Founded in 1954 as an international institute in Switzerland, Les Roches International School of Hotel Management became a hotel management college in 1979. Hospitality employers rank it as one of the top three hotel management schools in the world. Les Roches offers a bachelor of business administration, a masters of business administration, along with several post-graduate options. BBA students can choose to concentrate their studies in entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, hotel design and project management or culinary business management. Les Roches also has a campus in Shanghai and is now owned by Sylvan Learning Systems.
Also in Switzerland, the Ecole Hoteliere Lausanne is considered the first international hotel management college. It was founded in 1893 in response to the 19th Century tourism boom in the country. It offers a diploma, bachelor's and master's degree. Learning is activity-based with courses requiring projects, work experience, group work, case studies and event management. The master's program aims to present a range of career options to its students, exposing them to the breadth of professional opportunities available in the hospitality industry.
The Imperial Hotel Management College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada combines classroom learning with hands-on work experience. They've partnered with hospitality organizations to provide internships for students while they study for the diploma program. Their core coursework curriculum comes from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute and includes classes on accounting and finance, general management, marketing and sales, information technology, human resources, food and beverage management and rooms division management. They also offer an advanced diploma that includes cultural studies in art, film, entertainment, style, cuisine, travel and leisure.
One of the newest international hotel management programs was launched at the Open University of China. They will offer two diploma and certificate programs through the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. The program matches the academic coursework with professional experience and internships to produce graduates who are able to work in the hospitality industry. The OUC primarily offers distance education and has more than five million students registered.
The International Institute of Hotel Management is India's first hotel management school, founded in 1994. Students can earn an advanced diploma or a degree from the United Kingdom. After two years of study in India, students study abroad for the third year in London or Edinburgh. Graduates go on to work in hotels around Europe and the United States. The Indian institute has campuses in Delhi and Kolkata. Coursework includes accounting and finance, hotel engineering, French, food service, front office management, marketing, tourism and research.