Dar Al Bayan Hotel

I spent 9 days here. Masha Allah, it’s one of the best hotels near Haram. The building has 18 floors, and Haram is a 10-minute walk away.

I only booked one night through Expedia, and the photos were misleading. The hotel was in really poor condition, from the lobby and elevators to the room. The wall color was awful, and the carpet was so dirty I couldn’t take my shoes off. I wouldn’t stay here even for free. There was no phone in the room to call reception, so I had to go downstairs to ask for towels. They said they’d send some, but nobody came. The room didn’t have towels, and its towel bar was broken. In the bathroom, there was a water wiper, and the standing shower was right beside the toilet. The AC barely worked, so the room was 24 Celsius.

The room was spacious and basically clean, and the location made things easy. HaramSharif was close, with takeaway places just around the corner on the right. We could bring food back and eat on the mezenin floor, which was handy. There was also a tea shop in the foyer, and the young man working there was lovely and helpful. The receptionist was helpful too and gave us information when we needed it. The two young lads on the cleaning team were always helpful as well. I’d stay here again, since the rooms were large and food was available nearby. The bathroom drain wasn’t quite right, and it caused a smell.

The reception experience was the worst part. Ahmed Al-Zubeir was especially rude and unprofessional, and the receptionist would often ignore guests while chatting with friends. Staff didn’t seem to care about customer satisfaction, and the manager seemed incompetent. I’ve met many respectful Sudanese people, so Ahmed’s behavior surprised me. Rooms only got cleaned after I asked several times. The AC didn’t work properly, the water heater was broken and dirty, and there was no ventilation. This was the worst hotel experience I’ve had.