Glion mixes east and west for right hospitality ingredients
Alexandra Stockmann is a graduate of the Glion Institute of Higher Education, a hospitality school in Switzerland. She studied a diploma in hotel and restaurant operations at the school. After finishing that diploma in January she relocated to Beijing and spent four months training in the public relations department of a serviced apartment resort. She recently started a new job as elite floor manager at a five-star hotel in Beijing.
What was the appeal of Glion? Glion was my first choice because it has an incredibly high reputation and the students and alumni such as myself are welcome regardless of which company we decide to be a part of.
How have the European and Asian training methods you received helped you? There are many differences in the culture between Asia and Europe. However, I see this as a part of the training programme.
Problems get tackled in different ways and to be able to work in Asia you need to pick up on their style of work to really be able to get anywhere in this business.
In the end I feel that you profit the most when you have undergone European and Asian types of training as you are far more open-minded when handling tasks.
Did the Glion training equip you for your move to China? My choice to go to China was more of a personal decision. However, without having gone to Glion I am sure I would not have had the opportunities that I do now.
After your experience as a European living and training in Asia, what do you think might be the challenges facing a Hong Kong person who decides to study in Europe? I feel that the most challenging thing to deal with when moving to another country is the cultural difficulties which come up.
If Hong Kong people move to Switzerland I am sure the biggest problem they would face is getting used to and accepting western habits. It is most difficult to accept changes in the habits which you have grown up with.
At a glance
Glion has two main paths of hospitality education: hospitality management, and event, sport and entertainment management.
Study levels start at diploma level and go on to postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma, and postgraduate higher diploma levels.
The institute will exhibit at the Hong Kong International Education and Job Expo between August3 and 5 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.
