Econo Lodge — Hotel in Dar es-Salaam

We have stayed in this hotel when visiting Dar for 6 years now. Our reasons for picking this hotel are the following: location - it is in City Center for when we need to find supplies. We are very close to Karikoo and the businesses downtown; price for quality - although it has not been the cheapest, it is on the lower end of prices; SECURITY - this is invaluable. They have had rooms with a hasp/lock option on the outside. Bring your own padlock and lock up your room while you are gone. No housekeeping or anyone to take anything out of your room. No guests are allowed beyond the lobby. This is the NUMBER ONE reason we have stayed here. We can leave valuable in our room and have never had an issue. The staff know us and are very friendly to us. Breakfast is included and is one or two toasted pieces of white bread, jam, margarine, a little bit of fruit and tea or coffee. We bring lots to supplement this, as we like a big breakfast. Peanut butter, more fruit, and even juice are available not far from this hotel. CON: location - you must go down an alley that honestly is full of alley people that actually LIVE there. There is substance abuse going on there, and I am careful with all my possessions. Be very careful of your pockets and bags EVERYWHERE in this country. I have not had a problem in the alley, nor do I know anyone that has. But is sure looks creepy and has potential for issues. I don't think you would have any trouble in the alley itself, but you could be followed to another place and have issues. It is still our preferred place to stay BUT they are in the process of upgrading their rooms very much, which also means that the prices will be going up, and they may remove those wonderful locks. Rooms with A/C or Fan...

With a "nice space" to move around in the room where there was also "a good selection" of news & movie channels on the TV, it was a pretty comfortable stay at this place and where added to the comfort was the convenience of the "rooftop restaurant" where apart from the breakfast (which was a "nice omelette" one) was where I also ate most of my lunches & dinners during my stay (some varieties of biryani available).||||And yes, also of convenience "around this hotel" are a number of mini-groceries, a big wet-market-like place kind of semi-outdoor with open sides, a small streetside "fully indoor" restaurant (not directly around here but just at like one block away and yes which likely is not the only one in the vicinity of this place), the bus office for the Kilimanjaro Express bus (about a block away where I got on my bus to Arusha pretty early in the morning), and a hospital for the PCR test (about a 5-minute walk after first registering on the website of the Tanzania Ministry of Health and paying at the bank which is also nicely located at like across the street from...

Every time I come through Dar, which is quite often, I always choose to stay at Econolodge, and I love it. It is in the heart of a beautiful, authentic neighborhood surrounded by tons of amazing food options. Whether you want street Indian food, or a sit down restaurant, it's all there. The rooms are extremely comfortable in any season, hot or rainy. By far the best thing about Econo, is the staff. They remember you, they welcome you, they look out for you and they love guests. Despite what seems like a dark alley, it is in a safe location. Look past what you as a traveler may deem as 'sketchy' and notice that all of the people that are in this alley know each other, look out for each other, and are not trying to be harmful. There are plenty of security guards and taxi drivers around. I have been staying at Econo on and off for over 6 years and always look forward to it. I am a young,female,...