If you’re thinking about working in the hospitality industry, then the MBA in Hospitality at EHL should be at the top of your list! Program Director Professor Güldenberg shares more about the program and why EHL is one of the best hospitality schools in the world.
As the #1 hospitality school in the world, EHL Hospitality Business School brings forward-thinking strategies, best practices, and the latest insights to its MBA in Hospitality.
A blended, part-time, 24-month program, the MBA in Hospitality takes place 80% online and 20% on-campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. With a diverse range of courses from “Hotel Budgeting and Forecasting” to “Hospitality Management in the 21st Century,” the program covers the full scope of everything you’d need to know to become a successful hospitality professional.
The program also includes a “personal work” and coaching element, in which students learn business research methods, project management skills, and academic writing and research skills.
The MBA in Hospitality at EHL is not only about business and management fundamentals in the hospitality sector. It is also about becoming a true leader.
As Professor Güldenberg puts it, “You have to love people in order to [lead people]. That’s all about being masters of human interaction. When you manage, you learn to do things right. When you lead, you do the right things – and that’s a small difference, but a very important point. I’m absolutely convinced that you can learn both in our program, so you will be not only prepared to be a good general manager [in] the hotel business and the hospitality industry, but also way beyond.” (01:14)
The MBA program includes several courses on effective leadership, where students focus on understanding their strengths, values, and objectives in order to develop a personal leadership style. Courses in this module include:
The global pandemic caused business closures and mass unemployment in the hospitality and travel industries worldwide. In the United States, hotels experienced unprecedented levels of booking cancellations. In Italy, the average occupancy decreased by 96%. After more than two years, the hospitality and travel industry is only now starting to slightly recover financially and operationally.
“What we have learned in the pandemic is that you cannot control everything,” Professor Güldenberg says. “So, you have to build resilience into the system. You have to get your risk management right. Therefore, we have adapted our classes in the MBA based on [those] learnings.” (02:04)
To effectively navigate inevitable disruption, Professor Güldenberg explains that, in the EHL MBA in Hospitality, students will tackle questions like, “How do you increase your ‘immune system’ within your organization and within the hospitality industry to be prepared for this disruption?” (02:34)
He also notes, “Many more disruptions will come, like when you think about digital transformation [and] sustainability [and] the demographic shift. That was definitely not the last crisis we [will] experience. More will come and we will prepare you for that.” (02:46)
Modern businesses face constant change – even during non-pandemic times – and the hospitality industry is no exception.
“The disruption is only one part of the story,” Professor Güldenberg reveals. “The other story is that customers change. New generations are growing into the hospitality industry – staff-side and on the customer side – and they have other demands. They have other expectations. Now, it’s all about belonging, not loneliness. It’s about sustainability. It’s about a new world [that] you have to create.” (03:17)
To evolve with the times, Professor Güldenberg tells us that one of the future focus areas of the MBA in Hospitality will be to integrate lessons from the arts and entertainment, as the hospitality sector becomes more experience-focused.
In conclusion, if you are a prospective student interested in joining the hospitality sector, there’s no better option than the best hospitality school in the world. With its future-forward curriculum that includes leadership development and a strong focus on today’s ever-changing environment, the MBA in Hospitality in EHL is a top contender for any aspiring hospitality professional.
