News · 1 November 2026
MBA in hotel management in Switzerland: cost, intakes
A one-year MBA with a hospitality specialisation costs CHF 44,700 all-in and starts in November or February. Here is what you study, what the Swiss hotel market looks like, and who the degree suits.
If you want an MBA in hotel management in Switzerland, BHMS offers it as the one-year MBA with Specialisation, which you take in International Hospitality Management on the Lucerne campus. It costs CHF 44,700 for the year, with a shared room and meals included. You can start in November or February only. After November 2026, the next intakes are February 2027 and November 2027.
What is the MBA in hotel management at BHMS?
There's no degree literally called "MBA in Hotel Management". You choose the MBA with Specialisation and pick International Hospitality Management as your specialisation. BHMS and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, award this one-year intensive MBA together.
The year has two halves. Semester 1 is six months of study: 120 credits across eight core modules of 15 credits each. In Semester 2 you do an independent research project or a business consultancy project tied to your specialisation.
You'll find six other specialisations, including Luxury Brand Management and Banking and Finance. If hotels are your target but luxury is your angle, look at that choice before you apply.
What will you study?
The eight core modules are the same whichever specialisation you take:
- Sustainable Business Models
- Driving Innovation and Cultural Evolution
- Value Creation through Business Development
- Strategic Global Business Management
- Finance and Accounting for Informed Decisions
- Strategic Marketing and Data Analytics
- Transformational Leadership in Human Resource Management
- MBA Research Methods
German Communication and Food & Beverage Service Operations I and II are optional. So the hospitality focus comes mostly from your Semester 2 project, not from a stack of hotel-only classes. Think of it as a general management MBA pointed at hotels.
How much does an MBA in hotel management in Switzerland cost?
Here's the 2027 fee table for the MBA, in Swiss francs, per year.
| Item | CHF |
|---|---|
| Tuition | 34'800 |
| Operating expense | 2'750 |
| Application fee | 1'000 |
| Academic expense | 38'550 |
| Accommodation | 3'800 |
| Meals | 2'350 |
| Living expense | 6'150 |
| Grand total | 44'700 |
Your included room is a shared standard room on the LakeSide Campus: a two-bed shared apartment without a kitchen. Studios and other upgrades cost extra, and the fees page lists them. Any MSc costs CHF 41'700 for the year, so the MBA runs 3,000 francs more.
Who can apply, and when can you start?
You need an undergraduate degree in any discipline and English at IELTS 6.0 or equivalent. Part-time study exists, but only if you hold a Swiss residency permit.
The MBA starts in November and February only. The dates on file are November 2026, February 2027 and November 2027. Today's 1 November 2026, so email admissions at martin.wyler@bhms.ch and ask whether November 2026 still has places. If it doesn't, February 2027 is your realistic start.
What about the internship?
In Semester 2 you can take an optional six-month internship, in Switzerland or worldwide. Or you can go back to full-time work while you finish the research project. It's your choice, and neither is a requirement.
If you intern in Swiss hospitality, the minimum gross pay is CHF 2,404 a month from 1 January 2027, before deductions for board, lodging and social insurance. Don't count on that minimum for placements outside hospitality.
What does the Swiss hotel market look like right now?
Swiss hotels recorded 43.9 million overnight stays in 2025, a record and 2.6% more than in 2024.[2] Foreign guests made up 22.8 million of them, and domestic guests 21.1 million.[2]
The 2025/26 winter season, November to April, reached 18.7 million overnight stays, up 1.1%.[1] Foreign guests spent 9.3 million of those nights (up 0.5%) and domestic guests 9.5 million (up 1.6%).[1]
So the sector is big, and in the latest official figures it's growing slowly, with Swiss guests growing faster than foreign ones. That doesn't tell you what a hotel group will pay an MBA graduate. BHMS doesn't publish graduate employment rates or starting salaries for its master's programmes, so be wary of any page that quotes them.
Is this the MBA for you, or is it an MSc?
Ask yourself three questions.
- Do you want a general management degree? The MBA's core is business-wide: finance, marketing, leadership, strategy. The MSc in International Hospitality Business Management is built around hospitality modules and costs CHF 41'700.
- Do you want to study part-time? Only the MBA offers it, and only with a Swiss residency permit.
- Is a hotel your destination, or just a first stop? With seven specialisations, you can aim at luxury, finance or start-ups from the same degree.
BHMS ranks #12 worldwide in Hospitality & Leisure Management in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. That's a hospitality-subject ranking, so it says nothing about other fields.
What should you do next?
Read the MBA page for the specialisations and modules, and the MBA in hospitality management guide for the cost in dollars and rupees. Not sure it's an MBA you need? Take the two-minute fit check, or start your application for February 2027.