Budget
Camellia Hotel
It's actually two buildings: the big fancy one with business services, and next to it the relatively cheap Youth Hostel. Rooms are clean, staff is polite and most speak excellent English. A pleasant courtyard, free Wifi, laundry ¥15 and lots of information about what to do. The website has helpful instructions about how to get to/ from train and bus stations. Laos maintains its consulate in the main building on the ground floor from which you can obtain visas.
Kinn One Hotel
A fairly new hotel. No english spoken at reception. Very clean, very good service, and the rooms on the north side of the building have a view over the bird market. Internet free in rooms LAN connection, breakfast comes with room in the restaurant on the 9th floor, and there is a laundry service available.
The Hump Hostel
This place is a cafe, bar and hostel. It is on the third floor and has a rooftop garden where you can have drinks while overlooking Jinbi Square. The staff speaks some English. Great selection of western style plates. Have pool table, DVDs and free wi-fi.
Yuntel Inns (Kunming Xinying Branch)
Small rooms with free internet. No restaurant.
Midrange
'7 Days Inn
Very clean rooms with helpful, yet non-English speaking staff. Rooms with free internet. A free computer is also usually available in the lobby. The rooms come equipped with a satellite dish that covers channels from all over China only one or two English channels. Because it is located in the city, do not be surprised to find no view from your window. Think Best Western.
Spring City Star Hotel
Formerly known as Spring City Inn and before that Yunnan Machinery Hotel. The hotel is in a quite courtyard off busy Baita Road, close to a secondary school. Fantastic value, exceptionally clean twin rooms, nice staff, a/c, breakfast included. For laundry service go just around the corner to the Aoma Meili Pub ¥10/kg. No elevator in this four floor hotel. Free internet.
New Era Apartments
En-suite rooms with double bed, sofa, mediocre TV, good cable internet access, approximately 30 square metres of space, well lit, nicely decorated, uncramped, clean and comfortable. A fridge and microwave might be provided in the room. The apartments do not occupy all the floors of the building so the single, somewhat overworked, lift does not stop at all floors but will often keep you waiting. Also the set of lifts in the main lobby of each floor do not stop at all, presumably because they are used by some other hotel in the same building. The rooms overlooking the square below can be noisy 9AM-10PM if some event is in progress in the square. Nearby are various eastern and western-style restaurants and fast food outlets, a very badly organised Carrefore supermarket, various retail plazas and small stores.
Top end
Expo Garden Hotel
7km from the downtown area and taxis are not easy to find so probably not a good choice unless you need to be in the area. Modernised deluxe rooms face inwards towards an Atrium that is used for noisy events at weekends. Outside rooms are OK but have rock-hard mattresses. Helpful staff all keen to practice their English.
Grand Park Hotel
Top business and leisure hotel with splendid view of Green Lake. 300 rooms and some duplex 2 bedroom suites.
Green Lake Hotel
A modern, luxury hotel. The bar has a panoramic view of Green Lake Park, and private car tours of the area are also offered. 293 rooms.
Kunming Hotel
Jin Jiang Hotels' flagship hotel, the four-star Kunming Hotel features highly business-oriented, but very luxurious rooms and meeting areas.
Kai Wah Plaza International Hotel
A large, elegant hotel with glass lobby, panoramic views, and a shopping center next door. 555 rooms.
Zhen Zhuang Ying Binguan
A very beautiful hotel in a large garden, the Chinese president and other high-ranking officials stay here when in Yunnan, but not much English is spoken. 86 rooms.