Innovate, analyse, recommend: the main projects of Institut Lyfe’s students

In the fourth year of the Bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality and Restaurant Management, students at Institut Lyfe reach a key milestone in their studies. This marks their first major decision regarding their future career, as they gradually specialise in one of the major areas of the hospitality and restaurant industry: International Wine and Beverage Management, Design and Marketing for Hotel Brands, Strategic Event Management and Communication, Financial and Strategic Analysis of the International Hospitality Industry, Restaurant and Hospitality Business Management and Entrepreneurship and Hotel and Operational Management.

In the middle of this fourth year, our students work on a main project between September and December. These immersive educational projects place students in real-life situations, in contact with clients and companies in the sector. They work on concrete issues, respond to demanding professional briefs and develop operational solutions, while drawing on all the skills they have acquired at Institut Lyfe.

Boosting the commercial performance of a Beaujolais wine estate

For students specialising in International Wine and Beverage Management, the central project focused on Domaine du Vieux Bourg, a 30-hectare wine estate located in the heart of the Beaujolais region.

Faced with a slowdown in sales, particularly in exports due to the international political context, Domaine du Vieux Bourg asked our students to address a major strategic issue. Their mission? To develop an effective commercial strategy, both in France and internationally, while working to position Domaine du Vieux Bourg as a leading player in the Beaujolais region, in a particularly competitive wine-growing environment.

Working on several fronts (strategic, operational, financial, logistical, but also related to marketing and communication), the students proposed comprehensive recommendations, which they presented to the client in order to provide answers to its issues.

Transforming the event experience based on customer feedback

For students specialising in Strategic Event Management and Communication, the main project was developed in collaboration with Entreprise du Futur, focusing on a key issue: analysing and optimising the experience offered at its annual conference and professional events. The company provided the students with the results of satisfaction surveys, enabling them to work with real data.

In the first phase, the students analysed this data to identify the main areas of focus for the organiser, such as interaction with speakers, networking opportunities and the customer journey. After an interim presentation and validation of the issues by the client, they proposed concrete and operational solutions, suggesting new formats, tools and event content.

Positioning themselves as an event agency, the students had to adapt and rework their proposals throughout the project, based on the constraints raised by the client. By working with real data and benefiting from real-time client feedback, the students strengthened their analytical, adaptation and strategic recommendation skills.

Enhancing the appeal of a hospitality brand among Gen Z

For students specialising in Financial and Strategic Analysis of the International Hospitality Industry, the main project focused on an international client: Canarian Hospitality, a hospitality group based in the Canary Islands, through its Sholeo Lodges concept, located in Los Gigantes (Tenerife) and Maspalomas (Gran Canaria).

Faced with challenges in terms of economic performance and appeal to a young clientele, Canarian Hospitality entrusted the finance students with a strategic issue on how to optimise Sholeo Lodges’ profits while strengthening its positioning with Generation Z.

For me, our main project was a challenging and rewarding experience. With a strong focus on consulting models, we projected cash flows, built budgets and studied financing options for the implementation of a hotel chain in the Canary Islands. This project gave me a better understanding of the impact of hotel decisions on long-term value creation. The most significant challenges were group collaboration, exchanges with the client and the analysis of a large volume of data, which made this experience particularly formative and demanding. – Lucien Beaubreuil, 4th year student.

To answer this question, students worked with real financial and operational data. Their recommendations, combining financial analysis, strategic vision and an understanding of Gen Z hospitality trends, were presented to the client in a consulting format.

Deploying an innovative solution for high-end hotels and premium wellness

For students specialising in Hotel and Operational Management, the project provided an opportunity to collaborate with a manufacturer of innovative high-end products, placing sensory experience and the awakening of the five senses at the heart of its value proposition. On the occasion of the launch of a new brand dedicated to the mid-range and high-end hotel industry as well as premium wellness, the company entrusted the students with a dual strategic challenge.

Their mission was to define how this new brand could effectively address these two demanding international markets, while establishing itself as a key player in the immersive and sensory customer experience.

To achieve this, the students worked on a set of key sub-issues: understanding customer expectations, operational integration of the solution in establishments, creating value for the customer experience, consistency with the identity of the venues, deployment models and brand positioning.

Proposing new concepts for an immersive dining group

For our students in Restaurant and Hospitality Business Management and Entrepreneurship, the task was clear: propose two new immersive restaurant concepts to Ephemera, the immersive dining group founded by Jade Frommer and Annaïg Ferrand. Both graduates of the Bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality and Restaurant Management at Institut Lyfe, they launched Ephemera during their studies and have since opened several establishments in France, with the ambition of expanding internationally in the coming years.

For our students, working directly with graduates is a unique opportunity, making the project even more concrete and rooted in professional reality. They were able to develop concepts that respond to real issues, while integrating the operational, strategic and creative constraints specific to the development of an immersive restaurant brand. Their work covered audiovisual storytelling, decorative ambiance, food & beverage menu, pricing, etc. All these elements enabled them to make operational recommendations for the implementation of these new concepts.

This project really allowed us to explore our ideas to the fullest and use the presentation to the client as a real playground. By having to come up with new ideas for immersive restaurants, we were able to use the presentation as an immersive experience, transporting the client into the worlds we had imagined. We had them smell aromas and taste dishes from the menu we wanted to offer. This allowed us to really explore our ideas and make the subject even more concrete. – Tom Chabassier, 4th-year student

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These projects fully embody the DNA of Institut Lyfe: teaching methods rooted in reality, focused on employability and a detailed understanding of the current and future challenges facing the hospitality and restaurant industry.

The Bachelor’s Degree in International Hospitality and Restaurant Management is a first step for those who wish to continue their studies towards a Master’s degree. The experiential teaching acquired at Institut Lyfe is the gateway to the MSc-Master of Science International Hospitality Management programme, offered in collaboration with emlyon business school, which allows students to deepen their strategic, international and managerial skills in the hospitality sector.

Continue with the Master of Science in International Hospitality Management