One of the big changes experienced by travellers in China in recent years has been the improvement in hotel standards at the budget end of the market. A number of new chains have sprung up, some oriented towrds the booming domestic tourism industry and some more focused on local business travel.

Some of these chains are listed below.

Home Inn: One of the longest established chains. Very variable quality due to franchising, but the better ones are good value.
http://www.homeinns.com/

Hanting: They have different levels (inns, hotel, express). I've found them to be pretty good. More of a business feel than the Home Inn. The Hotel brand has some quite nice rooms.
http://hantinghotels.com/

Green Tree Inns: Only stayed in one but wasn't impressed. They are probably OK overall, but I put it on a par with Home Inn.
http://www.998.com

Ibis: This is a European chain. Very consistent standards, and the rooms are quite good for the price, especially outside Beijing, but the obvious cost control (paper cups in room, no free bottled water, utilitarian pre-fab bathroom) mean you probably won't love them.
http://www.ibishotel.com/hotel-director ... -hotel.htm

Orange Hotel: This is my favourite chain. A bit more style than the others, and with little pluses like free wifi as well as LAN connection, and complimentary fruit. A bit of inconsistency, however.
http://www.orangehotel.com.cn

Jinjiang Inns: Extensive chain of business oriented budget hotels. They get mixed reviews, but seem to be better regarded than Home Inn and similar to the cheaper Hanting hotels. Some very good prices.
http://www.jinjianginns.com/en/Default.aspx

Another one is motel168: Again, this gets mixed reviews, but they have some good city centre locations (in Jinan and Tianjin, for example).
http://www.motel168.com/

Super 8 and 7Days are another two that have their fans.
http://www.super8.com.cn/en/
http://www.7daysinn.cn/


Overall, they are all decent value compared to the options available ten years ago, they all offer decent enough rooms (with the odd Home Inn exception), and you get a free internet connection.