Global water purification visionary Bluewater and the Hotel Institute Montreux, one of the world’s leading hospitality management schools, are launching a unique partnership enabling the institute’s student community to discover more about the key water challenges and solutions within the hospitality industry.
Starting in January 2022, students and members of the faculty in Montreux, Switzerland, will have the opportunity to learn how clean water access can help tackle business, leadership and social impact issues and contribute to improved profitability for hospitality enterprises.
“Few industries have as important a role to play in shaping the values of people and society as hospitality,” said Bluewater marketing and sales head, Mr. Jedidja Rittri (photo below). He noted that the hospitality industry, whether its staying in a hotel or dining in a restaurant, has the power to influence people’s understanding of key health, wellness, and sustainability issues, from quality of food to the significant role of creating and providing access to safer, healthier water in society.
The United Nations says safe water access is at the core of sustainable development and is critical for socio-economic development, energy and food production, healthy ecosystems and for human survival itself. Yet access to clean water cannot be taken for granted as more and more countries – and service industries like hospitality – face mounting challenges of increasing scarcity, chemical and industrial pollution of ground water, inadequate infrastructure investment and climate change.
The partnership between Bluewater and the Hotel Institute Montreux will encompass exchanging knowledge and experience and strengthening the student-learning experience with Bluewater providing students international industry insights and water science expertise at keynote lectures. Students will be invited to participate at key events relevant to their educational programmes, while Bluewater will also offer students internships with a view to offering full-time positions once they have graduated.
“Bluewater is proud to work with Hotel Institute Montreux to initiate this dialogue between a seat of learning and private enterprise to help drive the vitally important conversation around water quality and sustainability in the hospitality industry,” Jedidja Rittri said. He added that partnering with one of the world’s top hospitality management academies is one way Bluewater can challenge itself to help remove barriers to a less polluted world while improving career and entrepreneur opportunities for students at HIM.
“Sustainability is core to Hotel Institute Montreux’s curriculum, which is why we are so excited to be partnering with a visionary company such as Bluewater,” said Ulrika Bjorklund, Dean, Hotel Institute Montreux (photo above). “This partnership will provide our students not only with hands-on case studies, but also insights into the very complex issues of global water access and the socio-economic and environmental responsibilities they will shoulder as tomorrow’s leaders. They will be inspired to step out into today’s complex world and make a difference.”
Jedidja Rittri concluded: “Hospitality is big business on a mammoth scale, with a global market value of USD 3,500 billion. The industry thus has a powerful role to play in shaping public opinion on key issues and solutions facing society. Bluewater has put ending the need for single use plastic bottles with our state-of-the-art water purification technology at the heart of our business mission and this partnership is one way we can contribute to propelling greater awareness around today’s water quality challenges and, importantly, solutions.”
