Lemala Hamerkop House — Hotel in Arusha

Forced to Donate $1,100 to Lemala

I previously stayed in the Kilimanjaro Golf and Wildlife Estate and really liked the area, especially the carefully selected Siringit Villa, where everything was simple and elegant, and the service was impeccable. This time, with two kids in tow, I chose the same area again, where we could play golf and go horseback riding. Wanting to try something new, I booked the Hamerkop House under the Lemala brand, which looked to meet the hotel standards from the photos.

Upon arriving at the hotel, I was informed that there were only three guests that day: Myself with my two small children. All the male staff gathered around; one introduced himself as my butler, another showed me the public areas, and one asked if I had two pieces of luggage. These tasks could have been handled by one person.

When I entered the room, the sheets were so wrinkled that I thought I would have to ask for a replacement, and the slippers were placed directly on the bed. The towels in the bathroom felt rough and worn, resembling a rag I would use to clean toilets at home. The butler calmly introduced the room, seemingly unaware of my concerns about the situation. After the staff placed my luggage down, one of them lingered by my side, so I immediately handed him two dollars, and he happily left.

After dropping off my luggage, I went to the restaurant to eat, where the fabric dining chairs were stained. After forcing myself to sit down, Josia, the staff who helped with my luggage, came over to my 8-year-old daughter, after he set down a plate, and then he made contact with her shoulder and face using his hip, followed by petting her head with his large hands, as if he were petting a cat or dog. All the staff knew that my daughter was feeling very unwell, suffering from motion sickness, as I had loudly announced it upon our arrival.

Next, my daughter refused to eat anything, and the chef came over, placing his hands on my shoulders to ask about the food, then approached my daughter, caring about her while rubbing her head.

I’ve stayed in hotels around the world, and this was the first time I felt so uncomfortable and offended. It was shocking to see male staff behaving inappropriately towards my daughter, as if they were my husband or my kid’s father. Who would dare to treat Middle Eastern female guests this way? Can Chinese female guests be subject to such casual, unwanted physical contact? In Southeast Asia, even children's heads are not touched without permission—does that not apply to Chinese children?

I immediately filed a complaint with the agent, took photos of the bed and chairs, and requested to change hotels. I couldn't stay here for even a moment longer and thought it was generous of me to offer that they only refund me for one night.

I left the hotel thinking I had handled the situation with dignity, believing my goodwill as a Chinese guest would be beneficial and enlightening for the Lemala hotel team.

The final outcome involved James Haigh, the sales director from the group, who had previously worked at Singita in South Africa for over three years. He arrogantly ignored my experience and pretended to rearrange the bed, sarcastically mentioning that the Legendary Lodge I switched to was older than their hotel. The key point is that I went directly from Singita Sasakwa to Hamerkop House. I even doubted that he had really worked at Singita; does he know what quality means? He studied in the UK; hasn’t he ever stayed at or heard of The Connaught or Claridge's? Where has the British gentlemanly etiquette gone? The bellboy at the Cheval Blanc Paris helped me get out of the car by bending his forearm instead of touching me. What happened to the basic respect for women?

Yes, the Hamerkop Hotel's rates are quite cheap; I made a poor choice opting without realizing that the basic standards and qualities of the hotel were lacking.

In the end, not only did they refuse a refund, but after receiving my email response, they disappeared, without...

We stayed here the first night of our honeymoon in June 2024. It was the perfect little spot to relax after our long haul flight. When we stayed we felt like we were the only guests there. We practically had the house and the staff to ourselves. The service is amazing, the food was incredible, the chef was so lovely and came to talk us after lunch and dinner (which were both 3 amazing courses!). The rooms are immaculate and I would have stayed longer. There is activities to do as you're next to a golf course, and horse riding options too. We were just happy going for a little walk on the golf course and relaxing by the pool. our Lemala/Grumetti driver picked us up and drove us to Ngorongoro crater and for the 9 days we were with him we felt safe and so lucky to have had Ali as a driver for the trip. He showed us everything we wanted and more. I'd love to return again, magical place. Thank you Lemala Hamerkop house! Amelia...

Hamerkop House By Lemala is first-class and the perfect way to start or end your Tanzanian adventure. We arrived late at night and were welcomed with open arms by Team Lemala. They took us to our rooms and explained everything we needed to know about Hamerkop. Chef Msuli insisted on preparing us a three-course meal even though it was well past dinner time and I am so glad he did. The food and service were fantastic. The next day, breakfast was served by the pool, and birds sang in the background. We took a guided walk around the golf and wildlife estate to relax. Then we were off to more of the fantastic Lemala properties the following day. Thank you to everyone at Hamerkop. We look at our pictures and think of you often!

tara,...