The largest Swiss hospitality union, it had 1,364 members by 1898, and was strongest among waiters, cooks and hotel staff.
It represented only Swiss nationals, and set up overseas branches for those working abroad.
In 1909, it set the SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern hotel management school.
[1] In 1918, the union was a founding affiliate of the Confederation of Swiss Employees' Associations (VSA).
In 2009, it absorbed the Swiss Association of Bakery and Confectionery Staff.