The history of the property is very interesting. The interior and furniture are beautiful.

A magical, historical hotel. We felt privileged to stay there. All staff were wonderful as was the food and rooftop dining experience. A great spot to walk around and discover Stone Town.

Breakfast was good!

Expert and attentive staff. Beautiful historic building. Roof top restaurant set menu was divine experience at sunset.

My favorite hotel in Zanzibar, By far

I was completely blown away by this charming, one-of-a-kind hotel in Stone Town that far exceeded its 2-star rating in every possible way. What was meant to be a simple stay turned into one of the most memorable experiences of our trip. The hotel is not just a place to sleep—it’s a piece of history. Converted from a monument once owned by the British, tied to the abolition of slavery, it now stands as a semi-attached three-building hotel filled with character and soul. The architecture is absolutely captivating, full of old-world charm with a touch of Zanzibar magic. Our room was magnificent, spacious, and unlike anything you’d find in today’s trendy, cookie-cutter hotels. The bathroom, too, had its own distinct style—refreshingly unique and reflective of the local design rather than the sterile sameness of modern chains. Every corner of the hotel is decorated with thoughtful, culturally rich details that give it life and authenticity. The staff? Incredible. Truly some of the warmest, most helpful people we’ve encountered. They went above and beyond, not only in their hospitality but in arranging tours for us at very reasonable prices—we even cross-checked them online and found their rates to be more than fair. And then there’s the rooftop restaurant. Hands down one of the best places to eat in Stone Town, and for good reason. Overall, this hotel may only be rated two stars, but it delivered a five-star experience from start to finish. 10/10 would recommend.

Quaint historic building right in stone town. Staff is great a dinner at the rooftop is really nice.

The hotel is located in Stone town. There is significant noise from call to prayers. The room is large and furnished with period furniture. The stairs are high. There is no elevator and the hotel staff is helpful in taking the luggage up the stairs. The breakfast is served from the top terrace of the hotel which has a nice view of the ocean. However the quality of the food could be significantly improved (plate of fruit, mediocre egg - avoid the omelette, two small triangles of wheat bread) juice, tea/French press coffee. The water in the faucets is not potable. On the second day we asked for an additional bottle of water twice and it was never delivered. The staff is very friendly. There were fresh flowers in the room.

Stayed there in 1994, so almost exactly 30 years ago. Same charm, but a little more run down. Our sense was that it showed the consequence of not having a strong manager on site. Little things were a bit amiss and staff could probably use some training in customer relations appropriate to a place with Emerson's storied history and its cost

Beautifully unique rooms. Super friendly and kind staff. Definitely recommend the dinner on the rooftop. Everything was amazing!

Beautiful hotel and the staff were friendly and helpful. Went in with high expectations and this stay exceeded them all!

A beautiful hotel with lovely service! The only issue is it can be quite loud at night but definitely would stay again if back in

I would recommend for a couple. The service and rooms are spectacular. Location is in the center on Stone Town and be sure to catch the sunset from the roof with a drink.

Exceptional hotel with very personal service. The room was beautiful, clean, well appointed with attention to detail. I loved the locally handmade soaps and towels! The rooftop restaurant was amazing!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Emerson on Hurumzi. The rooms are fun and lavishly decorated, which added a unique and memorable component to the stay. The hotel also has excellent dining options such as a traditional tea-ceremony at the rooftop teahouse, and sunset dinner and cocktails at the rooftop restaurant. We would recommend Emerson on Hurumzi to anyone visiting Stone Town, and would happily stay there again!

Very old and well maintained hotel. Great rooms with high ceiling. Staff amazing and welcoming. Great breakfast with fast serving.

Great hotel, great service and historic nice rooms. We visited in the low season while there was less tourists. The hotel seemed to be fully staffed and service levels were excellent

Perfekt beliggenhet og veldig sjarmerende hotell. God frokost og store rom. God service og hyggelig personale. En nydelig takterrasse som serverer lunsj og middag (bør forhåndsbestilles). Fantastisk utsikt, og sørg for å få med deg solnedgangen fra dette utsiktspunktet. Det er ikke heis, så vær forberedt på litt trappegåing. Ligger midt i sentrum, og vi ville valgt dette hotellet igjen. Anbefales!!

Lovely room, cool hotel, great staff!!!

Hotel with a unique, cool interior. Missing a safe and refrigerator in the room. There was a problem with the water supply in the shower, the water ran out in the middle of the shower. Experienced the same with the faucet in the sink. Also felt there was a bit of visibility into the shower area from the other buildings around.