What is hospitality management?
In the late 1800’s, the concept of leisure tourism and hospitality spread across Europe, bringing flocks of wealthy travelers to Switzerland. It began with visitors seeking cultural and natural exposure on guided tours in the Swiss Alps, train rides and wellness tourism. Palace-style hotels, thermal baths and ski resorts became icons of luxury tourism in Switzerland. This new generation of wealthy guests had higher expectations for comfortable accommodations, convenient services and fine dining. The leisure travel phenomenon gave birth to hospitality management schools: EHL was founded in 1893 in Lausanne, and pioneered in hospitality education since then.
Skills for hospitality careers
The massive, steady growth in the hospitality industry creates opportunities for managerial and executive employment, new businesses, and innovation. Hospitality is a generic term that includes all activity sectors where customer satisfaction is key, and the primary goal is to ensure the best customer experience possible. Training for soft-skills is critical to succeed in the 21st century: critical thinking, agility and adaptability, effective communication, imagination and curiosity: these are all skills students develop at EHL.
A Dynamic Industry
In 10 years, travel and tourism will continue to outpace the wider economy* and
- support 23% of the new jobs created
- represent 1 in 9 jobs created (382 Mio Jobs worldwide)
- amount to 11% of the world GDP
* Source: World Travel & Tourism Council
The many benefits of studying hospitality management
More and more high school graduates and college-educated adults are discovering the benefits of a career in the hospitality industry. The truth is that people are traveling for both business and leisure in greater numbers than ever before. When these people are away from home, they rely upon hospitality professionals for service, comfort, and a bit of diversion and fun.
The future of tourism and hospitality management
Want to know what the hospitality industry will look like in ten or fifteen years? The Lausanne Report explores six important aspects of the industry, ranging from technology and human interactions to security and market structures. The Lausanne Report is the result of hours of interviews with pioneers and business leaders from around the world. It draws from dozens of reports and hundreds of articles looking at future hospitality industry trends and predicts what might happen between today and 2030.
