Golden Tulip Zanzibar Airport — Hotel in Unguja

Worst ever hotel experience in my travel experience. Seems like a Great option for an airport hotel until you experience it full circle. Staff are friendly and polite but NOT professional. I repeat...Worst ever hotel experience in my travel experience! Restaurant area was full of houseflies. This was very evident that general hygiene is a BIG issue. Every vacant table in the restaurant was swarmed with at least 5 houseflies. YES I COUNTED! Because this is part of what I do for a career! HOTEL INSPECTIONS! Does not offer complimentary airport transfers. I spoke to both reservations personnel at the new and old wing (Alan aka Big Boss and William) to confirm my airport transfer and pick up time for 2:50am. I confirmed that I will be down at 245am.... Also verified box breakfast at 245am when at check out. Night audit staff was nowhere to be found at 2:40am when I came to the front desk. I said hello several times for a good minute yet no answer. Allowing a few minutes to pass thinking he could be in the washroom...I asked the security guy outside who also checked everywhere but no sign of him. After a good 7 minutes the chef walks in from the kitchen to wake him up from one of the restaurant booths in front of the reception area. All this unprofessionalism to find out that my airport transfer was not even booked or confirmed when I asked about my scheduled transfer which was by the way confirmed the day before at check in. He was confused and advised me to just wait and if no one shows up he will call. WHAT UTTER NONSENSE! Common sense would have the transfer there at least 2-3 minutes to load my luggage. It took another 5 to 10 minutes to get me another ride. They charge $10 just to literally transfer you next door to the airport. It's RIDICULOUS! My company paid this with my room and yet was told to pay again when I was dropped off. Clearly this was a scam because when I asked for a receipt from the driver, he could not produce one. He told me there was no paper in the machine. When I insisted on one as proof of payment he was fumbling and presented me with a blank invoice receipt from some other person. I then asked why it is not filled with the amount paid, date of transaction, his name and signature. The rest is history! I am a well traveled African Canadian who is very familiar with such budious shenanigans. It was very evident to me that this was a dishonest transaction. Very disappointing and dishonest experience for my last memory of Zanzibar. As 18 year travel industry professional and veteran with a team of at least 60 people who books at thousands of room nights in Zanzibar, I can confirm that my team and I will definitely NOT be booking this Golden Tulip EVER again. Rest assured I will be sharing this experience with other industry at every...

The worst staff ever. I made a tea in my room with the electronic kettle in the room and i had severe stomach ache i checked the electronic kettle it was full of bubbles so i smelled it and i'm 100% sure it's dish detergent. I called reception told him i have stomachache after using your tea flask he only repeated "so do you wanna change to another flask" he didn't say sorry until i told him "no i'm calling you to complain, do you have any pills" he said we don't have any medicine in the hotel only thing we can offer is ginger tea. I told him it's not a normal abdominal pain, it's because I ate dish detergent you know normally people in this situation go to hospital immediately. He didn't take it seriously he repeated "no im sure ginger tea is good for any stomach pain " so i told him ok i will have it. Because if i reject it means I rejected their offer which looks like i'm not willing to be better. In case later i get worse. So another staff came to bring tea for me, i explained same thing but this time i gave him the flask and showed him the bubbles and told him to smell it. He didn't smell it he just said "ok so you wanna change to another one? I will check tomorrow" excuse me.... are they for real. I already told him my check out is tomorrow and what is the point of exchanging to another flask the reason i called you is because i am sick. Not to drink something else again. The hotel should've started the conversation with apologising first, and this is my first time staying a 4 stars hotel without first aid kit, normally any hotel has plaster, cream for minor cuts, pain killer, stomach pain. And hotel should've provided for me doctor by calling from outside, they didn't offer me any of these, and i didn't drink the ginger tea they brought for me because i can't trust what's inside anymore after drinking dish detergent.

Also the breakfast should be better.... people complain a lot. I only eat egg and soup from breakfast. Cause other foods dont look fresh.

Hence you will be suffering sleeping because of the airplanes taking off and landing noises...

Sometimes the hotel electricity goes off

The refrigerator in the room is on and i put at high level but my foods...

Used two hours from I entered the hotel to I was in my room. Room prepaid on the hotel website but they could not find my booking. I showed my passport, screenshot from hotels own website with their own booking reference but “I can’t find your reservation and we are fully booked” was the message a received from the reception several times.

After an about an hour, I get the idea to log into my account on their hotel website (using the information I provided the reception from arrival). After I do this, they seem to accept my booking. The booking was prepaid, but they demand proof of payment. To be clear, it clearly says “xxxUSD paid online” (as I’ve done) on their website but that is apparently not sufficient… no apologies

Anyway, after 1,5 hour I get a room. However, in the room I was given there were other people. Now I have to wait another 20 minutes for a new room. No apologies…

I didn’t plan to use 2 hours for check in so I have to change my plans for the day and eat in the restaurant which was empty. I had to wait 1 hour for a pizza only to get a meat lover pizza when I ordered vegetarian one. Had to wait another 20 for the next attempt, which is the worst pizza I’ve had in many years. Burnt on top and undercooked soggy premade bottom.

Room was nice and location was good. But yeah, it does not help when the service and efficiency is...