HIM Business School is a distinctive option in Switzerland for students who want more than a classic hotel school. If you are looking for a business degree with strong customer-experience DNA, an international campus in Montreux, and a curriculum that can lead into hospitality, finance, marketing, management or luxury-facing careers, HIM deserves serious consideration.
For students and families comparing HIM with more traditional Swiss hospitality schools, the key point is this: HIM is not positioned as a classic hotel management school in the usual sense. Its identity is more business-driven. Hospitality remains an important foundation, especially in the way the school teaches customer experience, service mindset and international professionalism, but the broader goal is to prepare students for business careers across several sectors.
The current official offer is more focused than older HIM descriptions may suggest. Today, the main academic degree is the Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management or Management, delivered in Montreux and structured around three internships, four majors and a strong emphasis on real-world application. Alongside the standard English pathway, the school also highlights two bilingual study tracks: French-English and Chinese-English.
This matters for families because HIM can make particular sense for students who like the international and customer-facing strengths of hospitality education, but who want a broader business profile at graduation. It is often a strong fit for students interested in management, finance, marketing, luxury, client experience and international business, while still keeping a visible connection to hospitality.
A practical snapshot of the school, its degree structure, language tracks and key financial information for students and families evaluating HIM Business School.
Montreux, Switzerland, in an urban lakeside setting on Lake Geneva.
Private Swiss business school within Swiss Education Group, with a business curriculum shaped by hospitality and customer-experience principles.
One core BBA delivered through three study tracks: English, bilingual French-English, and bilingual Chinese-English. Additional pathways include Study Abroad, the English Foundation Program and the Immersion Foundation Program.
The main BBA is taught in English. The bilingual French-English and Chinese-English tracks begin in the home language and progressively transition toward English.
BBA intakes are currently listed for October, January and April. The English Foundation Program also offers July starts, while the Immersion Foundation Program starts in September.
3 years, 3 worldwide internships, 4 majors and a degree awarded in partnership with Northwood University, alongside a Swiss Federal Diploma in Business Administration announced by the school from October 2026 pending recognition.
50+ nationalities on campus, 10K+ HIM alumni and access to the wider 45K Swiss Education Group alumni network.
Application fee: CHF 150.
Security deposit: CHF 2,000.
BBA total fees for the full 3-year programme, including the English and bilingual tracks: CHF 129,400 (approx. USD —*).
These total fees already include tuition, standard accommodation, meals, infrastructure and student services.
*Fees vary by programme and selected options. Billed in CHF.
HIM is often chosen by students who want Swiss higher education with a strong business orientation, but who still value the professionalism, polish and customer-focus traditionally associated with hospitality training.
If your goal is broader than hotel operations alone, HIM can be a smarter fit. The school uses hospitality as a foundation, but the degree opens more clearly toward business, finance, marketing, management and client-facing leadership roles.
The BBA includes three worldwide paid internships, giving students substantial work exposure before graduation and helping them build confidence, maturity and professional clarity early in the journey.
After the first year of business fundamentals, students can shape their profile through majors in Hospitality, Finance, Marketing or Management, which gives the degree a clearer career direction than a one-path curriculum.
This is one of HIM’s real differentiators. Students can study through a bilingual French-English or Chinese-English route and progressively move toward English, which can make the transition into international higher education more accessible.
Montreux offers a different atmosphere from alpine resort campuses. For many students, that urban lakeside environment feels more dynamic, more connected and more aligned with international business life.
Through its curriculum, industry connections and specialization content, HIM speaks to students who are interested not only in hospitality, but also in luxury brand management, finance strategy, talent management and wider client-experience industries.
The official HIM structure is simpler than at some other Swiss schools. The core offer is one BBA degree, but it is presented through three language pathways and supported by additional preparation programmes.
This is the main standard pathway for students who are already ready to study fully in English. The degree runs over three years in Montreux, includes three internships, and allows students to choose a major in Hospitality, Finance, Marketing or Management.
HIM also officially promotes two bilingual variants of the BBA: French-English and Chinese-English. In both cases, students begin with more support in the first language and progressively move into English, making the degree particularly relevant for students who want a smoother international transition.
Students who are not yet fully ready for degree entry can also look at the English Foundation Program or the Immersion Foundation Program. HIM additionally promotes Study Abroad and direct-entry possibilities for candidates with prior compatible studies.
For families choosing HIM, the real value lies in how the school combines one campus, one coherent degree and several ways to personalize the student journey.
HIM does not only rely on majors. The school also highlights specialization themes and partner-led content that help students translate their business studies into more specific professional directions.
One of HIM’s advantages is precisely that it does not lead only to one narrow outcome. The degree can support careers in hospitality, but it also gives students space to move into broader business functions and premium client-facing sectors.
Students who keep hospitality as their main direction can still build careers in operations, guest experience, resort management, commercial functions and leadership-track programmes.
The finance pathway can speak to students interested in portfolio thinking, corporate finance, market analysis and analytical business roles beyond hospitality alone.
For students drawn to branding, digital communication, customer strategy and market positioning, HIM offers a clearer marketing route than many traditional hotel schools.
Luxury-facing industries can be a natural fit because HIM keeps customer-centric thinking at the center of the educational model.
Management and talent-related content can also support careers in team leadership, recruitment, people development and performance management.
Because the school is not too narrowly operational, it can also suit students who later want to launch a venture, move into family business, or transition across sectors.
A visual overview of HIM Business School in Montreux, including academic spaces, student life, accommodation and the broader campus atmosphere.
A recent video presentation of the BBA to help students and families understand the school’s positioning, academic logic and business-oriented environment.
If you are looking for a Swiss school that keeps hospitality in the picture but opens the door much wider to business careers, HIM is one of the clearest options in this segment.
Clear answers to some of the main questions students and families usually ask when comparing HIM with other Swiss hospitality and business schools.
HIM is better understood today as a business school with hospitality DNA. Hospitality remains central in its customer-centric philosophy, but the degree is designed to lead toward broader business careers and not only hotel operations.
The current official structure is best presented as one core BBA available through three study tracks: English, bilingual French-English and bilingual Chinese-English. Around that, the school also offers foundation and study-abroad pathways.
The bilingual tracks are designed as progressive pathways. Students begin with stronger support in French or Chinese and gradually move toward English so they can operate confidently in an international academic and professional environment.
HIM can be a strong fit for students who want Swiss hospitality polish and international structure, but who are more interested in business, marketing, finance, management or luxury than in becoming purely operational hotel specialists.
We help students and families understand not only whether HIM is a good school, but whether it is the right type of school for the student’s academic profile, language background and long-term goals.
We explain where HIM sits between business school and hospitality school, which is often the most important strategic question for families at the start.
We help assess whether the student should apply to the English BBA, a bilingual track, or first consider a foundation pathway.
We support with profile presentation, timing, language readiness, documentation and school-fit assessment before the application is submitted.
We compare HIM with SHMS, Les Roches and César Ritz so families can make a decision based on business focus, internships, campus environment and long-term career fit.
Choose the contact option that suits you best. We can help you assess language fit, compare programmes and understand the next admissions steps.
Schedule a short consultation to discuss the student’s background, goals and whether HIM is the right academic option.
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Families who would like to review the school’s official information can also visit the official website.
Students considering HIM often compare it with other Swiss schools that blend hospitality, business and employability in different ways.
A strong comparison for students who want a more operational hospitality environment, a two-campus experience and a more traditional hotel-management identity.
Les Roches is a useful benchmark for students looking at a more globally branded hospitality school with a strong luxury and employability story.
César Ritz is another meaningful comparison for students attracted to a Swiss school that connects hospitality with business, leadership and entrepreneurship.