Yashoda Foods Enters Hospitality Sector with the Formal Inauguration of Hyatt Place Butwal Today

Yashoda Foods Pvt Ltd, the company behind the popular Current brand of noodles and snacks, is entering the hospitality industry with the formal opening of the five-star Hyatt Place Butwal on Tuesday (today).

The promoters of Yashoda Foods built the hotel at Sukhanagar on Kusumpath in Butwal, eight-and-a-half years after entering the business sector. “The hotel will officially come into operation from Tuesday,” said Nitesh Malpani, CEO of Hyatt Place Butwal. “The project involved an investment of around Rs 3.5 billion.”

Yashoda Foods, known for expanding its presence in the spicy noodle segment, began constructing the hotel in around 2019. Malpani said the Covid-19 pandemic caused some delays, but the company managed to complete the project within five years. Malpani, who also serves as the managing director of Yashoda Foods, added that the company initially planned to operate the hotel independently but later opted for an international chain to strengthen its hospitality venture. The hotel brought Hyatt Place into its management about 18 months ago.

Malpani said the group selected Lumbini Province because it is a growing tourist destination, a preferred wedding venue for Indian visitors, an expanding business hub in Butwal, and home to a large convention center and the Gautam Buddha International Airport.

“International tourist arrivals may have slowed recently, but domestic travel has increased,” he said. “Butwal and the surrounding region are attracting more Indian visitors, and we expect more tourists from other countries in the future.”

The hotel offers 109 rooms, including eight suites, spread across 25 kattha of land. Room rates start at Rs 12,000. Facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, spa, catering services, and halls with capacities ranging from 50 to 700 people.

The opening of Hyatt Place brings the number of five-star hotels in the Butwal–Bhairahawa area to four. According to CP Shrestha, president of the Lumbini Province chapter of Hotel Association Nepal, the region now hosts four five-star hotels, seven four-star hotels, and a total of around 150 tourist-standard hotels in Butwal and Bhairahawa. Across Lumbini Province’s 12 districts, nearly 1,200 hotels of various sizes are in operation.

Yashoda Foods Pvt Ltd was established in 2017 to manufacture instant noodles and snacks. The company, based in Tilottama-15 of Rupandehi, produces noodles, cheese balls, snacks and cup noodles under various brands, including Current.

Credit rating reports of the group’s associated companies show that Yashoda Foods has emerged as a significant challenger to the long-dominant noodle maker CG Foods of the Chaudhary Group in terms of annual revenue.