While researching the top institutes for hospitality management, Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL) stood out among the best hospitality management schools in the world, as per different rankings and portals. EHL has enjoyed the No. 1 ranking for several years.
Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) is an ambassador for traditional Swiss hospitality and has been a pioneer in hospitality education since 1893. It has created and inspired a unique professional community of over 25,000 hospitality managers in the last 125 years. EHL offers hospitality-specific programs that include Bachelor’s, Master’s, Certifications, MBA and an Executive MBA program in collaboration with CEIBS (China).
The hospitality industry is a very broad one that covers food & beverage, hotel resorts & restaurants, and travel & tourism management to relaxation (boutiques & spa) and event planning & management. Hospitality management is an in-demand field, especially considering how important it is for any business interacting with the public to ensure customer satisfaction.
Stoodnt reached out to the Admissions & Global Outreach Teams at EHL to discover more about the hospitality careers, EHL courses, eligibility criteria & ideal student profile, student life on the campus, job opportunities, alumni track record, and more.
Hospitality Management at École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) Switzerland
Courses, Campus Life, Job Prospects & Alumni Profiles
Q. For someone who is considering a Bachelors in Hospitality Management (after 10+2), what would be your advice?
Hospitality is one of the best career paths to choose from, but no one will tell you this. It’s a well-kept secret that professionals in hospitality experience a healthier work-life balance, greater job satisfaction, becoming more globalized and become effective communicators with greater empathy and compassion for others.
In India, for example, hospitality accounts for 9.6% of the GDP and is the 3rd largest foreign exchange earner for the country. It also contributes to 8.78% of the total employment in the country. However, most of India’s youth favor seemingly safer, more reliable professions – perhaps because of social conditioning. People are yet to realize that the security and reliability they seek from their profession can also come with the perks of making the country a better place for visitors, improve your own growth as a global citizen and also earn as well as any top-tier profession like business or law.
Q. What can they expect from a hospitality degree at EHL?
The best way to pursue hospitality (or rather any discipline) is by joining a reputed institution. Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland offers the best hospitality management program on the globe and guarantees professionals with a penchant for the hospitality the career of their dreams. For years it has amassed a loyal following of 7,000 industry leaders that swear by it, and 25000 alumni from more than 150 countries! If you’re really serious about restarting your career or retraining, investment in education with EHL can afford you the success you have always desired as an industry leader.
Here are the statistics of our alumni –
Q. What does it take to be successful in the hospitality industry?
Hospitality management is not dissimilar to a full-fledged management degree as a lot of the core concepts of how good business is conducted are basic fundamentals of a hospitality degree. If you have the aptitude to learn, ask pertinent questions, be analytical and generally a people-person, you are looking at possessing the best qualities for a leader of business as well as a champion within a hospitality career.
A career in hospitality is designed to bring the best out in your existing strengths, but it also inculcates leadership in its graduates and teaches them how to be entrepreneurs. The tenacity to lead well, lead responsibly and sustainably as an entrepreneur is an essential requirement to find lasting success in hospitality.
Q. How is the student diversity on campus? What is the percentage of international students on campus?
We have got excellent cultural diversity on our campus. Alumni from EHL span 150 different countries in which they learn and work. There are additionally 100+ nationalities on campus at any one point, making it a very diverse experience for everyone involved.
Here is the General Statistics –
Q. Which are the most popular programs among Indian applicants?
- Bachelor’s Program in Hospitality Management
- Master’s Program in Global Hospitality Business
- MBA in Hospitality Management
- Master Class in Culinary Arts
Know more about the courses and admissions at EHL.
Q. What kind of support systems are there for the new students on the campus?
There are 100+ nationalities on campus, a selection of 25+ sporting activities for EHL students to choose from, 30 student associations that cover almost all student concerns and voices. In addition, all of Europe is pretty much at your doorstep as there are flights available to all major European cities from Lausanne.
Q. What are the intakes and eligibility criteria for admission to the Bachelor’s Program at EHL?
EHL follows a strict admission process due to the high level of demand. We accept students for 2 program start dates – in February and in September. Depending on the time of your application, you may be offered to start at a later intake. EHL assesses applications on a wide range of criteria: academic records, personal experiences, and motivation for a career in the hospitality and service industries.
Admission requirements are A final secondary school diploma (Transcripts / Grade reports, Essay, a thorough command of English (Language qualifications documents) Additionally, the students need to be of 18 years old when starting the program.
Q. What does EHL look for in the international applicants?
A desire to be the best in their field, an analytical mindset capable of identifying pain-points, and showing the drive to solve problems at every turn.
International applicants must have a strong desire to understand the global economy, understand how business the world overworks and how to be an effective communicator with people of several different backgrounds, ethnicities, languages, and disciplines.
Irrespective of the level, an Ideal Hospitality Applicant needs to possess:
- Business acumen
- Excellent people skills
- Creativity and a talent for innovation
- A love of style and elegance
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Organizational skills
- A strong customer focus
- Excellent people skills
- Resourcefulness
- An international outlook
- Motivation and Energy
Here is the Master’s Class Profile of September 2017 batch (40 students):
- the average age of 23 years
- previous degree in Business/Economics and Hospitality/Tourism
- previous work experience average of 18 months in hospitality or related fields
- nationalities span 16 different countries
Q. All the programs at EHL are offered in English. Do you offer German or French language lessons to students for better job opportunities?
This is not from the perspective of job opportunities. However, the Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management is offered in both French and English, with requisite qualifications to be presented before selecting the language of study.
Q. What can international students do during the program (while studying at EHL) to increase the odds of getting a job?
A good way to improve your odds of securing a job as an international student is to network. On the surface of things, this might seem simple – just meet more people and your odds will improve. But there is a science behind it. Instead of blindly going to every meet and greet, figure out what you want to pursue and research events relevant to this space/ industry that is taking place in your area. You needn’t confine yourself to just the events organized by students or faculty at EHL, but this can serve as an effective branching-off point).
Find markets, pop-ups, social gatherings and startups where the chances of just turning up and asking questions can be a good way to establish a presence in people’s minds and make them aware of your intention to secure a placement within Switzerland. Young entrepreneurs often organize events at EHL or provide invitations to EHL graduates to attend and be part of a bigger ecosystem. Some of these entrepreneurs might also be EHL alumni and therefore look more favorably upon graduates from their alma mater to help stay and work in Switzerland within a startup or young company. Attending such talks, events in addition to identifying other such opportunities for your career within the city of Lausanne as well can be very effective in securing a job.
Q. What kind of support do you provide for job placements to international students?
A reputed hospitality management degree is the most versatile education you could possess for a wide array of successful management roles. Students from the top hospitality schools in the world move on to become entrepreneurs, global leaders, and senior managers at some of the world’s leading brands – and that’s not all. It’s not important to maintain hospitality as a focus since an established hospitality program, such as the one at EHL, will always provide the necessary business acumen to succeed even if one were to pursue consultancy, resource management, strategy or operations for that matter.
Q. Are there any job opportunities outside the hotel/hospitality industry for the EHL graduates?
EHL was established with the goal to give an all-encompassing well-rounded management education that would shape the leaders of tomorrow. Graduates move on to work with companies like Ernst and Young, L’Oreal, UEFA, Tesla, UBS, Unilever, The Ritz-Carlton, Nestle, and Louis Vuitton. Other hospitality management schools also have growing networks of the world’s best companies recruiting directly from the campus, in some cases.
Alumni have moved on to marketing roles with the head of tourism boards as well as started catering companies that have established 5 verticals within the span of 6 years. The sky is the limit so long as you choose to use your education and degree wisely.
This article is part of Stoodnt’s CollegeConnect – engagement initiative for colleges to connect with students.