Les Roches, Switzerland

Established in 1954 as a modest vocational school, Les Roches has evolved into arguably the world’s premier provider of high-quality hospitality education

Promoted 64 years ago as a modest vocational school, Les Roches (estb. 1954) has evolved into arguably the world’s premier provider of high-quality hospitality education with campuses in Switzerland, Spain, the US and China. The QS World University Rankings 2017 ranks Les Roches #4 worldwide for hospitality and leisure management education and #2 for employer reputation. A constituent institution of Sommet Education, a blue-chip Swiss hospitality education group, the institute is accredited by the US-based New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Currently, Les Roches offers undergrad and postgraduate education in hospitality, tourism and events management to 2,733 students across its four campuses with the flagship Swiss campus hosting 1,170 students, 97 percent of whom are from abroad and over 100 from India. “Internationally superior experiential learning is the prime reason why Les Roches attracts students from around the world. Our curriculum is designed to provide students opportunities to acquire international hospitality experience through multi-campus study, internships and field trips. Les Roches has over six decades of experience in hospitality education and our curriculums are designed in close collaboration with hospitality industry partners,” says Dr. Stuart Jauncey, managing director (Global Campuses), Les Roches Global Hospitality Education.

Distinguished Les Roches alumni include Panos Tzivanidis, head of events and hospitality, International Olympics Committee; Radha Arora, president, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts; and Elena Martin Merino, boutique director, Rolex. 

Bluche. A small mountain village in French speaking south-west Switzerland, popular for hosting Les Roches and the neighbouring ski resort of Crans-Montana, Bluche is sited in the sparsely populated canton of Valais (pop.339,176). The Swiss Alps and Valais offer year-round outdoor sports such as skiing, hiking, and golf. The cities of Geneva, Zurich, Bern and Lausanne are less than three hours by Switzerland’s world-famous clockwork-precision rail network. The climate is cold with temperatures falling to sub-zero during the winter months and touching 15°C during summer (July-September).  

Campus facilities. Les Roches’ flagship campus is set on 50 acres within Bluche. The campus buildings are constructed in Swiss chalet style and offer modern facilities including well-equipped kitchens and laboratories. The school’s Innovation Lab is equipped with 3D printing and multimedia technologies and the library offers access to 10,000 volumes and 7,000 online journals and research publications. To facilitate hands-on experiential learning, the campus hosts five food and beverages commercial establishments — ranging from casual to fine dining — where students can refine their culinary and service skills.

Les Roches also offers students a wide range of sports options including basketball, rugby, tennis, dance, swimming, golf, skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, ice skating, sledding, sailing, hiking and rock climbing, for recreation. Moreover, there are 13 on-campus student clubs such as SharpSpeakers (public speaking), The Les Roches Wine Club, Green Club, Art Society, Les Roches Gives Back and the Students Social Committee. 
The school’s overseas international campuses are located in Marbella, a luxury tourism destination in Spain; Chicago, the third largest city of the US with a booming hotel industry; and Shanghai, China.

Admission. Eligibility requirements for admission into Les Roches’ undergrad programmes are Plus Two or equivalent and English language proficiency (TOEFL, Cambridge First Certificate Exam and/or IELTS test scores). The completed online application form (apply.lesroches.edu) together with secondary school exam transcripts and a non-refundable fee of Swiss Francs 250 (Rs.16,963) should be submitted before May 30 for admission into term beginning September. Students applying for admission to the BBA (bachelor of business administration) programme need to complete a scenario-based exercise followed by an interview.   

For admission into postgraduate programmes, the requirements are a bachelor’s degree preferably in hospitality, tourism, events management or BBA with English language proficiency.

For further information, contact: Les Roches Global Hospitality Education CH-3975 Bluche, Crans-Montana, Switzerland; Ph: +41 (0) 21 989 26 44; email: info@lesroches.edu, admissions@lesroches.edu; website: www.lesroches.edu. 

Accommodation. Les Roches offers housing in 15 modern chalet-style apartments with en suite kitchen and laundry facilities, gym, music practice and common meeting rooms.

Degree programmes. The school offers an undergraduate programme with three specialisations and postgraduate programmes in hospitality, tourism and events management (see box).

Sruthy Susan Ullas