A new generation of hoteliers are prioritising cultural connection over commercial gain

These are stories you can’t get or replicate at hotels owned and operated by large conglomerates, no matter how much they preach “authenticity”. And that’s why I’m in Nepal: Ang Tshering Lama, owner of Happy House, a guest house approximately 270km east of Kathmandu, has invited a group of fellow young hoteliers to his property, for an unofficial summit to consider the future of hospitality in the region.

“We’d always talked about doing this: coming together [to discuss] how we can share the richness in diversity that’s possible in Nepal,” says Lama. “The idea of Nepal that’s being shared is mostly about Everest and high-altitude mountaineering. I thought, this is the perfect time to bring a few people who are leading or involved in these very different settings,” and share them with the world.

Located in the mountainous town of Phaplu, Happy House is a low-slung sanctuary of stone and timber founded in the early 1970s by Ang Tawa Lama—Ang Tshering Lama’s grandfather, a descendant of the region’s original Sherpa settlers—and Count Guido Monzino, an eccentric Italian explorer who, in 1973, summited Everest, accompanied by 6,000 porters carrying silver cutlery and gambling tables. Captivated by the valley, Monzino partnered with the elder Lama to construct a Himalayan chalet, christening it the Hostellerie des Sherpas—the Sherpas’ Hostelry. It quickly evolved into a repository for what Lama junior describes as the “mountain literati”—Sir Edmund Hillary visited often, affectionately dubbing it his “happy place”.

When the Maoist insurgency fractured the country in 1996, the property’s then owner Rinzi Pasang (RP) Lama—son of Ang Tawa, father of Ang Tshering— moved to the United States with his family. He left Happy House in the hands of trusted friend, filmmaker Christopher Giercke, who had first visited the valley in the 1980s to make the movie Lord of the Dance: Destroyer of Illusion and settled there in the 1990s.

In 2017, RP’s son decided to renovate and reopen Happy House to guests. Upstairs, the rooms are modern and cosy. The ground floor is a communal space with sunken leather sofas positioned by a fireplace, a long table for lively dinners, and walls adorned with frescoes depicting gods, protectors, birds, flowers, rivers and wheels of life by Khapa Rinzi, a Sherpa master of the monastic art of thangka painting.

It also serves as a hub for Lama’s Himalayan travel company, Beyul Experiences. “When I started, I had the intention of bringing back slow travel to Nepal,” says Lama, adding that he wanted to encourage tourists to experience Nepal “in a way that the first visitors to the country did, which was to really integrate and get to know the community and the culture”.

And he delivers. During our stay, Lama guided us on scenic hikes which start from the backyard of Happy House, and to remote monasteries built by his ancestors—affording us certain privileges, like sitting in a hall with 200 chanting monks during their daily prayers.

On our final evening, we walked next door to Lama’s aunt’s home, where she served us chhaang, a cloudy, slightly fizzy alcoholic beverage made from fermented millet, and bowls of handmade noodles in a rich broth, topped with dried yak meat. I sat next to D’Artagnan Giercke, Christopher’s son, who ate four bowls—he told me it’s his favourite childhood dish. He grew up with Lama and currently runs Genghis Khan Retreat in Mongolia’s Orkhon Valley.

Genghis Khan Retreat started as a private camp for Giercke senior’s eccentric friendship group of artists and scholars; today, it’s open to the (well-heeled) public. Open for just three months of the year, during summer, guests stay in traditional gers constructed by hand; there are also yoga classes in the mornings, a massage ger, a resident shaman, and a sauna with incredible views of the Orkhon River. “Summers are just amazing out here,” says Giercke. “We ride horses, play polo, mountain bike, swim in the river. It’s a great way to decompress.”

Guests can spend their days on horseback led by skilled local riders through landscape that has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. “There are vast horizons of rolling hills where you can see as far as 60, 80, 100 kilometres,” says Giercke. “When you’re there, it makes you realise there’s so much else to think about in the world.”

Jack Edwards is another childhood friend of Einhaus and Giercke; he’s the owner and managing director of Tiger Tops, a collection of lodges in Nepal whose guests spend their days spotting tigers and elephants from vintage Land Rovers, on walking safaris or cruising for crocodiles on the Karnali River. The property has paved the way for conservation and sustainable high-end tourism in Nepal since the early Sixties. He and his brother are the second generation to run the family-owned business, which their father, British adventurer Jim Edwards, and his business partner Chuck McDougal bought in 1972.

McDougal established the world’s first long-term tiger monitoring programme—which is still running today—and with Edwards senior set up the Gharial Breeding Programme in Chitwan National Park to save endangered crocodiles from extinction, among other conservation initiatives.

“My father’s impact on South Asia’s tourism industry was profound. However, it was created in an era that is so different,” says Edwards. “It is our job to continue his legacy of creating exceptional wildlife experiences for our guests and more important than ever to support our conservation initiatives [in] an increasingly complex world, fraught with issues such as overpopulation, climate change and political pressures.” 

Edwards, who speaks fluent Nepalese, spent his childhood between London, Kathmandu and the jungle. “Growing up, I watched my father make decisions that prioritised the jungle over short-term commercial gain,” he says. “That taught me early on that conservation and commerce don’t have to be in conflict—they can and should complement each other.”

Similar to Einhaus, Edwards left a job in finance—he worked for financial advisory service Rothschild & Co in Singapore—to join Tiger Tops when he was just 27. “I had a constant longing to be back in the jungle, where so many of my fondest memories were created. When my siblings [proposed we manage] the company, I knew I had to say yes,” he says. “At Rothschild & Co, I was exposed to some of Asia’s leading entrepreneurs ... They all had a relentless desire to create: developing products and services, building dynamic teams and ultimately the desire to create a legacy for themselves. That was something I wanted to emulate. Tiger Tops provides a perfect environment for me to do so in an area that I care deeply about.”

I also speak to Gyurme Dorji Sherpa, who is set to open Bodhi, a boutique resort about 40km southeast of Kathmandu
in Namo Buddha, or TakmoLüjin, an important Buddhist pilgrimage site.

“When we first arrived in Namo Buddha, we understood that trust and relationships take time to build in any close-knit community,” says Sherpa. “From the beginning, we wanted our actions to reflect our intentions—to work alongside the local community, contribute positively and become part of the place with genuine respect for its people and traditions.”

Sherpa and his team improved access to clean water, building a dedicated reservoir for the village to store water during dry seasons and installing independent plumbing lines to support reliable access. They also hired local builders and craftsmen to work on the property. “When locals saw us designing Bodhi, inspired by traditional homes and building techniques, it sparked meaningful conversations about the value of local heritage and craftsmanship,” says Sherpa. “We have prioritised working with local artisans, labourers and materials 142 whenever possible, not only to support the local economy, but because we genuinely believe the region’s craftsmanship and culture are extraordinary.”

Lama echoes these sentiments, saying, “If you look at [nearby] monasteries, some dating back to the 8th century, the murals, wood carvings and pagodas ultimately influenced much of the architecture you see around Asia. This is something I would love to see revived in Nepal and among Nepali people.”

This was a common theme among the group. Not only do they want to show visitors the diversity of beauty and culture throughout Nepal, they also want their peers to recognise it. “An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people leave [Nepal], especially from remote communities, every month to work overseas. That’s mostly due to a lack of opportunities at home,” says Lama, adding that growing up seeing communities come together at Happy House is what drives him today—much as it does all members of this unofficial committee.

“I could see how the house brought the community together. When we had camping trips, we’d need 30, 40 people to be part of the team as guides, kitchen crew, porters. There was always so much energy, and almost every person or from the village was a part of that,” he says. “I’m trying to revive that.”

For Giercke in Mongolia, one of the camp’s missions is to support and preserve the traditional nomadic lifestyle of those living in the valley. The family employs local nomads and horsemen to work at the retreat during the camp’s annual three-month operation, but pays a full year’s salary so they don’t have to leave the valley or, ultimately, their way of life.

This new generation of hoteliers is committed to conservation, spirituality, adventure and art; staying true to their roots and rejecting the homogenous look seen in so many new hotels—even the boutique ones. Rather than seeing their properties as money makers or opportunities for social clout, they see them as gateways for both visitors and locals to deeper understanding and connection.

“As Nepal continues to modernise and evolve, many younger generations naturally look towards larger cities and opportunities abroad. [This creates] a risk that traditional knowledge, architecture and local identity slowly fade away,” says Sherpa. “One of our hopes is to help create renewed appreciation for what already exists here—the beauty of local materials, traditional design and community-centred living.”

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