Can a sports facility become a hospitality destination? What does hospitality look like when there are no check-in desks, rooms, or restaurants at the centre of the experience? Students of the Hospitality Business Leadership (HBL) program at SP Jain Global discovered the answer on a rooftop padel court in Worli.
During their visit to Courtside at Atria, students discovered that a sports space can be much more than just a place to play. With padel courts, dining, wellness spaces, and areas to relax, Courtside brings together different experiences under one roof.
As students explored the venue, they noticed how thoughtfully designed spaces can influence the way people spend time. The rooftop setting, greenery, and open layout created an environment where guests could play, catch up with friends, or simply enjoy the atmosphere beyond their time on the court.
Students also spent time at The Optimist, Courtside’s restaurant and bar, understanding how food and beverage can become an important part of a sports experience. From the menu to the service, they saw how small details can shape the overall feeling of a place.
A conversation with founders Shyam Singh and Shoumik Shetty gave students a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into building a concept like Courtside. They shared the challenges of creating a rooftop facility in Mumbai, including construction hurdles, planning for monsoons, and building a space that encourages people to come together.
The visit also gave students the opportunity to try padel themselves. With guidance from instructors, they learned the basics of the sport and experienced why it is becoming popular.
For HBL students, the visit offered a fresh perspective on hospitality and how experiences can be created in unexpected spaces. Courtside showed that at the heart of hospitality is not just where people go, but how a place makes them feel.