After asphyxiation deaths, hotels told to abide by govt standards

Kathmandu, January 27

After the death of eight Indian tourists at a hotel in Daman of Makawanpur district last week, the Hotel Association Nepal has told its members to completely abide by the government standards introduced for hotels and resorts.

The government has recently issued a new set of rules for hotels and other hospitality facilities. The standards are different for different categories.

Concluding that the Daman-based hotel’s inability to provide air conditioners forced the visitors to use heaters during the nighttime and they caused asphyxiation, the association urged the facilities to implement the standards strictly, though one week after the incident.

Among other provisions, the new rule requires hotels of all levels to provide an air conditioner to each of the rooms.