LAUSANNE, Monday 22 October 2018 – The City of Lausanne and EHL Group sign a convention for the development and rehabilitation of the Lausanne neighborhood of Chalet-à-Gobet, to create the first Innovation Hub dedicated to hospitality in Europe.
Signed for an initial period of 50 years by Natacha Litzistorf, Municipal Councilor and Director of Lodging, Environment and Architecture of the City of Lausanne, André Witschi, Chairman of the Board of Governors of EHL Foundation, Michel Rochat, CEO, and Maxime Medina, Chief Asset Management Officer of EHL Group, the agreement will allow EHL to extend its academic ecosystem to construct a hub dedicated to research and innovation, and in support of entrepreneurship.
from left to right: Yves Deillon, Maxime Medina Natacha Litzistorf, André Witschi, Michel Rochat
On the site of the old Chalet-à-Gobet farm, currently being rehabilitated following a fire in 2007, a hostel as well as other surrounding buildings, this new Innovation Hub will host an incubator and several research projects that combine academic research with the flexibility and audacity of young entrepreneurs. This pivotal meeting place, with a restaurant open to the public, reflects EHL’s position as one of the global centers for technological research, innovation and competitiveness.
Aerial view of the Chalet-à-Gobet neighborhood, location of the future Innovation Hub