Accommodation Scams in Zanzibar

Guesthouse Switch on Arrival

Tourists who book budget guesthouses and small hotels in Stone Town — especially through informal booking channels or local agents — sometimes arrive to find their reserved room unavailable. The guesthouse owner or a "helpful" stranger at the ferry port then offers to take them to an alternative property that turns out to be lower quality and higher priced. The original property may be complicit, having oversold rooms intentionally to generate commission from partner guesthouses.