New Dodoma Hotel — Hotel in Dodoma

This historic hotel is right across from the Dodoma Train Station and was originally one of the chain of railroad hotels in Tanzania. It was for a time in shambles and then renovated sometime in the 1990s. The ambiance of old colonial times is still there. However, it is mosquito central. The swimming pool is not maintained and is the color of pea soup. The central courtyard has an unused bar pool which now only serves the purpose of a mosquito breeding ground. There are two restaurants. The main hotel restaurant called 'Italian' is nothing but Italian. It serves the basic Tanzania foods. There is also an attached Chinese restaurant with Chinese cooks. The food is good but the service is horrible. It says no smoking but that doesn't stop the local smokers. The rooms have anemic AC units and are full of mosquitoes. They do spray the rooms each evening and the mosquito nets are good. They have an airport shuttle but charge $15 for an airport run. You can hire a local taxi for $4 for the same run. There is free WiFi but works well only in the courtyard--spotty in the rooms. I worked in Dodoma 20 years ago and came back here for memory...

I have stayed here for two month-long visits. The hotel is very pleasant with a peaceful courtyard surrounded with rooms on three floors. There is the hotel restaurant that does good curries, and a Chinese restaurant that has a good selection of dishes. The staff are generally pleasant with some being excellent and they make you welcome. There is a small coffee shop at the front of the hotel too. There is a gym with several exercise machines and aerobics classes, if you feel like exercise, and a pool that I have not tried but looks well kept. Rooms vary in size but all have mosquito nets, desk, ceiling fans and TV with satellite channels. If you pay more you get a fridge and air conditioning. Staff spray the rooms each evening. Occasionally you will get disturbed in the night when trains pull in to the station over the road and hoot loudly for...

To the Owners: After our meal on the evening of January 16th, 2024, we were very surprised by the bill. It appeared to be rather high and it didn't list the individual items that we had ordered; only the sum. After reviewing the menu with the waiter, he made various claims to demonstrate the cost, like saying that ugali was served separately and that it was 6000 each. By the end, even with suspicious claims, we were still overcharged by 4000. The waiter also refused to provide an itemized bill. Frankly, it felt like we were being hustled.

To Future Patrons: The meals didn't come out correctly, and it took over one hour for us to receive our food. While this is common in Tanzania, we didn't expect it here. And certainly not for the price...