Testimonials
Testimonials of some of our members:
Mrs. Amanda van Woerden
Deputy Director Albeda Hospitality College, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Full Member since 2018
Interview by Maarten van Vliet on November 17th, 2018
This is the first time you attended a congress. What is your first impression?
Impressive! I found it a great experience, very valuable. It was great to meet people with so many nationalities with the same passion for hospitality education. All from different perspectives, large and small educational institutes. It is interesting and there is much to gain.
I noticed that there is a group of people that appreciate certain traditions, values, style and etiquette, but on the other hand there is lots of room to meet in a more informal setting where knowledge is shared. In this setting it is so easy to find interesting contacts. I was also very impressed to see how many Dutch schools participate in this network.
Have you been actively looking for new contacts with hospitality colleges?
Yes, Bertho Rombout and myself as directors of Albeda Hospitality college want to actively look for new networks. Up to now we have not been able to, but we are looking for more national and International contacts. The Euhofa network seems perfect for us.
What part of the congress do you find most important?
I value the academic sessions the most. The content is very important. It was fantastic that we were able to visit Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and see how they execute their education. It was great that during one of the academic sessions we were challenged to go into dialog with each other and to talk in depth about certain issues. I love the involvement of the students especially in the academic part of the congress. It was very interesting to observe how they look at their opportunities in market and the future.
EUHOFA International has member schools with all kinds of levels; What do you think of this variety?
I think that it does not matter. I did envy Lausanne for having to educate students at this level. We are located in the South of the city of Rotterdam and we have a lot of students at level 2; that is a different category. But there is still a lot to learn from each other. We are educating young people, we have that in common.
Do you have any suggestions for improvement of the congresses?
I am new to Euhofa, so it is hard to have an opinion. The suggestions that were made in the GA sound good. School profiles on the website, informing each other in between congresses on what goes on in our schools and lots of attention to further improve the academic quality.
Next year the congress is in Nepal, will you be able to attend?
Bertho and I are surely planning to be part of the next congress. We will try to take along two of our managers.
Are there any plans to collaborate with other Euhofa schools in the near future?
We have intentions to meet again with the school in Luxemburg and with Ducasse in France. Nothing concrete yet but it will happen at some point. We will work with ROC Mondriaan in The Hague, that is easy they are close by.
Interview by Maarten van Vliet on November 17th, 2018
‘This is my 3rd EUHOFA Congress. My first congress was in Nairobi, Kenya, which was a unique experience, because it was a different place with a different culture. Also, it was an occasion for me to meet people from other countries that are in the same position as managers of schools.’
Did the EUHOFA-membership of your school already lead to exchange programs with other institutions?
‘Not really. As yet, our school doesn’t have an official degree, which makes it difficult to attract students from other countries. We are working hard to attain the official degree, so we will be able to establish exchange programs in the near future.
I do keep in touch with some of my EUHOFA colleagues in between the congresses. Like with a colleague from Mexico and another from Spain who became a friend. When I am in doubt about something, I can call him, and he does the same. Another colleague from a school in The Netherlands came to visit our school.’
Do you see opportunities for the exchange of your teachers with other schools, for instance in the field of giving lectures?
‘It would be great. It is important to share different experiences and practices. For us, it is also important to improve the level of English of our teachers, especially, if we want to attract foreign students.
It was very important to join EUHOFA for me personally, I started my job as the manager of the school in October 1995. It helped a great deal to get acquainted with my international colleagues. This way, I learned a lot. I’m very happy with EUHOFA and will continue participating in the congresses. More than that, my school will host the EUHOFA Congress in 2021 !!’
Do you consider the hosting of the congress in 2021 as a decisive moment in the development of CSHG?
Absolutely, for I would like to establish an international course. So the hosting of the EUHOFA Congress will feel like a beginning.
What was in your opinion the best part of the EUHOFA Congress in Lausanne?
For me, it was the academic sessions. They were great! Also, it was a great pleasure to visit the ´Écôle Hôtelière de Lausanne. I consider this the best school in Europe.
What advice can you give the organisers of the next EUHOFA Congress?
The most important aspect of the congresses is the sharing of experiences and knowledge between the participants. We all have the same problems. We want to learn and we want to share, so I would like to see more workshops. Also, it is important not waste too much time with travel in between sessions. Sometimes, the program was too long. Like the first day in Lausanne, when we spent 13 hours at the school. Let’s keep in mind that everything should be comfortable, that things should be made easy.
How about the General Assembly that took about two and a half hours?
That was long, but I actually liked it. It made me feel being part of one big family!
Link: http://www.cshg.gal
Mrs. Marta Fernández Vázques
Director CSHG Centro Superior de Hostelería de Galicia, Spain
Full Member since 2016
“It is important to share different experiences and practices”
EUHOFA offers an exceptional platform to exchange amongst top tier hospitality schools from around the world. Such a strong network yields undeniable advantages in helping the EHL Group remain at the forefront of hospitality management education, by developing and strengthening academic relations, sharing best-practices, and further growing our business.
The strong ties and international dimension fostered by EUHOFA allow us to combine our efforts in promoting the hospitality industry and in providing the highest level education for its future leaders. I firmly believe that this network has high added value for myself, the EHL Group and its global network of schools.
Prof. Michel Rochat
CEO, EHL Group
Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland
Full Member since 2010
EUHOFA is a very progressive International Association of hotel schools that enjoys a strong membership of both public and private schools across all continents.
The annual Congress provides excellent opportunities to meet and network with international colleagues who share the same enthusiasm and passions for hospitality education. The quality of the Congress programme is testament to the value of the organisation provides for its members.
As an international association it creates opportunities to share best practice, to learn from international colleagues and to develop a common understanding of the challenges and issues facing hospitality education for the future.
Prof. Peter A. Jones
Director
The Edge Hotel School
Colchester - United Kingdom
Full Member since 2014
Mrs. Tian Yali
General Manager
Beijing Foreign Affairs School
Beijing - China
Full Member since 2011
Beijing Foreign Affairs school founded in 1980 and it has been named the first batch of national key vocational schools, the national advanced unit after more than 30 years unremitting efforts of several generations. Since the school occupies a higher development platform, it is necessary to seek a bigger development space to realize the internationalization. Hotel management and service is our leading professional which requires more international vision, and draw lessons from leading hotel management schools and universities all over the world to develop itself. School sets as their educational objective the attainment of national and international reputation and is making a great leap by implementing its internationalization. EUHOFA International is a prestigious association of hotel school directors and deans of hospitality colleges and universities who work continuously to ensure the highest quality of education in their institutes. Being a member of EUHOFA provides the opportunity of networking on international level and new possibilities for exchanges of top programs. So in 2010, our school applied to join the EUHOFA, becoming the first member of mainland China. School sets as their educational objective the attainment of national and international reputation.
As my friend and EUHOFA board member Martin Dannenmann told me at the time, “with this group, in the beginning you start out on the outside but year after year of being involved you move more and more toward the center.” He could not have been more right. For the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute(EI), EUHOFA membership has been invaluable as it has allowed us to network with the directors of the top hotel schools in Europe. The relationship however has not just been one sided, we have added value to EUHOFA membership by introducing members to innovative new programs such as the STR Global Certified Hotel Industry Analytics and Trip Advisor Reputation Management trainings. As a member and sponsor we look forward to our future involvement with EUHOFA and to continuing our patch towards the center, in ways of business but also friendship.
Mr. Ed Kastli, MBA, CMHS, CGSP
Vice President, International Sales
American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute
Orlando, FL - United States
Sponsor since 2012