"Donner du temps au temps"

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It’s Sunday and I am sitting outside in the beautiful back terrace of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne. Yes it is still “warm” (about 53 degrees) enough to sit outside (at least for now) and I’m going to take full advantage.  It has been an unbelievable month and as you can tell by the lack of posts on my blog, unbelievably busy.  So I am going to do my best to catch you all up. Thank you for your patience and your support.

For those not familiar with this stage of my journey, I have joined the Executive MBA programme, an intensive 12 month MBA in Hospitality Administration, at the prestigious Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL). EHL has consistently ranked at the very top in terms of higher education hospitality management institutions and has been the Swiss and international reference for over 120 years (EHL was founded in 1893!). EHL has one of the strongest alumni networks (over 25,000 individuals) spanning the globe, across all industries, yet is uniquely positioned in the hospitality industry.

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I'm a professional (student).

My reasons for joining EHL will become clearer and clearer as the year progresses, but my two main reasons are: One to build upon my current skills in hospitality and grow in the areas of corporate finance, revenue management, real estate valuation, and business research methods and two, to join the EHL network of industry leaders gaining access to vast resources of knowledge and experience, to seek guidance from those have paved new paths in the industry, and to meet the future hospitality leaders of tomorrow. Not to mention being in the center of Europe able to travel to some of the greatest cities and wine regions in the world! So far, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come to EHL, everything I have hoped for is here and ready for me to take full advantage of.

With all this opportunity literally beckoning me at every turn, it is understandable that my excitement level is at a 10.5 out of 10.  As I was explaining this excitement to one of my professors, she told me a beautiful and poignant phrase that has become my mantra thus far: Donner du temps au temps - Give time to time. So with this phrase, a deep breath, and a calming spirit (and an excited heart) I head into my EMBA year at EHL.

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Industry vist to Lausanne

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As part of our introduction to the Ecole hôtelièr de Lausanne family, the EHL Alumni Association organised an industry visit day for the EMBA cohort. The agenda for the day was as follows: tour at Hotel Carlton with General Manager Nicolas Lagier (EHL, class of 2002), meeting at the five star Royal Savoy with General Manager Alain Kropf (EHL, class of 1990), lunch at the Hotel d’Angleterre with Beau Rivage Sales Director, Apolline Addor (EHL, class of 2008), and finally a tour of the five star Beau Rivage Palace and a meeting with General Manager Nathalie Seiler (EHL, class of 1995). Needless to say, it was a highly anticipated day.

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Nicolas Lagier, General Manager Hotel Carlton

The Hotel Carlton is located right in the center of Lausanne and is positioned as a midscale to upper-midscale boutique hotel. Mr. Lagier greeted us in a versatile banquet/welcome room off the lobby. After progressing through the various positions within the hotel industry, Mr. Lagier landed at the Hotel Carlton as the General Manager. He explained his multi-faceted role as Sales and Marketing Manager, Revenue Manager, and Operations Manager. He has overseen and helped design a major renovation of both the rooms and conference space adding meeting rooms to cater to both local businesses and travelers. The rooms have undergone a beautiful renovation upgrading the style of this 1906 building (adding value and ultimately increasing the average per room price). Mr. Lagier has also reopened the brasserie to further generate revenue from an added F&B outlet.  As this was our first site visit, our class was eager and excited to ask Mr. Lagier everything and anything: How does the boutique combat rising OTA (Online Travel Agent) commissions and booking infiltration? Has the renovation brought more pressure on service due to increased expectation? What is your current pricing strategy? Mr. Lagier fielded our barrage of questions with equal amounts of poise and professionalism. A very interesting visit.

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Our second visit was at the soon-to-reopen Royal Savoy. The Royal Savoy has been in the process of a 5-year multi-million dollar renovation led by the Qatar investment firm Katara, aiming to upgrade this turn of the century historical landmark into one of Lausanne preeminent luxury hotels. The goal is to create a modern feel combined with traditional values, a very difficult task (to be commented on later). General Manager, Alain Kropf was hired over from Mandarin Oriental and has had a long and prosperous career on the F&B side of hotel management. Our meeting was held in their new ballroom and our questions for Mr. Kropf turned to: How does the Royal Savoy forecast occupancy, revenue, room rates before opening? What is your communication strategy during pre-opening (which guests will you target)? How exactly do you combine a modern feel with a traditional feel?  The latter will have to be addressed after opening.  We were then taken on a very special and unique tour of the site (still deep in renovation mode). Arches and chandeliers are in, but most of the furniture, carpeting, and wall decoration is yet to be placed. We were shown the beautiful rooftop terrace, which will have a bar (one that I’m sure I will visit after opening). The hotel will also have a state-of-the-art spa center and only one elegant restaurant (a strategy for drawing local guests).  Again I am very interested to see how this will all come together in the future and will make sure to post once I get the opportunity to visit.

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Inspecting the Royal Savoy plans.

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Our group was then taken to Hotel d’Angleterre, a 4-star boutique recently acquired by the Beau Rivage Palace to add a softer more residential option for guests. We were delighted to receive a glass of wine in a cave behind the restaurant, where in 1893 the first class of l’Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne convened (so cool).  We then had a wonderful lunch provided by the hotel, bruschetta, charcuterie, mushroom risotto, absolutely delicious.

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Our last stop was the shining star of Lausanne, the Beau Rivage Palace. This 5(+) star hotel has been the premier destination of prominent figures from movie stars to international dignitaries throughout the century. You may have recently seen this hotel on the news because it was where US Secretary of State, John Kerry and the Iranian delegation made the Iranian nuclear deal. I had been interested in visiting this hotel even before coming to Lausanne and upon entering, I knew I was in a special hotel.  It was absolutely stunning, vaulted ceilings with fresco paintings, enormous windows, light poured into the hotel. The color scheme was a soft pastel teal and violet. I had expected a hotel this old with this much history to be designed with dark wood and ornate decoration, it was anything but, it was light and gracefully decorated (unfortunately none of my pictures did the Palace justice, I will most certainly return with a better camera to give you a feel of how beautiful the hotel is). We had the great pleasure of meeting with the recently appointed General Manager, Nathalie Seiler. She told us of her journey back to Lausanne and how excited she was to take the helm of such an iconic property. Our questions for her were about strategy for running such a beautiful place. She told us that before understanding the guests, she needed to understand the culture of the hotel and to do that she needed to meet her team. She said that for the first few months her goal was to meet everybody in the hotel and ask them questions related to operation and guest satisfaction because her employees would be the best people to teach her about the guests in the hotel. A very smart strategy.

We were then given a very exclusive tour, visiting a room overlooking Lake Geneva, we saw the uber luxury spa, and my personal favorite, the Cellar of the 2-Michelin star restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic. With over 75,000 bottles, this cellar is one of the grandest in Europe. I was literally in heaven.

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It was an absolutely fantastic day. Beyond the wonderful opportunity to visit these iconic Lausanne locations, it was the value of meeting face to face with the GM’s, all EHL graduates. Each had a very different role, but all spoke candidly about their experience at EHL (all very positive) and the tasks that lay before them. It showed me that I am now a part of something very special, an alumni network that is strong and influential in the hospitality industry. I couldn’t be happier and couldn’t be more excited for who I might meet in the future. Donner du temps au temps.

Coming together

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The 2015-16 EMBA Cohort!

My first week at EHL (the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne) was all about bringing the cohort together. On Sunday evening we met each other for the first time. Sixteen strangers from all over the world coming together for a similar purpose yet all on an individual journey. And in classic Swiss business school style, we were taken on a cruise of Lake Geneva to Montreux. Needless to say it was a very welcome start to the program.

At first I was a little nervous about the small size of the program, considering last year’s class contained 28 students.  On the following morning, our Program Director, Achim Schmit greeted our cohort and immediately set my worries at ease. First he stated that the EMBA program is the most important piece of the EHL student base, since we are not only the most experienced individuals on campus, but we stand as a testament to the caliber of students EHL attracts (both during the program and after we leave). His sole purpose is to help us develop as professionals, succeed in the rigorous academic environment at EHL, and to be placed in suitable leadership jobs after completion.  In his words, “It’s time to think like an executive.” And since we will be continuously working in groups and collaborating as a class, our specific cohort is vital to the success of the program. EHL selected us, the absolute best candidates for the program, brought together from around the world and across diverse professional backgrounds and were very carefully accepted to create our 2015-2016 cohort. He mentioned that he could have easily built a class of 25, but it was far better to have a very strong group of 16 then a group of 25 individuals, with some not as dedicated or capable of handling the intense workload as others. I totally agree.

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On the cruise to Montreux

Our cohort is made up of 10 women and 6 men. Nationalities are: 3 Russian, 3 French, 2 British, 2 Americans, 1 New Zealand, 1 Thai, 1 Indian, 1 Swiss, 1 Venezuela, and 1 Greek. Our professional backgrounds are about 50% from Hospitality and 50% from other industries. I have the most experience in Food & Beverage. Others come from hotels, one bar manager, finance, the military, and real estate. Average age is about 32, although about 60% are late 20s.

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In the past couple of weeks, we have come together remarkably as a team. We took a series of personality tests to analyse how we individually think and learn, helping us to understand our individual strengths and weaknesses as well as helping us to learn how our group may best function as a unit. We had a very fun day in the test kitchen preparing a fine dining meal, which we served to each other that evening. But by far the most fun and interesting team building exercise of the week, took place in a field.

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What are we doing in this field?

We were driven about an hour out of Lausanne towards the foothills of the alps. We pulled into a fenced in clearing and all looked at each other with inquisitive eyes. As we exited we noticed three pens around the small pasture, all of which contained sheep and there in the center of the clearing was Groubar, the sheepdog. We would soon find out that we would be learning (or trying to learn) how to herd sheep (so Swiss). It turned out to be an amazing team building exercise. We were broken into three smaller groups and given a task (i.e. lead the sheep through the gates, make the stop in a circle, and then lead them around the field back to the pen. Where is Babe when you need him.). It was extremely difficult, we planned and planned and the moment we opened the pen, the sheep took off. We slowly learned to stay calm, engage the sheep, look them in the eye, walk them slowly while always maintaining a perimeter, and working together to keep the sheep in a tight group. It was hysterical and so much fun. Welcome to business school!

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That's me on the right trying to shepherd those sheep!

The Matterhorn

It's hard to describe the scene from the top of the Gornergrat. You take a cog-wheel train from Zermatt at 1,800m up to the Gornergrat peak at 3,112 meters (10,210 feet).  Sweeping in a full panorama, you are surrounded by twenty-nine 4,000+ meter peaks, a tremendous glacier carves its way through the mountains, and the Matterhorn is perfectly framed as the lord of all.  It is the most striking view I have ever seen. And rather than try to put it into words, I'll show you with pictures and a short little video...

Also it must be noted, that I might have been the first person above 10,000 feet to wear linen pants (What? I was coming from Provence!).

Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt is an adorable little alpine village. Nestled at 1800 meters (5,900 feet) at the foot of the Matterhorn, it has thrived for hundreds of years. Napoleon used this site to create the first railway through the Alps to Milan (before there was even a train to use it!). The town lies in a glacial valley surrounded by twenty-nine 4,000+meter peaks. The Matterhorn being the prize attraction as it rests southwest without any other peaks around, providing those visiting the town an unprecedented view of the peak. Throughout the town little parks with reclining wooden chairs offer visitors the perfect opportunity to sit and view the monumental mountain.

Cobble stones pave the streets and wood houses wind their way through the alleys. In the winter, this town is a major hub for alpine skiing.  In the summer, it is a premier destination for high-intensity hiking, as many trails lead up past 3,000 meters. As with most tourist towns in Switzerland, there are some amazing hotels and 5-star restaurants, as well as local pubs and bars (everything is still abnormally expensive). It is a beautiful town with an unbelievable panoramic landscape, absolutely worth the trip. 

The tourists represent a very eclectic group. Young thrill seekers can be seen with their rugged look, bandanas and sunglasses, packs bulging for the long hike. Couples arrive to take in the scenic air and enjoy the 5-star service. Surprisingly a large number of elderly are here, walking the trails, using long ski poles for balance, here to breathe the alpine air and stretch their seasoned bones. I've also noticed a fair number of Japanese here on vacation, whether for hiking or just to take in the view, its hard to say, their dress would indicate the latter. For Zermatt offers something for every traveller, whether relaxing in the 1,800 meter air in the village or taking the Gorngergrat cog-wheel to 3000 meters, one can't help but take a deep breath and enjoy the surroundings.

The Glacier Express

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When thinking about how to fill my last week before school in Lausanne, Switzerland, I did a lot of research about top attractions in Switzerland.  I figured it would behoove me to learn a little bit about the country I was soon to live in for over a year. The Glacier Express consistently came up as one of the top attractions in the country, as well as one of the must-do items in the world.  So I bought a ticket.

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The Glacier Express is a train, outfitted with panoramic windows throughout the cabin and runs from St. Moritz in the Northeast of Switzerland to Zermatt in the Southwest. It starts at 1600 meters and winds its way down to the glacial valley floor and follows a track through the heart of the Swiss alps, along rivers and streams, through hamlets and larger villages, and then climbs its way back up the steep alpine slopes to finish in Zermatt at 1800 meters at the foot of the Matterhorn. It takes about 8 hours and travels through some of the oldest and most pristine areas of Switzerland...cool.

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I was pumped.

I met the train in St. Moritz and took my seat in 1st Class, windows arching overhead. The train pulled out of the station exactly on time (to the minute) and headed towards Chur. Through switchbacks and tunnels over towering bridges and a gentle descent as we made our way down the mountain to the glacial valley floor. Stretching out ahead of us, one could see how through the course of millennia glaciers carved their way through the landscape, leaving behind a verdant landscape for growing crops with towering mountain cliffs framing the scene.

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After Chur we entered into the "Swiss Grand Canyon", an area that for over a hundred years remained isolated from railway due to its gradient, but Swiss engineering prevailed to build rail through the gorge, providing us with a view of where the great Rhine river begins to form. Gentle waterfalls spray droplets down to the valley floor, trickling streams begin to form, brooks gather speed as they come together, a river begins to form, and all of sudden the waters are seen as a torrent as they move down the mountain. The water is an opaque milky grey, rich with minerals from the mountains.

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As we moved south, we bore witness to the formation of perhaps the greatest river in Europe, the Rhone. It forms the same way, streams running together to form the rolling river waters. On the slope towns that were founded in 800AD sit nestled into the mountainside. And soon, we entered the Valaise, Europe's northernmost vineyards and one of Switzerland's most prized growing areas.

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At Bis we began to climb. The train is outfitted with a cog wheel allowing us to turn forward motion into torque, pulling us from 400 meters to 1800 meters! We ascended a cliffside so remarkably steep it is hard to comprehend how the Swiss laid down the tracks.  But these tracks were actually made nearly 100 years ago by Napoleon seeking to create a connection from the Alps to Milan. It is a remarkable feat and the views from the train are shocking and absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for picture taking, but having windows surrounding the train allowing me to look straight up the mountain 2,000m and straight down to the valley floor 2,000m, it's an experience that is hard to describe.

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The train ride was amazing. The thoughts of the Impressionists still resonated with me as I watched the sprawling gorgeous landscape move past my window. It forced me to be present and mindful of the remarkable experience the whole way. If you have the time, this was an amazing trip and well worth the time and money.  It was breathtaking and culminated at Zermatt, an adorable town tucked right at the base of the Matterhorn. My experience there is summarized in following posts.  Such a cool experience.

For more information, check out this awesome interactive video about The Glacier Express HERE!

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A long travel day

St. Moritz, Switzerland

What follows is the story of my 14 hour journey from London to St. Moritz: 2 Buses, 1 Plane, 2 Trains, 1 Taxi, and 5mi Walking...

I woke up this morning at 7:30am in Kingston, London. I made sure my bags were packed and walked out the door.  After a long and wonderful journey around Europe, I was at last on my way to Switzerland, although the vacation was not over yet.

I walked 20 minutes to the bus, which took me to London Heathrow Airport (approx. 1 hour), although I was flying from London Luton Airport, so I had to catch another bus to Luton (1 hour). I arrived with time to check my bags and catch my flight to Zurich.

The flight to Zurich was an easy 2 hours. After disembarking from the plane and customs (“How long will you be staying in Switzerland?” “Oh, a year!”), I collected my bags, navigated to the train station and purchased my train ticket to St. Moritz.

As the train pulled out of the station, it hit me, I am in Switzerland! As the relatively urban landscape of Zurich fell behind, beautiful mountains began to unfold, a gorgeous lake spilling in the distance, green everywhere, and villages dotting the hillsides. Switzerland is beautiful and I haven’t seen anything yet.

Grr German Menu!

I had to change trains in Chur (2 hours from Zurich). As you may have heard, the Swiss train system runs like clockwork (pun intended). In fact, the timetable is actually printed on the station wall, because each train arrives on time to the minute and exactly the right platform, it’s amazing. Although that didn’t do me any good because I couldn’t read German and was looking at the bus timetable instead of the train schedule and I missed my connecting train. Oh well, I decided to get something to eat with the hour I had.

I found a little cafe with outdoor seating and asked for a menu. It as all in German and inevitably the waitress didn’t speak English. So I ordered a beer, perusing the menu, and ordered something with the words “Brot, Fritz, i Chur” for 20CHF (approximately $1=1CHF, Switzerland is ridiculously expensive, to be discussed in future posts) thinking that I would probably get a sausage and some fries from the local area of Chur. Oh how wrong I was. The waitress delivered a plate with 8 slices of cheese on it! For $20! Ugh, I had no time to order anything else, so I ate my cheese (which was good, but hardly filling) and caught the train to St. Moritz (1 hour).

A wonderful welcome to Switzerland

I arrived in St. Moritz at around 9:30pm. I had the foresight to call ahead and let them know I would be arriving late, good thing because the hotel closed at 8pm. They gave me a code to enter the hotel and then my key was waiting for me with a post-it note at reception (cute). It was a very long day, but I decided to walk around a little and see if I could find something to eat (having survived solely on $20 cheese, I was starving). I happened to find a little pub with a couple of people in it. It was warm and most importantly they were still serving food. Since I was a strange site in this city at this time, conversation started to flow ("I'm from Los Angeles. It's my first time to Switzerland. I'm about to start school in Lausanne...") and within a few minutes we were laughing together and having shots of Amaro to welcome me to Switzerland! A wonderful way to end the day and start my Swiss adventure!