École hôtelière de Lausanne is a hospitality management school in Switzerland. The school is consistently regarded as the best hospitality school in the world. It trains students whose goals are to obtain managerial careers in the hotel and hospitality industries.
Its campus is located in Le Chalet-Ã -Gobet, eight kilometers from the city center of Lausanne. Today, the school welcomes more than 2,600 students from 107 different countries.
EHL is a member of EHL Group, which was founded in 2015 and is dedicated to hospitality management education. This reorganization was aimed at fostering management transparency and facilitating partnerships abroad.
History
Founded in 1893 by Jacques Tschumi, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne is the oldest and first hotel school in the world. It opened during the tourism boom in Switzerland in the late 19th century in response to high demand for skilled and qualified personnel.
Since 2001, EHL has had an EMBA (Executive Master in Hospitality Administration) program, a graduate degree in hospitality management from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO).
Education
Professionals consider EHL to be the best school in the world for training hospitality industry executives.
It prepares students for senior international positions in the field through five programs:
- The Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management (taught in English or French), which includes a preparatory year of immersion into the hospitality industry, three years of coursework studying business management topics, two six-month internships (often taken abroad), and a 10-week consulting mandate
- The Master of Science in Global Hospitality Business, a three-semester program in partnership with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Houston, with courses taught in Lausanne (Switzerland), Hong Kong (China) and Houston (United States)
- The MBA in Hospitality, delivered 80% online starting September 2017
- The Executive MBA in Hospitality Administration, a 12-month post-graduate program in hotel and hospitality management
- The Master Class in Culinary Arts, a six-month certificate focused on the advanced aspects of culinary arts such as international cuisine, gastronomy and baking
EHL offers financial support to talented students who are unable to enroll due to financial hardship.
Students, staff and teachers follow the EHL dress code, which is viewed as an additional asset for developing student potential.
Campus
The EHL campus contains several training restaurants for students in the preparatory year, including the Berceau des Sens, a gourmet restaurant that is open to the public and recognized by the Gault Millau guide. It also has several bars, 48 classrooms, auditoriums, a library, study rooms, a wine tasting room, a cafeteria, a boutique, a historic building, sports areas, and dorms.
EHL has adopted several sustainability initiatives, including a waste management system, vegetable garden, heat recovery system for cold storage, solar panels, and two electric cars on campus.
In 2013, EHL launched a project to further develop its campus through a collaborative exchange of ideas involving 385 architecture and landscape design students from around the world. Preparatory work should start in the fall of 2016, and should end within four years. The cost of the project is estimated at 226 million Swiss francs.
Student life
EHL students have created several committees for various interests, including sports, photography, food, arts, entrepreneurship and career development.
Admissions
Candidates for the Bachelor program are selected after a review of their application materials as well as an online assessment with analytical and quantitative tests, a hospitality aptitude test, and an online interview. If accepted, applicants are invited to a selection day which includes a campus tour, meetings with a teacher or staff member, and a group activity.
Accreditations
Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne is accredited as an Institution of Higher Education, issued by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC, USA). This accreditation ensures that the institution meets the international standards of higher education, and facilitates credit transfers and degree recognition from American institutions.
Within Switzerland, it is the only hospitality school offering training affiliated with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO), attesting to the high teaching quality and allowing the issued qualifications to be protected by Swiss law.
The Executive MBA in Hospitality Administration program was recognized by the Swiss Center of Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education (AAQ) as meeting their quality standards.
Rankings
Based on a study done by TNS Sofres in 2007, 2010 and 2013 with managers and recruiters from the hospitality world, EHL is considered to be the best in the world with regard to graduate job placement in international hospitality careers.
In 2013 and 2014, EHL was named the Best Hospitality Management School in the international competition of the Worldwide Hospitality Awards.
Faculty and research
Since 2014, the EHL research center, in partnership with STR, has sought to become a premier source of research in the field of international hospitality. The EHL Food & Beverage Chair, supported by the food production and marketing group Saviva, has studied the changes and challenges of the restaurant industry market since 2010. The METRO Innovation Chair is dedicated to research and innovation in the hospitality and restaurant field.
Many gastronomy experts are part of the school's faculty, including several Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF).
Collaboration with industry
EHL incorporates market trends and new technologies in its teaching through collaborative projects with companies. The Student Business Projects allow companies to appoint a full-time team of students to work on a topic that they need a solution for.
Every year, students can attend the on-campus Career Fair, allowing them to meet potential employers for internships or permanent positions.
A Business Incubator was established in 2012 to support start-ups who want to start in the hospitality sector.
EHL has established an International Advisory Board composed of international leaders in the hospitality and education sector, which provides the school with an opportunity to benefit from direct feedback and experiences from the industry.
Partnerships
Through its subsidiary, Lausanne Hospitality Consulting (LHC), EHL Group provides consulting services and manager training from its offices in Switzerland, China and India. LHC has developed a network of certified schools to recognize institutions when they become top notch. To date, it has issued EHL certification to the following schools:
- Escola de Hotelaria Universidade Estácio de Sá, Brazil
- Beijing Hospitality Institute, China
- Hanyang University Hospitality Academy, South Korea
- Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa, India
- Université La Sagesse, Faculty of Hospitality Management, Lebanon
- Centro de Estudios Superiores de San Ãngel, Mexico
- Dusit Thani College, Thailand
- Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, UAE
- King Abdulaziz University Tourism Institute, Saudi Arabia
- Algiers School of Hotel & Restaurant Management, Algeria
In November 2013, EHL acquired the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality (SSTH) at Passugg, Switzerland, which teaches tourism, gastronomy and hospitality.
Alumni
The EHL Alumni Association (AEHL) was established in 1926. Nearly 500 former students became members during its first year of existence, including the directors of prestigious hotel establishments located in Switzerland and abroad. Today, AEHL fosters a network of 25,000 active members in 120 countries.
Notable members:
- Bernhard Bohnenberger (1986), President, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas
- Peter C. Borer (1975), COO, The Peninsula Hotels and Executive Director, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Limited
- Christopher W. Norton (1980), President, Global Product and Operations, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
- Georges Plassat (1972), CEO, Carrefour Group
- Kurt Eduard Ritter (1970), CEO, The Rezidor Hotel Group
- Hans Wiedemann (1978), Managing Director and Delegate of the Board, Badrutt's Palace Hotel
- Christian Clerc (1992), President, Hotel Operations - Europe, Middle East and Africa, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
- Nathalie Seiler-Hayez (1995), Managing Director, Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne
- Jacky Lorenzetti (1969), Founder, Fonica Group and President, Racing Métro 92 Rugby
- Philippe Durand-Daguin (1965), Founder, Eurent Group
- François Dussart (1990), Managing Director, Beau-Rivage Palace SA
- Philippe Peverelli (1985), CEO, Montres Tudor SA (Rolex group)
- Alain Delamuraz (1988), Vice President and Head of Marketing, Blancpain SA
- Lorenzo Stoll (1996), CEO Suisse Romande Swiss International Airlines, Switzerland
- Mathieu Jaton (1999), CEO, Montreux Jazz Festival
- Arnaud Bertrand (2008), Founder, Housetrip
- Dominique Seiler (1990), Head of Talent Acquisition, UBS Switzerland
- Flo Sander (2001), Managing Director, iThink Consulting Group
- Alain Kropf (1990), General Manager, Royal Savoy Hotel Lausanne
- Tomas Feier (1992), General Manager Disneyland Hotel, European Hotel Managers Association
- Christophe Laure (1990), General Manager, InterContinental Le Grand Hotel Paris
- Michel Jauslin (1972), Area Vice President, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
- Simon Rusconi (1990), Vice President of Operations, Morgans Hotel Group
- Claude Membrez (1990), General Manager, Palexpo
- Andreas Bergmann (1997), CEO, TGV Lyria
See also
- EHL Wolves
- List of largest universities by enrollment in Switzerland
References
External links
- ehl.edu, Official website