With two 6-month internships during its bachelor program, EHL offers its students the opportunity to explore opportunities in various industries.
But how does hospitality connect to technology innovation? Read our student story.
Could you introduce yourself a little bit?
My name is Elliot Morisod, I was born in Manhattan, New York, but grew up in Switzerland in a small city near Lausanne. I’ve always been passionate about technology and innovation and quickly became self-taught. Next to that, I am a music addict, going to a lot of gigs, festivals and producing music myself. I also love skiing during winter and skateboarding the rest of the time.
What does Hospitality mean to you and why did you decide to study it at EHL?
Hospitality for me is an art more than a science. You definitely can learn it but it must first be in your nature to be willing to offer hospitality. It is the art of treating a guest with the very best manners.
I decided to study at EHL long before actually applying to it. My main motivations were the fact that I would be in a completely international school (more than 100 nationalities represented) and that every course taught there have a direct relation with the actual market. Also, the fact that we are able to do not one, but two internships (if you choose to do the preparatory year) is a real win ! For me, being able to practice what you learned in school is an absolute necessity.
You’re currently conducting your internship at Swisscom Cloud Lab Ltd. in Palo Alto, California.
How does a day at Swisscom Cloud Lab Ltd. look like?
Swisscom Cloud Lab Ltd. is an Outpost from Swisscom. Swisscom currently has three of them (Shanghai, Berlin and Palo Alto). We mainly do technology scouting and develop innovations for our primary market in Switzerland.
I currently am the Innovation Manager there for my administrative internship. My tasks vary but I am primarily in charge of discovering current trends in the tech market and suggesting innovations for Swisscom in Switzerland. For the first month of my internship I actually was in charge of organizing our annual Startup Challenge, where we bring CEOs of five Startups from Switzerland to Palo Alto in order to give them a business acceleration program in one week. Right now I am mainly working on two big projects that we would like to introduce to Switzerland in 2018.
Which aspects from your studies and student life at EHL have helped you to succeed in your internship in a different industry than hospitality?
I would say the first aspect that really has helped me is once again the international aspect of EHL. As we know, the Silicon Valley is widely international, which means that you usually meet people from abroad every day. You have to be very open-minded and EHL teaches you this aspect very well.
Other than that, I couldn’t say that one course in particular was more helpful than another, but I can say that my studies at EHL altogether have so far helped me a lot to contribute to Swisscom Cloud Lab Ltd. I am able to apply a lot of the theory I learned during those first years and this is particularly interesting to see that I am able to do so.
How did you find out about this internship?
I actually found this internship with the help of a friend who works for Swisscom in Switzerland, I’ve been very lucky because I applied to a lot of different companies in the Valley (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Swissnex) through other platforms before, without getting any results. This is mainly due to the intense (let’s say insane) competition going on here. I was able to find a lot of information through the EHL job platform and got my Preparatory year internship through there (that actually was the quickest process I’ve been through for an internship, less than a week!)
The alumni network and the general EHL network helped me a lot when I first applied to work at swissnex in San Francisco. I was able to find contacts very fast and was able to get all the information needed.
Another great aspect about EHL is its international recognition. Every semester, you have more than a hundred companies coming on campus to find new talents and new interns, this is incredible. And wherever you travel, you can be sure that people will know about our school.
What was your biggest achievement at Swisscom Cloud Lab Ltd. so far?
A few weeks ago, I was able to organize a meeting for one of our five Startups from Switzerland with NASA without actually knowing anybody there. This felt like a huge achievement especially when I heard from the CEO that they were very interested in their technology and that they will be able to conduct business together later this year.
What do you consider the most memorable experience at EHL to date which you would like to share with future students?
There are way too many memorable experiences, I cannot choose just one. The ambiance at school, the fraternity, the committees, very interesting courses, parties organized and fund raised by students, super friendly people, and the list goes on. I will just say that the ambiance and the atmosphere in general at EHL are absolutely unique and you won’t find those elsewhere. When an event is scheduled for the next day at school, that you come the next morning and the whole school set up ischanged, this is what I call a unique experience. If you’re interested in studying at the Ecole Hôtelière of Lausanne, think no more, I guarantee that you will not regret it.
