A hotel visit, an industry challenge and four teams with very different ideas made for an engaging day at Taj The Trees, Vikhroli, for students of the Batch 6 Hospitality Business Leadership (HBL) program at SP Jain Global.

The visit gave students a closer look at the property and its approach to sustainable luxury. They explored the hotel's spaces and food and beverage outlets, including The Mangrove Bar, Shamiana and Nonya, while learning about the thinking behind its guest experiences and operations.

Students also had the opportunity to interact with the hotel's leadership team, gaining insights into areas such as hotel operations, people management, sales and service.

But the visit didn't end with the property tour. Students were then divided into four teams and given a live challenge: develop a practical idea that could further strengthen sustainability at Taj The Trees.

The teams came up with four distinct concepts. One proposed turning coffee waste into a sustainable mug, giving used coffee grounds a new purpose. Another explored ways to enhance engagement with the Khazana experience, while the remaining teams focused on a biosphere-inspired kinetic energy concept and smarter waste segregation through a smart garbage bin.

The ideas were then presented to a panel of judges, where students had to explain not just what their concepts were, but how they could work in practice.

The coffee-waste mug emerged as the winning idea, recognised for its practicality, usability and alignment with the property's sustainability goals. 

 For the HBL Batch 6 students, this experience brought together industry exposure, teamwork and creative problem solving, turning a property visit into an opportunity to learn, ideate and put classroom concepts into practice.