Kathmandu, January 27

The Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) has directed its member hotels to follow the rules and regulations as mentioned under the title hotel, resort and restaurant regulations in the Tourism Act.

After eight Indian tourists died due to suffocation while using a gas heater at Everest Panorama Resort in Daman recently, HAN has issued a press statement stating that the safety of the guests is the responsibility of the respective hotels.

The use of a gas heater in the resort, which is also a HAN member, had taken the lives of eight Indian tourists of two families from Kerala.

“The recent incident of Indian tourists’ death has saddened HAN. As the safety of guests is the responsibility of hotels, HAN requests all the member hotels and resorts through this statement to follow the notice published in the Nepal Gazette of December 23 regarding classification and criteria prepared for the entire hospitality sector, including from five-star hotels to homestay service,” the statement reads. HAN has further urged its members to prepare a mechanism to guarantee safety of guests.

The notice published in the Nepal Gazette has mentioned that all kind of hotels, including one-star to fivestar rated, must have infrastructure with open space where guests can rest and roam around freely. The hotel rooms must have environment and weather-friendly interiors, the regulation states.

Likewise, the buildings of the hotels must have air-conditioners in the rooms, conference halls and in the lobby.

And all the hotel rooms must have attached bathroom and room service must be provided 24 hours a day.

Every hotel, lodge, motel, resort, homestay must have the facility of providing 24- hour health and medication services if needed, the law further adds.