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Jean-Jacques Gauer, luxury hotel veteran and Alumni of Le Rosey, shares his opinion of Switzerland as a deservedly renowned place for valuable education
By Camille Bozonnet
Jean-Jacques Gauer is one of the major players in the luxury hotels business. Immersed from a young age in the hotel trade, he’s been managing luxury five star hotels for 27 years now. According to his experience, Switzerland is still a top worldwide competitor, preserving its excellent place equally well in the art of hospitality as in catering to the rich and famous. A straight-to-the-point chat.
Any memories of your private boarding school?
Once you have your exams in your pocket, you think, well, I succeeded something in my life.
You are an AIAR (Alumni) representative. Do you still take advantage of the network you built at Le Rosey?
I still have some friends that I bump into occasionnally. Living and studying at Le Rosey is an experience we all shared. It definitely is a common spirit that rallies us and it can help in our professional life.
Do you feel your stay in a renowned Swiss boarding school was a plus for your CV?
I don’t give much thought to my CV. What I’m interested in is the life experience. Of course, the years I spent at Le Rosey remain apositive memory. I loved the place. But it’s important to keep in mind that if the reputation of any school is good to have, it is still not sufficient per se. For example, if someone went to Harvard, it sounds good a priori. But you have to be aware of what he really did during his stay, which studies he followed, his activities (physical, cultural…), his involvement, the whole process that built his individual experience at Harvard.
How would you evaluate the Swiss hospitality education?
Basically, you have five or six good places in the world. Switzerland is one of them, mostly because of the English teaching, the multicultural environment, the practical approach and the training periods abroad.
Any advice you’d like to tell a foreigner planning on studying in Switzerland?
If you’re looking for a good bilingual education, a multi-cultural environment and serious training, it’s the right place. It will be a nice way to spend four years in your life.
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