Tamara Opens Hotels As Classrooms For Future Hoteliers
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Tamara Leisure Experiences (TLE), the multi-brand hospitality group behind Tamara, O by Tamara, Lilac by Tamara, Rae by Tamara and Amal Tamara, has concluded the fourth cohort of its Responsible Hoteliers of Tomorrow (RHT) internship for hospitality students and the second edition of Connect Conscious Classroom (CCC), its immersion programme for hospitality educators. Together, the two programmes open TLE’s hotels and resorts to the students and faculty who will shape the industry’s future, giving them a working view of how responsible hospitality is practised every day, not just how it is taught. For TLE, responsible hospitality begins long before a guest arrives and extends well beyond a stay. It rests on the people who bring each destination to life, the communities and ecosystems that sustain it, and the talent that will lead the industry next. That is why TLE’s engagement with academia is built as a sustained part of how it contributes to the industry, rather than a one-off outreach effort.
Learning inside the business: This year’s RHT cohort brought together 20 undergraduate hospitality students from seven institutions for 45 days of immersive learning across TLE’s properties and offices. Interns moved between classroom sessions, hotel operations, community field visits and conversations with industry practitioners, before taking on sustainability-led projects at their host properties and presenting solutions to real operational challenges.
Bringing educators closer to practice: CCC brought Hotel Management faculty into the same environment for a week-long immersion spanning operations, sustainability and community engagement, along with workshops on pedagogy, hospitality trends, technology and management practice. Faculty engaged with Tamarites across functions and destinations, and return to their institutions with first-hand insight to bring the classroom closer to the realities of the profession.
Commenting on the initiatives, Samir MC, CEO, Tamara Leisure Experiences, said: “Responsible hospitality is a shared journey for our industry. As India’s domestic travel market grows, building an understanding of responsible practice early in a hospitality career matters more than ever. For us, working with academia is a two-way exchange. Students and faculty bring fresh perspectives and emerging ideas into our business, and we get to share what we have learnt from creating memorable experiences at our destinations responsibly. By strengthening this connection at the learning stage, we can help nurture professionals who understand that people, planet and profits must grow together. That is our contribution to a more responsible industry, and to the people who will shape it in the years ahead.”
A people agenda rooted in its destinations: The programmes sit within a broader commitment to the communities around TLE’s properties. 40% of TLE’s hiring is local and half of its procurement is sourced locally, so the benefits of hospitality reach well beyond the property gate. Attrition stands on the lower side of industry benchmarks, reflecting the group’s focus on meaningful, long-term careers.
As hospitality evolves, TLE believes responsible growth must also create equitable opportunities to learn, contribute and progress. This commitment shapes its wider approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, with initiatives such as the She Returns programme for women returning after career breaks, collaborating with SAATHIYA, which creates pathways into hospitality for youth from economically weaker sections, women’s leadership development, local employment and greater transparency in HR practices. These efforts are complemented by TLE’s focus on PwD inclusion. Its partnership with the Skill Council for Persons with Disability supports training and placement, while sensitising team members on disability inclusion.
By extending inclusion beyond hiring into onboarding, development and progression, TLE is building sustainable careers and a workplace shaped by a wider range of talent and perspectives. Together, these efforts connect industry, academia and communities, helping develop hospitality professionals with the skills, perspective and sense of responsibility to write the sector’s next chapter. For TLE, a destination reaches its fullest potential when the people who sustain it are empowered to shape what comes next.
