Innovative with a business mindset: How EHL prepares graduates for hospitality careers in a post-pandemic world

Now that international travel is enjoying an upswing once again, hospitality and tourism are at the forefront of innovation - though in a new, post-pandemic environment.

For as long as humans have been travelling, the hospitality industry has existed, going back to ancient innkeepers and taverns from biblical times. The hospitality and tourism sectors have experienced ups and downs, as impacted by world events and shifts in travel trends.

The word hospitality comes from the Latin word "hospes", which means visitor or stranger, while the idea of hospitality is built on giving visitors or strangers a warm welcome, and a memorable and personalised experience.

The concept of tourism, however, is a more recent invention from Europe, with Switzerland said to be one of the first countries that created special accommodation and services for travellers in the late 1800s.

These wealthy tourists from around Europe would visit Switzerland for the Swiss Alps, and its train rides, thermal baths and ski resorts. In doing so, they created a new demand for fine dining and luxury accommodation, which resulted in the birth of leisure travel and hospitality management schools.

One of these is EHL Hospitality Business School, the world's first hotel management school founded in 1893 as Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, with the debut cohort taking their first classes in a room at the Hôtel d'Angleterre on the shores of Lake Leman in Lausanne.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 2 pm

Lifestyle

Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.

Sign Up

Sign Up

From its humble one-room beginnings, EHL has since gone on to become renowned as the institution for a hospitality management education, with 4,000 students spanning over 120 nationalities and a 30,000-strong international alumni network. Over 150 of them live and work in Singapore. According to the recent 2022 QS World University Rankings, it has been the world's number one university for a hospitality management education for four years.

EHL now has two campuses in Switzerland, one in Lausanne and the other in Passugg. In 2021, it also opened its first campus in the Asia-Pacific region in Singapore.

True talented leaders are born and nurtured

While it offers one full-time bachelor's degree programme, five master's degree programmes and a large portfolio of short courses and online certificates, EHL's latest programme is its Master's in Hospitality Management Program, available on the renowned EHL Campus Lausanne in Switzerland.

"This new master's trains ambitious students to analyse data, prioritise, and make fast, effective decisions, and offers a context to develop their interpersonal and leadership skills. Their enhanced industry knowledge and capabilities will help them to become the next generation of hospitality leaders and seize new opportunities in this rapidly changing industry," says Dr Achim Schmitt, Full Professor and Dean (a.i.) of EHL's Graduate School.

In a post-pandemic world, such talented leaders have to be more agile, innovative and adaptable to identify new growth opportunities - not just in the hotel and resorts sector alone, but also beyond. The art of hospitality is an asset in the food and beverage, finance, real estate and transport industries too.

"Our Graduate School programmes take a human approach to management and leadership for the hospitality industry and beyond," says Dr Schmitt.

EHL's new master's is suitable for students and young professionals interested in starting or accelerating a vibrant career in hospitality and more broadly in the service sector.

Over three semesters, or 16 months, students will study hospitality management trends and best practices like talent management, revenue strategies, logistics, digital transformation, sustainability and customer centricity. These will be taught through group classes, projects and a business field trip, all of which will culminate in The Capstone Thesis, an applied research project with a 12-week industry placement.

Upon admission, two academic routes are offered: Food and Beverage Management, or Hospitality Finance, Real Estate and Consulting. The first is ideal for those hoping to join the food service sector, one of the fastest growing industries in the world with career paths in operations management or consultancy, concept design and development.

Hospitality Finance, Real Estate and Consulting, on the other hand, prepares students for a career in investment, finance and consulting businesses that have a focus on service.

At EHL, faculty members include both illustrious professors (50 per cent of whom hold a PhD) and experienced industry professionals who will incorporate applied research and real-life lessons in their classes as well as connect students with industry projects and contacts.

Why choose on-campus education at EHL

To take things further beyond the classroom - the Swiss dual-education system is lauded for combining theory and practice - the EHL Lausanne campus houses demonstration kitchens, a Michelin-starred restaurant for training sessions, a garden and orchard where students can see how seasonal produce is planted and harvested, and the Peter Michael Wine Laboratory where wine tasting and studying can be experienced.

It also has Innovation Village, an incubator which welcomes 30 hospitality concepts and startups.

If you want to take a break from your studies, the EHL campus also has a wide variety of indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

It's also located on the shores of the picturesque Lake Geneva, which makes for a clean, peaceful and conducive study and living environment. This is one of the attractive traits about studying in Switzerland, which is known for its safe environment, political stability and well-developed First World infrastructure.

All classes at EHL are taught in English and foreign students do not have to undergo quarantine, making your transition from Singapore to Switzerland seamless and stress-free.

The upcoming intakes for the EHL Master in Hospitality Management Program are taking place in September and next February. To qualify, a bachelor's degree in hospitality, tourism or other related fields, as well as a minimum of six months' professional experience in the hospitality industry, is required.

For more information, visit this link.