Les Roches did not start off as a Swiss hotel management school but rather, as an international boarding school – the vision of the four Clivaz brothers...

1950's - The Early Years

The Clivaz brothers grew up in Bluche, with its expansive skyscapes, stunning views over the Valais Alps and the Rhone Valley and air that is said to sparkle like champagne. Marcel and Jean-Pierre started winter ski camps in 1952 and these were so successful that parents asked if they would start a school for their children all year round. 

Entrepreneurs, educationalists and internationalists, the brothers started to plan how to create a business that would meet the educational needs of the growing number of expats in Geneva. 

Having secured buildings and land in Bluche near their family home, they established the first and only international boarding school in Valais, offering American and European-standard study programs. Les Roches – meaning ‘The Rocks’ in English – opened its doors in 1954 with 60 children aged 12-18. The girls were housed in Prés-Fleuris and the boys in Les Roches. A new school and a new way of life were born.

"Respond to the demand and rely on yourself. Have the courage and goodwill to develop."
- Francis Clivaz on his greatest challenge

The Clivaz' family vision for the school was:

• To create an international co-educational boarding school, giving children a balanced curriculum of educational, sporting, and social events in a wholesome and supportive environment
• Children would live, work and play with other children of diverse national, religious, and racial backgrounds
• Children would be equal in their status, irrespective of the families from which they came
• The school would be free from political influence and deliver a neutral education
  
  

"Nearly 100 nationalities are represented on campus."
- Francis Clivaz on his greatest source of pride and satisfaction.

1960's - Swingin' it, Les Roches style

In the 1960s, Les Roches was still a few years away from becoming a Swiss hospitality management school.

This decade saw steady growth in the number of enrolled students. By the mid-60s, the number had risen to 220, coming from 60 countries in five different continents, with a large cohort from the USA and Iran, among other nations. To manage the continued expansion, two other Clivaz brothers, Francis and Roger, joined the family team. They then started to recruit abroad, going to the Middle East, America and eastern Europe to meet prospective parents and their children.

Social life in the 1960s

 A social revolution was happening all over the world, but life in the village of Bluche was pretty calm, which is perhaps why the school was a popular choice for parents. There were no wild parties in Bluche (well, one or two) and the political unrest from the Cold War was a million miles away. That’s not to say students weren’t engaged with the world outside Bluche. Looking at the photos from 1968, it is clear they had a lot of fun as well embracing a particularly ‘Les Roches’ approach to world peace.

These images are a courtesy from Friends of Bluche - the original alumni community of the International Boarding School Ecole des Roches and Pre-Fleuri before it became the Les Roches Global Hospitality Education school. 

Hotels, Tourism and the seeds of change

The 1960s was a remarkable decade for hospitality. The development of highways and commercial flights made it easier to travel than ever before, while geopolitical changes revealed the economic potential of the hospitality industry and a massive expansion of hotel chains and tourism.

The industry was expanding but it would be another few years before the Clivaz brothers began thinking about developing the boarding school into one that offered diplomas in hospitality management for people who wanted to work in the hotel industry.

1970s – A change of focus to hotels and tourism

The early 1970s was a period of consolidation for the Ecole des Roches; the late 1970s, a period of dramatic change. 

As the biggest international boarding school in Valais and a successful business, the school continued building on its foundations of a rounded education that balanced academic learning with sport, a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing. It also brought significant financial benefit to the local economy as well as employment opportunities for teachers and support staff.

But the world’s political stage was changing with significant upheaval in the Middle East and, in the second half of the 1970s, the Clivaz brothers began to reflect more seriously about creating a school that offered diplomas in hotel management. In 1979, the Ecole des Roches became Les Roches Hotel and Tourism School, Switzerland’s first and only hotel management training school that offered instruction in English.

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The Hotel and Tourism Industry - all about business

The 1970s saw the beginning of hotels aimed at business clients. This was influenced by airline companies expanding into hotels and the oil prosperity of Middle Eastern countries attracting business people from around the world. 

1980's - The evolution to hospitality management education is complete

From 1979 to 1983, the international boarding school and the hotel and tourism school ran in tandem. Then in 1983, the school’s sole focus became hotels and tourism. 

In April 1985, a huge fire destroyed the main building. All 180 students and resident staff members were safely evacuated. But despite considerable destruction, the school only lost one day of classes as students and teaching were hosted in three hotels in Montana. Construction of new buildings started in May 1986 and, in 1987, the school re-opened its doors.

The new building was designed to accommodate more students and incorporated purpose-built facilities for vocational training. That year, the school made an agreement with the Swiss Hoteliers Association (SHA) to offer the SHA diploma, which put Les Roches firmly on the hospitality education map.

How does a school of 1200+ integrate into a village of 350 inhabitants?

When the school was virtually destroyed in 1985, the brothers decided to rebuild it as a professional school and consulted villagers. The only thing they asked was that the new building should correspond in style to the old building. The Clivaz brothers agreed and the Les Roches that stands today is a faithful (though much improved) version of the old building.

Today, villagers of Bluche are invited to Les Roches Culture Nights, where they can experience international cuisine and celebrations. The school collaborates closely with civil authorities such as the town council and the police and ensures all students understand how to live in Switzerland and respect Swiss laws and way of life.

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The importance of accreditation

Even in the 1980s, accreditation was important to Les Roches. Management knew the power of the Swiss brand would never be enough to attract students. Accreditation would be needed from reputable institutions such as NECHE (see below), which also accredits Ivy League universities in the USA. This accreditation journey reached its zenith in 2024, when Les Roches was recognized as a University of Applied Sciences Institute.

Les Roches accreditation path:

• 1986 - SHA accreditation
• 1991 - New England Association of Colleges and Universities (Technical and Vocational Council)
• 2005 - New England Association of Colleges and Universities (Commission on Institutions of Higher Education)
• 2024 - Swiss Accreditation Council - The Swiss Accreditation Council (SAC) has awarded Les Roches the status of University of Applied Sciences Institute

1990's - Consolidation and Growth 

In the 1990s, Les Roches consolidated its position as one of the world’s top hotel management schools and grew steadily to reach around 500 students by 1999.

And in 1991, it became the first hotel school in Switzerland to be accredited by the Technical and Vocational Council of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, in recognition of the high standard of practical training offered.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the Clivaz brothers saw the future of hospitality education would be as global as the industry itself. So in 1995, they founded their first international campus, located in Marbella, calling it the Swiss School of Hotel Management and Tourism in Spain.

Tourism developments in the 1990's 

The rise of emerging markets:

In the mid 1990s, North America and Europe accounted for 79 percent of world tourism. But by the end of the decade, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa became the leading regions while OECD countries saw their international arrivals decline sharply (source: ILO).

The rise of sustainable tourism

In the early 1990s, the sustainable tourism movement began to take off, in part due to the establishment of the International Ecotourism Society (TIES) in 1990 and the 1992 United Nations Rio Earth Summit. Cultural tourism also rose in popularity.

2000's - Vision and Expansion 

Les Roches underwent significant changes during the millennial decade. In 2000, Les Roches became the Hospitality Center of Excellence for Sylvan International Universities, which had bought the school, while Sylvan itself became Laureate Education Inc. in May 2004.

At that point, it became ‘Les Roches International School of Hotel Management’ to better reflect its global student body and educational approach.

To distinguish itself from the growing number of hospitality schools and to satisfy the demand for ever-higher levels of expertise from hospitality graduates, Les Roches expanded its hospitality management degrees. It offered Post-Graduate Diplomas in hotel management, a range of Bachelor degrees in hospitality management and its first MBA in Hospitality Management, with specializations in finance or marketing, through the Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM).

It also formed a partnership with Jin Jiang International Hotels to open Les Roches Jin Jiang in Shanghai, China. This would meet the country’s growing need for quality Swiss hospitality education and give foreign students the chance to develop Chinese cultural, language and business skills. The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts in Amman, Jordan, joined the Les Roches family as an affiliated institution in 2008.

The caliber of its hospitality management programs began to be recognized officially by industry experts when Les Roches was ranked among the top three hospitality management schools in the world for an international career (TNS Global Survey 2007).

2010's - The Sky's the Limit

This decade saw Les Roches continue to build on its rich heritage of multiculturalism and entrepreneurship. It was a decade of growth, success and recognition.

Working closely with the industry enables Les Roches to evolve its curricula in response to industry demand. Throughout the decade, the school continued to introduce new specializations to its flagship Bachelor’s degree, including Culinary Business Management, Innovation and Sustainability and Event Management. It also added the Master’s degree in Hospitality Management.

Meanwhile, the school maintained its top-ranking position in the TNS Survey (2010, 2013) and was ranked first in the MKG Worldwide Hospitality Awards in 2013 for the best hotel management school.

Of course, as a school grows, the physical infrastructure needs to expand and be refurbished. The school created the ‘A La Carte’ restaurant as a food and beverage facility for instruction and added the Sports Bar a student recreation facility. In 2014, it also refurbished the lobby area and the Market Place – the main student dining area – and opened the school shop, Les Roches Kiosk.

2016 - From Laureate Education to Sommet Education

In March 2016, Laureate Education, Inc. and Eurazeo, one of Europe's leading investment companies, announced an agreement under which Eurazeo acquired Les Roches along with sister school Glion Institute of Higher Education. Sommet Education was founded as a holding company to manage Les Roches and Glion, with a brief to expand by acquiring other prestigious schools across the world.

Les Roches and Glion would subsequently be joined by École Ducasse, Invictus Education and the Indian School of Hospitality.

A more sustainable plate: Roots opens its doors to the public

As the decade progressed, the world of hospitality had to respond to increasing environmental awareness, a desire to eat more healthily and a distaste among diners for excessive ‘food miles’. Les Roches’ response was Roots, which opened to the public in Crans-Montana in 2018 and is based on a farm-to-table concept using short-traveled, seasonal and ecologically grown produce.

2020s – The success story continues with new programs, new campuses and new accreditation

The 2020s may have begun with the testing times of the Covid pandemic. But once the world opened up again, the travel and hospitality industries bounced back, with many key destinations and operators recovering and even surpassing pre-pandemic levels by the midway point of the decade.

For Les Roches and its students, the pandemic was a story of resilience and ingenuity, with rapidly developing technology enabling classes to continue online and creative thinking and persistence enabling graduates to acquire the requisite levels of internship experience alongside their academic learning.

Post-pandemic, Les Roches embarked on an unprecedented expansion of its geographical footprint and program offer. That inspiring story continues to this day…

SPARK – a home for hospitality innovation

The founding in 2020 of the SPARK innovation sphere – a cross-campus initiative designed to embed innovative thinking into every academic program – was one of the landmark achievements in this new decade.

For students, SPARK means opportunities to work on real-life business consultancy and academic challenges, using genuine commercial cases provided by industry partners. Students also test cutting edge products and services, helping shape the future of hospitality innovation.

SPARK also supports and nurtures the startup ecosystem in hospitality and throughout the experience economy.

Innovations in education

Les Roches continues to be one of the most innovative hospitality schools in the world in terms of its program portfolio and academic approach. In 2020, the school launched the first Master’s program in digital transformation for the hospitality industry. During the Covid pandemic, it became the first Swiss school to use the Hyflex application, which enabled students to continue their education throughout those challenging times. 

More recently, the career-centric nature of the academic portfolio has been underlined by the launch of highly specialized Diplomas of Advanced Studies, which focus on professional fields such as golf and cruise line management.

Les Roches has also created undergraduate and graduate sports and events degrees, which make full use of the school’s international campus network to get students closer to the industry’s key players.

Flexible education for busy executives

One of the most significant impacts of emerging education technology is the ability to offer remote learning that doesn’t feel remote. Busy business executives can rarely afford the time away from the workplace to study a full-time program on campus. Les Roches’ answer is an executive teaching format that combines interactive classes, on-campus residential weeks and self-paced study. 

The school launched its first selection of executive programs in 2022, which included a flexible study version of its industry leading MBA. This portfolio has continued to expand significantly since then.

Abu Dhabi joins the international campus family

In keeping with the Clivaz brothers’ vision, Les Roches has always been a proudly international school. That ethos took a step forward in 2024 with the opening of Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy – Les Roches, in partnership with The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.

This purpose-built campus is dedicated to delivering a Swiss-quality education that combines business fundamentals with Emirati-centered hospitality content. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are available, alongside study abroad opportunities that make use of Les Roches’ global network.

It’s not the only important move by Les Roches in the Middle East. In late 2025, plans were unveiled for the school – alongside others in the Sommet Education portfolio – to join forces with Tanmeya Capital, manager of the Tanmeya Hospitality & Tourism Fund, to establish and operate a comprehensive educational and training ecosystem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Major investments in campus facilities

A milestone project, completed in 2023, transformed the reception and main student meeting place at Les Roches Crans-Montana. Meanwhile in Marbella, the acquisition, refurbishment and fit-out of the Bahía Residences means the campus now offers premium accommodation to students. Bahía also houses the student-run restaurant Alquimia, open to the public and offering a seasonal, farm-based à la carte selection.

A QS World Rankings breakthrough!

Les Roches has consistently ranked highly in the annual QS World University Rankings by Subject. But in 2025, the school achieved a genuine breakthrough when it claimed the No. 2 spot in the global rankings for the first time. Not only that, Les Roches repeated the feat in 2026, cementing its reputation as one of the elite hospitality schools worldwide.

Les Roches CEO Carlos Díez de la Lastra said of this success: “This achievement reflects our relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in hospitality education. At Les Roches, we empower students with a future-ready mindset, bridging tradition with the latest industry advancements to create the next generation of hospitality leaders.”

Other milestones and some goodbyes…

Current students, faculty, staff and alumni came together to celebrate the 70^th Anniversary of Les Roches in 2024, enjoying a series of special events held on campus and in cities across the world. The Marbella campus, meanwhile, celebrated its quarter century in 2025.

There have been a few goodbyes too. In China, Les Roches Jin Jiang exited the campus network at the end of the joint venture agreement. However, the school’s presence in the country is set to become much stronger with the opening of a network of hospitality higher education campuses in partnership with Mountain Education Group. Les Roches Crans-Montana alumni also bade farewell to the famous campus swimming pool, scene of so many memorable occasions. 

But the saddest goodbye of all was to Francis Clivaz, one of the school’s visionary founders, who died in March 2026 at the age of 94.

During the 2022 Global Les Roches Alumni reunion in Crans Montana, our esteemed director and an alumnus himself, Mano Soler, had the privilege of sitting down with Mr. Francis Clivaz. In this exclusive interview, we delve into the roots of Les Roches, gaining invaluable insights from one of the brilliant minds behind its creation. Mr. Clivaz's words resonate deeply with the vibrant Les Roches community, offering a profound connection to the institution's founding principles. As you watch, let the passion and dedication of our founder rekindle your own commitment to the Les Roches Way of Life.