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ABOUT
US
An Edu-Resort in the heart of the Swiss Alps
As a Swiss hospitality and leadership school, we deliver a broad Vocational Education and Training (VET) programme, licensed by EHL, which offers students the unique opportunity to apply what they learn in theory classes through real-life working experiences. Skilling up within our state-of-the-art Edu-resort, our students effectively reach their professional dreams by learning about Hotel Administration and gaining a hands-on, global experience, while training with our experts in various departments, from front office and rooms division to housekeeping and food & beverage, to name but a few.
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Learning experiences and leadership
To give new generations a valuable opportunity to become competent and fair leaders, we have developed a unique educational experience, where our students are the architects of their own blended learning pathway.
Where they can cultivate a growth mindset through a wide range of activities and develop the interpersonal skills and ethos future leaders will need to succeed:
Creativity, teamwork, resilience, tech-savviness, and cultural intelligence, together with a strong awareness of global ethics and sustainable development.
We foster
passion
to boost motivation, enhance focus and allow creativity to grow.
We build
Responsibility
to learn to set priorities, take responsibility for our actions, and to live up to the promises made to ourselves, others and nature.
We nurture
Resilience
by strengthening ourselves to progress and overcome challenges, and by learning from the past while looking towards the future.
We cultivate
Respect
to develop understanding and compassion for others’ feelings and cultures, whilst always remembering we are only guests on this planet.
Our academy was created in keeping with a strong passion in education crossing three generations of educators, the De Meyer family.
From 1991, developing on the heritage of the Collège Alpin Beau Soleil, founded in 1910, Jérôme de Meyer - co-owner of the Villars Alpine Resort & founder of the Palace Academy - left a strong mark in the development of education in Villars.
With the introduction of outdoor education and philanthropy, the continuous expansion of the school, and the creation of expeditions centres, Jérôme de Meyer allowed hundreds of youths to experience educational adventures of a lifetime, thus contributing to establish the reputation of the school worldwide.
His educational success also led him to acquire the Collège Champittet in Pully, in 1997, and to later become the Swiss branch President of the Nord Anglia Education group, which gathers 69 premium international schools and more than 67’000 students worldwide.
A passion for transmission and sustainable development
As part of their educational vision and actions, the De Meyer family also launched Le Solstice, a foundation designed to raise awareness about nature preservation and sustainable development, helping children in needs to have access to free education.
For the past 26 years, they have been dedicated to bring philanthropy at the heart of education. As a result, one third of the Villars Palace Academy students will be entirely sponsored by Le Solstice.
These students, together with their class mates coming from all over the world, will then put their learning, creativity and passion to the service of others, and will manage a philanthropic project to pursue the goals of the foundation.
So, the tradition goes on and develops beyond our frontiers!
An Edu-resort in the heart of the Swiss Alps
The Villars Alpine Resort is a unique and global venue at the heart of the Swiss Alps.
Our 3 hotels, the Villars Palace (1913), the Villars Lodge (1870) and the Victoria Hotel & Residence (1973), include 358 rooms,
7 restaurants & bars, 12 meeting rooms, one spa, one UEFA class D soccer field, one exhibition center, permanent exhibitions of Hugo Pratt (Corto Maltese), Hergé (Tintin) and Jimmy Nelson.
The hospitality of tomorrow
At the Villars Alpine Resort, we believe in the good health of our people. We offer high quality hospitality services, and deliver an education of quality accessible to all. We consume responsibly and act in order to tackle the challenges of the hospitality of tomorrow.
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A Philanthropic Mindset through Projects with our Sister Foundation
As a prominent pillar of the Palace Academy, philanthropy is included throughout our curriculum. A series of philanthropic activities have been designed to strengthen our students’ love for humanity and to allow them to give back a little of what they have. Our students choose a philanthropic project from the many supported by le Solstice foundation and manage it entirely. From fundraising to executing and monitoring their project, our students nurture their philanthropic mindset while expanding their leadership and management skills.
A Sustainable Path through Awareness & Actions
Respecting the environment is one of our main pillars. Our society faces a necessity to teach its students to respect nature and to unite with it to create value for humans and biodiversity. From our natural surroundings to our educational content, sustainability is a mindset shared at the Villars Palace Academy. Students embark on educational opportunities to understand nature through the principles of apiculture and permaculture. Following these courses increase their awareness and support their acquisition of knowledge regarding sustainable hospitality and tourism.
