Interview: Glion CEO Judy Hou
Steeped in tradition, Glion is rated amongst the top three hospitality management schools in the world. Hotelier visited the institution’s campus in Switzerland to find out about its postgraduate and MBA programmes for professionals
Established in 1962, Glion is among the leaders in hospitality management education. While the school originally delivered a limited programme that was very hotel-focused, students can now choose from a range of courses, from hospitality to finance, marketing and event management.
“Students choose Glion for our extreme internationalism. It’s part of our key education model. Students come not just for the education, but also the excellence and the employment opportunities our degree provides; it’s proven by how desirable our students are with industry partners. And that’s beyond just the hospitality industry, and expands to the service and finance sectors as well,” says Judy Hou, CEO of Glion.
Hou points to research from the World Travel and Tourism Council, which shows that in the next 10 years, one in every 10 jobs will be related to the hospitality and travel and tourism industry.
“There is a tremendous growth in the hospitality sector. But beyond that, we also see our students go into other service sectors and financial sectors. So the growth opportunity and the career development opportunity is endless.
“We are seeing an increase in private banking recruitment of our students because they understand that our students not only have the financial acumen, but often have skills not found outside of the hospitality industry,” she states.
Recently, Glion also set up its first international campus in London, taking the Swiss school overseas. Located within the University of Roehampton, the campus delivers the same curriculum as the Swiss-based campuses.
“We are very excited about the potential that London holds as an additional destination for our students to experience a global education,” comments Hou.
“We make sure that our curriculum is designed such that students have the opportunity to experience what they would actually experience in real life when they join any global organisation.”
For working professionals, Glion offers a number of learning programmes, including executive certificates, and MBA progammes, which are available both online and on campus.
Embracing the growing trend for online education, Glion is also the only Swiss hospitality school to offer an online MBA in Hospitality and Service Industries Management.
“That programme is longer, because students are taking part-time courses while they are still working,” Hou explains.
“So the time to graduation is between two and two-and-a-half years, depending on how quickly they complete each semester.”
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While online students don’t have to write exams, each eight-week course, or module, requires students to complete assessments every week. Students participate in a virtual classroom setting with online discussions taking place via Blackboard. In addition to weekly assessments and discussions, students also complete a dissertation on a topic of their choice, with guidance from members of the faculty.
Hou says: “For the online programme, the admissions process is a little bit more rigorous because we do assess their previous degree and work experience. In an online setting you have to be self-motivated and disciplined in order to carry out the assessments. “We have a very supportive approach because we understand that life happens and work happens.
“Many of these students work at a very high level — we have general managers of hotels; sometimes they manage multiple properties. We have corporate directors doing these programmes, so the calibre of the online students is very high.”
Today, there are more than 450 professionals enrolled in the online programme, and to assist students in completing their courses quickly, Glion recently launched residency programmes, which offer four days of intense study to fast-track through a module that would typically take eight weeks to complete.
“With the residency, it’s delivered throughout four days, and you can complete three to four courses at the same time. So we are trying to reduce the graduation time to a year, or a year-and-a-half. There is also some interaction because the faculty is there, and we also combine these residencies with alumni events, which provide networking opportunities,” Hou says.
And while the online MBA offering has been successful for the school until now, Glion does not have plans to offer online undergraduate degree programmes.
“The online learning environment is quite lonely. That’s why we don’t propose this learning method to our undergrad students, because they may not be mature enough. Some students prefer to do a couple of online courses, and we have that option for them, but we don’t propose the full programme online. For working adults, it works because it offers them the work/life balance and they can study at their convenience,” Hou explains.
She also reveals that upon graduation, 98% of the MBA students (both online and campus-based) have jobs — some of which they retain from when they joined the programme.
“At the masters level, most of the students will go into a higher position. They are being groomed to become F&B directors or directors of a department. Most of the masters students already come with work experience in other sectors. They just want to sharpen their skills before going into a bigger role, or they want to go into another industry,” Hou concludes.
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Students Speak
Karim El Guanaini, senior vice president, product and marketing distribution, Yas Island
MBA programme enrolled in: International Hospitality — specialising in Marketing and Innovation
“Glion is recognised as one of the top hospitality universities around the world. I hope to expand my knowledge of the current and upcoming trends within the hospitality industry, particularly when it comes to marketing and innovation, and how this relates to designing, promoting, and managing a destination.”
Amelia Libeau Dulos
Programme enrolled in: Undergraduate degree in Business Administration in Hospitality Management
“The first thing I took into account was that Glion has a more personal approach towards students. All the faculty members are very focused on each individual — they want you to grow as a person and everyone is very close, and that really helps you set some goals, because it’s very important to know what you want.”
Oliver Hick, vice president operations Accor Hotels for Gulf and Levant countries Programme enrolled in: MBA in International Hospitality and Service Industries Management
“After a career review with my human resources head office and my direct management, we discussed various career opportunities, and since Accor is associated with Glion Master of Business, the proposal to follow an online MBA was rather obvious. For me Glion in Switzerland meant a worldwide-recognised and top-ranking institution.
“The aim is to boost my academic records and enhance my credibility. In this very competitive environment, having an MBA demonstrates my serious commitment to the business, and to increasing my academic performance. I believe this will enhance my career opportunities, and let me take up more responsibilities.”
Yasmin Jenee Lukatah
Programme enrolled in: Undergraduate degree in Hospitality Mangament — specialising in Luxury Brand Management
“I picked Glion because I wanted a balance between learning how to properly engage and communicate with people. I think it is so essential, because you’re always dealing with people; it’s inevitable — you can never get away from talking to someone and I think hospitality allows you to really understand and listen to what people are saying. Instead of just hearing them, you’re listening to their needs and wants, and making that possible.”
Stat attack
- 3 Glion campuses around the world
- 100 nationalities among students
- 100+ Industry partners and recruiters
- 66% of Undergraduate Students receive job offers after their second internship
- 1 in 2 graduates starts in the corporate management trainee programme
- 450 Online MBA students