Hospitality business school expands its campus – and outlook

The world’s oldest hotel school, the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, has unveiled a huge new campus costing CHF250 million ($254 million). The move comes as the school seeks to boost its international standing.

The inauguration on July 8 took place in the presence of the Swiss President Ignazio Cassis, who praised the hotel school’s ambassadorial role.

“We are known around the world for our tourism industry, our hospitality and our mountains. Asian and African countries, want to acquire this knowledge. So they ask us: ‘how can we start a tourism industry? How can we train people?” as he explained in the Swiss public television RTS report above.

Covering 80,000m2, the revamped, eco-friendly campus boasts new swimming and sport facilities, as well as more accommodation and food outlets. It took five years to build and can host more than 3,000 students – an extra 600 people. Key to its development was student input.

“Many are surprised to learn that the new campus infrastructure is primarily focused on living spaces and not on classrooms per se. Yet, at EHL, our pedagogical approach is applicable both inside and outside the classroom,” saidExternal link Michel Rochat, CEO of the EHL Group, which runs the school, about the new facilities. The development of soft skills is very important, he added.

Name change

The EHL was founded in 1893 as the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, but officially changed its name to the EHL Hospitality Business School in January 2022. The school saidExternal link that the change emphasised the managerial nature of various hospitality professions, as well as confirmed its “academic status and international footprint”.

The EHL already attracts students from more than 120 nations. International students can expect to payExternal link around CHF170,000 in tuition and fees for a four-year Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management.

In April this year the EHL was named the top global institution in hospitality and leisure management  in the QS Rankings 2022External link, for the fourth time in a row. Swiss institutions made up the majority of this ranking, reflecting the country’s strong tradition in the area.

Overall the hospitality industry within Switzerland has had a tough time of late due to the coronavirus pandemic and lack of staff and trainees in some sectors.