Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa aims to be the premier hospitality education centre in Asia for future hospitality leaders and entrepreneurs. The mission is to develop hospitality management talent and ensure long-term sustainability of the industry
Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa was set up as an extension of the global vision of Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne. The institution is focused on being a school of excellence for future hospitality leaders and entrepreneurs. Founded in 1893, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne is the oldest hotel school in the world. As an extension of its vision Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne supports the development of schools in other parts of the world. Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne is involved in building of academic institutions and have similar schools in different countries like Brazil, Mexico, Lebanon, Dubai, Thailand, South Korea and China.
Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa hopes to reach its full capacity of 450 students in the next five years. Rony Kurien, chief operating officer, Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa states that the institute is positioned as a hospitality management college of excellence. “We nurture hospitality leaders and entrepreneurs,” he asserts. The four-year Undergraduate Programme in Hospitality Management has a unique curriculum, there are eight semesters of six months each including two business internships with leading hotel brands. “It is a hands-on interactive and technology enabled learning experience,” says Kurien. The sprawling campus has an amphitheatre, cyber hotel, wine tasting lab, training and display kitchen, mock guest room, an IT lab and four large restaurants. These restaurants are – De France, a French fine dine restaurant, that serves authentic French cuisine; Quick Bites, a fast food restaurant serving burgers, pizzas and finger snacks; Kitchens of the World, a multi-cuisine restaurant in a buffet arrangement; Coffee Bar, a 24/7 café serving snacks, pastries and coffee.
As the future of hospitality will be led by technology, Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa offers students access to state-of-the-art technological interventions. Students are taught on the latest Property Management Systems and Point-of-Sale Management Systems. The campus is Wi-Fi connected for easy access to communication and information. A unique new concept, the Cyber Hotel at Lavasa will be a hands-on learning space equipped with specialised hospitality technology. In addition to traditional courses in F&B, they are also teaching management, HR, grooming, cross culture training, etc. Students are being placed with ITC Hotels, The Oberoi Group, Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt, and others. A large percentage of students at the institute come from families who own hotels. Kurien is proud of the fact that a few of the students are keen to set up diverse ventures.
All the faculty are trained and certified in Switzerland. Audits are conducted every six months. The course content is vetted in Switzerland. “Ecole system of learning is such that it places the onus of learning on the students,” states Kurien.
The faculty is known as the facilitator as they clarify the concepts. Most of the faculty members are former industry people. There are also external faculty – for subjects like finance, marketing, branding, etc.
Students at Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa have as easy access to various hospitality formats, from budget hotels to deluxe hotels with the best of brands like Accor, Fortune Select Dasve by ITC, Waterfront Shaw Service Apartments, Dasvino Town & Country Club and Apollo Health & Wellness Centre. There will be an additional 4500 rooms offered by 18 hotels at Lavasa in the future giving them ample opportunities for practical training and employment. Since Lavasa has numerous fine dining restaurants and hotels, the students have better job prospects.