“Luxury draws from tradition, and passing on Switzerland’s hospitality excellence is in our DNA,” explains Eleonora Cattaneo, Director of the MSc in Luxury Brand and Guest Experience Management at the Glion Institute of Higher Education. Thanks to this winning formula, the school has consistently appeared in the QS World University Rankings’ list of the world’s top 10 hotel management schools since 2018.

Every year, students from around 100 countries flock to the private Swiss higher education institution, which was founded in 1962. There are three campuses to choose from: two in Switzerland and one in England. The Fribourg town of Bulle is home to the main one. According to Philippe Vignon, the Institute’s managing director, “The school’s contemporary infrastructure coupled with its appealing location offers students the ideal conditions to fully immerse themselves in the Glion spirit.”

It is at the campus in Bulle, a small town not far from the famous Château de Gruyères, that students can take Glion’s Master’s degree in Luxury Brand and Guest Experience Management. “The big names in the luxury hotel industry have been recruiting our graduates for more than 60 years. This inspired us to launch our own specialized course”, Vignon adds. The new MSc program was introduced in 2019, followed by a Bachelor’s in Luxury Business in 2023. Eleonora Cattaneo points out: “Unlike conventional marketing, which seeks to sell as many goods or services as possible to as many people as possible, luxury marketing focuses on value over volume.”

A launchpad for careers outside the hotel industry

Who better to impart the values and codes of the luxury industry than the illustrious brands themselves? High-end companies are involved in all aspects of the Master’s syllabus, from finance and law to branding and hospitality,” the program director explains. The Glion Institute of Higher Education has also forged academic partnerships with several hallowed names from the luxury industry, such as Ferragamo and Dior.

Rolex’s plans to build a huge production facility in Bulle by 2029 could also generate great synergies. The Institute’s managing director reveals that “a growing number of luxury brands outside of the hospitality industry want to recruit our students.”