Chitwan. Om Prakash Pandey of Arghakhanchi, who came to Pokhara for higher education, has now found a thriving tourism business. Pandey, who started working in a hotel in 2045 BS while ‘earning and studying’ in the tourist city of Pokhara, has succeeded in becoming an established tourism entrepreneur.
Pandey, who entered this sector from a part-time job in a hotel in Pokhara, has now become a source of inspiration for everyone by becoming the owner of six hotels. Pandey, who has moved forward as a tourism entrepreneur by utilizing the knowledge, skills, experience and contacts he has gained from working in hotels and travel agencies in Pokhara, is now providing employment to many people in this sector.
Born in 2022 BS, Pandey studied up to the Secondary Education Certificate (SLC) from a local school in Arghakhanchi. During his higher education, he went to Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara and studied up to Bachelor of Science.
He says that his experience of working in a hotel for three years during his student days attracted him to this field with confidence. Initially, he started operating a hotel in Pokhara with a rental fee of Rs. 150,000 and ran four hotels amidst various ups and downs.
Sometimes he made money and sometimes he lost money. He said, ‘While running the hotel, I had to sell the land I had bought earlier and pay off the loan.’ The last hotel made good money, and the travel agency also made a lot of profit.’
Pandey, who had been running a hotel on rent, bought Hotel Landmark in Lakeside, Pokhara in 2062 BS with some cash and a bank loan. The 23-room hotel, which was bought for a total of Rs. 15 million, has now been expanded and upgraded to a four-star hotel with 100 rooms.
His journey towards the hotel business continued, and in the meantime, he also bought land in Sauraha, a tourist destination in Chitwan, in 2067 BS and built a hotel to further expand his business. Pandey, who has been operating a 75-room Landmark Hotel in Sauraha since 2071 BS, now also operates a Landmark Hotel in Kathmandu, Durbar Marg.
Gunaraj Thapaliya Pandey, Vice President of the Regional Hotel Association, Sauraha, says that he has succeeded in this business because he has been able to enjoy the roles of a banker and a worker himself. He said, ‘Even now, his entire family seems to be working wholeheartedly, and karma has proven the truth that continuous hard work with integrity leads to success.’
Says that Pandey has become a successful businessman due to his continuous struggle, Vice President Thapaliya says that it is an exemplary work for the sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren of the same father to be dedicated to their profession.
Similarly, he has been looking after the management of a hotel in Bhairahawa since last year. Similarly, from this month, they have started operating the Royal Century Hotel in Bharatpur under the name of Narayani Landmark, while they have also started operating another hotel under the name of Landmark Farm House in Devghat, Tanahun.
He said that discussions are underway to see if it is possible to operate as many hotels as possible in Birgunj, Janakpur and Nagarkot. The hotels operated by tourism entrepreneur Pandey currently have a capacity of 350 rooms and provide direct employment to about 500 people.
Pandey, who is also the president of the Regional Hotel Association Sauraha, was previously the vice-president of the association. He has already become the president of ‘Nepal Tour and Travel’ Gandaki Province. Pandey’s three brothers, who have taken their family members to this area, are in the hotel business together. In fact, the three sons of the three brothers are also directly involved in this business.
Chiranjivi Subedi, Senior Vice President of the Chitwan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that tourism entrepreneur Pandey has made an incomparable contribution to the promotion of the tourism business of Chitwan, which is a tourist destination, job creation and social service.
According to local hotel entrepreneurs, Pandey, who was born in an ordinary family in the village, is a strong-willed, always positive thinker, respects labor, a dreamer and a hard-working tourism entrepreneur. The Sauraha Hotel Association has stated that Pandey, who is dedicated to the country’s tourism industry, has made an incomparable contribution to the promotion of tourism.
Pandey has established himself as a successful businessman through continuous struggle, continuous work, strong willpower, and experience despite not being born in a professional family. Pandey says that there are ups and downs in the hotel business and that success can be achieved if you continue with integrity.
He said, ‘There is no profit in business today, you have to be able to wait.’ For those who say that nothing happens in Nepal and that you should go abroad, Pandey, a hotel and tourism businessman, born in an ordinary family in Arghakhanchi, is an exemplary character.
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