When it came to choosing a place to study hospitality, Vik Ayyer wanted the best. He chose Les Roches due to its great reputation and global campuses. Vik, who studies the BBA Global Hospitality Management program, has 
embraced Les Roches life, gaining first-hand industry insight and enjoying the events on offer. He spoke to us about his experience at Les Roches.
Why did you decide to study hospitality management in Switzerland?
Hotel management is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. With globalization at the forefront of the business world, everyone needs a place to eat, stay and, most importantly, feel at home. This is when hospitality comes into play. With this surge in travel, increasingly personalized service is a vital part of the industry.
Why did you choose to study at Les Roches?
Les Roches is one of the leading hospitality schools with a wide range of campuses across two continents. Not only that, but each campus is truly global with a student presence of over 90 nationalities.
What does the ‘Les Roches way of life’ mean to you?
The Les Roches way of life should be trademarked in my opinion. It is so characteristic of the students here. They are constantly innovating and developing themselves. Les Roches is an all-inclusive society for people from many different places to feel at home. That’s the Les Roches way of life.
How would you describe your student life and opportunities at Les Roches?
The Student Services team at Bluche is fantastic. Recently, they hosted a Swiss chocolate and cheese factory visit, where students can taste the Swiss flavors while studying here. Les Roches has recently hosted the Career and Recruitment Day. Organisations from many different industries came to campus to meet with students.
Where did you do your internship? And how did you find it?
In the Diploma course, students have to complete two internships. On my first internship, I was a Front Office management trainee at Kerry Hotel, a subsidiary of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. In this position, I learned how to deal with a variety of property management software, but more importantly I learned to tailor experiences to the guests. For instance, anticipating a frequently traveling person coming on business, as opposed to a family exploring China with two small children. On my second internship, I remained at Les Roches Jin Jiang in the Student Activities department and collaborated with many departments. I learned to prioritize important tasks versus those of less importance, as well as delegation and timekeeping. Overall, the chance to prepare myself practically, in addition to the theory learned at Les Roches, readies me for my future profession.
[quote]Les Roches is an all-inclusive society for people from many different places to feel at home. That’s the Les Roches way of life.[/quote]
What is your most memorable time at Les Roches?
The service events we had the opportunity to cater while I was at the Shanghai campus. For instance, the Swiss Chamber of Commerce hosts an extravagant gala every year at the Jing An Shangri-La . The theme was ‘Cuban Night’ and all of the students had the opportunity to dress up in a festive apron. We had the opportunity to cooperate with a master bartender and learn how to make a variety of cocktails to perfection. Overall, the experience was very enjoyable and a key memory for me about Les Roches.
What are your plans for after you graduate?
In general, I find there to be a lot of ambition amongst my peers for future career choices. However, Les Roches gives us students a great platform to join the workforce with a jump start. For me, personally, I aim to join into the revenue and asset management side of hospitality. This will develop my back of house knowledge and will be a new challenge. This knowledge will also ready me for my end goal of being a general manager of a hotel.
Any tips for new students?
As a BBA6 student, I would highly advise the incoming first semester students to be themselves, no matter what your preferences are, Les Roches is a community from all over the world, meaning that there are people from across the globe and there are people just like you. However, you should also venture out of your comfort zone and try to meet as many new people as possible. You can learn so much from others as soon as you make the effort!
