Can the hotel use someone else’s ID card to check in?

No, because hotel check-in registration requires real-name registration, and registration with someone else’s ID card will generally be rejected by the hotel front desk.

Furthermore, according to Article 17, Paragraph 1, of the Resident Identity Card Law of the People's Republic of China: Anyone who impersonates another person's resident identity card or uses a fraudulently obtained resident identity card shall be prosecuted by the public security organs. A fine of not less than 200 yuan but not more than 1,000 yuan may be imposed, or a person may be detained for not more than ten days. So it’s best not to impersonate someone else’s ID card.