Rwandans on social media have slammed Château le Marara, a hotel in Karongi District, following reports of poor service during a wedding held there.
Between July 3 and 5, the hotel hosted the wedding of Musemakweri (son of tycoon Hadji Mudaheranwa) and Uwera Bonnette, also known as “Bonnette Queen.”
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July 3 (Thursday): “White Party”
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July 4 (Friday): traditional introduction and wedding ceremony
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July 5 (Saturday): vow renewal—since their first ceremony during COVID‑19 had been very small.
Guests included celebrities like Isimbi Model and her husband Shaul Hatzir, Miss Rwanda 2020 Nishimwe Naomie and her siblings, Jeanine Noach, and international guests.
Despite the lavish event, attendees complained of terrible service, turning the once-picturesque hotel into an online joke.
The issue began when Uwera’s sibling posted on Instagram, describing the poor hospitality.
Josine Queen clarified that the post wasn’t meant to shame the hotel but to expose the bad service—starting with overcharged rooms:
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They were charged $220 per night, but later found online that the room rate was $200.
She says problems started during the “White Party”: long journeying guests were left hungry and thirsty, half the tables sat without water or drinks for over an hour, and staff seemed confused.
Service worsened during a power cut—without backup power:
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No manager appeared to manage the crisis.
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Staff supervisors vanished with the technician.
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Uwera’s sibling was blocked on the hotel’s WhatsApp when trying to follow up.
Guests had to find generators from other hotels. In the dark, Josine led servers to serve food and record orders manually. She discovered the kitchen couldn’t cook on gas without electricity.
Breakfast the next morning was a fiasco:
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$35 per person, but no breakfast, no juice—only insect-infested fruit.
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Milk was spoiled, causing vomiting.
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Guests were charged extra for bottled water and laundry.
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Rooms hadn’t been cleaned for three days; showers malfunctioned; towels never replaced.
Josine claims, “The wedding meals weren’t what we agreed on—they were small, inedible, so guests had to feed themselves.”
They had to hire 10 professionals and a planner from Kigali to salvage the celebrations.
Josine says they reported it to hotel management and were told to “wait… until now.”
