3D image : Life at the future Innovation Hub — Photo by EHL
Seated from left to right: Yves Deillon, Natacha Litzistorf, André Witschi, Michel Rochat, Maxime Medina — Photo by EHL
The City Of Lausanne And EHL Group Sign A Convention For The Development And Rehabilitation Of The Lausanne Neighborhood Of Chalet-à-gobet, To Create The First Innovation Hub Dedicated To Hospitality In Europe — Photo by EHL
Standing from left to right: Yves Deillon, Maxime Medina Natacha Litzistorf, André Witschi, Michel Rochat — Photo by EHL

The City of Lausanne and EHL Group sign a convention for the development and rehabilitation of the Lausanne neighborhood of Chalet-à-Gobet, to create the first Innovation Hub dedicated to hospitality in Europe.

Signed for an initial period of 50 years by Natacha Litzistorf, Municipal Councilor and Director of Lodging, Environment and Architecture of the City of Lausanne, André Witschi, Chairman of the Board of Governors of EHL Foundation, Michel Rochat, CEO, and Maxime Medina, Chief Asset Management Officer of EHL Group, the agreement will allow EHL to extend its academic ecosystem to construct a hub dedicated to research and innovation, and in support of entrepreneurship.

On the site of the old Chalet-à-Gobet farm, currently being rehabilitated following a fire in 2007, a hostel as well as other surrounding buildings, this new Innovation Hub will host an incubator and several research projects that combine academic research with the flexibility and audacity of young entrepreneurs. This pivotal meeting place, with a restaurant open to the public, reflects EHL's position as one of the global centers for technological research, innovation and competitiveness.

Formerly a fragmented neighborhood that also included a post office, an equestrian center and a café, the project will be implemented in several phases over a period of two to three years to transform it into a coherent, stimulating and dynamic center. The Innovation Hub already includes six start-ups and will also host Lausanne Hospitality Consulting (LHC), the advisory branch of EHL Group. With an initial renovation investment of CHF 25 Mio over the first five years, many synergies are expected to make this hub the reference for innovation in the hospitality and wider services industries.

« Our vision of this new Innovation Hub is to build a place where researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, students, artists and visionaries will come together, exchange and create the future of hospitality. We are creating a new micro-culture that will mirror our University. Flexible and dynamic, this new hub will stimulate creativity." explained Rémi Walbaum, Chief Innovation Officer of EHL Group.

Michel Rochat, CEO of EHL Group, explained as well that "EHL Group, in addition to its University, has a responsibility to maintain open channels between the various actors that will forge the future of hospitality. Lausanne has a long history of interdisciplinary collaboration, breaking down the barriers that often divide academic institutions and economic actors. That is the spirit of the new Innovations Hub."

The Lausanne Municipality looks forward to the development of EHL's Innovation Hub at the Chalet-à-Gobet site which will add a new component to the Research and Innovation performed at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne.

About EHL Group

EHL Group is the global reference in education, innovation and consulting for the hospitality and service sector.
With expertise dating back to 1893, EHL Group now offers a wide range of leading educational programs from apprenticeships to master's degrees, as well as professional and executive education, on three campuses in Switzerland and Singapore. EHL Group also offers consulting and certification services to companies and learning centers around the world. True to its values and committed to building a sustainable world, EHL Group's purpose is to provide education, services and working environments that are people-centered and open to the world. www.ehlgroup.com