Lausanne Hotel School EHL: Where Students Cook, Serve, and Clean Rooms

During lunch service, the students must appear professional. A dress code is mandatory: jeans and sneakers are forbidden. In addition, cleaning the rooms of other students is a fixed part of the practical training – a concept that the EHL sums up with the slogan «We train heart, mind, and hands.»

From Menu to Cleaned Room

Already in the first preparatory year, students work on practical projects. For example, within two hours they must develop and present a menu for an airline. The ingredients are predetermined, including salmon and vegetables. Launois, the head chef, encourages the students to tell stories in their dishes, repeating the motto: «Push, push, push.»

The everyday life of the students is tightly scheduled. Most of them live together on campus in the Résidence during their first year. Bachelor's student Montana Witschi is nearing graduation and reports on the diverse demands. Achim Schmitt, Professor of Strategic Management and Dean of the EHL, also guides the students through the program.

High Costs, Diverse Career Paths

The bachelor's program at EHL is exclusive – and correspondingly expensive. «For Swiss students or persons with residence in Switzerland, the bachelor's costs around 86,000 francs,» excluding accommodation and meals. For international students, the amount is, according to the school, nearly twice as high.

Despite the practical connection to the hotel industry, the further careers of many graduates run outside the classic hotel business. «About half of his fellow students move into other industries,» it is said. Airlines, luxury brands, or the financial sector are among the most common destinations.

A Network with Global Reach

With a location in Singapore, EHL is also present internationally. The campus covers a 1.9-hectare site with gardens. «Students from over 100 nations study at EHL in Singapore,» it is said. The global orientation is also reflected in the alumni network: there are around 73 so-called «tribes» worldwide – local groups that maintain cohesion among former students.

In Switzerland, Nadine Hunkeler, a financial advisor, organizes the EHL alumni tribe in Zurich. Tessa Chaffey is responsible for the alumni network as a whole. These structures show that EHL is not just a place of education, but also a long-term career network.

EHL thus sees itself as a holistic education: practical discipline in service and the kitchen, international orientation, and a dense alumni network that carries graduates beyond the hotel industry into numerous sectors.