The SSTH Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality is a College of Professional Training and Education for the hotel and catering sector based in Passugg, municipality Churwalden. The courses of study range from vocational training as a hotel and catering specialist to the Swiss Professional Degree in Hospitality Management and the bachelor's degree in International Hospitality Management HES-SO. Both the German- and English-language training programs of the SSTH are recognized in Switzerland. The hospitality management school is in the building of the former Passugg spa hotel, in a side valley about four kilometers from Chur.
SSTH Profile
The SSTH has been training and educating trade professionals and management staff for the hotel and catering sector since 1966. The courses of study range from vocational training as a hotel and catering specialist to the Swiss Professional Degree in Hospitality Management and the bachelor's degree in International Hospitality Management HES-SO. Academic teaching of the latest management skills is combined with practical training. Students are given extensive opportunities to put their theoretical skills into practice in the various in-house restaurants, at reception and in housekeeping. Around 300 students from 45 countries follow courses at the Passugg campus near Chur. The SSTH is a member of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, the world's pre-eminent hospitality management school, since November 2013 and is the only school in Switzerland with German- and English-language training programs recognized under the Swiss framework curriculum and is classified as tertiary education.
Educational Programs and Degrees
Founded by Dr. Markus Christoffel in 1966, what is now the Passugg hospitality management school developed out of the hotel department of the hotel secretarial school in Chur. It did not remain a hotel department for long. The business school steadily expanded its program and soon afterward began welcoming students from the Far East. As early as 1972, the first “Special Courses” were given in English, separately from the purely German classes. In this way, the SSTH gradually developed from a hotel secretarial school into an internationally recognized College of Professional Training and Education with training programs at various levels.
Vocational training in hospitality and catering can be undertaken at the GFG Gastgewerbliche Fachschule Graubünden hotel and restaurant college. This training covers a broad spectrum of fundamentally important skills for all areas of hospitality – kitchen, housekeeping, service and hotel reception. Over the course of three years, students spend half their time in the Passugg hospitality management school and half in two different hotels, where they can put what they have learned into practice. Degree:
Hotel and Gastro Specialist with integrated Federal Certificate of Vocational Training and Education as Restaurant Specialist
Preparatory Year (PY)
The quality standards attached to the SSTH's Swiss state accreditation stipulate one year's vocational experience in the hotel or catering profession as a prerequisite for entry to the Swiss Professional Degree program. The preparatory year can deliver this experience. The Preparatory Year consists of a five-month practical training course at the Passugg hospitality management school and a seven-month paid internship with a partner in the hotel industry in Switzerland. Certificates:
Preparatory Year Certificate from the SSTH
Work Certificate from a Swiss hotel or catering business
Swiss Professional Degree
The course of study for the Swiss Professional Degree, which can be taken in either English or German, includes basic hospitality management disciplines such as economics, marketing, HR and communications. Academic training is combined with practical experience in catering and housekeeping. A key feature of the three-year specialist and management training at the SSTH is its focus on entrepreneurial and practical approaches. Degree's:
English: Swiss Professional Degree in Hospitality Management
Bachelor's Degree
On completing the Swiss Professional Degree, there is the option of going on to complete a bachelor's degree in International Hospitality Management HES-SO. This course follows the curriculum of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, the world's pre-eminent hospitality management school, and is hence also affiliated with the Bologna Process. Graduates holding a bachelor's degree from the SSTH in Passugg can go on to postgraduate studies at the EHL or other universities.
In due course, the continuing expansion of the range of courses offered by the SSTH led to growing student numbers. To ensure every professional skill required in the hotel and catering industry could be taught, it became important to combine theoretical and practical studies in a single location. The spa hotel of Passugger Heilquellen AG provided this opportunity. The hotel was established during the “Alpine boom” at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. It was thought that the mountains and spring water of Switzerland could cure any ill. The Ulricusquelle spring in Passugg gained a particular reputation for providing water used to treat stomach problems. This led to the former guest house being converted into the Passugg Spa Hotel. An excerpt from the 1911 guest list shows the international reputation of the spa hotel by that time, with residents hailing from Buenos Aires, Chicago and Paris. Now that the popularity of spa tourism has waned, the spa hotel is once again home to residents from around the world – only now they are students.
Collaborations and Partnerships
Over the years, the SSTH has built up a variety of collaborations. It enjoys particularly close partnerships with Campus Tourismus Graubünden and Hotelleriesuisse. The SSTH is involved in regional education through Campus Tourismus Graubünden. Hotelleriesuisse has a seat on the school's administrative board. To provide training of the highest quality at all levels and anchor internationality in the program, the SSTH has built up partnerships with various universities all over the world. The SSTH also supports the development of specific hotel management programs and thus helps students gain highly relevant local training in hospitality and tourism.
SSTH students regularly put theory into practice in practical projects. The Food Festival is part of the project management training program. Organized for the first time in 1989 as an internal show event, it was opened to the public in 2003 and attracts around 2000 visitors every year. At 20 tasting stands, the students present specialties and exotic dishes from their home countries. The program is rounded off with workshops, tastings and presentations.
