Before the Tiger Palace Resort near Bhairahawa came into operation, the hotel Club Denovo was a well-equipped hotel. This hotel has a restaurant, swimming pool, seminar hall, attractive architecture, and gardens reflecting the local culture.
What you should know
Butwal's tourist Kalikapath has not been shining for a decade. From Butwal's hospital line to South Yogikuti, restaurants, kitchens, coffee houses and well-equipped hotels have now opened right and left on Kalipath. Now, Kalikapath has become a center of attraction more than the main highway market in Butwal.
17 years ago, it was scary to travel along Kalika Path. At that time, there were only houses up to Tinkune Chowk. There was no dense settlement further south than that, up to Yogikuti. The Electricity Authority office was in Kalikanagar. ‘People did not walk along Kalika Path at night,’ said Prabin Bahadur Pathak, owner of Club Denovo in Kalika Path. ‘There was only a Shiva temple and an electricity office, and there were only houses along the main highway.’
Industrialists and businessmen from Butwal, the commercial center of Rupandehi and the industrial city, keep traveling abroad. Investors also come from abroad. There was a lack of a place for guests to gather. Seeing this, Pathak said that he first opened Club Denovo on Kalika Path. ‘There was a lack of a place to meet and talk,’ he said. ‘I opened the club when I was thinking about how to improve Butwal.’ After the health club with sauna and jacuzzi was opened, the public was attracted.
At that time, there were hoarding boards mentioning Club Denovo at various places along the East-West Highway. He said that this promoted Butwal's hospitality. After one and a half years of operating the club, 40 rooms were added. Before the Tiger Palace Resort near Bhairahawa came into operation, Club Denovo was one of the hotels with facilities.
The hotel has a restaurant, swimming pool, seminar hall, attractive architecture, and a garden reflecting the local culture. 'However, in the field of hospitality, only one style and construction work is always done,' he said, 'Some changes are necessary after a certain period, so we have also revived Club Denovo after 17 years, now it has a new look.'
Coffee culture is now widespread in Butwal. Coffee houses have opened on both sides of Kalika Path and the main highway. Club Denovo has also brought a coffee house into operation in front of the hotel. The artisan coffee house, built using Nepali and foreign architecture, is attractive. The coffee house serves ‘Buna Tetu’ coffee. ‘Buna Tetu is the name of the national festival of Ethiopia,’ Pathak said. ‘It is believed that coffee originated from there, that is why I came up with the name.’ He said that it means sitting and drinking coffee together. The Russian name of the bar here is ‘Rumka’. It means taking a sip of alcohol in a small glass. He said that having a coffee house in front of the
hotel means emphasizing the coffee culture spread in Butwal. Coffee produced in Gulmi and Syangja has been given priority here. Pathak said that he is going to connect with farmers to sell coffee produced in the hills here. ‘There is an idea to produce coffee in coordination with farmers,’ he said. ‘Foreign flavored coffees are also available at the artisan coffee house.’ He said that redcurrant tea is also going to be sold here. Currently, the hotel employs 80 workers. All of them are locals. Pathak said that preparations are underway to open the restaurant from Magh 1, right after the coffee house. He said that Denovo means a new beginning, so he is making some changes. ‘This is related to my patience,’ he said, ‘It took four years to carve wood and build an attractive restaurant.’
Club Denovo is preparing to celebrate its 17th anniversary in the Nepali New Year. Therefore, 12 rooms with high-level facilities are currently being built. He said that the existing rooms have also been ‘upgraded’. ‘There is a collection of architecture from many countries here,’ he said, ‘There is a combination of different architectures in the Designers Collection.’
