Lavasa to set up hospitality learning centre near Pune

Signs agreement with EHL Switzerland

EH Staff - New Delhi

Lavasa Corporation recently signed an agreement with Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) of Switzerland to set up a Hospitality Learning Centre in Lavasa hill town near Pune. Under the agreement, assistance will be delivered by Lausanne Hospitality Consulting (LHC), the Consulting & Executive Education arm of EHL.

The scope of consulting service covers various components such as building infrastructure, marketing consultation, design of the new academic curriculum, supervision of academic content, selection and training of management and faculty. The admission for the first batch will start in 2009. Speaking on the tie-up, Rajgopal Nogja, chief operating officer, Lavasa Corporation, said, "The need of training and developing young talent in the hospitality industry is indispensable for a country like India. It is our vision to develop Lavasa as a preferred destination for education and research. Our agreement with Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) will enable us to setup a world-class hospitality learning facility at Lavasa."

While Fortune, Novotel, Grand Mercure and Sheraton have already tied up to develop hotels at Lavasa, efforts are on to attract leaders in the field of tourism, education and healthcare. Whilst Symbiosis is developing a 40 acre campus primarily focussed on management education, a UK based IB school will also open in 2009 at Lavasa.

Globally, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) is renowned for their balanced approach in hospitality and education where equal emphasis is laid on management abilities and skills development. It is envisaged that this school at Lavasa would fulfil an urgent need within the Indian hospitality industry.

Lavasa, a self-contained, modern hill town, is being developed by HCC Real Estate, a 100 per cent subsidiary of HCC (Hindustan Construction Company). Located in the Mose Valley, around 200 kms from Mumbai and 65 kms from Pune, Lavasa is being developed over 12,500 acres of picturesque landscape surrounding a 20 km lake. It has been designed to preserve the beauty of the location whilst creating a 'sense of place', which delivers a sequence of experiences to residents and visitors.