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Worldwide Hospitality Awards

Thursday 09 November 2023 à 18:00

En cours - Best Innovation in an Educational Programme

Les Roches Global Hospitality Education

Campaign - Graduate study trips: immersive industry exposure for MBA students

Cette candidature n'est disponible qu'en anglais / This application is only available in English.

Les Roches leverages its strong and extensive industry relationships to deliver two uniquely immersive field trips, offering outstanding learning and networking opportunities to MBA students.

As the only intensive, 100% campus-taught MBA program currently offered by a Top 3 ranked hospitality school, Les Roches’ MBA in Global Hospitality Management is uniquely-positioned to provide an education that is both academically rigorous and has hospitality operations at its core.

The MBA’s flagship status within Les Roches’ graduate program portfolio also means it is subject to a continual process of innovation and development. In September 2018, the latest innovation was launched: a split schedule of business study trips that now enables MBA students to immerse themselves in the hospitality industries of two major global cities: Shanghai (first semester) and Chicago (second semester).

Leveraging six decades of industry partnerships

Many graduate programs offer field trips as part of their curriculum. What makes these trips uniquely powerful for Les Roches’ MBA student cohort is the exceptional level of professional exposure and networking on offer. This is only possible thanks to the school’s outstanding reputation within the hospitality industry, as well as the wealth of industry partnerships it has developed across the decades since it was founded in 1954.

“We have a very long relationship with Les Roches and it’s very interesting now to see the MBA students coming up. This is a new generation of professionals.”
- Rüdiger C. Hollweg, General Manager, Grand Kempinski Hotel, Shanghai

Close collaboration between the school, its faculty and leading hospitality brands is at the core of both international study trips. Among the brands that have participated in the most recent visits to Shanghai and Chicago are:

• Aman Hotels & Resorts
• Bulgari Hotels & Residences
• Hyatt Regency & corporate offices in Chicago
• InterContinental Hotels Group
• Kempinski
• Marriott
• Peninsula Hotels
• Radisson Blue
• Soho House
• Viceroy

When visiting these organizations, students get to meet, and question, senior figures – including hotel general managers, HR specialists, departmental heads, entrepreneurs and consultants – all of whom are happy to share their knowledge and industry insights.

Every element of every trip correlates to the core learning outcomes of the MBA program, namely:

• Development of transferable skills
• High level of scholarship and intellectual honesty
• Instilling a spirit of inquiry and lifelong learning in graduates

On a more granular level, students become better acquainted with the driving forces that will shape the future hospitality industry; gain an insider’s view of how a luxury hotel operates; discover how great service is delivered consistently, and much else besides.

Learning outcomes: a small selection of student feedback

“My experience of this trip has been very positive. There have been a lot of learning moments; and it’s very valuable to have a good insight into the industry by going to all of these top brands and top companies.”

“I learned how hotels are getting their employees to deliver the ‘five steps’ of hospitality.”

“I have further developed my professional network.”

“I can make sense of the industry’s future, structure, changes and challenges.”

Learning by doing: the Swiss way

Though important (and highly anticipated), the study trips form just one element of a comprehensive MBA curriculum built with the specific purpose of maximizing industry exposure and applied learning.

This also incorporates a Consultancy Project, giving students the opportunity to put what they’ve learned about leadership and problem-solving to the test. World-leading organizations invite Les Roches students to come up with solutions to real-life business challenges.

This is not a theoretical exercise; it’s real consultancy for real companies. Previous clients have included: Beau-Rivage Palace Lausanne, Hotel d’Angleterre, Clinique La Prairie, Accor Hotels, Rocco Forte Hotels, Peninsula Hotels and New York Times.

And the results of this industry-focused approach speak for themselves: based on the most recently-available data, the Les Roches MBA program enjoys a 94% employment rate for graduates.

“Our program lets us take a respite from our crazy careers, to live and study in serene alpine surroundings. It also acts as the ‘break’ from which we embark upon a new level in our careers. It is an opportunity which presents several more – whether in terms of exploration and education during the course, or the many professional opportunities which come a-knocking once you graduate.”
- Radhika Mathur, Class of 2019 MBA graduate

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