Located near Zanzibar Ferry Terminal, Rainbow Hotel offers a vibrant atmosphere with its rooftop terrace and Mirch Masala restaurant serving Indian cuisine. Unwind in the comfort of your room with free in-room WiFi or explore the surrounding area after enjoying concierge services and dry cleaning/laundry services.
At Rainbow Hotel, you can look forward to a rooftop terrace, dry cleaning/laundry services, and a business center. The on-site Indian cuisine restaurant, Mirch Masala, offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests can connect to free in-room WiFi.
You'll also find perks like:
Continental breakfast (surcharge), a roundtrip airport shuttle (surcharge), and a reception hall
Barbecue grills, an elevator, and tour/ticket assistance
A 24-hour front desk, concierge services, and free newspapers
Room features
All 75 rooms have comforts such as 24-hour room service and laptop-friendly workspaces, as well as perks like free WiFi and air conditioning.
Other conveniences in all rooms include:
Bathrooms with rainfall showers and free toiletries
Check-in start time: noon; Check-in end time: 7:00 PM
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18
Check-out
Check-out before 11 AM
Special check-in instructions
This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
If you are planning to arrive after noon please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools
Access methods
Staffed front desk
Pets
No pets or service animals allowed
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
1 child, up to the age of 7 years, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Cribs (infant beds) are not available
Property payment types
Important information
Fees
You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:
A tax is imposed by the city: USD 1.50 per person, per night
We have included all charges provided to us by the property.
Optional extras
Fee for continental breakfast: approximately USD 5 for adults and USD 5 for children
Airport shuttle fee: USD 25.00 per vehicle (one way)
Housekeeping is available for an additional fee
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
We should mention
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property
Frequently asked questions
Is Rainbow Hotel pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
How much does it cost to stay at Rainbow Hotel?
As of May 23, 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Rainbow Hotel on May 25, 2026 start from ₩63,657, excluding taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking?
Limited spots are available. There is free parking nearby.
What time is check-in at Rainbow Hotel?
Check-in start time: noon; Check-in end time: 7:00 PM. Late check-in is available during limited hours.
What time is check-out at Rainbow Hotel?
Check-out is at 11 AM.
Does Rainbow Hotel provide a shuttle to the airport?
Yes, there's an airport shuttle that runs on request. A fee of USD 25.00 per vehicle applies.
Where is Rainbow Hotel located?
Located in Dar es Salaam City Center, this hotel is within a 5-minute walk of Le Grande Casino and St Joseph's Cathedral. Zanzibar Ferry Terminal and Atiman House are also within 10 minutes. Dar Es Salaam Central Station is 6 minutes by foot.
Can I cancel my reservation for free and receive a full refund?
Yes, this property offers free cancellation on select room rates, because flexibility matters! Please refer to the property cancellation policy on our site for more details about any exclusions or requirements.
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Reviews
Reviews
7.2
Good
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.More informationOpens in a new window
A nice hotel, the staff is very friendly and helpful around the clock. Clean rooms and good service. Tasty breakfast and a good selection of fresh food in the restaurant. The location is excellent (downtown, close to bus stop, many shops and restaurants nearby) but still quiet enough at night. I stayed for two weeks and would definitely come again.
Good experience.. staff was peasant and very helpful. Room was clean and comfortable. Good view of the street below. Good place for airport transit overnight stay. I will use again.
My body itches when I am in bed. No folds in the sheets = does that mean they haven't been changed for a long time?
After the itching, I looked at the reviews and found many hygiene-related reviews. This is true, e.g. stains on towels. The location is great, close to the ferry terminal, but there is room for improvement in terms of hygiene. The building is old, but I understand that they are trying to improve it.
Do they cut corners in areas that are not visible?
Safe & Convenient downtown location for travel to Arusha and Zanzibar.
Within walking distance of amenities.
Very kind and accommodating manager & staff.
Decent hotel as expected from Lonely Planets description. Friendly staff, rooms clean and basic. You have a fan and AC which is a plus. Hot water was quite reliable. Standard good breakfast.
The stay was characterised by a nice welcome at the reception. The room is clean but aircon, TV and water heater were not working. The room was extra hot and no bottle of water is offered, neither coffee/tea making utensils. What affected me most are the mosquitoes, I couldn't sleep. While the infrastructure is good, management is doing little to keep the standard. The breakfast is generally not good for a 3 star hotel.
No air conditioning in the main area of the hotel. Its more like a hostel than a hotel and that too of 1 star. Bed sheets were dirty n had hair in them. Floor was dusty, towels were brown from being worn out. The windows are not noise canceling so you hear all the noise from the street. There were huge cobwebs in most corners of the room. The tv is 17 inches and all the furniture is way too worn out to be even used. Stay as far away from this place as possible.
As fotos não mostram a realidade. O quarto é pequeno, com vista para o prédio visinho, que está a 2m da janela. O chuveiro está entupido. A limpeza deixa a desejar em todos os ambientes do hotel.
Vétusté à souhait, salle de bain a la limite de l’insalubrité. Pas d’eau chaude.
Petit déjeuné très basique et pas appétissant.
Seul point positif : nous sommes arrivés à 8h le jour du check in et nous avons eu directement accès à notre chambre. Nous remercions l’hôtel pour ce geste.
Tout s'est bien passé, hôtel situé en plein milieu de commerces et près du ferry.
Nous avions prevenu que nous serion parties avant le petit déjeuner et à notre depart l'agent de sécurité nous donne un sac du petit déjeuner à emporter, c'était adorable :)
Juste pas d'eau chaude !!
L'établissement n'offre pas une prestation convenable de la propreté. La salle de bain n'était pas propre. La vaisselle était repoussante et la qualité des repas et petits déjeuners n'était pas au rendez-vous.
LAURENT
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2022
Verified
6/10 Okay
Amanda L.
Jan 13, 2022
Dorm style rooms
I wanted to move to another hotel bc it is a dorm shared room hotel. Since no one was there with COVID, the owner accommodated me to my own room. It is basic and inexpensive for a night transit.
Our stay in the Executive 2 bedroom apartment at Rainbow hotel was absolutely TERRIBLE . It was filthy dirty with bad odor and dust all over the place. The fridge had mold and very smelly. The concierge attendant who accompanied us upstairs was in shock and quickly went to get a broom to sweep the floor and dust off the tables . The windows weren’t able to open for fresh air. There were no toilet paper. The bedsheets were dirty and smelly. There were stains all over the walls. It was really disappointing. The AC weren’t working the front desk lady had to come up with the remote to turn them on. Thank god We only stayed there for one night since we were in transit after a long road trip from Mombasa Kenya. I would NOT recommend this hotel to anyone.
AWESOME PLACE TO STAY AT A BARGAIN PRICE
I stayed here 5 different times in on my five-week holiday to Tanzania, each time in a different room. All of them were clean and well kept, the wi-fi worked great and the hot water was better than even the more expensive places I’ve stayed at.
Located within easy walking distance to the Zanzibar Ferry, Kivukoni BRT Bus Terminal and three of the best restaurants for barbequed chicken in all of Tanzania.
But the best thing about the Rainbow Hotel is the Service. The manager was great for information and when he didn’t have the answers, he would find out for me. He set up my Covid test then had one of his employee’s walk me to the three different places I needed to go to have the sample taken. Thank You Mahmedhasim I would not have been able to get it done before my flight without your help!