On 1 October, 2012, a new SWISSAM business school in the hospitality industry officially opened its doors to students. Students of all programs (Hospitality Management – undergraduate/postgraduate and Culinary Arts & Management) took part in the official assembly, had a look at the classrooms and listened to an introductory lecture about their future profession. To celebrate the start of the first academic year, TOHOLOGY prepared a special report so that everyone would, at least for a moment, be able to imagine themselves as a student of the industry one faces daily while visiting restaurants or staying in hotels.
The Rector of the school, Walter Spaltenstein, delivered the opening speech before the new school year. As it was the second time he had opened this kind of school, the launch of this project was a particularly important event for Mr. Spaltenstein. For 20 years, Walter Spaltenstein was President of a business school in Lucerne (Switzerland). Now the time had come to share his knowledge with students in St. Petersburg.
Next spoke the Academic Dean Roger-Peter Weizenegger. Mr. Weizenegger started his speech with his memory of standing at the entrance to a hotel school in Switzerland many years ago, with knowledge awaiting him just as it awaits today's students...
Prior to the red tape cutting ceremony, the floor was given to Dmitry Shubin, General Manager of Sokos Hotel Olympia Garden. Sokos Hotels in St. Petersburg are among the employing partners of SWISSAM business school.
Walter Spaltenstein gives Yana Tsyplakova the first student card:
The school is open!
80 students began their studies.
The Rector and staff of the business school gave a tour of the classrooms.
The party continued in one of the culinary studios.
There were welcome words from industry experts:
And a few more pictures from that day:
“It is the best day of my life,” said Damir Dzumhur, the winner of the international tennis tournament St. Petersburg Open 2017 after the final match, which took place in the city on the Neva river.
The impact of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on the tourism and hospitality industry of the host country: market overview of the hotels launched in Russia in H1 2018, hospitality sector statistics and factors affecting the tourism industry.
On June 6-8, 2019 the main events of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) were held at the ExpoForum Convention & Exhibition Centre. TOHOLOGY visited the place for meeting of global economy and business and prepared photography overview (see photo slider below).
On March 26, 2019 Hotel Revenue Workshop for hoteliers responsible for operations, sales, marketing, revenue and distribution took place at the SO/ Sofitel Saint Petersburg hotel.