Executive Master's in Luxury Management and Guest Experience
Immerse yourself in luxury
Duration: 12 months* of distance learning 4 leadership-focused modules of 12 weeks' duration each Average of 14-18 hours of study per week
Intakes: Spring and Fall
Location: Online
Residential Weeks: 2 Residential Weeks 1 week in Montreux
1 week in London
Credits: ECTS** 60 / US 30
Do you have a passion for luxury? Are you building a career in five-star hospitality, luxury goods, private travel or another part of this vibrant industry? Perhaps you are looking to make the switch into luxury?
With at least five years of managerial experience on your CV, now is the time to take your career to the next level. This Executive Master’s is purpose-designed to help you get there – with fully flexible study that means there’s no need to give up your current role.
In the company of our specialist faculty and hand-picked visiting lecturers, you will explore the latest industry trends, dive deeply into digital marketing and omni-channel, learn how to construct and implement sustainable luxury strategies and discover the secrets to delivering excellence in guest experience.
Spring intake study pathway
All courses delivered online
Delivering Excellence in Guest Experiences
12 weeks online
Including residential week in London
Implementing a Sustainable Luxury Strategy
12 weeks online
Exploring New Luxury Ecosystems
12 weeks online
Including residential week in Glion-Montreux
Branding in the Digital World
12 weeks online
+ Business Research Project
Business Research Project*
Optional extra time if required
Executive Master's
1-Year Program
Fall intake study pathway
All courses delivered online
Exploring New Luxury Ecosystems
12 weeks online
Including residential week in Glion-Montreux
Branding in the Digital World
12 weeks online
+ Business Research Project
Delivering Excellence in Guest Experiences
12 weeks online
Including residential week in London
Implementing a Sustainable Luxury Strategy
12 weeks online
Business Research Project*
Optional extra time if required
Executive Master's
1-Year Program
*Capstone or Applied Business Project can be completed up to 15 months from the start of your program.
**European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
How your typical study week will look based on 16 hours of study per week
project assignment forums & case studies
self-study and group work
Live Connect sessions
live interaction with faculty (recorded)
Why choose this Executive Master's?
Duration
12 months
Start date
20 October 2025
Language
English
Location
Online, plus two Residential Weeks in Montreux & London
Format
Modular & hybrid
Flexible study
Learn at your own pace
Duration
12 months
Start date
20 October 2025
Language
English
Location
Online, plus one two Residential Weeks in Montreux & London
Format
Modular & hybrid
Flexible study
Learn at your own pace
Academic content at a glance
Module:
Exploring New Luxury Ecosystems
- Business Trends in Luxury
- High Gastronomy and Fine Dining
- Building the New Sustainable Luxury
- Intercultural Leadership, Inclusion and Diversity
- Luxury Markets, Enterprises and Culture
+ Residential Week on Glion campus
+ Masterclass in Ultra Luxury Experiences
Module:
Branding in the Digital World
- Building Brand Equity
- Omnichannel Sales Strategy in Luxury Industries
- Digital Transformation and Data Analytics
- Digital Marketing and Communication in the Luxury Industry
- Blockchain and Luxury Digital Products and Experiences
+ Masterclass in Branding (iconic)
+ Masterclass in Omnichannel Sales
Module:
Delivering Excellence in Guest Experiences
- Service Culture and Operational Excellence
- Impactful Design and Architecture
- Retail and Physical Distribution Channels
- Experiential Economics
- Behavioral Foundations of Guest Experience
+ Residential Week on Glion campus
+ Masterclass in Ultra Luxury Experiences
Residential Weeks in Montreux & London
Although our Executive Master’s program is centered on remote learning, we have built an inclusive, face-to-face element into the curriculum, giving participants the opportunity to experience campus life at Glion.
During your Residential Weeks, you will experience the best of Glion, including our trademark applied learning alongside immersive field trips and exceptional networking.
During these carefully-curated Residential Weeks you will:
- Attend face-to-face classes delivered by graduate faculty members
- Meet with visiting experts
- Enjoy behind-the-scenes tours of leading hotels and other luxury businesses
- Get to know your fellow participants as you build a strong team dynamic
Each Residential Week includes:
3.5 days
of courses
0.5 days
of Business Research Project
1 day
business field trip with company & cultural visits
Residential Weeks in Montreux & London
Although our Executive Master’s program is centered on remote learning, we have built an inclusive, face-to-face element into the curriculum, giving participants the opportunity to experience campus life at Glion.
During your Residential Weeks, you will experience the best of Glion, including our trademark applied learning alongside immersive field trips and exceptional networking.
During these carefully-curated Residential Weeks you will:
- Attend face-to-face classes delivered by graduate faculty members
- Meet with visiting experts
- Enjoy behind-the-scenes tours of leading hotels and other luxury businesses
- Get to know your fellow participants as you build a strong team dynamic
Each Residential Week includes:
3.5 days
of courses
0.5 days
of Business Research Project
1 day
business field trip with company & cultural visits
“I wanted to make the transition out of consumer goods into the luxury industry and for that I needed to build my skill set and gain a better understanding of it, focusing wholeheartedly on luxury and guest experience. With this Master’s I feel I have totally accomplished what I set out to do. In particular, I’ve found it of immense value being exposed to the wisdom and experience of lecturers who have been in the industry for many years as business leaders, consultants and academics. It’s been an incredibly enriching experience.” •
SIMON JOSEPH
Executive Master's graduate
Course descriptions & expert faculty
Exploring New Luxury Ecosystems
Business Trends in Luxury
This course focuses on an analysis of the latest global consumer trends and their effects on businesses in the luxury segment. Participants will consider the definition of a trend and how trends impact business structures and practices. In particular, participants will learn how companies are positioning their products and services in the perspective of the experience and transformative economy.
Taught by: Mariana Palmeiro
High Gastronomy and Fine Dining
The aim of this course is for participants to take a deep dive into the universe of ultra-fine dining and in particular into the interconnected set of high gastronomy and brand name chefs that are today considered as real business value enhancers. Participants will understand the rationale behind different business models and critically assess what sets these apart from various produce and concept standpoints.
Building the New Sustainable Luxury
The course provides students with a critical understanding of the non-negotiable needs and future developments on the topic of CSR in the luxury industries, and its new definition. Participants will critically analyze different business practices in sustainability in order to learn as consumers and future managers how to face this challenge successfully.
Taught by: Dr. Jinju Heo
Intercultural Leadership, Inclusion and Diversity
In this course, participants will learn the significance of cultural differences in everyday work life, expressed through different behaviors and practices. They will also develop leadership skills via enhanced self-awareness and increased sensitivity, curiosity, and knowledge of cultures, as well as their own cultural assumptions, biases and implicit preferences. At the end of the course, they will be able to recognize different norms and practices, and well as see those as added value within a multicultural environment.
Taught by: Naida Culshaw
Luxury Markets, Enterprises and Culture
This course examines some of the fundamental concepts about luxury. It will provide students with different theoretical frameworks both in economics and sociology. The participants will analyze the main characteristics of luxury products and services as economic goods. They will also explore the production and consumption of luxury goods and services.
Taught by: Dr. Estelle Dinh
Branding in the Digital World
Building Brand Equity
In this course participants study the foundations of a luxury brand: its legitimacy, consistency, and creativity; and the fundamentals of a luxury brand strategy. It specifically focuses on analyzing the key elements and facets of the brand’s identity, and how they are expressed through marketing communication, the brand’s environment, and behavior. The course also examines the strategic importance of luxury brands – for the company and society – and relevance in building brand equity; and how value is created and maintained by managing the brand through its lifecycle and adhering to the principles of luxury branding and marketing.
Taught by: Dr. Eleonora Cattaneo
Omnichannel Sales Strategy in Luxury Industries
This course discusses omnichannel retailing within the luxury sector, offering a comprehensive exploration of strategies tailored to meet the demands of an affluent clientele. Through a blend of theoretical frameworks and practical case studies, participants will discuss the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in luxury omnichannel environments. Topics covered include the integration of physical and digital touchpoints, personalized customer experiences, brand consistency across channels, and the leveraging of data analytics for enhanced decision-making. By examining successful omnichannel implementations and emerging trends in luxury retail, participants will develop a thorough understanding of how to navigate and excel in this dynamic landscape.
Taught by: Andi Islami
Digital Transformation and Data Analytics
The course aims to explore the concept of digital transformation and its impact on the luxury sector. Big data systems and the opportunities and challenges posed by such systems will be examined. Architectural solutions are investigated with a focus on how they may be used in the luxury sector for analytics and data processing. Participants will also appraise specific data systems and apply data analysis to problem solving in the luxury sector.
Taught by: Matthieu Tran-Van
Digital Marketing and Communication in the Luxury Industry
The uniqueness of the luxury industry and all its segments relies on luxury products and services to be promoted and distributed with different logic. Luxury products must target specific niches that are willing to pay a premium price. This course in digital marketing in the luxury industry will provide participants with skills and competencies required to operate in the luxury digital arena and will help them develop the skills required to become digital marketing specialists. As part of the course, participants will be required to design a digital marketing communication plan for a luxury company.
Taught by: Tiziana Tini
Blockchain and Luxury Digital Products and Experiences
This course will focus on how blockchain technology can be used in the luxury industry. Blockchain technology has 3 main use-cases: transfer of digital assets, decentralized registries and smart-contracts. Each of these will impact the luxury industry through the experience for the customer, the secondary market, and an increase in traceability for the production and distribution of luxury goods. Participants will explore these applications and more through real-life use-cases and building concrete projects. They will learn through direct learning.
Taught by: Paolo Montemurro
Delivering Excellence in Guest Experiences
Service Culture and Operational Excellence
This course lets you explore what successful companies do to engage their employees in order to achieve customer service excellence, as well as how they strategically align all aspects of an organization to lead to outstanding service. You will analyze what “service culture” means and investigate how to achieve high customer service levels through genuine service and operational excellence. You will additionally focus on how product and service delivery are engineered to provide an exceptional service experience and on how authentic customer engagement is increased leading to increased revenues. You will relate themes such as customer journey, team training, service design and execution to contemporary, industry-based examples to create the link between course content, service culture and real-world operational performance.
Taught by: Dr. Estelle Dinh
Impactful Design and Architecture
This course focuses on understanding how design principles contribute to transforming retail and hospitality spaces in the luxury segment. Participants will understand the basic functions of retail store operations and desired customer experience when envisioning innovative design. Participants will examine contemporary hospitality concepts from a design perspective in connection with the desired service promise.
Taught by: Susanna Nicoletti
Retail and Physical Distribution Channels
The course explores topics such as market trends, operations, supply chain and human resource management, merchandising, digital technologies – in particular in the light of an integrated omnichannel perspective – as well as CRM and operational marketing and branding. In contemporary retail, particular attention is paid to the creation of an immersive guest experience. This course is therefore not only about the management of the retail mix but is focused in particular on the creation of an integrated physical guest experience for omnichannel retail in the luxury industries.
Taught by: Erica Amoroso
Experiential Economics
This course will focus on the experience economy in the luxury and hospitality business. It will explore relevant concepts that are meaningful in the experience economy (e.g. to include experience, effects, and value). Other themes include bias in the experience economy, discourse in current literature, and practice and analysis of problems that result from this bias. Based on the dematerialization of the economy, participants will discuss why certain rules of the game in economics must change, and how this affects both stakeholders and environments. Deploying their conceptual knowledge, experiences, and insight students will create a new conceptual design for a relevant economic offering based on experiential research.
Taught by: Dr. Karolina Doughty
Behavioral Foundations of Guest Experience
This course delves into the psychological underpinnings of guest behavior within the realm of luxury hospitality. Drawing from behavioral economics, psychology, and luxury service principles, students will explore the dynamics that influence guest decision-making, satisfaction, and loyalty. Through case studies and experiential learning exercises, participants will examine the role of emotions, perceptions, and social influences in shaping the luxury guest journey. Key topics include anticipatory service, sensory branding, cultural sensitivities, and the art of personalized engagement.
Taught by: Dr. Barbara Czyzewska
Implementing a Sustainable Luxury Strategy
Strategic Management for Luxury Brands
Participants will develop a successful strategy from vision to objectives in the luxury industries using financial indicators, KPIs, and the appropriate organizational tools and procedures for the company’s structure.
Taught by: Nicola Cirilli
Talent Development in the Luxury Business
In a changing world, companies need an integrated approach in attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining critical talent in order to anticipate the upcoming needs and challenges. This is even more true for the luxury industry, based both on heritage and tradition, as well as creativity and innovation. Luxury companies must therefore focus more than other companies on nurturing employee talent, to support continuous development of knowledge, innovation and creativity and to ensure the transmission of their heritage and craft-based processes. They are also actively engaged in ensuring work life balance and lifelong personal development. In this course participants will learn strategies and techniques for successful talent management in luxury companies.
Taught by: Cecilia Peverelli
Corporate Finance and Value Creation
This course aims at familiarizing the participants with the concepts of financial decision, with an emphasis on luxury conglomerates. It will review the theory and practice of capital budgeting decision and shareholder value creation. The time value of money, net present value and corporate valuation concepts will be defined and applied to case studies on financial decision-making within the luxury industry. The participants will analyze financial statements, and company reports to assess the financial strategy, the business model and the profitability of the operations.
Taught by: Jackson Dang
Sustainable Business Models
This course aims to provide participants with insights into how successful companies develop, implement and create value through well-designed business models that guarantee sustainability for the business. Cases will be drawn from the luxury industry highlighting the best practices applicable to this sector. During this course, participants will learn how to identify business ideas and how to put them into practice. Participants will apply state-of-the-art management tools geared at creating actionable business models. They will work in teams to create an original business model for a company in the luxury sector.
Taught by: Dr. Richard Meredith
Business Research Project
Business Research Project
The Business Research Project is an academic research-based endeavor that forms part of the Executive Master’s program. One-to-one and group tutoring are held on a regular basis, but overall, the emphasis is placed on self-regulated learning and research activities, in agreement with a selected company. Each participant is required to develop, analyze, synthesize and discuss a business issue or opportunity based on one of the major themes and concepts studied during the taught part of the program. The project can also be focused on a diagnostic review for an existing or past organizational problem.
Important dates
Fall 2025 intake
EXPLORING NEW LUXURY ECOSYSTEMS
Start: 27 October 2025 End: 16 January 2026
Residential Week on Glion-Montreux campus
Course starts: 20 October 2025 Course ends: 24 October 2025
Travel recommendation
Arrival in Switzerland: Sunday, 19 October 2025
Departure from Switzerland: Saturday, 25 October 2025
BRANDING IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
Start: 26 January 2026 End: 10 April 2026
DELIVERING EXCELLENCE IN GUEST EXPERIENCES
Start: 27 April 2026 End: 17 July 2026
Residential Week on London campus
Course starts: 20 April 2026 Course ends: 24 April 2026
Travel recommendation
Arrival in London: Sunday, 19 April 2026
Departure from London: Saturday, 25 April 2026
IMPLEMENTING A SISTAINABLE LUXURY STRATEGY
Start: 03 August 2026 End: 16 October 2026
Graduation ceremony
February 2027
Spring 2026 intake
DELIVERING EXCELLENCE IN GUEST EXPERIENCES
Start: 27 April 2026 End: 17 July 2026
Residential Week on London campus
Course starts: 20 April 2026 Course ends: 24 April 2026
Travel recommendation
Arrival in London: Sunday, 19 April 2026
Departure from London: Saturday, 25 April 2026
IMPLEMENTING A SUSTAINABLE LUXURY STRATEGY
Start: 03 August 2026 End: 16 October 2026
EXPLORING NEW LUXURY ECOSYSTEMS
Start: 26 October 2026 End: 15 January 2027
Residential Week on Glion-Montreux campus
Course starts: 19 October 2026 Course ends: 23 October 2026
Travel recommendation
Arrival in Switzerland: Sunday, 18 October 2026
Departure from Switzerland: Saturday, 24 October 2026
BRANDING IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
Start: 25 January 2027 End: 09 April 2027
Graduation ceremony
July 2027
Program entry requirements
for the Executive Master's in Luxury Management & Guest Experience
Minimum age
27 years old at the start of the program.
Education
University degree in any discipline. A specialized diploma in luxury or hospitality will also be considered.
Minimum English language entry requirements
You must be proficient in English. If English is not your first language, or if you have not spent the last two years working in a company where English is the primary language, we can provide you with a bespoke English test; or alternatively you can send us a copy of one of the following:
- International English Language Test (IELTS)**: 6.0 overall (min. 5.5 in any subcomponent)
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Internet-based 80 or paper-based 550
- First Cambridge Exam: Grade A
- Cambridge Advanced Exam: Grade C
Your English level will also be assessed during the interview process.
Note: All English certificates must have been issued in the 12 months prior to admission.
*If a degree/transcript is not in English, French, German or Italian, an official certified/translated copy in English will be required.
**Only tests taken/issued in an official IELTS testing center are accepted.
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