Charity boss sets up a luxury boutique hotel in Nepal to help fund his projects

Charity boss Robert Kee, 77, is opening a luxury boutique hotel in Nepal.

- Venessa Lee Senior Correspondent

Mr Robert Kee in a March 2024 photo with the residents of children's home Hope Village Prey Veng in Cambodia.

(COURTESY OF ROBERT KEE)

Himalayan Hideaway Resort Pokhara, The Centara Collection is a 42-room resort with lush views of the Annapurna mountains, complete with skylights, private fire pits, personal gardens, yoga classes and spa services.

Perched on the hills of the Kaskikot area, about 30 minutes’ drive from the Nepali city of Pokhara, the hotel is accepting guests from December. Opening promotion rates start at around $160 a night and room sizes start at 44 sq m.

Targeting global luxury travellers represents a new direction for Mr Kee, founder of Operation Hope Foundation (OHF), where he works full-time as its executive chairman. The former electronic engineer and entrepreneur does not claim any salary or expenses from OHF.

Registered as a charity in Singapore in 2001, OHF operates in Cambodia and works with nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in Nepal to run children’s homes, housing, sanitation and livelihood programmes, and other charitable projects in both countries.

Charity remains top of mind for Mr Kee, who aims to structure Himalayan Hideaway Resort Pokhara like a social enterprise while gunning to bring more tourists to Nepal.

"Part of the profit from the hotel can fund my charity work," says the grandfather of four. "If you can create jobs, that’s the ultimate form of charity."

When the resort is at full strength, it will employ 80 full-time staff. Its deep water well supplies clean water to a nearby village, while its six-year construction provided employment for locals.

Mr Kee and his wife Susan Ho, 75, own the business, which is run by Thai hotel operator Centara Hotels & Resorts. He declined to reveal the cost of setting up the resort.