The servers are mostly pre-tertiary students, although they comport themselves with as much poise as any other veteran hospitality professional. More remarkably, they are only at the restaurant for a week before they move on to another attachment at the campus’ various F&B outlets as well as reception and room division departments.

This is part of the management school’s preparatory year programme for students enrolling in its Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality programme to give them hands-on exposure to the ins and outs of hospitality operations as well as business management.

As Ines Blal, executive dean and managing director of EHL emphasises, “We bring together a hotel school and a management school. The goal is that when they graduate, they are professionals ready for different industries besides hospitality, including luxury, financial services, technology and communications.”

Bourassin and his team prepare most of the food at Berceau des Sens. The chefs also supervise the students who help in the kitchen with tasks like plating some dishes or keeping the bread baskets filled.

As the restaurant is also open to the public for students to gain real- life experience, guests can interact and banter with budding luxury and hospitality leaders of the future.

There is no doubt that EHL, which opened an international campus in Singapore in 2021, offers an innovative approach to business education.

Besides the undergraduate programme, the school offers a range of graduate degrees including an MBA in Hospitality and an Executive MBA, as well as professional training courses and short programmes in hospitality and management. EHL’s short courses in Singapore for working professionals are in the process of becoming part of the SkillsFuture range of learning courses. Students enrolled in Singapore have to spend their Preparatory-year first semester on the Lausanne campus.

“The graduate school is positioned in the domain of bringing hospitality and human competencies into other industries and that is what gives us an edge in a digitalised world,” says Achim Schmitt, dean of EHL’s Graduate School. “We train for attitudes and soft skills, so students learn how to be inclusive and human centric leaders.”

As the top-ranked hospitality management university according to the World University Rankings and CEOWORLD magazine, the school has deep connections to a wide range of partner companies from sectors that include finance, luxury, and automotives.

Its classes reflect this range of real-life expertise, such as a lively seminar on branding led by Youri Sawerschel, EHL alumnus and the founder and CEO of creative consultancy Creative Supply. As we attend his session in Lausanne, the class is fascinated by his case study of a hotel rebranding project his company oversaw in Paris, and pepper the session with thoughtful questions and comments. A similar course by Sawerschel is scheduled for Singapore.

To further facilitate interaction among students and faculty, the sprawling 80,000 sq ft Lausanne campus features a unique no-walls architecture, with its main entry space punctuated by a series of sleek columns, much like a modern Greek agora or gathering place. The school has also been outfitted with swanky facilities, including a wellness area with a sauna and cold bath, and a state-of-the-art R&D kitchen for experimenting with cutting-edge ingredients and technology.

Even extracurricular activities aim to improve professional skills, like the Oenology Committee, which conducts wine tastings and participates in international wine competitions.

In addition, thanks to a strict professional dress code students must adhere to, the school’s atmosphere feels as elevated as its curriculum. It may take some getting used to, but clothes do indeed make the man — or hospitality professional in this case.

Related: This Singapore hospitality honcho believes luxury has a place in circular systems

Off campus, there are plenty of ways to experience Swiss excellence. Located along a particularly picturesque stretch of Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman as the locals call it), Lausanne is where the International Olympic Committee is headquartered, and its stately Olympic Museum is well worth a visit.

This Swiss Riviera has long served as a refuge for Europe’s rich and famous, especially with historic grand hotels such as Lausanne Palace and Hotel Royal Savoy dotting the city centre. However, if you could only choose one to visit, make it the Beau-Rivage Palace, which has played host to the world’s glitterati, from football legend Pele to Princess Grace of Monaco.

For the travel weary, the newly renovated rooms in the Beau-Rivage wing in contemporary hues of dove grey and cream offer a restful respite. My intuitive therapist worked all vestiges of jet-lag out of my tense shoulders and back at the excellent Spa Cinq Mondes. And, of course, with five restaurants on-site, including the two-Michelin-starred Anne-Sophie Pic, there is no chance of ever going hungry.

Despite this, Lausanne’s most luxurious pleasures are also its simplest. On my only free evening, I take a sunset jog along the tranquil shore of the lake. As I breathe in the crisp autumn air, pausing intermittently to admire the fleeting pastel hues of the setting sun, there is certainly no denying that the best things in life are indeed free.

Read Next

A fresh start for hospitality

Acclaimed hospitality group Dusit Thani makes its way to Singapore amid a pandemic

History meets hospitality at The Barracks Hotel Sentosa