EHL Group Best Hospitality Management Academy – Switzerland

The start of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) story begins in 1893, with the visionary eye of Jacques Tschumi. The idea was simple: to teach others to provide a personalised service that consistently meet and occasionally even exceed customers’ expectations. It was a dream that has since become the standard by which we judge hospitality. There is not a hotel or a company around the world that does not aim to deliver service to meet the specific needs and requirements of the guest. And it began here.

Of course, time has changed in the last 127 years. The university has needed to reinvent itself to meet the needs of a flourishing industry but the Swiss dual education always remains part of its DNA. Also known as experiential learning, dual education is the systematic association of theoretical principles with practical skills and is deeply ingrained in the Swiss education system where it has been acclaimed internationally thanks to the nation’s very low youth unemployment rate.

During the Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management for example, students are fully immersed in the world of hospitality: they first follow practical classes in hotel and restaurant operations during their “Preparatory Year” before digging into the theory with classes in F&B management, finance, real estate, marketing, etc. Throughout their curriculum, students are accompanied by the best industry professionals, and have to make two 6-months internships that allow them to build experience in a real-world hospitality environment and discover their strengths. It is thanks to this very particular approach of education, that EHL is continually recognized by industry leaders as the best hospitality management school in the world.

Also, EHL has always made it a point of honour to develop internationally and shape the future of the global hospitality industry by providing undergraduate and graduate programmes to an international audience. The internationalism that goes into EHL is incredibly exciting, with people from every background attending this renowned learning environment. A good example of this international development is the multiculturalism on EHL campuses: the university counts over 120 nationalities among its students, 75% of which speak more than 3 languages. EHL is still headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Jacques Tschumi began, but it now boasts a campus in Chur-Passugg, Switzerland and another in Singapore that will open its doors in fall 2021. Also, with an exciting range of online learning solutions available, there has never been an easier way to access this long legacy of exceptional hospitality.

British students number within the various nationalities on campus. A prominent British name who is a member of the school’s alumni network and has gone to extraordinary success is that of Philipp Mosimann. He is now Managing Director at the prestigious Mosimann’s in London, transferring the legacy of Swiss hospitality to an international stage. It is just one of many success stories that can be ascribed to what he learnt when studying in Switzerland.

When people look at EHL Group, they see an organisation that delivers teaching that has an impact on the employability of young graduates. Far from limited in its scope, the majority of what is taught embraces the flexibility of skills that can be transferred to a host of different uses. Indeed 50% of EHL’s alumni are actually not working within the hotel industry but pursue their careers in various other industries such as luxury industry, real estate, consulting, banking, etc.

Such success has allowed the school’s teaching to interact with the industry in a way that many other hospitality education outlets simply cannot offer. Attending a EHL campus gives a unique relationship with an alumni network that is more than 30,000 strong, across the entire globe. It’s easy to see the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne as something that is purely Swiss, but it provides a level of quality and commitment that can be seen in successful hospitality situations internationally. Jacques Tschumi wanted to teach people to offer a bespoke, boutique service. It’s a story that’s still being told today, in the global hospitality industry and beyond. 

For more information on EHL visit: https://www.ehl.edu/