Jacques Tschumi was the founder and president of the Ecole hôtelière, managing director of the Lausanne Beau Rivage Palace and an influential member of the Society of Swiss Hoteliers; he championed the creation of the school to train professional hotel staff.
EHL is known as a multicultural institution, welcoming around 126 nationalities.
In today’s global hospitality industry, managers need to have hospitality know-how and a broader set of strategic business skills to reach upper-level positions.
To satisfy these requirements for companies and future hospitality professionals, we offer a wide array of hospitality management degrees for people with varying backgrounds and career aspirations.
All degrees are delivered by EHL, which is recognized as a Swiss University of Applied Science and which has an American (NECHE) accreditation. Plus, our degrees comply with the Bologna requirements using the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
For applied research projects, faculty members conduct hospitality research in a variety of managerial disciplines and are regularly recognized with research awards. Working independently or together with academic colleagues or industry professionals, they tackle issues that benefit the industry while simultaneously contributing to excellence in hospitality education.
The hospitality and tourism industry includes many sub-sectors that are open to hospitality management graduates. The following list shows the closely related hospitality and tourism industry sectors.
EHL students are a valuable source of fresh inspiration and business expertise for our industry partners. Under the guidance of experienced faculty, students offer consulting-style services, conduct research and propose business solutions.
First-year (Preparatory Year) students are required to live on-campus. They are encouraged to live in one of our double occupancy rooms to facilitate their integration and make their travel to and from classes easy and enjoyable. For subsequent years, non-European students are given priority for single rooms, but many students choose to live off-campus, sharing apartments in the city of Lausanne.
The library is able to accommodate 260 students over an area of 900 m²; it houses around 34,000 books and provides access to over 100 databases containing more than 103,000 full text documents. It is part of the Network of Libraries and Information Centers in Switzerland (NEBIS). NEBIS provides access to around 10.5 mio documents.
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Student Affairs Services: coaching, psychological support, sport and health center
The campus offers the best features of a Swiss hospitality school in a sophisticated business university environment.
Students enjoy convenient accommodations and food & beverage outlets, alongside purpose-built practical learning spaces and academic facilities. Above all, the facilities at EHL support rigorous academic learning, a healthy lifestyle and interactions with industry leaders and peers.
In addition to group activities and committees, EHL offers facilities and resources for students to stay fit and lead an active lifestyle independently. Group classes and individual sports offer students the chance for personal development on campus.
We encourage students to live an exemplary life that embraces healthy living, refinement and social engagement. To this end, students participate in numerous social committees and sports associations that unite them around common goals and passions.
We are the only Swiss Hospitality Management school recognized as a Swiss University of Applied Science (UAS), using the ECTS system, and having NECHE (USA) accreditation.
Based on 34 reviews
The environment is very international, and you meet people from all over the world, which makes studying here feel much more interesting. The practical approach is what stood out most to me, especially in hospitality and culinary, where you actually get hands-on experience instead of just theory. The lecturers are supportive and approachable, and they genuinely want you to succeed. What I also appreciated is the strong connection to the industry. It feels like what you learn is directly relevant to your future career, not just something academic. If I had to mention one thing that could be improved, it would probably be the number of assignments we had to do during classes.
Before starting my master's, I was in a business school in North America, and while I was taking courses, I noticed I didn't enjoy my classes; however, I loved my job, which involved building personal connections and creating memorable events. While I was looking for a master's program, I realized that hospitality was the right fit for me. Moreover, I looked into options in Europe and North America and found that EHL offered the best balance of classes, professional experience, and the ability to specialize in a sector. Being almost done with my second semester of the Mihm program, I have found it fulfilling. The first semester of the program was challenging, with constant classes and a practical case challenge with a company. This semester is really the foundation of business with hospitality; classes such as Mastering Service Operation, Project Management, and Hospitality & Service Organization Design emphasize the hospitality side, which was great for me since I don't have a background in hospitality. Other classes, such as Accounting, Corporate Finance, and Service Economics, were less challenging since I had a background in business. The program does offer a good balance and also takes a hospitality lens when possible. In terms of the structure of the first semester, it is very compact, in which you do not have a lot of time for anything else since you have classes from 9:00 am -12 pm and 1:30-4:30 pm every day, plus you will have to study for an exam or meet with your group for projects. One thing I wish I knew before coming was that the classes change every two to three weeks, hence the tight schedule with new projects or midterms coming and others finishing. Moreover, you have the opportunity to work on a real project in a group with a company, which adds to the first-semester workload but is also very rewarding, since you are working on something tangible and implementable. Regarding the second semester, the luxury specification schedule is less intense than in the first semester, and you have more group projects. Some of the most interesting classes were Strategic Branding, which focused on how luxury brands position themselves and the assets they have. I also enjoyed a multisensory experience, since that is more what I want to do in the future, and I find multisensory very interesting, especially which senses match and which don't. We also had the chance to pitch our concept for an experience to several investors, which was very interesting, especially since we were able to connect the previous classes with this one. The school offers you the option to join committees, which I would recommend, since as a master's program, you do not interact a lot with bachelor students, and this was a great way to meet other students. You also have access to the gym, pool, and padel or tennis courts. Finally, we had the chance to go to Paris for a week and experience luxury hospitality at its fingertips. We had the opportunity to stay at two very different hotels to see the different aspects of luxury hotels. Additionally, we visited three separate hotels and learned more about the ins and outs of their operations, and were able to connect with industry experts. As part of the luxury program, we also have a partnership with Cartier (each specialization has its own), during which we visited their headquarters, boutique, and foundation. I think the field trip was the cherry on top of the program so far because it goes beyond the classroom and lets us see everything we have learned in action. Furthermore, we have a concept week during which we will work with Cartier to address a challenge they will set for us. Looking ahead, I think this program has set me on the right path for my future, with all the opportunities it offers, as well as the school itself.
When you first come to EHL, you notice that there is always something going on, from a culinary challenge to a workshop with Alvarez & Marsal. EHL is a university full of opportunities if you take hold of them. The professors are open to helping students understand difficult concepts and advising them on their projects. It is always nice to see passionate professors who constantly try to improve their classes and listen to the students. In our classes, I enjoy that we get a blend of group projects and exams, both of which require very different approaches and skill sets. A personal favourite were my private equity and hotel asset management classes. The facilities range from a swimming pool, tennis courts, to a Michelin-starred restaurant, and the list goes on and on. But what makes this place special is the strong community. Students are very active in their committees and create a hospitable environment, exactly what this school is about.
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