An introduction through practice
On October 12, 2026, the group visited Shanghai Business School in Shanghai. The tour combined an introduction to the institution, hospitality training facilities and questions from the group about education, the market and international cooperation.
The rooms dedicated to beverages, coffee equipment, tea preparation area and institute displays help explain its approach. The education connects management knowledge with the skills needed to run service operations. The visit offered a view of this learning environment and the relationship established with the Swiss school EHL.
Shanghai Business School and Shanghai Lausanne
Shanghai Business School, or SBS, describes itself as a public university with an applied approach to business education. Within it, the College of Shanghai Lausanne Hospitality Management is a unit established in cooperation with EHL, traditionally known as École hôtelière de Lausanne. The guided tour introduced this relationship between the Chinese institution and Swiss hospitality education. SBS institutional profile.
The official SBS history states that cooperation with EHL began in 2012 and that the institute received approval from China's Ministry of Education in May 2021. The announcement described two undergraduate programs: hotel management and e-commerce. EHL lists the unit in its network of certified schools, with participation dating from 2024. History of the cooperation and EHL academic network.
Hospitality brings different skills together
During the Q&A, the group asked why hospitality has its own university degree. The explanation linked the field to demand for professionals in services, travel and events. It was presented as a field that requires specific knowledge alongside general management skills.
This perspective makes sense when looking at how a hotel operates. It involves customer service, food and beverage, reception, team management, finance and coordination. Quality depends on several stages working together. Management needs to understand what happens in day-to-day delivery, and delivery needs clear criteria to keep service consistent.
Coffee, tea and wine as learning spaces
The tour included training facilities for wine, coffee and tea. The explanation connected these spaces with hands-on learning of professional hospitality techniques. The beverage room was described as a space for tasting classes, with a display of wines produced in China.
The photographs show the bar and collection of drinks and objects, coffee equipment, an aroma wheel and a tea preparation table. These elements make the relationship between sensory knowledge, technique and service visible. The images document the facilities presented and the group's presence throughout the tour.
For entrepreneurs, the connection is useful. A quality experience involves recognizing differences, preparing correctly, communicating and delivering a repeatable standard. In many service businesses, training remains an important part of the ability to grow consistently.
Industry connections along the tour
A wall of organizations was presented as part of the institute's relationship with the industry. According to the explanation given to the group, these connections offer internship and training opportunities across areas including reception, restaurants and hotel administration.
The key point is the connection between education and work. Studying an operation through contact with its teams helps identify real problems, develop skills and understand market requirements. The brands displayed in this environment are part of the school's institutional relationships with the industry.
Cooperation also takes shape through culture
The connection with Switzerland appeared on a wall related to Swiss Day, presented as an occasion for cultural exchange. The conversation also mentioned Swiss teachers taking part in educational activities. Cooperation becomes more tangible when it appears in the environment, the people and the learning experiences.
Questions about languages expanded the discussion. The explanation distinguished the cooperative institute's bilingual emphasis from other university offerings and mentioned language learning options. The encounter connected professional education with the ability to work across cultures, giving the partnership substance beyond a foreign name in the curriculum.
A service-focused innovation agenda
The connection between hospitality and technology appears in SBS institutional planning. In a news item dated June 1, 2026, the school linked its agenda to service experience innovation, hotel sustainability and applications of AI and robotics, with plans to develop a Sino-Swiss innovation center. These are priorities announced by the institution. For entrepreneurs, the question is how these capabilities can improve operations and customer service while preserving the human quality of service. Institutional planning for 2026.
A question to bring back to your business
The tour raises a question for founders: which part of your product or service depends on a skill that must be taught, practiced and supported? Bringing training, operations and customer contact closer together can reveal problems that remain hidden in presentations.