Hospitality and Restaurant Management studies: learn the profession by living it

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The hospitality and restaurant industry is a dynamic pillar of the global economy, opening up varied career prospects in France and internationally. Joining a hospitality management school means choosing a rewarding, people-centred and international career in a constantly evolving sector. Whether you want to study hospitality or traditional food service, or explore related worlds such as luxury, events, wine tourism or even entrepreneurship, these post-secondary courses offer a range of paths for progression.

Hospitality and food service: a growing sector full of promise

Students in food service at Institut Lyfe Hospitality, and hospitality in the broadest sense, is a booming sector with growing demand for unique, personalised experiences, and it never stops reinventing itself. According to UN Tourism (the World Tourism Organization), around 1.4 billion international travellers were recorded in 2024, generating a record 1.7 trillion dollars, up 11% on 2023.

In France, the world’s leading tourist destination with 102 million visitors in 2025, the sector is a goldmine of opportunity thanks to the variety of players involved, from major groups such as Accor, Club Med, Louvre Hôtels and Hilton to independent establishments and newer names that have emerged over the past 15 years, such as Paris Society, Experimental Group and Okko Hotels.

In the age of AI, hospitality is one of those sectors where technology does not make people disappear: it gives them back their value. Automating a booking or an administrative task lets professionals spend more time on what artificial intelligence cannot fully replicate: welcoming, listening, understanding, advising, surprising and creating emotion.

50% of employers already see empathy and active listening as key skills, and 47% cite service and customer relations among the essential skills.

Studying hospitality or food service is therefore a strategic choice for your career and your personal development.

A wide range of study options

There are many schools specialising in hospitality and food service, offering courses from the CAP (French vocational certificate) through to MSc level. These hospitality and restaurant management courses can suit very different career plans.

Some courses focus on learning operational roles, while higher education courses also build management, business and strategy skills step by step.

When choosing your school, we recommend checking carefully whether it offers State-recognised qualifications, so you can continue your studies if you wish, or build a career with real progression, particularly within prestigious international hotel groups.

Bachelor in International Hospitality and Restaurant Management (Bac+4): lead the hospitality of tomorrow

Institut Lyfe hospitality students Hospitality and food service are no longer limited to welcoming guests and mastering operations: today they call for leadership, solid financial literacy, command of digital tools and genuine ease in multicultural environments. Hotel groups and prestigious houses are looking for people who can manage a team, drive an establishment’s profitability, reinvent the guest experience, adapt to the sector’s rapid changes and work in an international environment. This is the reality that drives us and guides our teaching.

Our Bachelor (Hons.) in International Hospitality, Restaurant and Wine and Beverage Management trains you over 4 years within a unique applied training environment: a 5-star hotel, a Michelin-starred restaurant, exceptional training venues, and more. Guided by recognised experts from the sector, you will learn to:

  • master the fundamentals of hotel and restaurant management (operations, service quality, customer relationship management)
  • develop your financial and strategic literacy (yield management, performance analysis, budget management)
  • manage teams in international and multicultural contexts
  • work in real conditions through hands-on professional practice in our training hotels and restaurants

Institut Lyfe ranked no. 1 by Eduniversal Ranked no. 1 in France by Eduniversal since 2009 and approved by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, this Bachelor’s degree opens the door to international careers with real progression.

Find out more about the hospitality and restaurant management Bachelor’s degree

Fourth-year specialisations that address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges

Institut Lyfe’s Bac+4 Bachelor in International Hospitality, Restaurant and Wine and Beverage Management, ranked 1st by Eduniversal since 2009, lets you specialise in specific fields to build expertise that employers are actively looking for.

MSc. International Hospitality Management: training the leaders of international hospitality

emlyon business school For students who want to continue their hospitality and restaurant management studies to Bac+5 level, the MSc – Master of Science, taught in English and the fruit of a dual partnership of excellence between Institut Lyfe and emlyon business school – gives you access to a double degree:

  • the MSc awarded by emlyon business school
  • and Institut Lyfe’s level 7 RNCP qualification “Manager en hôtellerie-restauration” (RNCP39248)

You will move between the Lyon, Paris and Las Vegas campuses (with our partner UNLV) to fully grasp the multicultural dimension of the sector. To turn theory into concrete skills, three real-world projects punctuate this MSc.:

  • creating a restaurant concept,
  • developing a hotel brand
  • and a consulting assignment

Eduniversal 2026 ranking, MSc International Hospitality Management This MSc. is ranked number 1 among the best Master’s degrees in hospitality management in France by EDUNIVERSAL, ahead of ESSEC Business School. By continuing your studies with this Bac+5 specialising in hospitality and restaurant management, you are setting yourself up for a career in major international groups.

Discover our MSc.

Studying hospitality and restaurant management at Institut Lyfe

Studying hospitality and restaurant management means practising it first

From the first year of your studies, you are supported by expert instructors during hands-on professional practice in our own training establishments:

  • the fine-dining restaurant Saisons, the only training restaurant in France with a Michelin star,
  • Pavyllon Lyon, created by Yannick Alléno,
  • the 5-star hotel school Le Royal (the only one in Europe),
  • and the Rose Garden cocktail bar.

This approach strengthens our graduates’ employability and makes Institut Lyfe the school with some of the most prestigious applied training environments in the hospitality sector.

The benefits of studying hospitality and restaurant management:

A promising international career

Institut Lyfe student on placement The hospitality and restaurant industry offers exceptional opportunities on a global scale. Working in hospitality or food service places you at the heart of sectors where skills are universally recognised and sought after, wherever you go.

Major international hotel groups such as Intercontinental and Accor, along with prestigious restaurants around the world, are looking for talent able to apply best practice while adapting to a variety of cultures. Graduates can reach prestigious positions in multicultural environments. Roles such as hotel general manager, tourism management consultant or hotel marketing manager are in particularly high demand.

These professions let you travel, whether to open new establishments, take part in international events, or climb the ladder within chains spread across several continents. Our graduate network, spanning five continents, strengthens opportunities for mobility and cultural exchange, offering a unique passport to the world.

Skills and mindsets that transfer beyond hospitality

The added value of studying at a leading hospitality school is developing cross-cutting skills and soft skills:

  • Customer experience expertise: students are trained to put the customer experience at the heart of everything they do, and are in strong demand in sectors such as marketing and communications (creating innovative customer experiences), luxury and, more broadly, any industry that puts customer service at the centre of its priorities
  • Project management and organisational rigour, essential for delivering complex operations and applicable in fields as varied as events and communications.
    • At Institut Lyfe: our students carry out their professional practice with real, demanding customers. During their course, alone or in groups, they develop entrepreneurial projects or design concepts from A to Z
  • Team management and leadership, sought after across every service-related sector.
    • At Institut Lyfe: students take on managerial roles very early. During professional practice in our training restaurants and hotels, first-year students are managed by second-year students, who are themselves overseen by an instructor.
  • Adaptability and intercultural skills, essential in hospitality, in human resources and in any strongly international business.
    • At Institut Lyfe: with their placements in France or abroad (a minimum of 12 weeks a year) and the multicultural environment on campus (75 nationalities), our students have a full command of international codes and can adapt quickly to different operational contexts

Hospitality school graduates are not confined to their chosen sector: their versatility, their sense of service and their ability to meet customer expectations make them ideal candidates for the challenges of other industries, where customer experience and team management are key.

Rapid entry into work: 98% employability

After studying at Institut Lyfe, 98% of our graduates find a job within six months of completing their degree. These opportunities cover both roles in international groups such as Accor, LVMH, Hilton and Compass, and entrepreneurship, which is strongly represented at Institut Lyfe with 18% of our graduates starting their own business within 5 years.

Joining a renowned school such as Institut Lyfe means securing an outstanding, globally recognised education, benefiting from a solid professional network, and gaining access to exceptional resources and opportunities to succeed in an international career in hospitality and food service.

Would you like to find out more about our post-secondary courses, or come and visit our school during an open day? Don’t wait – your future starts now!

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Frequently asked questions about studying hospitality and restaurant management

How do you choose the right hospitality school?

Choosing the right institution is crucial to maximising your chances of success. It is worth asking yourself a few questions:

  • Is the programme comprehensive? Does it combine hands-on professional teaching with management sciences such as marketing, human resources and business management?
  • Are the qualifications recognised by the State and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, a guarantee of academic excellence and of a degree that travels?
  • Are the courses taught by experts and professionals recognised in their field?
  • How good are the equipment and facilities? Are there cooking labs? Pastry labs? Applied training venues?
  • Does the school build partnerships with renowned companies?
  • Does it have a strong graduate network in France and internationally?
  • Is there an international dimension? Are programmes offered in several languages? Are there international exchange opportunities through partner schools?
  • Is the school involved in research and innovation projects so it stays at the cutting edge of developments in the sector?

So many questions to ask before selecting your future hospitality school.

Find out more about our post-secondary courses

What career opportunities are there after studying hospitality and restaurant management?

A Bac+4 Bachelor in International Hospitality Management such as the one offered at Institut Lyfe, approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, allows graduates to move straight into the job market, through roles such as

  • Hotel manager: managing hotels in multicultural environments.
  • Events manager in companies or establishments specialising in organising weddings, conferences or international seminars.
  • Revenue or yield manager: optimising hotel revenues through data analysis and pricing strategies.
  • Front office manager (guest relations manager): overseeing the welcome and stay of guests in renowned hotels.
  • Restaurant manager, leading teams in restaurants of all kinds (fine dining or international chains, for example)

These roles let you build essential hands-on experience while starting a career in dynamic, multicultural environments.

With a Master’s in hospitality and restaurant management, opportunities widen, opening the way to more advanced strategic roles. Graduates can aim for positions such as hotel general manager, tourism management consultant, or asset manager.

Can you join the MSc. International Hospitality Management without coming from the Institut Lyfe Bachelor's degree?

Yes, you can join the Bac+5 MSc. International Hospitality Management without having previously studied at Institut Lyfe or emlyon. However, if you have not studied hospitality or restaurant management during your course, a special 4-week bridging programme will be offered to bring you up to speed.

Higher education in hospitality and restaurant management at Institut Lyfe at a glance

Criteria Answer
Course level Bac+4 (Bachelor’s) to Bac+5 (MSc)
Qualifications offered Bachelor in International Hospitality and Restaurant Management (Bac+4) / MSc International Hospitality Management (Bac+5)
Recognition of qualifications Bachelor’s approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research; MSc double degree (emlyon business school qualification plus level 7 RNCP qualification)
French ranking Bachelor’s no. 1 in France (Eduniversal, since 2009); MSc no. 1 in France in hospitality management (Eduniversal)
International ranking MSc ranked 6th worldwide in hospitality management (Eduniversal)
Academic partnership emlyon business school, ranked among the top 10 European business schools (Financial Times)
Language of instruction French/English (Bachelor’s) / English (MSc)
Campuses Écully-Lyon, Paris, Las Vegas
Applied training environments Michelin-starred restaurant Saisons, Pavyllon (Yannick Alléno), 5-star hotel school Le Royal, Mercure Beaux-Arts, Rose Garden cocktail bar, and more
4th-year specialisations (Bachelor’s) Wine, Spirits and Beverages / Hotel Brand Design and Marketing / Events / Financial Analysis / Hotel Management / Entrepreneurship
Placements From 2 to 6 months a year, in France or abroad for the first year
International diversity 75 nationalities on campus
Employment rate 98% of graduates in work within 6 months of graduating
Entrepreneurship 18% of graduates start their own business within 5 years
Typical employers Accor, LVMH, Hilton, Compass, Intercontinental, Maison Pic, Groupe Yannick Alléno, Cheval Blanc, Club Med, Groupe Bertrand and more
Careers open to you (Bachelor’s) Hotel manager, revenue/yield manager, events manager, guest relations manager, restaurant manager
Careers open to you (MSc) Hotel general manager, tourism management consultant, hotel asset manager

What is a State-approved degree?

Nathalie Ahssakou, Director of Academic Quality and Accreditations at Institut Lyfe, explains the State-approved degree

A day in the life of a hospitality and restaurant management student