We present the second in our new series where recent field trip participants write about their experiences. Here Isaure Yeodet, who is studying the Master’s in Real Estate, Finance and Hotel Development in London, reports on a quick return to Switzerland, where she’d previously completed her Bachelor’s with Glion…

Although I’m French I consider myself a citizen of the world. And this has certainly been reflected in my time at Glion, where I’ve experienced all three campuses during my Bachelor’s and Master’s studies!

Currently I’m at Glion London and have just completed my first semester of the Master’s in Real Estate, Finance and Hotel Development. One of the semester highlights is the field trip, which for this program took me back ‘home’ to Switzerland.

Throughout the week-long trip we were able to meet and interact with industry professionals, including some who are Glion alumni. It was an excellent way to cultivate our networks, while at the same time receiving valuable tips and guidance from people who’ve already made their mark in the industry.

Problem solvers

With this Master’s the focus is on highly applied, real world learning; and this is reflected in the field trip format. Before going through the visits and activities, we were given their purpose in order to resolve a consulting case. After the visits, we were presented with a clear statement of the issue relating to the property. Our role was to conduct a full investigation on the situation for each hotel we visited, then present it back to the general managers.

Sustainability is one of the hottest topics of discussion in the world of real estate. During our various hotel visits, we found that sustainable initiatives were constantly on the agenda.

For example, we discovered that W Verbier provides housekeeping services only on request. This initiative underlines the mindset of reducing overconsumption, and the environmental effects from it. For us as students, this information is key, especially knowing that it drives demand and attracts investments.

A big part of the Master’s course is focused on hotel development. So, for the field trip, we took on the role of consultants who could advise hotel managers. While we prepared our work and presentations, we relied on our knowledge learned in class. That meant we could provide structured, logical and relevant solutions which could be applied directly. It was a process that felt very realistic!

A window to hotel consulting

With the consulting cases we worked on, we were able to get a glimpse of the type of work that consultants typically undertake. We realized it is not simply a case of visiting hotels and writing reports. It is about connecting with the location, the people you meet, the guests, the owners. It is about linking these stakeholders together, to find a solution that will generate revenue and be implemented at the lowest cost possible.

This is how I felt the trip to Switzerland helped us to connect the work we’ve been doing in class to the potential career paths that are open to us when we graduate.

Roll on semester 2!

• Click here to watch the Instagram reel created from this field trip
• Click here to read our first field trip report, by Master’s in Hospitality, Entrepreneurship and Innovation student Chikita Giovany Tanati.
• Click here to watch Isaure’s episode of our video series Listening to Leaders of Tomorrow