Accommodation Scams in Algiers

Overpriced Accommodation Booking Scam

With limited tourist-grade accommodation options in Algiers, individuals near the airport and bus terminals offer to assist tourists in finding a hotel, claiming that "everything is full" or that the tourist's pre-booked hotel has "closed." They then transport the traveler to an affiliated guesthouse charging three to five times the normal rate, sometimes DZD 15,000–25,000 per night for a room worth DZD 4,000–6,000. The original hotel is typically open and had the booking all along.