A Man with a Plan

Far-sighted and fearless, Amir Pradhananga, General Manager of Hotel Mulberry shares his experiences

Materialising vision into reality for Hotel Mulberry, the amicable and charming Amir Pradhananga sits down with Nepal Traveller

What were the things that got you into this profession?

Since my father was a banker, I was fortunate enough to accompany him to different hotels. So in a way, I had seen the glamorous side of the industry and was the first thing that attracted me towards it. Now it’s been 20 years that I’ve worked in this industry and experienced both the good and the bad days.

Who was your mentor and what’s the best advice they gave you and how much of it have you followed through?

My first and foremost mentor would be my father, his dedication towards his work inspires me.

Mashkoor Ahmad Lari, Chairman of Hotel Everest was one my mentors who trusted and motivated me to do my best. I follow his philosophy to have faith in my team and try and motivate them.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love to spend time with my family and friends enjoying food and catching up with our personal lives. Their support is what has pushed me to be where I am today.

What do you consider as your biggest accomplishment till date?

I consider being a leader and forming my own team at Hotel Mulberry as the General Manager to be my biggest accomplishment to date. The amount of work we have put in and the reputation we’ve created for this hotel in a very short amount of time is something I’m proud of.

What do you look for in people to create your dream team?

To form my team, I look at a person’s attitude. A person who doesn’t know much can be taught but a person with a bad attitude will create trouble rather than learn. Having a learning attitude and being adaptable is the thing I look for. People need to change according to time and become better and come up with newer ideas. In this line of work, being flexible and getting the best out of limited resources is a must.

What are the challenges you are facing with the arrival of VNY 2020 and how do you plan to overcome them?

While setting goals, I do not take one particular thing into consideration. Yes, VNY 2020 is happening and there are some challenges but the broader goal for Hotel Mulberry is to maintain the goodwill that we’ve built. I consider building a good name to be an easy goal but remaining consistent is a challenge. As a hotelier, I take VNY 2020 as a great opportunity but I’m also looking forward to preparing for beyond.

How is Hotel Mulberry going to keep up with trends and stay ahead of numerous competitors emerging in this industry?

In the initial operation phase of Hotel Mulberry, we wanted to create a brand first. With the thought think global and act local, we worked with local businesses and started getting into the local market. So in the future, we look to market and promote Hotel Mulberry in the international arena and build on goodwill that we have established locally.

I consider the numerous competitors in the industry a good thing for the market as well as myself. I think that healthy competition in the market will keep you alive. With your competitors always looming, you start to think differently and always push yourself to come out on top.