Students in a Glance

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Aida Romeli

Fair enough. After writing about the school, the campus life and activities, programs and projects, trips and so on, it’s time to introduce you to some of the students who make up part of this world.

These people have being sharing the same experiences along this remarkable and challenging semester in Glion.

I must say, I am very proud of them…

So, here we go:

Name: Nataiia Zubenko
Country: Ukraine
Program: Post Graduate Program in Hospitality Management
Why Hospitality: I want to visit every country in the world, all 191!
I like to get to know and be in touch with different cultures.
In this field, you can easily transfer from one workplace to another and at the same time enjoying life’s changes. I mean, which other career gives you work opportunities wherever you are in the world?
Hobbies: To collect beautiful moments of life, Moto racing (my favorite driving), Skating, Learning languages (French is my newest challenge) and Dancing
Plans: Experience the world with its beautiful sides to be discovered
Visit India and learn more about their meditation secret.

He is: Vinzenz Traubel
Coming from: Germany
Program: Bachelor in Hospitality Management
The best work experience: My internship in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The different atmosphere and context helped me to understand the challenges we can meet in this industry.
With strong spirit and philosophy, facing the day to day life of a Hotel, is much more exciting and challenging than I thought.
Hobbies: Sports and Traveling
Plans for the Future: Work in Finance and Revenue Management area.

Name: Le Berre Guilaume
Coming from: France
Program: Post Graduate Program in Hospitality Management
Why Glion: To give me the edge to succeed in my future career
Like and Dislikes about your choice: I love the Glion Spirit, really it’s a surprise how people are nice, and here, you meet real friends.
I dislike the amount of concentration you need to pass your exams.

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The Final Sprint

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Aida Romeli

It is quite cold outside, the trees already turned into colorful lights and at the same time, the snow is becoming more evident in the top of the mountains. Well, this ambiance of fast change is not very different from the school. We are coming to the final stretch of our journey and once again everything is pretty tight now. It’s as if we realize that we want to give it our best in this ultimate month even though we have been doing it throughout the whole semester.

It is the “Final Sprint” as people say? Sometimes, we can say with conviction that we have reached our goal and everything is under control. If not, then we still have time to do much more and that is why and where we will find the internal energy to do so. One month can definitely make a difference in the way you finish up the semester, and consequently, the year.

Besides just being and studying in such renowned school, I also want to bring home news of my successful studies to my loved ones. In one month, anything can happen! We have these last few days to make sure that these happenings rise to meet our very first expectations when deciding to start this path.
So, I wish you all good luck for the sprint!

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BACK TO THE DUTIES

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Aida Romeli

Dear readers, I might be late but as you know, it is never easy to wake up again after a pleasant break, even when you miss your school.

You expect things to go slowly, since you’re back from a great trip; you feel quite relaxed and slow in everything. Well, that does not happen here in Glion. The past weeks have been very challenging for me, with more exams and presentations to go through.

It’s like I said before, this trade never stops! And I am already feeling it from the school environment. Hotels never take holidays or shouldn’t take holidays.

Subsequently, you realize you never left the bus; you were there all the time. Unless you spent the holidays at home, you will be studying in some way during your vacation.

hospitality industryIn every hotel you visit, you will be evaluating and studying it. Right from the moment you enter the hotel (and what’s more, the impression and service starts before your arrival at the hotel) starting from the front desk with the check in.

You want to compare the way they welcome you, the speed of the service, the “space” and every single effort they make to make your stay more enjoyable.

So, in fact, it’s the matter of finding or trying to find the hotel’s strengths and weaknesses, it’s about trying to find where the things could be improved.

You become more aware about satisfaction, personalization, attention, efficiency, kindness, loyalty, integrity, carefulness, and so on, the list is endless.

Before Glion?  No, I was not that attentive.

The same happens, when it comes to restaurants. The menu now, tells me more than just a choice of flavors. Little pieces such flowers, plates, and smiles, have become very important for me. This huge hunger of questioning and exploring it seems to never stop anymore!

The good news is that now, I tend to be more open, confident and confortable. I don’t feel as a stranger anymore…. now, this industry is beginning to be mine as well.

The annoying thing is: you just want to enjoy your dinner or have a nice stay in the hotel.

Why should I bother with such details?

…and once again, “Welcome to the Hospitality Industry”.


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Break Time – Part Two

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Aida Romeli

As promised, I am back again with more spots about what I did during my  week away from Glion.

As I told you, it is a matter of choice and they are limitless. In the north, I decided to hit Germany and visited the vibrant city of Berlin. The sightseeing, history and culture were calling me.

Many attractions come to mind, when thinking about this thriving metropolis. The famous Berlin Wall, Holocaust Memorial and the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of Berlin…

and much more

But also…

Oh, I’m afraid this is not Berlin. Yes, it is Paris!

I couldn’t resist visiting this famous “city of love” and as you can imagine, I fell in love again. I’m sure you already know about this stunning place.

As you can see, besides the excellent emotion and pleasure of studying in Glion, there are also incredible rewards that come with it! One of these rewards is easy access for travelling, which is one of my biggest passions.

And after that, it is time to go back to school, my second home sweet home.

Hope you enjoyed the trip.

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Break time

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Aida Romeli

Finally, I’ve reached one of the most long-awaited and sensational moments in a student’s semester. My first mid-term break! This well deserved rest gives us time to reflect and appreciate the events of the semester,  and also prepare and find strengths to continue with the hard and challenging work.

Of course, not everything is about studying. Even with only one week of break, there is an almost unlimited choice of things to do. In the end, this is Switzerland, in the very middle of Europe. So, whether you want to take a quick trip around this amazing country, or go visit neighboring France, Germany, Austria or Italy, you have all four borders to explore.

At this stage, I got my walking shoes on and decided to head West and start in France. As your faithful reporter, I took plenty of pictures to let you see what you might find..
So you can choose this

or go there…

or even there…

It is just a matter of choice. Wherever you choose to go in Switzerland or around its bordering regions, there are always beautiful sights and landscapes.  Hope all the students are enjoying their holidays and see you soon with more spots around Europe.

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Barbeque Day

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Aida Romeli

This time, the Student’s Government Association, an organization founded by students and for students, wanted to commemorate being part of the Glion Family.

Unexpectedly, the big empty garden started to be crowded. Everybody turned up! There were even shuttle buses coming from the Glion campus from time to time.

The bad weather was replaced by a lively and electrifying atmosphere. Of course, the music was fantastic and everybody was putting their hands up for the DJ, he definitely won the day…

If you have a lot of pressure and responsibilities on one side, then you need the various moments where you allow the pleasurable and relaxing feelings to come in. Really, this can make a big difference.

Since these events are organized by students, for students, there are always lessons taken from that, and you continuously are in a learning process. This must be the concept of “Learning with Fun”. You probably want to know more and I will tell you.

Every single event, organized by the school or by the students, is seen as an opportunity to improve the student’s skills and to test their capacity in the hospitality industry. So, every time, students are requested to take part of the whole or part of the production. For example, in Sports Day, students of the Event, Sport and Entertainment (ESE) Management program unquestionably took charge of the occasion, but always under the eye of the teachers from the ESE pathway, to make sure the apprentices were doing their job properly and the know-how process was actually taking place.

Consequently, on the Barbecue Day we also had a lot of student volunteers from both pathways, Hospitality and Events Management, in the back stage. Others were arranging the tables, taking care of their classmates needs, and serving food.
So, in the end it was a win – win situation and joy was the most expressive emotion among the student community.

I must admit that the BBQ was a fantastic way to get motivated and prepare for the next phase. Soon, we will be entering into the mid-term break, followed by some significant exams.

Congratulations to the SGA for the great day!

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Sport day

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Aida Romeli

It was Sunday and such a nice day!

If you don’t want to go out and you decide to stay at school, it’s not a bad choice, since there is always a surprise around here.

Take a look at our sports day, last Sunday, where everybody was invited to join the great sunny day in a competitive yet relaxed environment.

Together, students and lecturers took part in some games such as football, tennis, volleyball, squash just to mention a few. At the same time, we were all enjoying good, vibrant music and a barbecue.

glion hotel management school sports day-1

Whenever you have the time, you can always take a walk nearby and around the school where you have the facilities and amenities at the students’ disposal.

glion hotel school sports day 6Sports days are not only about physical effort and winning. Rightly so, this one was quite different. It was about meeting challenges, getting together, entertainment and having fun.

Before coming here, I was imagining the ideal school, the ideal environment and scenario and the familiarity between students.

Is the ideal real or is just something the mind built to be reflected as our model?

glion hotel school sports day 3I don’t know about that, but I was not expecting the ideal to come to life! Every single day spent in the school and in its beautiful surroundings is lived with intensity, passion and delight. It is unbelievable how this atmosphere catches your feelings and you are suddenly in love with the school and everything about it. Now it’s easy to understand how only few months here can make a difference and be memorable.

Part of this world certainly cannot be felt or shared somewhere else.

It is part of Glion, the Glion Spirit….

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Bulle, the first stop, the first home

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Aida Romeli

City of BulleIt is a traditional town, a conservative home, and a cultural atmosphere.

Surrounded by beautiful landscapes, Bulle is located in the district “de la Gruyère” Fribourg Canton with approximately 18 thousands inhabitants.

With its French and German name, Fribourg or Freiburg you expect people here to speak French or German. Bulle is situated in the French speaking part, so please make sure you have basic French when you come here. I have been struggling myself to communicate with people and I didn’t speak any French at all before coming here. But it is a big challenge, actually trying to have an interaction with the people! I wonder myself, how am I doing that? Well I have a little secret, my French classes are helping me a lot, I must confess.

Gruyère CastleThe charming Bulle is also a town of flavors. The famous cheese from Gruyère is super delicious, and so, I will leave the fondue’s contemplation on your responsibility.
While walking around, you are involved by the Gruyère Museum, the Castle, the Traditional Market and the Chocolate Train; of course this last one could not be forgotten.

I’m still astonished by the weather, always sunny and agreeable. I couldn’t believe how long the summer actually can last here. I was terrified for months before coming here, since I only linked the “Swiss Alps” with snow, cold and ski.

But yes, I am waiting for those terrifying and cozy winter days, because I know they will come.

I wake up on these bright weekends, I walk through the town, and I stop in a Café dazzled by what life and nature has to offer. Everything is just so splendid and relaxed. Perhaps it is a Swiss tradition; perhaps it is a way of life.

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The Inevitable

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Aida Romeli

Books, books and books.  Since my arrival I have been getting along with them. And these last days, this relationship gets really intense.

Of course, I am talking about the first tests and projects presentation! Yes, already.

Clik clok clik clok is how you hear your heart before a presentation, before standing in front of a big audience and trying to convince them with your speech, your hard work and your thoughts.

Is it an easy task?

You have at your disposal a very nice library and online system. You might travel across Switzerland and outside the country seeking for information, you might have several interviews with different hoteliers, all because you need to prove that your project and your work is innovative, productive and accurate.

And this is not everything. The “Turnitin” system will track and check every single similarity between your work and another already done or published. So, in other words, don’t even think to put or use the very same sentence that already was written before. You use the same phrase taken from a magazine, the turnitin will track it, you take a few words from your colleague’s project, turnitin will find it, if you use a student’s project from another university, and turnitin will fail you! And of course I don’t need to talk about books, it will catch you.

Well, what to do?

You might be lost, I was lost for a while, but there is something you can do about it… You better work and study a lot.

It is just the way the school works; they are giving importance to originality and integrity.
So, continuing, you need to pass on the teacher evaluation, you need to pass your colleagues evaluation and you need to pass on turnitin after all!

And there is this huge gap between something made by your own opinion or judgments and a phrase you just copy from a book at the library.

And to finish, I will tell you a few words about the rules. And this goes for male students!
The very last thing they would want to do, is to go to a presentation or test without shaving themselves. This would definitely put you far behind, since physical appearance is one of rules whilst expressing your views for your audience.

Happy to be a woman?!!

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Another way of saying Welcome

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Aida Romeli

Apart from our responsibilities and duties, the Glion family also know how to enjoy themselves.

A special welcome was organized for new students on different days and in different places. I am not talking about the school organization, but about a student association who took the initiative to make the new students time here more enjoyable.

It is part of the Glion spirit and it is the way they say: Welcome to Glion.

A perfect moment for students to get to know each other, to relax and to have fun.

This warmness, kindness and appreciation is something already inside the “Glionese” mind and it is becoming a principle among the students lifetime and as I said last time, this is what hospitality means

We come from different countries and cultures, but after all, with the same purpose: Be part of the “Hospitality family”.

Hope you enjoy the shots.

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