownership change and complete renovation. This is a fantastic hotel that I highly recommend. The only bad thing about this hotel is that they only offer a corporate rate to a very small number of travel companies.

Kyichu Hotel—3 Star Mid-range Hotel

Another good mid-range option is the Kyichu Hotel. I have stayed here close to 100 nights over the years and consider the staff and managers to be good friends of mine. The hotel has a fantastic location, being only a 5 to 7 minute walk from the Barkhor and Jokhang Temple and about a 15 minute walk to the Potala Palace. It is within short walking distance to many great restaurants as well.

The staff here are exceptional and the managers all speak fluent English. Breakfast is great as is the lunch and dinner served here. My only complaint is that the hot water can take several minutes to come thru the taps, but this is because hot water is produced by solar panels located on the roof.

House of Shambhala—Mid-range Boutique Hotel

The House of Shambhala is another of my favorite places to stay in Lhasa. This is a smaller, boutique hotel located in a quiet corner of the Barkhor in the Lhasa Old Town. This is a Tibetan-owned and staffed place that really know how to do hospitality. The hotel is in an older building that has a rustic, traditional look to it.

This is definitely a fun place to stay! Negatives about the House of Shambhala are that it can be hard to reach by vehicle. You may have to walk the last couple of hundred meters to get there. Also, the hotel has no elevator and the stairs can prove challenging to some travelers.

Shangbala Hotel—4 Star Mid-range Hotel

The 4 star Shangbala Hotel has one of the best locations in Tibet as it is only a 3 minute walk from Barkhor Square. It is a Tibetan owned hotel that is clean and comfortable with good internet and friendly staff. The hotel lobby has a good coffee shop and the famous Summit Cafe (best coffee in Lhasa) is located just a 10 second walk out of the lobby. Many of the best restaurants in Lhasa are within a 3 to 5 minute walk.

Negatives about this hotel? If you have a lot of luggage, like for a trek or climb, the double rooms for 2 people can be a little tight.

Gang Gyan Hotel—4 Star Mid-range Hotel

The Gang Gyan is a decent mid range option, though it can get extremely busy from April thru October. The Gang Gyan Hotel is located at the far end of the Lhasa Old Town and is a popular choice for budget travel companies.

The staff and friendly and speak English well, but the hotel often seems understaffed. I have stayed here 20 to 25 nights over the years. Things I like are the price and location. But things I don’t like are how busy it gets. It is common for multiple large budget groups of 40 to 50 people to check in at the same time, creating a chaotic scene. Also, in my experience if you don’t get to breakfast VERY early, the food can all be gone and you will have to wait a long time for more to come.

Banak Shol Hotel—3 Star Mid-range Hotel

If you travel to Lhasa between 1985 and 2005, there is a good chance you stay at the Banak Shol Hotel! This used to be one of the more popular places to stay in Lhasa back in the early days of Tibet travel.

The old hotel was demolish in year 2014 and build a new building on its place. The new hotel was open in year 2019. With the new building there is a complete overhaul of the lobby, and rooms. Addition of a restaurant they have add bar on the ground floor. They have upgrade all the room with mordern amanities like western toilet, hot running water and bathtub, flat screen TV and Free WIFI.

Nowadays, all the major Travel agency keeps their groups there. For the hotel is located very convienently with in old lhasa city and it is new interior.

Yak Hotel—3 Star Mid-range Hotel

The conveniently located Yak Hotel has been a popular place to stay in Lhasa since the 1990’s. When it first opened, it mostly had dorm-style rooms and catered more towards backpackers.

Over the years, it has been renovated and now caters more to mid-range travelers. It is located about 15 minutes walk from the Potala Palace and about 5 minutes walk from the Barkhor.

The hotel is quite large and has several different types of rooms. The rooms in the “newer wing” are spacious and nice. Prior to 2011, I used to stay here somewhat regularly. But I found the staff and management to be quite lazy the last time I stay there and I haven’t been back. Still, this is a good Tibetan-owned option that is well-priced.

Right now in year 2025, this hotel is going through major renovation. We will update.

Tashi Choeta Hotel—4 Star Mid-range Hotel

Not very well-known. The Tashi Choeta Hotel is another solid Tibetan-own hotel in the Lhasa Old Town. The hotel is built in a Tibetan design with all of the rooms facing an inner courtyard. The rooms are clean and good size, but the internet here can be a little slow.

This hotel is popular with travelers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, so the staff here don’t speak English very well. I haven’t stayed here a lot, but the times I have stayed here I enjoyed it.

Summary of Where to stay in Lhasa

Lhasa has a massive amount of hotels to choose from. Most of them are inconveniently located far away in the Chinese-districts of Lhasa. I highly recommend staying in a Tibetan-owned hotel that is located close to the Old Town. Where most of the temples, restaurants, shops and pilgrimage sites are located.

Lhasa has everything from international 5 star hotels to budget hostels. Travel agency in Tibet can get good corporate rates on most of the mid-range hotels in Lhasa.

For more information on traveling to Tibet, Best Hotels in Lhasa or where to travel to in Tibet, contact us! We are happy to give you free advice based off of our many years of experience exploring Tibet. Contact us at: info@thelandofsnows.com

2025 Tibet Photography Workshop