INTROSPECTION OF HOTEL INDUSTRY IN NEPAL 2015

Despite ample of opportunity industry which is overrated at all times comes to us in pathetic shape never like before. There were times when this industry used to boast its blissful status with less than half the tourists compared to now visited Nepal. At present earthquake that divested the industry and an Indian blockade that took the whole lots of hope in despair does not indicate any relevance to the management practice that we have been following at present.

What have we done? It is indeed always very easy to pin point at somebody else, politics, leadership, disaster, violence, unionism, whatever may be our answer that we may declare appropriate never solve challenges that we are facing at present. As a business, does this sector even have sufficient grooming to be called an Industry? What in the world will anyone do without diligent and competent human resource than to linger? When will we realize the fact? Of course employee turnover is high but is that the problem without solution? Yes the society has upgraded itself to 21^st century but have we ourselves seen problem from those prospective of new generation? How can we claim that the system established during sixties and seventies should still function?

Veterans of this country found it important to establish this sector as an industry much before many nations in the region and around the globe were not even close to the idea, however achievement that we have made all these years is nothing more than “a bubbles of reputation” nothing stable nor countable.

Lack of transformation in employee dose not only mean increase in salary, working environment and hours, holidays and facilities, job satisfaction, performance and appraisals these are only few components that has distracted newcomers in the industry.

Operational issues just provides a gloomy picture.

Human Resource: Nepalese people are famous all around the globe leading this industry except in their own country. Looking into details it’s not surprising to find many doing good as mid-line managers and even general managers of star hotels around the world. Sadly there are only countable managers that are capable of holding the post of general managers in Nepalese star hotels. Situation in this industry is beyond managerial analysis and is funny most of the time.

“Students who go to Five Star Hotel for their research gets the very humble answer almost every time:  We would love to help you but these issues are something we can’t address this time or there are no one to come into your contact so we can’t help you”.

Why these reactions are funny is primarily those who reply are most of the middle line managers and don’t exactly know what research mean to their organization and are afraid that their mere errors will be spotted or even the managers with higher education don’t have the confidence to understand what suggestions and feedback they might come across or most importantly what they are afraid is that the researcher might come across those loopholes and their deceitful activities which they have maintained with local government authorities. While doing so what this industry really is missing, is the billion dollar idea and suggestions that every new and young researcher brings to this industry and revive the worst case scenario to their own rescue and advantage. If competitive corporate culture was in existence these industry would have hired researcher to improve their weakness and improve themselves and now even when students on their own purpose come across them to find their rooms to improve and support the industry people on these sector not only show ignorance but also find it useless activity and are avoided most of the time.

Contemporary situation indicates best manpower are being consumed by banks and are screening significant progress in the region, however hospitality industry is facing massive brain drain and are unable to compete with those regions in the middle east which either don’t have much attractive pay scale. Looking at the reason beyond the cause reflects massive mismanagement within the industry. Hotels in Nepal does not have any trend nor culture to overcome employee turnover and the industrialists are happy thinking that they are able to exploit maximum from their employees unable to understand the fact that the overworked employee are counterproductive for the organization.

Hotel industry unable to upgrade its working culture and environment is facing massive ignorance from the prospective candidates produced from academic institution in the recent years. Traditional and classical working environment and culture in Nepal has compelled many diligent manpower to look for better alternatives in the global market and Nepalese hotels never come to their priority list. Solution is not only the payment, primarily hotel as an organization is unable to present the glamour that this industry needs, working hrs are terribly mismanaged, behavior are below standards as many employee are found to be overworking and management is busy fishing in the blurry atmosphere.

No matter how bleak this article must have been, if taken positively there are ample of Bright-side that can lead us to prosperity. If we are at worst condition due to various reasons there is no better opportunity than this to upgrade our systems and working environment to entire new level.