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As soon as you enter the lobby of Taj The Trees in Vikhroli the mixed media floor-to-ceiling wall art titled From where does this paradise spring? greets you. In shades of brown, the artwork in the Breath series executed and designed by the UK-based design studio Based Upon, both strikes and soothes the eye. The artistic rendition located in one of the newest luxury hotels in Bombay depicts the very feature that both the hotel management, and the owners, Godrej Properties, are proud of: the mangrove forests around their location. Situated on the site of the former soap factory amid a 35-acre mixed-use complex, now a "highly pedestrian-oriented development,” the hotel is managed by the Tata’s Taj Group, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL).  

  terrace of Mangrove Bar Photo: Jaideep Oberoi;

  all-day dining outlet Shamiana Photo: Vikas Munipalle

Pirojsha Godrej, managing director of Godrej Properties, himself commissioned the floor to ceiling wall art "to encapsulate the mangrove forests,” stated Palak Chhabra, public relations manager for the hotel. The dense, green, 1,500-acre nature’s basket of flora and fauna including reptiles and jackals, the Godrej mangroves are among the best in the world. The creation in metal depicts a relief of the mangroves’ topographical landscape, "enhanced by algorithmic lighting emitting hues of the mangroves from dawn until dusk,” as states the hotel’s note on the piece. "It celebrates the wild deltas and all that exists within them, paying homage to the lungs of the city.” The lighting on the piece subtly alters the color, shadows and pacing, "transporting the viewers to a restive state where they can embrace a moment of stillness.” 

The mangrove theme resonates throughout the hotel: through windows of the guest rooms and common spaces and dining outlets, one looks out at vast expanses of green; even the lift lobbies have mangrove themed artworks in different materials. "Guests are invited to experience the hotel’s connection with the surrounding landscape through a sculpture, book, film, soundtrack and poem,” states the hotel’s publicity material. A film on the landscape plays in all the rooms at the hotel. A book on the property is available in the lobby for viewing.

"We have kept the lobby very homely too, with a very city feel,” says Chhabra pointing to a large community table under the artwork. "We want our guests to unwind at this table after a day at work,” she added. Adjacent is a well-stocked bar which serves seasonal specialties.  

The establishment is a built up area of over three lakh sq ft, with 151 rooms and suites. On the ground floor is a tea lounge "to tempt local residents (of the mixed-use complex) to use the hotel.” Also on the ground floor is the ballroom which has access to a private courtyard garden, "allowing a seamless flow from inside out,” states the note by the hotel’s architects, Conran and Partners, UK. Godrej’s in-house studio and WATG, a leader in integrated luxury design, were involved in the conceptualization and design of the establishment. Beyond the lobby are the meeting and events spaces, "with sophisticated industrial detailing and an openness that talk to a contemporary workplace approach.” 

The J. Wellness Circle  on the second floor with five treatment rooms, a relaxation room, spa and gym offers "transformative journeys,” via a host of treatments including yoga and meditation inspired by Ayurveda. The third floor houses their all-day dining restaurant Shamiana and Nonya, their 1920s Shanghai Deco influenced specialty restaurant. The terraces of both eateries face the infinity pool deck which in turn overlooks a proposed sculpture park. The guest rooms either face the mangroves or outwards towards the pool podium and the sculpture park. On the top floor is housed the bespoke gin distillery-cum-bar with an expansive terrace overlooking the mangroves, which displays gin-based infusions as artwork. As states the hotel’s publicity material, "Seeing the (hotel) come alive has reinforced our belief that a hotel need not be a walled off building but rather one that contributes as an active participant in a connected, programed and vibrant neighborhood.” 

A green-powered hotel, natural sunlight has been directed through the use of glass so that daylight becomes the primary source of lighting in 56% of the spaces. Green certified housekeeping products and glass water bottles in the guest rooms "completely eliminate the use of single use plastic in the premises.” 

Anubhav Gupta, chief ESG (environment, social and governance) and sustainability and corporate social responsibility officer of Godrej Properties noted, "For the first time, both the Tata and Godrej Groups have partnered together to create a one of its kind 5-star property amidst a vibrant, mixed-use and verdant development of The Trees.” Speaking of the collaboration, Pirojsha, at the time of the launch of the property in the last quarter of 2023, said the hotel will deliver quality and sustainable luxury in a green, connected and vibrant neighborhood (The Times of India, October 9, 2023).  

The Godrej Group has voluntarily adopted the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Code for Ecological Sustainable Business, participated in the India Business Biodiversity Initiative and reports its sustainability performance using the Global Reporting Initiative framework for all of its businesses. 

  Photos: Jaideep Oberoi 

  Photo: Jaideep Oberoi 

A verdant history

Much before "green” became a buzz- word in corporate circles, Godrej had  pioneered conservation efforts. In the book Godrej: A Symbiosis of Industry and Nature, published by the Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Foundation and produced by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in 2000, a foreword penned by art historian Dr Pheroza Godrej states, "The founders of the Godrej group, brothers Ardeshir and Pirojsha, taught (Pirojsha’s children) Sohrab, Burjor, Naval and Dosa that work was worship and that they were the guardians of Mother Nature…” In this book dedicated to Sohrabji she describes him as "a committed conservationist… founding trustee and president emeritus of the World Wide Fund for Nature, India… vice president of BNHS and president of the National Society of the Friends of Trees.”

The foreword quotes Sohrabji as stating, "My father was severely criticized for throwing his money away on a desolate area called Vikhroli though it was the farsighted genius of our youngest sibling Naval who successfully bid for the Vikhroli lands.” 

An article by historian Sharada Dwivedi in the same book states that "Vikhroli was a tiny village, sparsely populated, surrounded by rice fields with a range of hills to the west, beyond which lay Powai Lake. To the east, the village was fringed by tidal swamps with bright green bushes of mangroves and saltwater channels from the Thane creek… A complete change in the form and character of Vikhroli began… when at a public auction held in October 1943, Naoroji (Naval) Pirojsha Godrej purchased the village…”

A 1985 to 1992 doctoral study titled "Vikhroli Mangroves: Conservation and Management,” supported by Sohrabji, provided important insights into the mangrove ecosystem and a roadmap for its conservation. The formation of the "Mangroves Project,” now known as the Wetland Management Services within the business house, offered a distinct identity and adequate resources to its conservation initiatives.” 

In an interview with Burjor Karanjia in 1995, Sohrab was "particularly proud that Godrej had made a special contribution by preserving, at enormous cost, the mangroves at Vikhroli (see "Sohrab Godrej: the reluctant industrialist,” Parsiana, September 1995).

As remarked Dwivedi, "Over the decades the verdant Godrej property at Vikhroli became a model for successful development. The key word with Godrej was caring – about their people, about the environment, and about the mangroves that were slowly dying in most parts of metropolitan Bombay…”