Raising the Academic Level in Hospitality Education
Carrying forward the swiss hospitality legacy, around 58 years ago, Walter Hunziker, Vice-President of the Swiss Tourism Federation and hotelier Frédéric Tissot opened the “Institut International de Glion” in the former Grand Hotel Bellevue in Glion. Later in 1995, Glion raised the academic level of the school by introducing the first Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality, in answer to the industry’s ever-growing need for highly qualified managers. Being responsive to industry needs ever since its opening Glion has cultivated academic expertise and industry relationships and set the highest standards for academic quality and hospitality excellence. Glion Institute of Higher Education is a private Swiss institution that offers Hospitality Business Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees with specializations in Luxury management, Event, or Finance to students from over 90 different countries across three campuses in Switzerland and London, UK. Together with Les Roches and Education Ducasse, Glion is part of Sommet Education, leading hospitality education groups worldwide. Since its foundation, Glion has been a by-word for excellence in hospitality business education and has been offering the students access to the expertise of its sister brand École Ducasse, a global leader in culinary arts education, since 2019.
Emphasising on Both Practical and Theoretical Education
The institute follows a curriculum of the Swiss model of hospitality education, combining practical instruction in the kitchen, service, and room operations with theoretical and general management courses. The first academic semester always focuses on Hospitality Excellence where students deepen their knowledge in the practical modules: Luxury Hospitality Culture, Contemporary Gastronomy, Hotel Operations, Food and Beverage Concepts, Trends and Innovation, and Business Communication where Glion students are supervised by Practical Arts lecturers and Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (Best Craftspeople of France). The institute believes in cultivating not only the practical and theoretical education but also helps its students develop know-how and soft skills such as team-spirit, open mindness, sense of detail, empathy, and leadership to name a few.
Nurturing Professional and Personal Development
Students even have the opportunity to transfer between campuses in Switzerland and London, as well as locations in Spain and China at Glion’s sister school Les Roches. Moreover, Glion has a widely developed internship program led by its dedicated Career & Internship service which provides expert support personalized to each student’s career ambitions. At Glion, each student receives on average 5.8 internship offers. The two semester-long internship experience during their Bachelor’s degree and one semester-long internship experience during their Master’s degree enables future graduates to step straight into a responsible position upon graduation and start work immediately at a professional level. The balance of practice and theory nurtures professional and personal development and provides the combination of soft skills that the industry demands. This is referred to as the transformative education process. To keep all the students on their feet, every semester, the campuses are buzzing with events and activities among which one can count one-day excursions to neighboring countries and sports events including ski trips, mountain walks, soccer, rugby, basketball and volleyball competitions with other hospitality schools. Students have access to music rooms for band practice and concerts (Glion and Bulle campuses) or even get to participate and organize a Cultural Fair where they present their countries, cultures, and traditions through different stands.
Providing Modern Classrooms and Unique Learning Environment
Today, Glion ranks among the world’s top institutions for hospitality and leisure management, and in the top 2 globally for employer reputation. Across its different campus locations, Glion Institute of Higher Education provides a unique learning environment to a diverse student body, with modern classrooms and learning facilities, gastronomic restaurants, and furnished accommodation available on every campus. All these facilities are operated by students under the supervision of professionals each best in their domain of expertise and provide a real-life experience with real customers. Among the facilities are a signature restaurant, Le Bellevue, awarded 16 Gault et Millau points and offering fine gastronomy with spectacular vistas, as well as the vegetarian trend-driven restaurant “Fresh” offering gourmet cuisine with breath-taking views. In Glion, it is believed that a good manager needs to experiment in practice all the professions of hospitality in the campus in order to get a full understanding on how hospitality organizations work. What makes Glion’s practical approach special are the boutique campus environments, with a maximum 1,700 students across three campuses and a staff to student ratio of 1 to 5. In order to deliver individualized study approach, studies are provided in small class sizes with an average of 35 students per academic and 15 students per practical class, where students get one-on-one attention from highly qualified faculty members who provide feedback and help to target their skills.
Premium Hospitality Education with Exceptional Career Options
Tuition fees is one of the main concerns for students but with the employability rate of 90% in the Glion, the tuition fee is considered as an investment in students’ future and the institute is committed to supporting motivated students in reaching their potential. As a private institution, Glion provides a limited number of scholarships and financial aid packages for Glion students. Each scholarship and financial aid package has specific criteria, and eligibility is examined on a case-by-case basis for those students who have submitted a complete application. Students may also be eligible for loans offered in their home country. Additional aid such as scholarship and internship always motivate the student to do well. The combination of practical, academic, and real-world learning thanks to Glion internship program enables Glion students to take on a responsible position and launch their careers upon graduation. At Glion, students receive on average 4 job offers on their first-time employment and almost all (98%) of the job-seeking students already have one or more employment offers on their graduation day. The majority (51%) of alumni find work in Hospitality, Tourism, and F&B, while the rest find work in other sectors, such as FMCG, luxury goods and services, marketing, events, banking, and finance thanks to the client relations experience accessed through premium hospitality education.
COVID 19: Preparing the Students for The Challenges
Today, COVID-19 is one of the main challenges that every industry is dealing with. For the hospitality industry, Glion believes it is crucial for the leaders of the future to understand how to face such crisis situations. The institute has taken the opportunity to prepare the students for the challenges that lie ahead and has also introduced a series of exceptional limited live and online series “Leading Hospitality Through Turbulent Times” that includes panel discussions, individual guest speakers, webinars and Q&A sessions led by the faculty and renowned industry experts. In an everchanging world now dictated by new post-COVID-19 codes led by digitalization, sustainability, and innovation, it is looking to give the students the best start to be successful in their future careers. During the time of crisis, along with the cutting-edge learning facilities, Glion students have been granted private access to join small group sessions coached by experts in Revenue Management, Hotel Valuation, and Spa Management. The complimentary additional two-week courses in “Hotel Market Analysis and Valuation”, “Hotel Revenue Management”, “Excellence in Spa Operations” and “Maximizing Spa Profitability: Financial Planning for Spa and Wellness Centers” are all designed to meet specific industry needs and will allow students to obtain 4 professional certificates in addition to their academic degree. These certificates will be a great asset when looking for a job or advancing a student future career.
