Kailash Kuti Inn – Closed.

Last Friday I and management had a meeting with the investors. They decided to close down the hotel, which meant layoff of all the staff, which includes me as well.

I was part of this company from its start. I had literally carried some of the bricks of the building, dealt with carpenters and painters, the thekdaars, shopped for the kitchen utensils to then looking overall marketing, management, operations, interviewing staff, writing all the contents, making strategic plans with the team. I had promoted like it was my own.

I had never learned so much about the work while with Kailash Kuti Inn and Kailasa.

I visited cities, places outside the valley, and the country to meet people from the industry. I got to learn about myself during those Uber drives in Bangalore or while walking in Sindhuli border. It was just fun going out there. I had no prior knowledge and networks in this Hospitality industry. Getting into a completely new dimension was that very thing that got me excited when investors asked me to represent them in the company.

Surely, I made a lot of mistakes. I was and still a slow learner but never once I stopped learning. I paused but never stopped. And that was the growth I have always wanted.

I will always be Thankful to the investors for giving me this opportunity to lead the team. The discussions helped me learn a lot about the business market in Nepal and a lot about decision makings. I understood my strength and weakness. I made a wonderful compadre with the management – Mani dai, Anish dai, and Badri Dai. I have learned a lot from them, they accepted me and I am glad to call them friends, ( Dai Friends haha ).

I for sure, cannot exclude all the staff. All were from different backgrounds, cultures, stories. It is not easy at all when there is such variation. Some brought their home-brewed alcohols, Local, and some brought unbelievable stories from their villages. I had helped one of the staff to add a “Subscribe button” on his youtube channel. So many lives got connected. This is definitely a sad goodbye.

I completely understand the decision taken by the investors. Hospitality will take more than some time to recover. It is the most practical thing to do. We were in our initial years for the business to gather working capital. We had high hopes from the government, but we all know the story. But I hope the investors will revive the brand in the future. It will be great for me, Mani Dai, Anish Dai, Badri Dai and the whole team, to see the brand going for it once again.

When the investors made the final decision, now, I feel I did not process it then or maybe I did not want to. I still have not. But a few days after it, I really feel bad about the brand – Kailash Kuti Inn. Like all of us, when one gets involved in a  project, we all have our personal aspirations attached to it, just like I, the management team and the investors. We had worked so hard, went a lot through the confusions, and more importantly had so much to prove. But now, after two years, we are no more associated with the brand. And that does not feel nice. We had this combined aspiration to make people know that Nepal is more than just Gautam Budhha and Mt. Everest, and our community is more than the Pashupatinath temple.

I cannot speak for others but had a lot of self -doubts during these years and especially in the end. Honestly, it was difficult to sleep sometimes thinking that If we can ever get back after this.

The decision to close down was obviously not made in a single meeting, there were a lot of prior discussions and meetings. It took 2 months to come to the conclusion. Management and I made a lot of reports, developed various financial plans in the hope that we can get through it. But alas we could not. See, to close down is the easiest option among all. The investors had that option at the beginning, but we tried.

I don’t know what the future holds. Of course, I am confused and scared, but also grateful I have a family and home. There are those always luring questions of “What next?”. But I know something better and greater will come out of this.

Looking forward to new adventures and learnings.

Until then, stay safe. We is what we all got.

Former COO,

Kailash Kuti Inn (Hotel) & Kailasa (Restaurant)

Comments

  1. Ashutosh

    I heard this this somewhere,
    What is that one phrase which will make you feel bad at good times and feel good at bad times?
    -This moment will not last long.

    Stay strong sir.

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