Making music in Montreux.
Choosing Switzerland to study hospitality management is a natural choice given its heritage and tradition. After all, Switzerland is as synonymous with luxury and hospitality as it is with chocolate and cheese. Factor in the industry’s growth (1 in 11 jobs worldwide currently relates to hospitality) and it is a perfect choice for young students exploring their options. Furthermore, while the tourism industry is experiencing a steady annual growth rate of 4%, the luxury hospitality industry is surging ahead, with a growth rate of 48% over the past 5 years1. As this industry continues to grow significantly, so to does the need for personalised service. Boutique and lifestyle hotels go hand in hand with guest engagement, denoting that fully understanding the customer and strengthening their loyalty are key strategies for future success. With millennials keen to carve original career paths in an era of job instability, studying hospitality is gaining rapidly gaining traction. Additionally, luxury hotels are now competing with more and more “non-hospitality” companies looking to recruit from this specialised skillset. After all, “the customer is always right” is no longer an expression reserved for ever-smiling restaurateurs, but an essential phrase for any company worth their salt in customer service.
Founded in 1980, Hublot has rapidly become a household name in a few short years, having navigated a solid path to success with a few twists and turns along the way. Their role as Official Timekeeper at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil cemented their global reach. Students from Hotel Institute Montreux have the opportunity to study the brand in depth and visit the manufacturing site and headquarters based in Nyon, Switzerland. They benefit from real life case studies, partake in guest lectures and develop their network. Having the chance to observe highly skilled watchmakers in action is the perfect opportunity for them to see how this modern watch brand differentiates itself from the grandfathers of the industry. As part of Hublot’s philosophy to share with the next generation, their experience is one that the current Hublot CEO, Ricardo Guadalupe, is keen to pass on to future graduates: “We are proud to be able to share our various success stories and also some of the challenges we have had in the past with the students of the schools. As a successful brand, we must share our expertise because this young generation embodies the managers of tomorrow”. As the Hotel Institute of Montreux looks towards the future, their latest partnership joins other such prestigious companies as Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild, the Montreux Jazz Festival and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to offer their hospitality students a comprehensive education in global business. Studying hospitality enables the concept of service to act as a red thread (or perhaps in this context, a gold one) that runs throughout all stages of students’ lives, and a hospitality management education prepares them not only for their first job but also for a long-lasting, successful career. Learning to live and study in international, multicultural environments exposes even the most sheltered to a more open-minded way of functioning, encouraging both tolerance and diversity in all situations. One thing is for certain, there has never been a better time to experience a Swiss hospitality education. To find out more, discover the Luxury Business Specialisation at the Hotel Institute of Montreux.