Parul University students participated on an unforgettable adventure with IIMUN's Hospitality Tour in Jaipur, a tropical wave of palaces, stories, and learning that transformed luxury into something they felt rather than just viewed.

The Taj in Jaipur is not a mere chain of hotels, it is an anthology of life. Every house is a chapter, every chapter a unique voice, but all expressed in the same tongue, respect for place, people, and purpose. As the students of Parul University at IIMUN's Hospitality Tour in Jaipur entered this realm, they weren't merely touring hotels, they were entering into dialogue, some whispered from the earth, some spoken in grand marble halls, and some carried in the quiet warmth of a welcome.

The first such dialogue opened not with chandeliers and banquet halls but with earth. At one property alone, the philosophy was straightforward, luxury needs to heal more than it devours. Taj Devi Ratn became the stage for the learning of this lesson, where Training Manager Siddharth Bose talked about sustainability as a mindset, not an afterthought, but the groundwork that undergirds everything. The students learned about in-house plantations and employee initiatives that integrated ecologically caring practices into the very fabric of daily activities. Here, green initiatives weren't boxes to tick, they were a badge of honor, a commitment to guests, and a bequest to the world.

From that agrarian roots, the story went on rather seamlessly to a space where tradition coexisted hand in hand with modernity. At Taj Amer, Learning & Development Manager Atanu Banerjee demonstrated how heritage can take on a contemporary suit without sacrificing its origins. The students walked through areas where Jaipur's grandest banquet hall was lined alongside fine traditional detailing, understanding that scale and sophistication really could coexist. The lesson was obvious, "Tajness" is not so much making a decision between the past and the present, it's about allowing them to dance together.

From Amer's blend of heritage and modernity, the tour flowed into one of the palaces where royalty isn't merely remembered, it's operationally maintained. Taj Rambagh, presented by IHCL Rajasthan Head Director Ashok Rathore, was like entering into a living heirloom. In Jaipur, the students discovered that royal hospitality is not a show of grandeur but a jealously guarded system. Each polished chandelier, each immaculate corridor, each guest interaction, all of these were rooted in strict protocols honed over decades. Here, history was not something to be gazed upon, it was something to be experienced, day in and out, with the same gravity and poise that used to greet maharajas.

Just as Rambagh showed the precision and discipline involved in conserving tradition, Taj Sawaiman Mahal gave an insight into its performance. General Manager Asha Deep Sidhu described heritage as not a static display but a stage setting for performance. The students observed how the royal-style choreography of this property, from the uniforms its employees wear to the ceremonies remade to suit contemporary sensibilities, encouraged visitors to do more than look at the past, it encouraged them to be part of it. Passing through its courtyards and rooms, the students realized that luxury, being done this way, is human and interactive, a tradition you could enter instead of merely looking at from afar.

The last chapter of this anthology took them to Taj Jai Mahal, where authenticity had a like-minded partner in environmental responsibility. Under the leadership of General Manager Vardhman Singh Rathore, the students walked through a palace that beautifully blended its historic charm with modern sustainability. From carefully crafted replicas of heritage details to eco-friendly building systems, Jai Mahal showed that luxury can honor the past while caring for the planet. For the students, it was a powerful reminder that beauty and responsibility can go hand in hand.

After this incredible journey in Jaipur, the students had seen more than five different hotels, and they had learned five related philosophies. Each building conveyed a different lesson, sustainability as a starting point, the unobtrusive dance between past and present, the operational discipline that safeguards heritage, the performative warmth of living heritage, and the obligation of aligning authenticity with concern for the planet. Together, they created a definition of luxury much deeper than chandeliers and marble, a values-based luxury brought by people, and experienced in the heart long after the tour is over