EasyHotel today unveiled plans to develop budget hotels in Nepal.
A franchise agreement has been struck for 300 rooms to be opened within the next three years, with the first property to be located in the capital, Kathmandu.
The new easyHotels are expected to comprise new purpose-built properties and conversions of existing hotels and office buildings.
The first properties will be located in the Lazimpath area of Kathmandu, the trading hub of Nepal’s capital.
New partner Incentive Group of Companies Nepal (IGC) has secured land and property for the first 100 rooms, which is due to open by the end of 2018.
IGC approached the UK chain and expressed its interest in a franchise agreement to develop easyHotels in Nepal and North India.
The partnership has been signed against a backdrop of continued local government support for growing the budget hotel industry.
IGC has established itself as a rapidly growing international and domestic travel business with operations in six business sectors – tour and trek, aviation, cargo, IT, hospitality and travel technology.
EasyHotel chief executive, Guy Parsons, said: “We are delighted to enter into this new partnership with IGC Nepal which is testament to easyHotel’s strong brand recognition.
“IGC has established a significant geographical foothold in the region in a number of business areas, many of which are targeted towards value conscious consumers, which makes them a great cultural fit for easyHotel.
“This relationship provides us with the opportunity to extend our network into this attractive market without direct capital investment.”
An IGC spokesman said: “We are excited to be partnering with the easyHotel brand.
“We see a significant gap in the budget sector in the entire region. Currently there are no hotel brands offering a combination of great value and superb quality and we feel that easyHotel is perfectly designed to take advantage of this opportunity.”