Zimbo Golden Hotel, Dar Es Salaam — Hotel in Dar es-Salaam

WARNING: Stay away from this place. We organised a workshop at thie hotel with a bill that was over 5 000 000 Tanzanian shillings.. At the last minute they increased this bill by 3 000 000 and added a 18% VAT which should be incorporated in the cost. They they would not let me leave the hotel, with their guard assaulting me. Basically, I want to report Illegal behaviour by the management of the hotel: attempted to scam our organisation and our staff, avoid their tax obligations in demanding we pay in cash and refusing to provide correct bank information for an online transfer, and held me hostage, assaulted them, and confiscated my belongings in order to extort a considerable cash amount.

Please never stay in this place if you don't want to be assaulted and extorted for money.

REPLY TO OWNER; Just read the response from the owner. This is a complete lie. They wanted to add 18% VAT, even though it should be included, for which we checked with teh VAT office. We have been trying to contact police in regards to the matter. I came down to reception an hour before I needed to leave for the airport to settle matters. If you accost me the night before and add 3 000 000 to the bill and in addition an 18% VAT, I think that is unreasonable. Its also known as tax evasion as the receipts you show clearly show that VAT is included in the fee. In regards to assault I think the people on the street saw something different. We paid the amount they said we owed, but they gave us the wrong bank account information, since they wanted it all in tax to evade tax. We have the bank transfer to prove it. Please stop lying. It is unacceptable behavour and we have reported it to...

Coming from Tanga I tried finding one of the best rated hotels in the area and found this one. Clearly these people have had a way to tamper with the system or the service and amenities must have clearly been going downhill in the last few months. Otherwise, I can't understand how they managed to get a rating of 4+ stars. I was given a room with a dead shower, a door not closing and a barely even working AC. Upon complaining to the reception, they sent someone up to check and he told me "we will give you another room tomorrow" I told him I was just staying for one night and he said "sorry this was the last room available" meaning I was stuck with this one for the night. Still can't fathom why they would hand out the keys to a room they know for sure is not up to standards. The menu at the restaurant is clearly just for show, I picked 3 different things to then be told 10mn later that they weren't available. Had to finally pick whatever the waitress told me I could get and this fried rice I was served was definitely one if the worst ones I was ever served. The neighborhood looks shady AF. I'm just giving it 2 stars, instead of the one they deserve, because if the staff member who cared enough to speak Swahili to the cab driver for me and carry...

I'm not one to write reviews often, but this stay was such a mess that I feel I owe it to other people to give them a warning. The Wi-Fi in the rooms does not work - only in the communal areas, which ruins the whole point. If you need to do any work, need to stream, or even if you just want to check emails in your room, you can forget it. Zero signal.

The bathroom doors are another disaster of this place. Unless you literally slam the doors, they will not shut. If you like waking up at 2 a.m. to hear doors slamming shut across the floor, this is the place for you. Otherwise, it's a full blown nightmare to get any real sleep.

The phones in the room do not work or they are simply there as a prop next to the bed. If you want to call reception or have any type of emergency, you're out of luck.

Overall, this place has a feels of unfinished, unprofessional, and unbothered. This was easily one of the most frustrating hotels I've ever experienced. Do yourself a favour and stay...