Assistant Manager Ross Aitchison reports on a remarkable opportunity to learn from the best in the hospitality business.

During June I was luckily enough to be selected to travel to Switzerland to attend the world famous Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne.

This great opportunity came about through HIT Scotland, an industry leading trust fully funded by the hospitality industry in Scotland. On the course there were ten of my peers from hotels across Scotland.

The course – The Art of Leadership – comprised two days of intensive learning.

Day one was led by Wei Cheng, one of Lausanne’s top consultants. He explored whether we were excellent managers or excellent leaders which was extremely interesting and very helpful.

Managers like to be controlling problem-solvers, leaders like to be inspiring and motivating.

The day finished with a tour of a stunning vineyard overlooking Lake Geneva.

La Vaux is a very traditional vineyard where everything is handpicked due to the hillside location. The highlight wines we tasted were the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc – wines which mostly stay in Switzerland due to the small-scale production.

We were back in the classroom on day two with another of Lausanne’s consultants, Alexia Muteke.

Alexia asked a lot of open questions and helped us understand what we wanted to be and how we wanted to get there. The day finished with a champagne reception where we were awarded our certificates.

This was a truly memorable trip during which I learned a lot about myself, my professional aims and the paths open to me. Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne is a truly eye-opening place.

Share This Post!