The Swiss Professional Degree in Hotel & Gastronomy is a comprehensive program to prepare you to become a successful Hotel or Restaurant Manager.

The next intake is:

August 04, 2025

Hotelfachschule Thun Alumni 5

Practical approach:
Our program emphasizes hands-on training and real-life practical experience, enabling you to develop the essential skills required in the industry.

Industry-Relevant curriculum:
We have established strong collaborations with leading hotels and restaurants, and our curriculum is naturally designed to align with the latest trends of the industry.

The Lab Hotel:
We have our own 65-room hotel on campus! You will have the chance to practice being a hotel manager in a real-life environment right at school.

Hotelfachschule Thun Alumni-1

Cool, modern learning spaces:
Our school has a unique vibe, with its colorful facilities that reflect the laid-back style of modern hotel concepts. The friendly atmosphere will enhance your learning experience.

Recognized diploma:
The Swiss Professional Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management offered by our school is recognized by the Swiss Confederation and highly regarded in the industry. Our graduates are highly sought-after.

Choose your format: Our degree is available both in full-time and part-time formats. You can choose to fully focus on your studies before entering the workplace, or work while studying.

Key Facts

icon_diploma_dark_blue

Diploma

Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Hospitality Management
(Dipl. Hoteliere-Gastronomin/Hotelier-Gastronom HF)

icon_time_dark_blue

Duration

3 Years, including 1 year of work experience

icon_location_dark_blue

Location

Thun, Canton Bern, Switzerland

icon_calendar_dark_blue

Format

Full-time (3.5 year part-time program also available)

Courses by semester

The program lasts for 3 years. In the first semester (Check-in), the modules Kitchen, Restaurant, and Rooms Division take place on two consecutive days per week. Additionally, students work as interns in a hospitality or hotel business for 60 percent of the time, gaining their first professional experience. In the 2nd, 4th, and 6th semesters, practice-oriented theoretical instruction follows.

The program is reduced to 2 years for holders of a EFZ in hotel and restaurant. Find out more here.

Students with the relevant EFZ diploma can be exempted from the Kitchen, Catering or the Rooms Division module

Introduction days

  • Exchange and networking of theory and practice
  • Campus tour
  • Introductory lectures
  • Working with first and second devices
  • Welcome by the city of Thun

Kitchen 

  • Trends and guest needs
  • Infrastructure in production facilities
  • Food safety, HACCP
  • Basic knowledge of procurement organization, production planning, menu planning
  • Cooking methods, culinary arts, and presentation
  • Nutrition, food knowledge, sustainability

Restaurant Service

  • Service standards, service procedures, and service types
  • Guest groups and types
  • Presentation skills and etiquette
  • Guest care and communication
  • Service rules and techniques
  • Working at the guest table
  • Basic knowledge of wine, coffee including service rules

Rooms Division 

  • Housekeeping
  • Front officeGuest relations
  • Night operations
  • Complaint management

Training Coaching

  • Learning comprehension, learning strategies, learning biography
  • Work techniques, self-reflection
  • Time management
  • Development skills, group dynamics
  • Personal development
  • Presentation skills

My Business 

  • Principles and contexts of business management
  • Human resources
  • Productivity and profitability
  • Introduction legal studies 
  • Economic basics
  • Management tasks at a glance

Market4you

  • Marketing Concepts
  • Environmental Analysis, Trends, Needs Analysis, and Segmentation, Techniques and Instruments of Strategic Analysis
  • Marketing Mix
  • Online Marketing
  • Introduction to Marketing & Sales
  • Introduction to Social Media
  • Introduction to Public Relations
  • Marketing Communication

Guest Service

  • Introduction to the Structure and Organization of a Hospitality Business
  • Rooms Division
  • F&B Management
  • Other Business Areas (including Processes, MICE, Catering, Events, etc.)
  • Employee Organization
  • Internal and External Communication
  • Key Figures and Statistics
  • Guest Management
  • Reservation System (PMS)
  • Concept Analysis, Structure and Process Organization

Procurement and management

  • Procurement Principles
  • Sourcing Strategies
  • Procurement and Purchasing Policies
  • Principles and Developments in Purchasing
  • Storage and Management of Goods
  • Wine and Viticulture
  • Excursions
  • Guest Lectures
  • Basics of Accounting

Fundamentals of accounting

  • Double-entry bookkeeping 

Transfer module project week

  • Project management
  • Preparation of documentation
  • Deep Dive into Practical Topics

Training coaching 

  • Emotional Competencies, Empathy, Perspectives
  • Self-Perception and External Perception, Impact Competency
  • Communication in Conversations
  • Personal Conflict, Emotion, and Stress Management
  • Developing Professional Identity
  • Managing Personal Resources, Group Dynamics

French I

  • Language Competencies in the Hospitality Industry
  • Language Competencies for Management

Digital Applications and Technologies I

  • Digital Trends and Developments
  • Digital Applications to Support Processes
  • Individual Specialization

Hospitality area can be chosen based on past education and personal preferences

If in Switzerland, monthly gross salary CHF 2,359 (as of 01.01.2024).

The internships (3rd and 5th semester) can be completed abroad if the requirements are met.

Hotels and restaurants can publish their internship positions free of charge on our job exchange.

Please contact us at e-mail: praktikum(at)hfhun.ch

Securing finances

  • Application of business accounting tools (cash flow statement, cost accounting, payroll accounting)
  • Accounting software
  • Budgeting

Our offer 

  • Gastronomy and hospitality market
  • Introduction to the conception and design of hospitality offers
  • Banquet organization
  • Calculation and pricing of hospitality services
  • Hotel sales
  • Innovation, design thinking
  • Circular economy
  • Various implementation projects

People & Leadership

  • Personnel management, employee lifecycle
  • Communication
  • Diversity management
  • Business correspondence
  • Employee scheduling, employee budget
  • Employer branding
  • Labor law

Transfer module Pop-up & Event

  • Development of gastronomy and event concepts
  • Offer planning
  • Marketing
  • Ensuring implementation
  • Leadership and collaboration with employees
  • Recruitment and leadership
  • Planning and monitoring
  • Calculation and pricing, budget, post-calculation

Training coaching 

  • Group competence
  • Relationship competence
  • Introduction to leadership coaching

English II 

  • Business English
  • Language skills in the hospitality and tourism industries
  • Language skills for management

French II 

  • Language skills in the hospitality industry
  • Language skills for management

Digital Applications and Technologies II

  • Observation of trends and developments
  • Digital applications and technologies in the back office
  • Digital applications and technologies in communicationIndividual in-depth study

Hospitality area can be chosen based on past education and personal preferences

If in Switzerland, monthly gross salary CHF 2,359 (as of 01.01.2024).

The internships (3rd and 5th semester) can be completed abroad if the requirements are met.

Hotels and restaurants can publish their internship positions free of charge on our job exchange. 

Please contact us at e-mail: praktikum(at)hfthun.ch

People & Leadership

  • People-Centered Management
  • Values and Leadership Principles
  • Strategic and Operational Goals of Personnel Development
  • Personnel Policy as the Basis for Successful Management
  • Human Resources
  • Key Metrics
  • Intercultural Competencies
  • Trainer Course
  • Key Factors in Management

Key factors of company management

  • Business Plan
  • Corporate Law, Inheritance Law
  • Hotel Services
  • Restaurant Management (including Care, Event, and System Catering)
  • Business Models
  • Tax Law, Inheritance Law
  • Sustainability, Change Management
  • Financial Planning

Design, Construction Projects, and Planning

  • Basics of a Construction Project
  • Interior Design
  • Gastronomy Planning
  • Make-or-Buy Decisions in Facility Management
  • Case Study
  • KOPAS

Transfer module

  • Developing an Economical and Market-Appropriate Solution Proposal for a Client in the Hospitality Sector
  • Developing Hotel and Gastronomy Concepts, Deriving Offers
  • Defining and Implementing Leadership and Collaboration with Employees
  • Financial Planning for the Operation, Ensuring Achievement
  • Planning and Monitoring Infrastructure Management

Training coaching

  • Leadership Coaching
  • Respecting and Supporting Others in Development
  • Facilitating Decision-Making Processes, Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills
  • Supporting Change Processes
  • Role Flexibility
  • Conflict Management and Moderation
  • Focus Topic: Network Maintenance

English I

  • Business English
  • Language Skills in the Hospitality Sector and Tourism
  • Language Skills for Management

Additional Certificates

  • Trainer Course for Apprenticeships
  • KOPAS
  • Linguaskill Business (Cambridge)

Diploma thesis 

  • What is a Thesis
  • Possible Formats/ThemesWriting a Concept
  • Inputs on Formal Design, Language, Citing, and Source Handling
Hotelfachschule Thun (4)

Practical Experience

  • The Swiss professional degree is based on the famous Swiss dual education model that balance academic and practical learning. You will gain 1 year of work experience through two internships in renowned hotels and restaurants. You will refine your skills in a professional setting, and build a network of industry contacts.

  • One of your 2 internships can be done internationally. Discover some of the internship locations of our students.  

  • We have a cooperation agreement in Kathmandu, Nepal, with the Global Academy of Tourism and Hospitality Education (GATE). Selected Hotelfachschule Thun students and staff can travel to Nepal twice a year to work on international projects with students from GATE.

Are you an employer looking to hire our students? 

Hotelfachschule Thun (21)

Admission Requirements

  • Swiss Federal Certificate of Competence (EFZ) or other upper secondary level qualification (e.g. Matura or Fachmittelschule)
  • If applicants didn’t previously study hospitality, it is recommended that they acquire knowledge of the restaurant and/or hotel industry.
  • The program is delivered in German. Applicants who are not native speakers of German must be able to show that they have passed a C1 level German exam.
  • Prior knowledge of foreign languages: English A2, French no prior knowledge required
  • If you wish to study in English, the Swiss Professional degree is delivered in English at EHL’s campus in Passugg.
Campus-Lab-Zimmer-2

You can live with us !

Single rooms of various sizes (prices from CHF 650 to CHF 750 per month, including weekly cleaning) are available for students. 

This also includes access to the lounge and the modern communal kitchen with dishwasher and lockable refrigerator compartments.

Depending on availability, parking spaces can be rented at a price of CHF 496 per semester. 

Three Semesters to Bachelor’s Degree Completion

After successful completion of the HF program, students can continue their studies and earn the EHL Bachelor's degree, ranked world’s #1 in three additional full-time semesters.

1 Semester at EHL Campus Passugg  

  • Semesters 3 of the Bachelor in International Hospitality Management
  • Advanced level courses in business analysis, strategic management, applied and integrated hospitality management, communication, and culture.
  • Teamwork assignments, case studies, and interactions with industry experts.

2 Final Semesters at EHL Campus Lausanne

  • Semester 5 and 6 of the Bachelor in International Hospitality Management.
  • Advanced level courses in business analysis, strategic management, applied and integrated hospitality management, communication, and culture.
  • Choose three electives from nearly 20 industry-relevant subjects to develop specific expertise for your career path.
  • Student Business Project: A final group project where you become the consultant and solve a business challenge for an external industry partner.

Download your Brochure

Fill out the form to get your brochure for the Swiss Professional Degree in Hotel & Gastronomy - Full-Time (in German).