Les Roches, recognised as one of the world’s top hospitality management institutions with almost 70 years’ history, has participated for the first time in the MICHELIN Guide Spain 2024 Gala in collaboration with its partner SONDER.
Top executives and 12 students coming from Les Roches campuses in Crans-Montana (Switzerland) and in Marbella (Spain), travelled to Barcelona to assist chefs and VIP guests, guiding them throughout the most relevant gastronomic event of the year.
Guest experience is a key element of loyalty in hospitality and a distinctive feature of Les Roches graduates. This activity is part of the experiential learning approach implemented by Les Roches, a distinctive model that ensures students acquire a global mindset, language skills, soft skills, and business skills before graduation. The “learning by doing” philosophy is embedded in the program curriculum, as part of their degree, and this opportunity to learn with world-class chefs in an exceptional event aligns with the highest industry standards.
“In our classrooms, students from over 100 nationalities co-exist, preparing to acquire all the necessary skills to become great leaders,” Mano Soler, Managing Director of Les Roches campus in Marbella, commented ahead of the event. “They learn to solve problems and handle situations in real contexts during their stay on campus, which simulates the operation of a luxury hotel resort, and during their external industry internships. Taking part in the MICHELIN Guide Spain 2024 is a source of pride for our brand.”
Hospitality training has experienced astonishing growth and driven the quality of tourism and employment in a sector that until now lacked specialised professionals. Pioneers in hospitality and luxury tourism education, and aware of the need to cover the new territories towards which the industry is evolving, Les Roches has developed an exclusive portfolio of post-experience programs, specialised in different key and emerging fields, such as gastronomy.
The new Postgraduate Diploma in Food and Beverage Management and Entrepreneurship, which will start in September 2024, will provide students with the opportunity to explore the art of creating extraordinary gastronomic experiences, analyse key trends in restaurant operations, learn the fundamentals of beverage and food management, and understand best practices in customer service. In total, seven modules spread over six academic months and an immersive business trip, designed for those looking to start a business, manage Food and Beverage (F&B) services in a hotel, or work within the broader F&B sector. At the end of the academic semester, students can choose between professional internships or a Business Research Project to obtain their diploma.
Carlos Díez de la Lastra, CEO of Les Roches Global, explained: “We hold regular meetings with hoteliers, luxury brand executives, and other key industry agents. We want to ensure that our programs are aligned with the market and its needs. This allows us to be a strong talent hub, capable of attracting top recruiters and maintaining almost complete job placement rates. Gastronomy has proven to be a driver of tourism and is key to the positioning of our hotels in Spain. It was essential that Les Roches also applied that excellence in the broader F&B sector.”
In addition to the Postgraduate Diploma in Food and Beverage Management and Entrepreneurship, which will be taught from the Les Roches campus in Switzerland, online Digital Certification Programs in Spain are also available, with specialisations including Bar Service, Fine Dining Service, Les Roches Programme – Maître D, Terroir Influences and Celebrating Cuisine, and World of Beverages.
