The Genève-Servette Hockey Club (GSHC) has commissioned the École Hôtelière de Genève (EHG) to work on a project focused on the customer experience and hospitality programs offered at the Patinoire des Vernets. At the heart of the project are the welcome, the quality and efficiency of services, the food and beverage offerings, personalization, customer relations, and the entire guest journey before, during, and after games.
Geneva-Servette Hockey Club
When Hospitality Expertise Meets Elite Sports
Geneva-Servette Hockey Club
Professional sports: a new arena for hospitality
In an environment where the excitement of sports is combined with the growing expectations of partners and guests, hospitality has become a fundamental part of what sports organizations offer.
EHG business school students participate directly in the project through observations during matches, analysis of data and customer journeys, discussions with professionals and guest clients, and benchmarking against other facilities. Supported by EHG’s faculty and an industry expert, they transform these observations into analyses and recommendations that can potentially be implemented directly by GSHC teams.
Upon completion of the engagement, EHG will develop, among other things, a detailed benchmark, a structured analysis of existing practices, strategic recommendations, a set of service standards, a catalog of hospitality services, and operational tools and processes.
EHG's Expertise Supporting New Industries
This partnership is part of EHG’s growth as a provider of expertise and consulting services in the areas of customer service and experience for companies and organizations for which the quality of the customer experience is a key differentiator.
In particular, it builds on the work the School has been doing with LFP Media to create the Hospitality Label for McDonald’s Ligue 1 and BKT Ligue 2 stadiums in France. This collaboration has enabled the EHG to apply its expertise in hospitality, service, food and beverage, and VIP experiences to the world of professional soccer.
With the GSHC, this expertise finds a new application at the heart of Geneva’s sports scene, in an environment where the experience of partners and guests is an integral part of the promise offered on game nights.
Geneva-Servette Hockey Club
Professional sports serve as a tremendous testing ground
“Our goal is to challenge our students with real-world issues and to apply EHG’s expertise to concrete projects. Professional sports provide a tremendous testing ground for developing customer experience, hospitality, and service excellence. ” — Duncan Robertson, Director of Sales and Marketing and Deputy Director of the Geneva Hotel School
About the Genève-Servette Hockey Club
The Genève-Servette Hockey Club competes in the National League and plays its home games at the Patinoire des Vernets. Its history is rooted in more than a century of hockey in Geneva. Swiss champions in 2023, the GSHC also won the Champions Hockey League in 2024, marking another major milestone in its history.