Master of Science in Hospitality, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Master the art of hospitality innovation & entrepreneurship
Duration: 1.5 years, 2 academic semesters + 6-month internship with Applied Research Report or Business Research Project
Intakes: Spring and Fall
Location: Glion and Bulle campuses, Switzerland
Credits: ECTS* 90 / US 45
*European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
This cutting-edge Master’s degree empowers you to become a future-ready hospitality leader, entrepreneur, or business innovator. The program blends academic rigor with real-world application, placing a strong emphasis on innovation, digital transformation, and sustainability. Perfect for anyone who is passionate about creating meaningful impact in a rapidly changing world, this Master’s is ideally suited to hospitality graduates and professionals, ambitious entrepreneurs, and next-generation family business leaders.
Hospitality Immersion Program
4 weeks (optional)
Glion
Semester 1
Glion or Bulle*
+ Innovation Week
+ Business Field Trip
Semester 2
Glion or Bulle*
+ Innovation Week
Semester 3
6-month internship with Applied Research Report or Business Research Project
*To enable you to experience student life at both our Swiss campuses, you will spend the Fall semester on Bulle campus and the Spring semester on Glion campus.
Program highlights
Learn how to lead in hospitality and enhance your business skills
Understand technology's potential in the industry
Real-world experience during your internship or Business Research Project
Develop your own business ideas during the program and network and learn from industry leaders
Plug into the Swiss start-up ecosystem
Presented with a real-life business challenge, you’ll be charged with devising, prototyping and testing novel solutions before live pitching to members of the Swiss startup ecosystem. Learn how to engage this audience with great storytelling to mobilize support and attract investors.
Develop your business ideas
Throughout the program, you develop the tools and insights that will enable you to create new products and services characterized by innovative business models. Semester 1 courses include experience design, business models, innovation strategy and team building. In semester 2, you will focus on areas such as AI design, digital marketing, financial strategies and sustainability.
Program details
Semester 1
HOSPITALITY IMMERSION PROGRAM
- Optional 4-week program
FOUNDATIONS FOR HOSPITALITY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP & STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
Global Innovation & Strategic Thinking
- Innovation Strategy in the Global Environment
- Trends, Disruptive Models and Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Business Model Identification
Operational Excellence & Brand Value
- Hospitality Operations Partnerships and Ecosystem Management
- Protecting Your Brand and Your Business
Human-Centered Leadership & Design
- Experience Design in Hospitality
- Leadership, Team Building and Intercultural Management
Business Research Skills
- Critical Research Methodology in Business I
+ Business Field Trip
+ Innovation Week
Experiential and immersive learning
Semester 2
LAUNCHING & SCALING FUTURE-READY BUSINESSES
Innovation & Technology for Growth
- AI Design for Hospitality, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Digital Technologies in the Hospitality Industry
- Digital Marketing Insights and Disruptive Strategies
Business Development & Financial Strategy
- Fundraising and Financial Strategies
- Sales and Contract Negotiation
- Revenue Management and Digital Distribution Strategy
- Family and Small Businesses
People, Planet & Performance
- F&B Management and Value Delivery
- Sustainability and Entrepreneurship
- Talent Management
- Project Life Cycle for New Business Launches
Business Research Skills
- Critical Research Methodology in Business II
+ Innovation Week Experiential and immersive learning
Meet some of your expert faculty
Dr. Tiia Mäkinen
Program Director
Tiia holds a PhD in Economics, Marketing and brings several years of teaching and industry experience. She is managing partner of Musta Experience, a company that she founded and aims to foster innovative and transformational customer/brand management.
Eric Mabilon
Advanced Hotel Operations
Eric spent the first eight years of his professional career working in the Rooms Division of many premium hotels, mainly in the UK and Switzerland. His last position before joining Glion was Front Office Manager. Holder of an MSc in Hospitality Organisational Training and Management from Endicott College (USA), Eric taught Rooms Division and Rooms Division Management courses in our Bachelor’s program at Glion, before moving over to our Master’s programs.
Yves Dominic Lüthi
Fundraising and Financial Strategies
Yves is an optimistic, entrepreneurial, doer personality – born and raised in Switzerland with over a decade in fast-growing markets, namely Southeast Asia where he experienced living in places like Manila, Bangkok and Singapore. He has extensive experience building and scaling business ventures, especially in real estate and hospitality, as well as managing investments and assets on behalf of family offices and investment funds.
Paola Waschbusch
Luxury Hospitality Consultant
Throughout her international career, Paola has led operations in some of the world’s most prestigious hotel brands, including Leading Hotels of the World Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Meliá Hotels International, and Marriott International. She has managed and optimized operations across various regions, gaining in-depth knowledge of global markets, luxury hospitality standards, and cultural dynamics.
John Kawalek
Visiting Faculty – Digital Transformation & Data Analytics / Applied Business Research
John is a Digital Transformation consultant using Systems Thinking. He is also a full-stack developer, fully proficient in Python, Django, Jupyter, PhP, Javascript, data structures and database architecture. As a senior academic, he delivers Master’s level learning in Digital Transformation, Data Analytics, Blockchain, Project Management, Business Research Methods and Systems Theory, having worked at universities across the world.
Nandita Perret
Visiting Faculty – Intercultural Leadership, Inclusion and Diversity
Nandita is a certified professional coach specializing in intercultural inclusivity. She has trained multicultural teams from Alstom, Schneider Electric, Orange, ST Microelectronics and Engie Digital, helping them to make those shifts towards intercultural inclusivity, thus enabling them to communicate and collaborate more effectively.
Mariana Palmeiro
Specialist subject: Trends, Disruptive Models and Entrepreneurial Mindset
Mariana spent 10 years in Asia working on numerous hospitality development projects, mainly as a Project Manager for new spa and wellness center openings. She also acted as a hospitality consultant, where she opened and managed hotel operations. Currently, Mariana offers consultancy focused on the development of medical and wellness experiences in luxury hospitality operations. She has also been a visiting lecturer at both Glion and Les Roches for the past five years.
Jean-Christophe Barth-Coullaré
Sales & Contract Negotiation and Protecting your Brand & your Business
Jean-Christophe is a commercial mediator practicing in Switzerland and internationally. He is accredited with FEDERATION SUISSE MEDIATION and the French-German Chamber of Commerce. His commercial disputes practice includes construction, engineering and infrastructure, corporate, IP, partnership agreements, franchising, small businesses and early stage ventures.
Elise Buckle
Sustainability & Entrepreneurship
Elise is a globally recognized climate leader and expert who has been working in the field of climate and sustainability for 24 years. She is Founder and CEO of Climate Bridges, and convener of the women-led network SHE Builds Bridges for Climate Action. She has been nominated as International Gender Champion (IGC) and is now the Co-Chair of the IGC Climate and Gender Impact Group.
Business Field Trip
Every full-time Master’s program incorporates an immersive field trip that offers unique access to key industry players representative of your study topic.
These bespoke, multi-day experiences have packed itineraries featuring company visits, presentations by senior executives, plus lunches and dinners at which you can experience the best of local gastronomy while getting to know fellow students in more relaxed circumstances.
Below, discover our recent field trip to Marrakech.
Recent field trip to Marrakech
Focus
Innovation, technology and entrepreneurship in a start-up ecosystem.
Plan an event
Half-day event – decide the theme, format and audience.
Network
Make connections to grow your professional network.
Meet innovative companies
Put theory into practice.
Stayed at a luxury 5-star palace and at White Camel, a luxury desert camp
Visited renowned hotels such as Royal Mansour and Hotel El Fenn
Welcomed at the Amal Training Center, a social entrepreneurial venture
Camel excursion in the desert
Visited Sorbonne University Cité de l'Innovation
Experienced farm to fork in action at Farasha Farmhouse
Program example, subject to change
Program entry requirements
for the Master's in Hospitality, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Minimum age
21 years old at the start of the program.
Education
Bachelor-level undergraduate degree* in a relevant field (business or hospitality preferred).
Minimum English language entry requirements
If English is not your first language, or if you have not spent the last two years* studying in a school where English is the primary language of instruction, please enclose 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
Note: All English certificates must have been issued in the 12 months prior to admission. Glion offers an Intensive Hospitality English Language Program (IHELP). If your English level does not meet the levels indicated above, then please contact us for more information.
*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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