Master’s in Luxury Management and Guest Experience students recently had their field trip to Paris. Here they share some memories and photos from an unforgettable visit to one of the world’s luxury capitals…

For students of our luxury-focused Master’s degree, the field trip is an opportunity to observe and understand luxury on a deeper level through various luxury boutique visits, museums, and luxury shopping mall tours. The students met with luxury industry professionals and gained first-hand insights on what is happening in the industry today.

The field trip’s base was the Hyatt Paris Madeleine Hotel – a perfect location as it put the party close to the main attractions of the city.

“With friends, we left the hotel and went to see the Louvre Museum at night. It was amazing; incredible emotions to see it for the first time. Much better than in the pictures! We had a great dinner in the hotel all together and were excited to start our journey the next day.” – student Marija Bartasevica

The students’ first step into the luxury world of Paris was on the famous Avenue Champs-Elysées, to visit the flagship store of one of the most recognizable French luxury brands: Louis Vuitton.

The students met with the customer and service manager, who gave them a full tour of the store while explaining how they run their operations. It was the opportunity for the class to learn more about the Louis Vuitton brand from the employee perspective and also gain an insight into how the luxury retail sector works.

Next stop was at Bernardaud, a store rich in heritage with its unique porcelain pieces. The students got to know the history of the art of porcelain from Limoges, while also learning more about the Maison Bernardaud values of savoir-faire, creativity, innovation, and French tradition.

“The visit to a porcelain store was mind blowing. I never thought it could have been so interesting to learn about tableware.” – student Roberto Grazzini

To close the day, the Master’s students enjoyed an interesting and inspiring masterclass given by Dr. Alain Quemin, on the topic of luxury and contemporary art.

After a day full of excitement and learning, it was time for the class to spend some relaxing time around a dinner table at the beautiful Les 110 de Taillevent restaurant.

“With my whole cohort, plus our Program Director and coordinator, we spent some quality time together and talked about what we learned during our visits around Paris.” – student Barthélémy Deslarzes

The following day, the students went to visit a very important place in the history of Paris fashion and retail: the luxury shopping mall, La Samaritaine, which reopened recently after sixteen years of renovation. They explored the building and got to know its story, then met with the Head of Partnership, who introduced them to the new department created – VIP Guests Conciergerie – and showed them the VIP rooms. The students were able to see how the mall designed and curated the complete experience for VIP clients.

But Paris is not just about luxury stores and shopping malls; the students’ luxury journey also led the class to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Exhibition where they got to learn about the prestigious brand’s journey from its foundation to the present day.

As a final stop in their luxury tour, the class went to visit the Cartier and the Islamic Arts exhibition at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which allowed them to discover the brand from another perspective. They were able to learn about the influence of Islam and understand the meaning behind Cartier’s high-end jewelry designs.

“My favorite activity was the Cartier exhibition, as we managed to see very closely all the details and inspiration for some of the most iconic Cartier pieces.” – student Daniela Greiffenstein Restrepo

Summing up the trip, Dr. Nicoletta Giusti, Program Director for the Master’s in Luxury Management and Guest Experience, notes, “The field trip comes as a cherry on top of a very fruitful, pleasant, and informative Master’s program. For the students, it was an immersive experience in the luxury sector, and it really shows how Paris is a key location for the industry.

“Thanks to this visit to Paris, the students could see for themselves how details can make a difference regardless of the brands – what they mean to a fashion house or a luxury jewelry or a porcelain maker. And how these details are the ones that actually create and define luxury products and experiences.”