Since we last reported on the new hotel management school on the block, GATE Nepal (The Global Academy of Tourism & Hospitality Education) has added to it’s repertoire of successes. GATE recently celebrated the official signing of an affiliation with SSTH (Swiss School of Tourism & Hospitality, located in Passugg, Switzerland). GATE has also announced a strong drive towards adopting international standards and has obtained ISO 9001:9002 certifications. The hotel school has further developed strong ties with global Coffee company Illy Cafe and will introduce a branch as well as Barista training courses in the future.



Speaking at the Swiss affiliation function, Mr. Beat Wicki, CEO of the SSTH re-iterated that both Switzerland and Nepal having a long friendship and history of co-operation and share lots of similarities. He further added that the reason for the association is also to contribute to Nepal with its quality programs and produce a world-class skilled work-force to enhance Tourism quality. Mr. Wicki mentioned that faculty exchange will foster an exchange of ideas and interaction between the two institutions. Many hospitality industry leaders, journalists, scholars, diplomats, social celebrities and business figures were present at the function. Participants equally enjoyed the evening organized by the students and witnessed the impact GATE Hotel School has had, along with it’s new trend-setting approaches to long-term and craft-level hotel / hospitality courses.



Switzerland has a long history in benchmarking excellence in hotel management education in the world. With Surprisingly similar geography: Nepal, also a small landlocked country situated between two economic giants of Asia, (China and India) is following the Swiss tradition of excellence in Hotel Management. GATE College has started its first session with over 100 students in various streams and will soon admit international students. It is located on a lovely plot of land over-looking Kapan Monastery in Kathmandu, the capital valley of Nepal.



At GATE, the hospitality management program is completely hands on – with some time in the classroom but most time cooking, serving, managing and making the on campus restaurant operate like a real restaurant. The Academic course is designed with the direct support of Swiss School SSTH – Swiss School of Tourism & Hospitality which has an over 40 year proven track record of excellence in hospitality education. The co-signed Swiss School higher diploma will be awarded to successful students upon completion of six academic semesters which are delivered in Kathmandu campus and or any SSTH campuses in Dubai or Switzerland, with 100% credit transfer at anytime.

The college founder and CEO Mr. Khem Raj Lakai is a former SSTH graduate and has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality and hotel industry. Khem is also a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and has worked in Asia, Europe and North America before starting his free-lance consultation in Bahrain. Khem says that GATE has already become popular in Nepal because of its contemporary approach to studies and having a great team and visiting faculties from Nepal and abroad. Just to name a few, Deborah Koehler, a world-renowned management coach (USA), Dr. Marc Clark (USA) as an Academic advisor, Willy Graf as a consulting chef and many other national and international faculty members.



GATE students will gain experience in the operational elements of the hospitality industry with practice-based learning and computer-based simulations designed to submerge them in the aesthetics, society and customer focus of hospitality. The intention is to develop leadership ability and confidence through daily practice with feedback and accumulated confidence that come from repetition and exposure to real situations. Students are also exposed to daily operations at campus owned restaurant called La Mezzaluna and Illy Lounge, capable of serving up to 200 persons in each shift. Also the world famous coffee chain Illy and the largest Australian Organic wine maker Mark Davidson will have a strong presence at GATE. These key suppliers have already approved GATE as an outlet for training in northern Kathmandu valley.

GATE aims to provide students with the right knowledge, skills and attitude required by Resorts and Hotels worldwide. Students have the opportunity to interact with guest lecturers, Nepalese hoteliers and visiting international industry leaders, celebrity chefs as well as legendary hospitality figures. Key learning opportunities include leader skills, an eye for detail, experience based learning and effective decision-making capabilities…all key attributes of future managers. In addition to learning about operations , information technology and financial management, students benefit from creativity, decision making, thinking skills, cross cultural behavior and human resources management that are required for them to work at global standards in environments outside of Nepal. All courses are designed to nurture leadership and utilize each student’s full potential.



tags: gate, nepal, kathmandu, hotel-schools, hotel-management, hospitality, hotels, resorts, tourism, travel, gate-nepal, ssth, switzerland, affiliation, illy-cafe, mark-davidson