Wangchuk Hotel

Hotel Wangchuk in Mongar
With Mongar town poised to become the eastern region’s new commercial hub, more and more entrepreneurs are being lured to get a foothold in eastern Bhutan’s fastest growing urban centre.

The most recent private venture project, the biggest so far, to take hold in Mongar has been the construction of a luxury hotel, a first for the dzongkhag and the entire eastern region.

The 27-room Hotel Wangchuk, overlooking the town, has seven apartments, four suites, six deluxe and ten twin rooms with provision to accommodate drivers and guides. Rates for apartments and rooms vary from Nu. 2,000 to Nu. 3,500 a night.

Apart from a conference hall and Internet facilities, the hotel also offers separate entertainment facilities like a discotheque, a snooker hall, and a courtyard for cultural programmes.

The hotel also has plans to introduce a salon, handicraft corner, sauna and massage services. According to the proprietor, one of the hotel’s charms would be its cuisine that would have a mix of local specialties with Indian, Chinese and continental dishes.

Aimed at tourists, government officials, expatriates, and business people, the proprietor, Thinley Lham, said the opening of the Nanglam-Gyelposhing road and the east to tourists convinced her to invest in Mongar.

Construction cost in Mongar was nearly thrice that of Phuentsholing and consumable goods were also expensive because of the transportation costs.

She added that Mongar also had the potential to draw tourists with its unique community festivals and untouched natural environment.

But the monsoon and snowfall in winter which block road could hamper business, said Thinley Lham. “People may not be willing to risk travelling to the east during those times and we would lose out,� she said, adding that compared to past, travelling east was much easier with road blocks being cleared immediately.

The hotel, which will open in July, will be professionally managed by 25 trained staff, according to the proprietor. Source: Kuenselonline