Is holiday/business accommodation not something Chinese want to pay for?

[mr tin]

On a recent business trip, I noticed that the Chinese kept on switching rooms so that they could share one room ie the allocated double room given to single travellers. They were doing this in order that some of their Chinese business acquaintance could have a room for free. Obviously in Europe this is not normal behaviour. You cannot ask a colleague to share a room with you, just so that business acquaintance x can attend the meeting the next day.I have noticed that in China it appears to be normal to more or less barge your way in on friends and stay there for more than just a couple of days. Can anyone explain whether this is culturally acceptable in China?