Yogendra Shakya, executive chairman of Ace Hotels and Resorts and the coordinator of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign, told myrepublica.com that he selected Nagpokhari to build his new hotel in a bid to develop the place as an alternative to Thamel - a popular tourist hub in the capital. [break]
“We were the ones who developed Thamel as a tourist hotspot. But Thamel is getting crowded day by day. The charm of Thamel can be recreated at Nagpokhari because the area has more open spaces than Lazimpat,” he added.
Shakya said the construction of the hotel would begin by 2011 once all necessary procedures are fulfilled.
Along with the new hotel at Nagpokhari, Ace Hotels and Resorts has worked out expansion plan for all its member hotels -- Club Himalaya Nagarkot, The Tea House Inn, Ambassador Hotel, Marcopolo Business Hotel, and Trek-O-Tel.
The hotel chain is planning to add 30 more rooms at Club Himalaya, a deluxe resort at Nagarkot. “It is with the establishment of Club Himalaya that other people started investing on hotels and tourism facilities at Nagarkot,” Shakya said. Ace Hotels had opened The Teahouse Inn at Nagarkot in 1988. Club Himalaya currently has 50 rooms.
As a part of developing conference tourism in the popular hill station, Club Himalaya added three conference halls, one of which is capable of seating as many as 150 persons, last year.
“Earlier, people used to describe Nagarkot as a seasonal destination. Today, the flow of visitors to Nagarkot is almost the same all the year round. Nagarkot is receiving impressive number of domestic and international tourists,” he added.
Shakya says pleasing weather condition and pristine environment were the major reasons behind the increasing popularity of Nagarkot.
“Temperature in Nagarkot is 7 degree centigrade lower than that of Kathmandu. Pleasing climatic condition has been drawing thousands of India visitors to Nagarkot every year,” he said, adding, “When there is good flow of tourists, number of hotels is bound to increase.”
Ace Hotels plans to develop Hotel Ambassador and Marcopolo Business Hotel into commercial centers once Shakya House comes into operation. Hotel Ambassador is mostly preferred by expatriate community, while Marcopolo Business Hotel mostly caters to business groups.
The hotel chain also plans to build a jungle resort named Shantiban near Chitwan National Park at Nawalparasi district. Ace Hotels is waiting for investment friendly environment in the country to kick start construction works.
Despite leading one of the most successful hotel chain in the country, Shakya said hotel industry in the country is full of risks and the rate of return from the hotel industry is also lower than other sectors.
“Book value of hotels may look high due to land and property, but it is very difficult to manage hotels in Nepal,” Shakya said. He also shared how difficult it was to manage workforce at hotels.
“The decade-long insurgency taught our workers to treat owners as feudal class,” Shakya said, adding, “If we are to develop the tourism sector, we must revamp our existing labor laws.”
He also said there were some influential groups in the country who want to induce class division by provoking workers. “It´s high time our workers brought changes in their conduct. Such ill-practices might tarnish the image of our hospitality industry,” Shakya said before concluding.
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