The World's First Hospitality Management School

27 students joined together on October 15th, 1893 to study arithmetic, accounting, geography and languages, as well as increase their understanding of hospitality. They directly applied their newly acquired knowledge at the Hotel d'Angleterre.

In 1924, the school admitted four young women in a mixed classroom; it also became more selective: of the 80 applications EHL received that year, only 62 were admitted: 32 foreigners and 30 Swiss nationals.

In 1926, the Alumni association was born. Almost 500 former students became members of the association during its first year of existence, including the directors of many prestigious hotels in Switzerland and abroad.

The Second World War forced EHL to close, but in 1943, thanks to the efforts of its 600 Alumni and their “SOS Survie” fundraising initiative, the school was able to reopen its doors.

Post-war euphoria enabled the school to grow rapidly. The curriculum’s academics were strengthened and classes were taught by highly qualified professors and professionals.

EHL created a new concept: student internships. Demand from the industry was so strong that there were not enough interns to fill the considerable number of open jobs.

EHL's history in 1968 on TSR (Swiss Television)

Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne moved to its current site in Le Chalet-à-Gobet and unveiled its new campus, located just a few kilometers north of Lausanne.

An admission exam was introduced, thus bringing to an end the long waiting list that was previously the only admission condition at EHL. This marked the beginning of a more stringent selection process.

“EHL 2000” project: EHL initiated a large-scale re-evaluation of its education philosophy based on survey results. EHL moved further towards management and began to use teaching methods that best complied with university requirements.

EHL launched its new Bachelor program in International Hospitality Management.

EHL joined the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO), becoming the first Swiss hotel management school to be recognized as a university by the Swiss government.

A new accreditation of a higher level was granted by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). EHL became the first hotel management school in Europe to be accredited at this top level.

The new Berceau des Sens opened its doors. EHL’s training restaurant was opened to the public for private fine-dining experiences.

EHL celebrated 120 years of existence and excellence. At the end of the year, the school acquired the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality AG (SSTH) in Passugg, Switzerland.

EHL launched its Master of Science in Global Hospitality Business, in partnership with the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Conrad N. Hilton College at Houston University.

“EHL Holding SA” was created in order to ensure the proper management of each of its various specialized business units.

EHL began to construct its future campus alongside the existing Lausanne campus with a project that combined ecology, technology and pedagogy. Using proposals from architectural schools worldwide and feedback from EHL students, the new campus was designed to house 3,000 students using the highest ecological building standards and avant-garde architectural and lifestyle features.

EHL and the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) joined forces to launch a unique EMBA in Hospitality that started in May 2018, with courses jointly delivered by CEIBS and EHL faculty in Switzerland, Shanghai, and other cities in the Asia Pacific Region. Ranked number 1 in Asia by the 2017 Financial Times MBA Rankings, CEIBS emerged as the ideal academic partner for EHL for this program.

The Michelin Guide awarded one star to Berceau des Sens (BDS), EHL's training restaurant, which was already holding the highest Gault & Millau rating for an educational restaurant. This made the BDS the first and only student training restaurant in Switzerland to receive such a distinguished award.

EHL opened its first campus in the Asia-Pacific region, in Singapore. The EHL Campus (Singapore) was authorized to deliver EHL's Bachelor in International Hospitality Management in Singapore. The ideal location was found in a magnificent building located at 3 Lady Hill Road in the Orchard Road area.