Hotel Shanker

Hotel Shanker occupies a neo-classical Rana palace in Lazimpat and has been welcoming guests since 1964. The palace was commissioned by General Jit Shumsher Rana and completed in 1894 to designs by the architect Kumar Narsingh Rana, with European furnishings brought in to match its style. It formed part of the Lazimpat Durbar complex, later known as Agni Bhawan. After Jit Shumsher's death in 1913 it passed to General Agni Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, and in 1964 Ram Shanker Shrestha converted it into a hotel with just 23 rooms, at first renting the property and later buying it from the Rana family. He remodelled the interior but kept the palace's exterior form, and Queen Aishwarya is among the royals reported to have been born in the palace. The hotel celebrated 60 years of hospitality in 2024.

Today it is a four-star heritage palace hotel with 94 deluxe rooms and suites. The four-storey palace architecture is the main draw, along with objets d'art such as the carved windows of the lobby bar, said to be more than 200 years old, and the hotel markets itself as a venue for weddings and photo shoots. The setting is unusually green for central Kathmandu, with around 4.4 acres of landscaped grounds and front lawns.

Facilities include a swimming pool, the Tranquility Spa and more than 12,000 square feet of indoor event space for conferences, banquets and weddings, and a travel desk can help arrange sightseeing. The multicuisine Cosy Kailash restaurant is the main dining room.

Hotel Shanker suits couples, families and groups who want character and a pool in a four-star setting. The gardens and pool are particularly welcome after a day of sightseeing or a long trek, and the palace architecture makes it a memorable place to stay.

Lazimpat lies north of Thamel, and the hotel says it is close to both Thamel and Durbar Marg and about 6 km from Tribhuvan International Airport. Bitters & Co and Jazz Upstairs, both listed in this guide, are in Lazimpat too, and the Garden of Dreams and the Narayanhiti Palace Museum are within easy reach.