KATHMANDU, Oct 26: The government expressed concerns over the closure of Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, a five-star hotel which sustained severe damages during the Gen Z movement on September 9.
Following the concern raised by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Finance Minister Rameshwor Khanal held talks with the Hyatt Hotel management for the resumption of the hotel operation. According to the secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister, Finance Minister Khanal assured the hotel management of security and requested the hotel management resume work. The government is reported to hold another meeting with the hotel management on Sunday.
It was the first time in the past one and a half months after the arson attack on Hyatt Hotel that the government expressed its support for the revival of the hotel. On September 12, Hyatt Hotel issued a public notice announcing temporary closure of its services.
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"In light of the current situation in Nepal, Hyatt Regency Kathmandu is temporarily closed, and we are deferring new bookings and cancelling future bookings as a precautionary measure till the situation returns to normal," reads the notice on the website of Hyatt Regency Kathmandu.
"At Hyatt, the safety and well-being of our guests and colleagues are our topmost priority. We anticipate resuming normal operations as soon as conditions allow. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you to our hotel in Kathmandu when operations resume," said the hotel.
Hyatt Regency Kathmandu is a luxury five-star hotel designed in traditional Newari-style architecture. It has been providing accommodation facilities through 280 rooms and suites. Every room and suite has its own distinctly Nepalese interior, including local artifacts, wooden flooring and Tibetan handwoven carpeting.
Hotel and tourism was one of the highly affected sectors in the Gen Z movement along with the government properties and number of private business entities. Two of Nepal’s most prestigious hotels — Hilton Kathmandu and Hyatt Regency — suffered severe fire damage.
As per the Hotel Association Nepal, hotel and tourism faced financial losses of Rs 25-30 billion, while the preliminary government estimates put the total damage to infrastructure at over Rs 900 billion.
The fire at Hilton Kathmandu alone caused damage worth Rs 8 billion, while in Pokhara, around 10 hotels — including Bagaincha Resort and Pokhara Events Centre — reported losses in the range of Rs 400 million to Rs 1 billion each.
The daily international arrivals of tourists plunged from around 3,300 visitors per day to 1,400–1,600 in the days following the riots.
