On Friday 19^th October, guests arrived in Brig from around the world to commemorate this internationally renowned company’s quarter of a century and its global success.

The festivities began with a visit to the two new 7-floor buildings comprising 225 rooms and located near the train station in Brig.  “César Ritz” Colleges Switzerland has invested CHF.14 million in these premises, and the Brig Municipality has granted it the rights to the use of the land.

The guests were then taken by a tourist train to the Simplonhalle where the aperitif and gala dinner was prepared by students from “César Ritz” Colleges’, in collaboration with their Culinary Arts Academy, and the service was assured by students from Institut Hôtelier “César Ritz”.  A variety of presentations and a retrospective of the last 25 years enlivened the evening’s celebrations.

Mr Daniel Gutzwiller, Director of University Centre “César Ritz”, and Mr Hervé Fournier, Director of the Institut Hôtelier “César Ritz”, welcomed the many guests, who included Mr Claude Roch, Minister of Education, Culture and Sport for the State of Valais; Mrs Viola Amherd, National Counsellor and President of the city of Brig; Mr Oskar Freysinger, National Counsellor and author of the Motion for Private Schools at the Federal Parliament; Mrs Margrit Picon, President of the Municipality of Port-Valais; also present were several representatives from local government and state authorities as well as delegates from the diplomatic and economic world.

Mr Bernhard Schwestermann, joint shareholder, management consultant and Vice President of the Board of Trustees, mentioned how important the company is for the economy of the State of Valais and enumerated the three principal reasons why

“César Ritz” Colleges Switzerland has remained faithful to Brig and to the Valais :

• Dr. Petri’s decision to resist the temptation to sell the school to an American organization
• The fact that the company was able to build student residences in Brig
• The decision by Martin Kisseleff and Bernhard Schwestermann to buy the company. That decision was based on the certitude that the Valais was the most appropriate region for project development

During his speech, Martin Kisseleff, President and major shareholder of “César Ritz” Colleges, mentioned the excellent collaboration the company has with the local and state authorities. However he expressed his disappointment that despite having attained international accreditation through partnerships with universities such as Washington State University in the USA and Manchester Metropolitan University in Great Britain, “César Ritz” Colleges are still not on the list of schools recognized by the Swiss Confederation.

In this context he remarked on the economic importance of the colleges, which employ over 120 staff members in the State of Valais and have an annual turnover of more than CHF. 21 millions.

Dr. Wolfgang-D. Petri, Founder of HOTELCONSULT “César Ritz” Colleges, recalled the difficulties for his schools at the beginning, as the programme was based on his pioneer idea that by including a university-level programme, equivalent to American and Anglo-Saxon university programmes, Swiss hotel management courses would acquire an international reputation. Wolfgang Petri, as a forerunner, introduced a programme in 1985 whereby students would start their Bachelor Degree studies in Switzerland and follow the final year in the United States, thanks to a transfer agreement. What is well known in hotel schools today in Switzerland had never been heard of 20 years’ ago.

The full Bachelor Degree has been offered in Brig since 1992, when the University Centre “César Ritz” opened (then known as ICHA), and Master Degrees have been offered since 1999.

Monique Ritz, daughter-in-law of the legendary Valaisan and last proprietor of the Hotel Ritz in Paris, honoured the guests with her presence at the celebrations. She expressed her gratitude and congratulated the management of the schools for their efforts in ensuring the perpetuity of the César Ritz name and the spirit of excellence throughout the world which is linked to this legendary hotelier.

From modest beginnings in October 1982, when School Hotel Alpina opened in Brig with 49 students, “César Ritz” Colleges Switzerland is today renowned worldwide for its hotel and tourism management programmes.  The Valais based group has two schools, namely the Institut Hôtelier “César Ritz” in Bouveret, and University Centre “César Ritz” in Brig, comprising today 900 students from 50 countries. Its programmes are offered in 12 countries on 4 continents and 15’000 graduates working throughout the world have followed the “César Ritz” programmes in Switzerland or in one of the partner institutions/universities.