The Apeejay
Institute of Hospitality
located at CBD Belapur shares its
premises with The
Park Navi Mumbai. It is an initiative of the
Apeejay Surrendra Park
Hotels that operates its collection of Luxury
Boutique hotels in India. The
institute offers a 3 years
Bachelor’s Degree programme in
Hospitality Studies (BSc-HS)affiliated to the University of Mumbai & YCMO
University and is recognized by the University Grants Commission.
AIH is also the
center of learning for Apeejay Surrendra The Park Hotels.
The group's Management Training Programme, Professional Development Programmes
as well as consultancy projects for the hospitality industry are
some of its additional core activities. The highly accomplished
faculty team is drawn from academics, supplemented by visiting faculty
from reputed institutions, experts from The Park Hotels and professionals
from the Hospitality and Services sector. The institute boasts of a world
class curriculum augmented by state of the art facilities on campus
with separate hostel facility for Girls and Boys.
Not only academics but
extracurricular activities are also given equal impetus. Students have
the advantage of getting hands-on operational training at The Park, Navi
Mumbai, doing their industrial training from any of the Park properties or associated organizations and
take up careers with the Park Hotels.
This year the institute
organized a Domestic educational tour to Rajasthan and visited the capital
city, Jaipur and the other tourist destinations in Jodhpur, Udaipur,
Chittorgarh and Haldi Ghati. 37 students with 4 faculty members were there from
the 11th to the 20th of December, 2013. The students
learnt every aspect of this tour right from selecting the destination, zeroing
down on the local attractions, reserving hotel rooms, planning the itinerary, identifying
the hotels to visit as a part of the study tour, as well as all the Dos and Don’ts
of travelling as a group.
Rajasthan was chosen as it is one
of the most sought after tourist destination in the word and is one of the
highest earners in the country in terms of revenue from tourism. It also has
some of the best hotels in the country and houses some of the best Heritage
hotels not only in India but are among the best in the world. Also this time of
the year offered the best of Rajasthan in terms of the weather and travel.
The group left from Mumbai
Central on the 11th of December 2013 by the Jaipur super fast train,
that leaves at 9.30 pm. Reached Jaipur at 12.50pm on 12th December, we
had a luxury tourist bus waiting for us at the station. We boarded the bus and headed to our hotel at Jaipur. Reached hotel in half an hour, were received
at the hotel with refreshing welcome drinks and headed straight to the
restaurant for lunch. There were two cakes waiting for the twins who were
celebrating their birthday that day. The hotel was good and the rooms very
comfortable. In the evening, that day we went to the World famous Choki Dhani,
an ethnic village resort representing the culture, traditions and aspects of village
life in the state.
Day two of the tour was for a hotel visit, soon after the breakfast at our
hotel we left for the Taj Hari Mahal Hotel. The group was large so was divided
into two ensuring that they got a good exposure and got to learn all aspects of
operations at the heritage property. Evening was left free for shopping.
Day three - The day of
sightseeing, we started with the Amer Fort. The fort stands atop a range of
craggy hills. The fort is remarkable as much for the majestic grandeur of its
surroundings as for its sturdy battlements and beautiful palaces. Post lunch we
visited the City Palace, situated in the heart of the old city and the first
high rise structure (7 storey) in the city. After seeing the magnificent palace
we went to the famous Jantar Mantar (observatory) the largest and the best
preserved of the five observatories built in the 18th century by
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in different parts of the country. We also visited the Hawa Mahal, the 5 storied
stunning semi octagonal monument having 152 windows with over hanging latticed
balconies, a fine piece of Rajput architecture and Jal Mahal situated in the
middle of the Man Sagar Lake.
Day Four – We left for Jodhpur
it was a whole day journey by road we reached the hotel in the evening. Some of
the students freshened up and relaxed at the hotel whereas some did a bit of
shopping at the local market close to the hotel.
Day Five – We went to see the Famous
Mehrangarh Fort. It is one of the
largest forts in the country. It is situated 400 feet above the city and is
enclosed by imposing thick walls. Had a relaxed evening back at the hotel.
Day Six – Left for Udaipur.
Reached Udaipur in the evening had our dinner at the restaurant and retired for
the night.
Day Seven – We left early
morning for Chittorgarh. We visited the Chittorgarh Fort, Vijay Stambh, Padmini
Palace, Rana Kumbha Palace, Kumbha Shyam Palace. The story of Chittorgarh is a
saga of valor, tenacity and sacrifice. The fort is a treasure trove of history
and offers to the travelers an insight into the lives of the great Rajput
rulers, who laid their lives fighting superior enemies instead of leading a
life of submission under them.
Day Eight – We visited the
Leela Palace hotel, one of the best modern palace hotels in the city. The tour
was very well organized by the hotel HR and Training team. The property is
amazingly beautiful with great service standards. Evening was free for camp
fire. The students enjoyed the chilly evening sitting by the camp fire.
Day Nine - We visited the Haldi
Ghati, a mountain pass in the Aravali ranges, the name is believed to have come
from the yellow coloured soil that looks like turmeric. It is the site where
the famous battle of Haldighati was fought between Rana Pratap and
the Mughals in the year 1576. We saw the light and sound show based on the life
of the Maharana and his horse Chetak.
Day Ten- We visited the Jagdish
Temple, built between 1628 and 1653 dedicated to Lord Jagannath. The next
attraction was the City Palace, which is one of the architectural marvels of
Rajasthan, it is the most visited attraction in Udaipur. The palace has various
towers, domes and arches. It boasts of the wonderful blend of Medieval,
European and Chinese architecture. We also visited the palace museum. We
returned to the hotel, had our lunch and checked out. On our way we visited
Saheliyon ki Bari, this is a well planned garden blessed with extensive and
shady lawns and great water fountains.
Towards the evening we did
boating on the Fateh Sagar lake and visited the Jagmandir island in the centre
of the lake it was a sight of rare beauty. We then visited the Pratap Smarak,
which is on top of the Moti Magir or Pearl Hill overlooking the Fateh Sagar
Lake. The path to the top, traverses through elegant gardens including the
Japanese rock garden.
We had dinner at the Natraj
restaurant that is famous for its Thali meals. Then it was time for us to board
our train back home. We came back with very informative and enriching memories
of the Royal Rajasthan.
We used the expertise of Royal Tours, a Mumbai based travel company that specialises in group tours especially school and colleges. We found them doing a fantastic job!
We used the expertise of Royal Tours, a Mumbai based travel company that specialises in group tours especially school and colleges. We found them doing a fantastic job!
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