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:
Recently, “Dans Le Noir?” restaurant in St. Petersburg, which is located in the Sokos Hotel Palace Bridge, celebrated its first birthday, on which occasion TOHOLOGY recalls a visit to this restaurant a year ago.
The history of this truly mysterious place dates back to the foundation of Saint Petersburg. Once the first renovation stage was finally over, the New Holland’s park zone welcomed first guests in August 2016, while from then onwards the island will remain accessible the whole year round.
On September 16 gala dinner for the participants of ATP St. Petersburg Open 2019 tournament was organized in the Montferrand ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg.
Leading travel exhibition on the North-Western region of Russia INWETEX – CIS Travel Market and Saint Petersburg Travel Hub, a platform for discussion of hospitality and travel professionals took place on 11-12 October at the ExpoForum Convention & Exhibition Centre in Saint Petersburg. Events photo coverage by TOHOLOGY.