A HOTEL WITH A UNIQUE CONCEPT

This is the hotel Buddha Palace in Pokhara where food and beverages are served by small cable cars. Photo- LB Thapa

By LB THAPA

At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the world economy, the Nepali economy is no exception. The effect of the virus has brought the national economy to a screeching halt in general and the hotel business in particular. According to the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, hotels in the country are daily losing a whopping amount of Rs.1.80 billion.  

Pokhara is considered the second most important tourist hub in the country only after Kathmandu. But due to the impact of Covid-19, the lake city bears a deserted look. Many tourism-related businesspersons have shut their businesses for an indefinite time, and several others have already quit the business. 

In such a situation when the tourism business has been reeling under the shadow of uncertainty, Til Bahadur Karki, the owner of Hotel Buddha Palace, Lakeside, Pokhara, looks highly optimistic about the rosy days of tourism in days to come. He has even dared to spend a huge amount of money on the construction of a functioning cable car at his hotel. So that he can attract more tourists to his hotel. 

“Without a doubt, Covid-19 has already caused unprecedented damage to the world tourism industry and the plight is yet not over. But my instinct suggests that the intensity of the pandemic has already been on the wane. Because the longer the virus stays, the human body starts developing natural strength to fight against the virus. Thus, it is my strong conviction that the days of the pandemic are a few and tourism will once again bounce back”, said Karki.   

When asked about the Cable Car that has already become very popular among the guests, he said, “This is true that the cable car has already become the cynosure of all eyes. However, the credit for conceiving and materializing the whole concept of a cable car actually goes to my nephew Sabin Subedi. I think he is the right person to tell you more about the cable car”, advised Karki. 

“I have always been deeply in love with the hospitality business. Now my maternal uncle is running this hotel but in the past, my family was running this hotel. I was then actively involved in the business. About that time I went to the US and completed my MBA degree. When I returned my parents had already handed over the hotel to my maternal uncle. I then advised my maternal uncle to do something unique that other hotels have not done yet. Then the idea of a cable car flashed in my mind. When I shared the idea with my maternal uncle, he immediately liked the concept. I designed the whole thing and contacted the young engineers at the Western Regional Engineering College, Pokhara”, said Sabin Subedi, the man who designed and conceived the idea of a cable car for the hotel. 

It was not easy to build a small-sized cable car to use for the facility of the hotel service. It was much more difficult for Subedi to make the engineers understand his design because his design was quite rudimentary. The second task was to deal with the aluminum and steel workers. This task too was not that easy because aluminum and steelworkers had difficulty in understanding those designs drawn by the engineers.    

“I had designed special shelves to accommodate food and beverage items inside the cable cars. After a little effort, I became successful in making the engineers understand my raw sketches. But the second stage of the task did prove even more challenging than I had thought of. Semi-literate aluminum and steelworkers had much difficulty understanding the designs drawn by the engineers. They were skilled but not educated enough to understand the most technical parts of the design. Anyway, after much effort finally, all the cabins were made ready. Then the engineers worked on the electric part and that was not easy as well. When the entire project was ready I was really delighted for my creation”, said Sabin Subedi, with a sense of pride and satisfaction. 

Sabin Subedi already holds an MBA degree from the US. However, he is not satisfied and plans to obtain yet another degree in the Hospitality subject. His desire to work in the hospitality area has motivated him to gain more knowledge in this sector.   

“Actually it is my deep love for the hotel business that has pushed me to go for further education. I have already received a study visa for the US. I will soon join a master’s degree course in the Hospitality subject. This will be my second master’s degree. I have already completed an MBA degree from the US. After completing a second degree in hospitality, I have decided to do a Ph.D. in the Hospitality subject”, revealed Subedi. 

Now Til Bahadur Karki is all set to make everything up-to-date in his hotel and restaurant. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, his hotel and restaurant were closed for a long time. He wants to bring everything in working condition as they were before Covid-19. 

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I had laid off most staff. But now the business is growing slowly, I have already started recruiting some new staff for the hotel and restaurant. In fact, I have already started receiving a decent number of customers at my restaurant. I think it is due to the attraction of the Cable Car serving system, every day many customers visit my restaurant”, disclosed Til Bahadur Kari, the owner of the hotel. 

Though Mr. Karki does not hold any professional degrees in the hospitality subject, he has been highly successful in running a hotel business. He says it is his experience and hard work that enabled him to stay firm in the hotel business. 

“Hotel business is in my blood---it runs all over my body. Over the last two decades or more, I have been in the hotel business. Well, I don’t belong to a well-to-do family. But through hard work and perseverance, I earned money and learned adequate skills to stay alive in the hotel business. Despite the closure of the hotel for a long time, I’m still in a position to remain in the hotel business. However, many hotels and restaurants in Pokhara have already been shut. Many of them are neck-deep in bank loans and have no way to repay the loan. Actually, I had saved enough for the rainy days. That’s why I could survive in the market. Otherwise, my fate would be no better from those hoteliers who are now on the brink of bankruptcy”, said Karki. 

A beautiful view of Fewa Lake from the rooftop of the hotel. Photo-LB Thapa

The front facade of the hotel. Photo-LB Thapa

A newly made bamboo cabin. Photo-LB Thapa

A sofa made of bamboo. Photo-LB Thapa

Sabin Subedi had the concept of installing cable cars to serve food to guests. Photo: LB Thapa

Til Bdr. Karki, the owner of the hotel. Photo-LB Thapa

The hotel is located on the main road of Lakeside. That is why every passerby can easily see the cable car. As soon as their eyes fall on a cable car, they are unable to resist the temptation of visiting the hotel. 

“Actually I came from Gorkha with my family to spend two to three days in Pokhara. A friend of mine had suggested me a different hotel to stay in Pokhara. While searching that hotel my son and daughter happened to see this hotel. They liked the cable car and insisted on staying in this hotel and I could not refuse them. Now I also enjoy in this hotel as we receive our orders through cable cars”, said Diwakar Joshi, a tourist from Gorkha. 

When I asked Alisha Joshi, an 8th-grade student and the daughter of Diwakar Joshi, she said, “I’m excited at seeing such a beautiful cable car in front of my eyes. At first, I thought it was merely a replica of a cable car, but I was wrong. This is not a replica. It rather works perfectly like a cable car. When I saw the cable car for the first time, I felt as if I was at Manakamana. It is exciting to get our orders from the cable car. And there is one more thing about this cable car. I can put my mobile on charge and forget. Once my mobile is charged, I can get my mobile and let the cablecar go”. 

At a time when the tourism sector has been passing through a difficult time, Mr. Karki’s self-confidence and his efforts to stay alive in the hotel business must be appreciated. Without a doubt, the innovative idea of serving food through cable cars has been successful in pulling a sizable number of guests to his hotels and restaurants. 

Mr. Karki’s innovative idea should be taken as an inspiration to do something like this. So that, more customers can be attracted to their hotels and restaurants. Healthy competition is always in favor of the development of quality tourism.   

Nepali tourism does have all its potential to bounce back with resounding success. The only thing that Nepali tourism entrepreneurs are afraid of is a lockdown. Only if there is no further lockdown, Nepali tourism can lure a sizeable number of tourists from all over the world.  

LB Thapa is a Pokhara-based freelance writer and author. 

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