Reflections to date on 2020

2020 - You are not what we expected.

We, the Ecole h?telière de Lausanne (EHL) Asia-Pacific team, had it all laid out. Five years since EHL’s first international office in Singapore opened, we had grown to 11 people across four locations in Chengdu, Delhi, Shanghai and Singapore.

2019 was the year of recalibration: Strengthening internal capabilities, (re)building and enforcing processes and frameworks, and redefining priorities and focuses. 2020 was to be the year of rapid growth and expansion, in addition to the expected opening of EHL Campus (Singapore) in July 2020. Plans were laid, budgets were approved, flights were booked. We had a whole array of exciting in-market brand activation events ready!

 And then the world shifted.

The team in Asia-Pacific was the first impacted. Our Mainland China-based Recruitment Officers Guangmei and Yalin did not return to their offices after the Lunar New Year holidays, and Tabita in India followed suit soon after. Our main campus in Lausanne closed with the escalation of the situation in Europe, and the Singapore office aligned with that and the circuit breaker measures that were later implemented in the city-state.

All students and staff now learn and work from home. Refurbishment at 3 Lady Hill Road can only commence after 1st June 2020, so the full opening of EHL Campus (Singapore) is now set at 1st October 2020, with our first short course in Singapore on Luxury Brand Management possibly also pushed back. Alongside assuring the safety of students and staff, scenario-planning kicked in as the long-term implications of COVID-19 became more evident, with priorities and projects relooked at.

Amidst all that, I remain thankful, because there simply is much to be thankful for: A talented, driven and supportive team, being part of an organization with a vision, able to have more time with family, finally having a regular fitness regime, cooking regularly once again, reading actual books (Neither Civil nor Servant: The Philip Yeo Story was excellent, and I’ve just started on Robert Kuok: A Memoir) instead of just a limited sustenance of HBR articles etc. Above all, I am thankful for being jolted from the way I have been used to doing things.

I had thought to write a reflection after everything settles back to “normal”, whatever that will look like and whenever that will be. However, as hindsight makes everyone an expert, perhaps it’s better to now share two learning points from the last few months quickly jotted down amid the back-to-back Teams/Zoom/Hangouts/WhatsApp/WeChat calls:

Change is swift, so move quickly!

Less than six months ago, more than 40 alumni flew into Taipei from all over the world to celebrate the choice Doris and I made to walk (or sprint) the journey of life together. This is unthinkable today with the parameters of day-to-day living totally changed.

On the other hand, change is also opportunity. For example, we at EHL have always prided ourselves on our high-touch selection process which brings each candidature across at least five different evaluators and includes a mandatory in-person Selection Day. In February, Yalin led the organization of the first virtual Selection Day that remains experiential and high-touch, albeit in a very different way, We will continue hosting virtual Selection Days even when international travel resumes.

Here are some other examples of how the EHL ecosystem has risen remarkably to the occasion:

• The shifting of all Bachelor classes online almost immediately after all universities in Switzerland closed – Bravo to EHL’s Academic, IT and Student Services teams!

• The Young Hoteliers Summit team pivoting the event, something they had been working on for a full year, to a fully online conference in the short span of a couple of weeks.
• EHL’s COVID-19 resource page that provides faculty insight and analysis of the situation and its impacts, part of the Online Certificate "Managing Underperforming Properties" for free, and pro-bono consulting by EHL Advisory Services.

• EHL’s first Virtual Career Fair where 25 companies dialed in to speak with our students and alumni – Kudos to Daniel, May and Sébastien for the superb organization.
• EHL’s first Digital Open Day where we had more people connecting and engaging with us than we ever had on campus, led by Sandy and her team.
• Shinn and the team driving engagement from Asia-Pacific with our audience through weekly webinars on the Bachelor program and a range of industry topics.
• RISE, a weekly live web talk-show with Demian Hodari, EHL Associate Professor of Strategic Management, and Anita Mendiratta, Special Advisor to the UNWTO Secretary-General, where they have conversations with industry leaders on the current situation and how it impacts us all.
• The #AEHLSantéChallenge initiated by the Arabian Peninsula chapter of alumni, bringing the #EHLFamily closer together and keeping our spirits up.

The importance of human connection

When Esther joined the team in December 2018, she brought with her a wealth of experience in higher education sales and team management, with weekly 1-2-1s with her largely delocalized (and on-the-road) team one of the first things implemented. Simply put, communication and collaboration do not cease when we are not in the office together; they cease when there is no time investment, intentionality and discipline. 

We now also check-in daily for 30 minutes to share market and project updates, or just to speak about our food cravings and dream travel destinations. Being the pioneer delocalized office of EHL, the Asia-Pacific team had always worked remotely relative to the global HQ. Now, we simply are all part of a global team as the distinctions of location are removed with everyone working from home.

Dialing into various webinars and conference calls has reinforced that the global community is alive and well, despite global travel not restarting anytime soon. Seeing familiar faces and names pop-up in the different virtual rooms has led to several spontaneous catch-up sessions with individuals that typically required much more planning and schedule-juggling to achieve. I’ve gotten used to saying “let’s catch-up when we next see each other” which normally refers to a potential alignment of stars at some point in the near future. Now, a video call is set-up within minutes. I’d almost forgotten that picking up the phone is an option too.

What comes next?

No one truly knows, and all our crystal balls have gone murky. What we know is that the impact of these few months will be felt keenly for quite some time to come. What we can do is to take ownership and initiative in our domains of responsibility, go above and beyond in being kind to the people around us (that’s everyone in our virtual world!), and not forget the lessons that are arising from this.

To everyone in travel and hospitality, let’s remember the wonder and magic of the industry even while we’re frantically bailing. 

Keep safe everyone! And as the Switzerland Tourism tagline goes: Dream now - travel later!