The resort, with only suites and villas as accommodation options, is focussed on providing luxury in all aspects of guests’ stay and experiences
In just about a year since it opened for guests, luxury boutique hotel Kavya Himalayas, situated in Nagarkot, a mountain resort about 30 km from Nepalese capital Kathmandu, has turned Nagarkot into a multi-night destination, instead of just a day trip that it used to be, for tourists coming to Kathmandu.
The resort, with only suites and villas as accommodation options, is focussed on providing luxury in all aspects of guests’ stay and experiences, says Hitesh Golcha, Managing Director of Leaf Hospitality, the holding company of Kavya Himalayas.
“This is the first time in Nepal that we are doing wellness and it is luxury wellness. In Nepal, if you come for a meditation it is very rudimentary. So we are doing meditation, yoga and Ayurveda in a very luxurious setting. Our accommodation options are suites or villas. We start with suites measuring over 70 sqm and then we have 1- and 2-bedoom villas. So even in terms of accommodation, it is a unique property in Nepal. The other thing which is unique and we are located at Nagarkot, which is 45 minutes or one hour from the Kathmandu international airport. So the proximity is very good,’’ Golcha tells India Outbound.
Kavya currently has 24 rooms, with another 12 under construction and when these come online Kavya would become a 38 or 39 room property
“Nagarkot is generally known as one-night destination but Kavya is also a property which for the first timers here is at least a 5-7-night destination. So there are a lot of uniqueness that we have built into the property. And along with the wellness, what we call Kavya is a lifestyle wellness property. So, along with yoga, meditation and Ayurveda, we also have the mountain biking and hiking and the cultural tours,’’ Golcha adds.
According to Golcha, these activities are packaged under ‘Kavya Experiences’ and these are basically bespoke luxury experiences and are essentially once in a lifetime. One such unique experience is that a helicopter comes to the property to pick up the guests and take them straight to the Himalayas for a champagne or breakfast looking at Mount Everest.
“So there is a lot of uniqueness that we have built into the property to give our clients not only the wellness experience, but a full 360° experience showcase Nepal, as well as give them a perspective of Nepal with a totally different lens,’’ adds Golcha.
As a result of the numerous activities that Kavya offers, the resort often sees people extending their stay from say three nights to five, says Golcha.
Diverse source markets & segments
While India is one of the primary markets, Kavya is also generating a lot of interest in other markets around the world, notably Dubai, Europe and even Japan and United States.
While Kavya is said to cater to all segments of tourists, Golcha says his ideal customer or target market is the entrepreneur who does not have time for herself. “So, this is just slow-time property. It is where you come to connect with yourself. Kavya basically means a poetic inspiration. So it is where you come, do meditation, you learn tools which you can take away from there, you can learn the techniques of meditation techniques of yoga, which you can carry with you. Our one objective is to inspire the guests to be the best version of themselves,’’ says Golcha.
Activities packaged under ‘Kavya Experiences’ are basically bespoke luxury experiences and are essentially once in a lifetime
For families or groups of people who want to stay together, Kavya also offers cultural tours. Another segment that is drawing a good response for Kavya is small corporate groups for holding their strategy meets or board meetings, but not bigger gatherings like sales meet since the inventory at Kavya is limited.
“So what we do is we have a template that we have created, where we put them into bonding exercises that take them out of comfort zone and then give them the time to do their meeting. So, the productivity of these meetings are at next level. These are generally two nights or three nights kind of event,’’ says Golcha.
Kavya currently has 24 rooms, with another 12 under construction and when these come online Kavya would become a 38 or 39 room property, with suites as well as one-bedroom and two-bedroom villas.
‘Sustainability is in our DNA’
For Kavya Himalayas, sustainability is much more than just a buzzword, says Golcha. ‘‘For us in Nepal and especially for us in Kavya, sustainability is in our DNA. For instance, we have not cut up the hills to begin with and we have built all our villas on the natural terraces. It is one thing to call out sustainability and is one thing to be sustainable,’’ he says.
Along with yoga, meditation and Ayurveda, Kavya also offers mountain biking and hiking and the cultural tours
Golcha points at the construction and design of the resort to emphasise that sustainability has been the underlying thought right from the design stage itself. “The way the property has been designed, you will need very little air conditioning. Of course we need a little bit of heating in the winters, but hardly any air-conditioning. So it is like almost living in the outdoors. All the water is in house water, we have our own mineral water, so there is no plastic. So there are practical sustainability ideas,’’ he adds.
Being at an altitude and in the midst of the Himalayas, while solar power is not a viable option as a power source for the resort, it is trying to promote sustainability wherever it can. “We grow all our vegetables in the farm to fork mode as we have large organic farming within our resort. There are no chemicals, there are no insecticides or pesticides going into the farm. Also, all our vehicles are electric, all electric go-karts inside the property to transfer people. So from that that perspective also, it is all in the realm of sustainability,’’ says Golcha.
