MONTREUX, Switzerland-- "We don't make a lot of profit from our students, actually. We constantly invest much of our profit in facilities and curriculum."

Judy Hou, CEO of Glion Institute of Higher Education, said Sunday when answering Xinhua's question on turnover and costs of running such a school.

She highlighted the grand investments project on campus, with purpose to better imitating a real luxury hotel.

FACILITIES INVESTMENT

Located above the famous resort of Montreux on the shore of Lake Geneva, the top notch hotel management school has the splendid sightseeing and tranquil surroundings. The six million U.S. dollars investment in the new reception skyline earlier this year offers visitors and students a luxury gazebo of the lake.

"Our goal is to continue investing our profit in facilities to make sure our student have a positive experience, as well as our colleague to ensure that," said Hou.

The school currently has 1,680 students from more than 80 countries in two campuses, of which the other one located in Bulle, in the heart of the Gruyere region. Though embracing the world-class scenic spot, the 52-year-old school has strict regulation rules to avoid making it as the vacationland to its students. And with 5.9 internship opportunities each semester, Glion's graduates are kind of sweet pastries in the human resources markets.

Glion's sister school, Les Roches International School of Hotel Management, however, also invests heavily on its facilities in its campus. The 60-year-old school nestles in Swiss Alps at 1,274 meters in the small town of Bluche, which is close to the famous ski and golf resort of Crans-Montana. The average 800 students in campus enjoy facilities includes a fitness center, volleyball and basketball courts, a soccer field, and an outdoor swimming pool.

Only luxury study environment can cultivate the luxury hotel managers that the market need, the two schools believe.

According to Global Research 2013 of a global market research company TNS, Glion and Les Roches, ranked by hiring managers of luxury hotels among the top three hospitality management schools in the world.

MARKET ORIENTED

Market-oriented curriculum and theory-practice effective combination are the reasons behind the reputation.

Varieties of internships are the key or links that facilitate students' knowledge into practice. Every student has a one-semester internship in the school, or job rotation among room service, kitchen involvement and restaurant services, etc., in the school's so-called facilities.

In their second year and third year, students are recruited in big brand of hotels as interns for around totally one year. And according to the figures from two schools, each semester, students in Glion and Les Roches receive an average 5.9 and 3 internship opportunities in Switzerland or abroad.

Combination of academic and real-world learning enables Glion and Les Roches students to be better equipped for a responsible position and can work immediately at a professional level.

And after 52 and 60 years of dedication in hospitality management education, Glion and Les Roches have world-wide alumni and extensive database of industry contacts.

"The only thing that Glion can live on is its reputation, it is a private school, and it is sure a big investment from students' parents, but with the prospect of their career, it has a good return on these investments," said Hou.