Holiday Inn Dar Es Salaam City Centre by IHG — Hotel in Dar es-Salaam

The Holiday Inn Dar Es Salaam is well located in the middle of the city and within walking distance to the Zanzibar Ferry terminal. However, the service and amenities at the property fail to do justice to its location and brand identity.

There were numerous issues with our stay, mostly minor but making up a larger problem when taken together. To begin with, despite having booked and re-confirmed an airport pickup, no car showed up at the airport. To add insult to injury, the hotel staff then insisted that we had failed to book the pickup, despite us having confirmation emails regarding the pickup from the hotel, which were even copied to the General Manager personally.

On our first evening, the electricity in the building failed and we were left in darkness for almost 40 minutes. No apologies or explanations were provided.

The breakfast quality was quite good, but the service there was also poor. First, no sugar was provided with the tea/coffee and it took having to ask multiple servers before it was finally delivered. When we asked for refills, we were constantly told that it was "coming soon" but after 15 minutes we could wait no longer and had to leave without any.

The lobby staff were friendly and helpful, but largely inefficient as well. On multiple occasions, I had to stand waiting at the desk while staff completed some other paperwork or tapped away at a computer before serving me. Finding the bell captain or porter was also not easy as he was rarely at his desk but instead standing in some other corner. Even the security guard who was supposed to patrol the hotel driveway was more often found in the air-conditioned lobby than at his duty post outside.

On our return trip, we were upgraded to an Executive Room due to my Priority Club status which was very comfortable and nicely appointed. However, the housekeeping standards here were also poor. There was only a quarter roll of toilet paper in the bathroom and no spare roll as is customary in international standard hotels. Also, while taking a shower before leaving, the plastic shower head snapped off and fell on the floor, presumably unable to handle the water pressure. I then had to finish my shower using what was essentially a hose pipe.

That said, there were also positives about the property. The rooms were furnished comfortably with plenty of power points, large screen TVs with satellite channels and complimentary wifi internet throughout the building. The Executive Lounge was quite nice and had computers/printers available for use. Food in both the Gaucho restaurant downstairs and the Al Dar rooftop restaurant was of good quality. The staff were also very friendly, although not very efficient.

Overall, the property and staff need a very serious shakeup in order to live up to the Holiday Inn brand standards. At this time, it is delivering well below the...

We stayed at this hotel for four days. It is located near the canal/sea. Near is a post office which sells postcards. Also is a liquor shop with an okay selection of spirits and wines about two blocks away. Also there is a Vodacom office about 4 minute walk where you can get a SIM card and a mobile package fast and cheap. Take your passport and cash no credit cards.

The hotel includes a rooftop bar/lounge/restaurant with 360 degree view. There is also live music or a DJ nightly. There is another restaurant below the rooftop. The lobby has another restaurant where breakfast is available.

Salium is the person in charge of the egg station. He was super kind and prepared my eggs as I requested. THANK YOU!!!

The food in the hotel is good.

The hotel has a small pool and unfortunately a jacuzzi that was not working. There is also a spa inside the hotel with various treatments.

Our room was an executive room. It was spacious with a refrigerator, desk table, night tables, and a shower. More than enough room for two. Plus ocean view.

We had access to the Executive Lounge. It is a large space with some snacks and nonalcoholic beverages available.

I would like to acknowledge some individuals.

One is Grace in the Executive Lounge. She was kind, attentive, and accommodating. THANK YOU!!

Alex is a waitstaff who was very professional, friendly, and went that extra mile! THANK YOU!!!

Jackson and Rashid were both very kind and helpful. THANK YOU!!

Monica was the masseur in the hotel spa. She was fantastic. I had the aroma oil massage. It was sooo good! THANK YOU!!!

Joven Mirabete is the Food and Beverage Manager was my angel sent from heaven. When u most needed someone to help me in a foreign country with no one willing or able to help he was THERE!

I can’t overemphasis how much he helped me in a situation of great despair for me.

Joven is not only extremely professional he is a LOVING HUMAN BEING who actually CARES!

I hope that his career skyrockets and if any IHG representative or any other employer needs to speak with me please contact me.

Joven THANK YOU SO MUCH MY...

I am a gold Ambassador member, and when I checked in, at no point was this status recognised or acknowledged. When I mention it a check in, the response was "so?"

I then asked if my guaranteed upgrade was actioned the check person, said "what ? .... yes yes your room is whatever"

The truth was the room I was allocated was the room that I booked, no upgrade.

The next morning my colleagues and I went to breakfast, and it was a shambles! The food was overcooked, and looked disgusting, the pasties were stale, and as for the staff - they all looked like they couldn't be bothered! If you want a hot drink, you have to wait for a person on a trolley to come round, and this often takes 30 mins ...its an absolute joke.

But this is not the worst thing! The following afternoon, we arrived back early from our meetings with some guests and went up to the 1st floor bar area. When we arrive their were a few families and other guests. We sat down and I ordered some drinks, as we sat down and began to chat, music came on. Apart from being a bit too loud, this was ok, but then a tirade of extremely offences lyrics, including the 'F' word and the 'N' word are constantly repeated over and over again. My colleagues and some other guests looked up in disbelief and disgust, indeed a number of people left the bar. I was personally very offended! When I asked the barman to turn the music down, the response was not what I expected. he tutted and ignored me. I had to ask them again, and in fairness they did turn it down.

I was amazed that in any public place, this type of music would be played, I found it extremely offensive.

I have instructed my company never to use this hotel again, and it has left questioning whether I will ever use IHG hotels again. had it not been for an exemplary first class experience at the Intercontinental in Nairobi - I would never use IHG again.

Very very disappointed, and it was obvious that the staff did not care. When I asked to speak to the manager/duty manager at check out - I...