India’s Sarovar Expands Global Footprint With Nepal Signing

Indian hospitality chain Sarovar Hotels on Wednesday signed a new hotel in Nepal: Royal Tulip Kathmandu. Scheduled to open later this year, the 304-key property is set to be the largest hotel in the country by room inventory.

A title it expects to hold till 2028 when Annapurna Hotel is expected to reopen in a new 363-key avatar under a management contract with India's ITC Hotels. At present, The Soaltee Kathmandu is the largest hotel in Nepal, consisting of 282 keys.

Royal Tulip Kathmandu will also serve as the biggest destination for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) in Nepal with 22,000 square feet of event space, Sarovar said in a statement.

Nepal is a popular destination for religious tourism and India is its biggest source market. In 2023, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, Lumbini, alone received close to 1 million tourists, including Nepal nationals, according to data from the Lumbini Developm