Government fines Everest Hotel and Basera Boutique Hotel for consumer rights violations

KATHMANDU: The government has imposed fines of Rs 300,000 each on the 5-star Everest Hotel and Basera Boutique Hotel for violating consumer protection regulations. This action comes as the Department of Commerce, Supplies, and Consumer Protection (DCSCP) intensifies market monitoring ahead of Nepal’s major festivals like Dashain and Tihar.

According to Rajan Paudel, Director General of the DCSCP, expired food items were found during an inspection of the kitchen at Everest Hotel, located in New Baneshwar, Kathmandu. Meanwhile, during the monitoring of Basera Boutique Hotel in Babarmahal, it was discovered that bottled water was being sold at prices higher than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), in violation of consumer rights laws.

The DCSCP has confirmed that both hotels were fined for engaging in business practices detrimental to consumer interests. The monitoring is part of a larger effort to protect consumers, particularly as festival season brings increased consumer spending in sectors like hospitality, food, and tourism.

The Nepal government has increased inspections across various sectors, including tourism, hotel management, and retail, to ensure compliance with consumer rights. On Monday alone, the DCSCP monitored 39 businesses across the Kathmandu Valley.

In a recent development, Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) circulated a notice to over 300 hotels, suggesting that there would be no government monitoring of hotel businesses during the festival season. However, following media reports of this circular, the DCSCP has escalated its inspections to ensure consumer rights are protected during peak travel and hospitality periods in Nepal.