Electric car users who find themselves running low on battery in Kathmandu’s city centre will soon be able to recharge their vehicles for free once a solar charging station is set up at Hotel de l’Annapurna in July this year.

Nepal’s first five-star hotel in Darbar Marg owns two Mahindra Reva e20s itself, and is providing the service as a part of its effort to send out a message of corporate sustainability.

“Guests today prefer to stay in hotels that are green, and are willing to pay a little more. So, we want to be ahead of the pack in Nepal,” says CEO Upaul Majumdar. Annapurna already has solar external lighting, reduced use of diesel for heating water, and is replacing all plastic wrappings in rooms.

The hotel’s e20s are currently used by managers, but will soon be tested for ferrying hotel guests to and from the airport. Apart from teething problems, the sleek green cars are doing well and Majumdar says he is “70 per cent” convinced that they are both ecological and economical.

“The investment cost of green technology is high, so it has to make business sense,” says Majumdar, urging the government to provide subsidies for solar panels and electric vehicles so that companies like his have more of an incentive to go green.

For example, by simply resetting the thermostats and timing of its boilers for hot water, the hotel saved 35 per cent of its diesel cost. It saved 25 per cent on room heating costs by installing double-glaze windows to insulate its suites.

But Majumdar says there has to be buy-in from guests and staff. For example, Annapurna's 'Go Green Fridays' campaign encouraging staff to walk or bicycle to work once a week did not work very well. Then the hotel bought a Chinese-made Bijuli electric van to ferry employees, but it turned out to be unreliable. The hotel is now testing the e20 as a new mobility option, and is offering free solar charging for the public in its centrally-located parking lot.

Besides energy-saving and environment-friendly operation, Ananpurna also works with Smile Nepal to feed 35 destitute street children from Thamel every day. All proceeds from its Fish Tail Lodge in Pokhara goes to the Jayanti Memorial Trust which has helped thousands of Nepalis who cannot afford heart surgery. Says Majumdar: “Hotels are places of luxury. We take a lot, but we also have a responsibility to set an example by giving back.”