
Q&A About Swiss Alpine Center
Interview with Myrto Efstratiou, 2nd year student by Calypso Tai-Bourgogne , Alpine’s Social Media Executive
1. How would you define your first 2-years at the Swiss Alpine Centre?
The first couple of years studying on the Swiss Alpine Center program in International Hospitality & Tourism Management at City Unity College have been filled with many experiences, both educational and professional. They have been very fast-paced and I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and form new friendships and connections both on a personal and professional level. Of course, they’ve been stressful at times with assignments, projects, and exams, but ultimately constructive for the beginning of my career and adulthood.
2. How would you describe the College briefly?
I would describe the College as a space that encompasses people, caring professional teachers, and students, with different points of view and experiences, who work together to form connections and embark on successful careers. It is a limited space with a very fast-paced learning process, compared to other colleges, but it has always been very welcoming and helpful with career opportunities and development programs.
3. What is the inspiration that influenced you in choosing a career in the Hospitality Management path?
I chose Hospitality because it gives me the chance to travel and makes my goal to see the world more attainable. It’s also a great industry to meet different kinds of people and learn from different cultures and walks of life. Lastly, it’s a very lucrative industry with many job opportunities inside and outside of Greece.
5. Having worked in luxury resorts such as Costa Navarino Residences and currently at Hapimag Château de Chabenet, how would you describe your two internship experiences, and what did you gain from them?

These two working experiences were very different from each other, but I would deem them both as very valuable for my career development.
The first, as a Reservations Trainee in Costa Navarino Residences, was my first contact with working in Hospitality, and from it, I gained the skills of efficiently operating a PMS system, understanding back-office functions, working under a lot of pressure, and managing large sums of money and difficult contracts with villa and apartment owners and visitors.
The second, presently as an Internship Trainee in Hapimag Château de Chabenet in France, gives me the opportunity of job rotation across all departments, which is a very eye-opening experience, since it’s my first time working in a different country, being completely on my own, and also managing a lot of information from different departments at the same time. It’s also a good opportunity to gain experience in all the main departments of a hotel, which will definitely help me to choose the most suitable career path once I finish my studies, the Bachelor’s degree in March 2024.
4. Where do you see yourself in a few years?
Even though I am not certain yet, I would like to have traveled and worked in at least four countries, with the view of specializing in Sales & Marketing either in a big company or as a freelancer.