Photo © EHG
On Friday, 2 October 2026, the Geneva Hotel School (EHG) marked its 147th graduation ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Geneva, in front of some 250 guests. The day after the new title supplement “Professional Bachelor” came into force, its 32 graduates from the Higher Education School are the first cohort to receive a diploma bearing it. The evening also saw the second cohort of EHG post-diploma students (EPD ES) receive their qualification.
Born out of the revision of the Federal Act on Vocational Education and Training, approved by Parliament in December 2025, the title supplement has been available since 1 October 2026 to holders of a higher education school diploma. The new graduates’ title now reads “Diplômé ES Hotelier-Restaurateur, Professional Bachelor”. The objective is highly practical: to make the tertiary level of these programmes immediately legible to recruiters abroad or within international companies, where the concept of a higher education school often requires lengthy explanation. Susanne Welle, Director of EHG, had already been invited in 2022 to join a working group convened by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) on the positioning of higher education schools, where this issue was raised for the first time.
“Until now, our graduates had to explain what a higher education school was, the length and rigour of their studies, and the role of practical training. From now on, their title speaks more clearly for itself. And it is the word Professional they can be proud of: they have served real clients, handled real situations and learned how to lead teams.”
Susanne Welle, Director, Geneva Hotel School
The ceremony opened with a welcome address by Najib Arayer, CEO of Crowne Plaza Geneva, the school’s partner. Delphine Genin, Academic Director of EHG, acted as master of ceremonies. Liliane Zossou, Director General of the Office for Vocational and Continuing Education and Guidance (OFPC), spoke about vocational training in Geneva, while Lionel Fontaine, Director of Hotelis and patron of the cohort, also addressed the graduates. In keeping with the school’s tradition, Timo Chételat, top graduate of the March 2026 class, opened the section dedicated to the graduates.
Of the 32 ES graduates, sixteen received honours, including four with highest honours. Fourteen special prizes, offered by hotels and partner institutions of the school, recognised the cohort’s most outstanding achievements, a sign of Geneva’s hospitality sector’s commitment to its next generation.
Launched in 2024 and followed on a part-time basis, EHG’s post-diploma programmes graduated their second cohort, five professionals from the Hotel Management programme. As tradition dictates, the top graduates of the Higher Education School and the post-diploma programme each addressed the audience.
The ceremony concluded with the traditional cap toss, followed by a cocktail reception bringing together graduates, families, teachers and partners.
Founded in 1914, the Geneva Hotel School (EHG) is a private, non-profit institution and a member of the GastroSuisse group. It ranks among the benchmark institutions for hospitality education worldwide. For more than 110 years, it has been training hospitality professionals recognised for their expertise, rigour and commitment to excellence, through ES-recognised programmes as well as specialised post-diplomas and certificates.
More information: www.ehg.ch
