Kathmandu's tallest hotel, Hilton, now a charred building after Gen Z protests

The Hilton Hotel, which was built with an ₹8 billion investment and inaugurated in July 2024, offered 172 rooms.

Updated on: Sep 11, 2025, 16:24:10 IST

By HT News Desk

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Once the tallest building in Nepal's Kathmandu, all that is now left of the Hilton hotel is charred ruins. The five-star property was set on fire on Tuesday by ‘Gen Z protesters’ agitating against the Nepal government and continued to burn for two consecutive days.

Hilton Hotel was inaugurated in July 2024, marking a significant addition to Nepal's hospitality sector. (PTI/ANI)

Drone visuals from Wednesday evening showed plumes of smoke still billowing from the charred infrastructure. Follow Nepal protests live updates

Nepal has been embroiled in violent protests since Monday, when the government announced that it was banning 26 social media sites, including Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube. Though the decision was later revoked, the violent protests reportedly left 31 people dead and over 1,033 others injured.

The protesters, under the Gen Z banner, continued their anti-government demonstrations. They set fire to several major structures in the capital, including the federal Parliament building, the residence of former PM KP Sharma Oli, and the Hilton hotel.

Tallest hotel, just over a year old

The tallest hotel is situated in Kathmandu's Naxal, heart of the city, is just over a year old. It was inaugurated in July 2024, marking a significant addition to Nepal's hospitality sector.

ALSO READ | Nepal ministers cling to army chopper ropes to flee ‘Gen Z’ protesters’ fury | Video

The then-PM KP Sharma Oli had inaugurated the hotel and said that, "I believe the operation of the Hilton Hotel will contribute to Nepal's tourism and hospitality."

According to the New Business Age, Hotel Shankar Group built the Hilton hotel with an investment of ₹8 billion. The construction of the facility began seven years ago.

The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is just four kilometres away from the Hilton Hotel. Several key tourist attractions, including the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Darbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambunath and the City Center, are also minutes away from the five-star property.

ALSO READ | Shocking visuals from Nepal show extent of Gen Z protests

The hotel has a 172-room capacity, offering a range of suites and guest rooms to tourists and visitors. The Hilton hotel is also reportedly the only one with a glass facade, offering surreal views of the Himalayan mountain ranges, including those of the Langtang Valley.

The hotel provides concierge services, a spa and fitness centre, an EV charging station, meeting rooms, free WiFi, an executive lounge, an outdoor pool, a rooftop bar, an all-day restaurant and room services.

The extravagant hotel, a key attraction in the hospitality sector in Kathmandu, is now just a charred building.

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HT News Desk
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