- CHSP stands for Certified Hospitality Sales Professional, an AHLA-endorsed credential administered by AHLEI.
- The exam is 100 questions in 2 hours, with a 70% passing score and a required proctor.
- Fourteen competency topics sit under two groups: Markets and market segments, and Sales functions.
- The current official bundle is USD $398 and includes the application, online study guide, and exam.
The Short Answer: What CHSP Means
On this site, CHSP stands for Certified Hospitality Sales Professional. It is a professional certification for people who sell and market in the hospitality industry: hotel sales staff, catering and events sellers, reservations teams, and sales office managers. The letters spell out exactly what the credential says about its holder, which is that they have demonstrated working knowledge of how hospitality properties find, win, and keep business.
The acronym "CHSP" is shared by several unrelated credentials in other fields, and a quick web search will surface all of them. This article is only about the hospitality sales certification. If you want a broader introduction, our pages on what CHSP is and what CHSP stands for cover the basics, while this page digs into what the name actually communicates and what stands behind it.
Who Stands Behind the Credential
The certification is administered by AHLEI (the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute) and is AHLA-endorsed, meaning it carries the backing of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. That pairing is part of the meaning of the title. A CHSP is not a vendor badge or a self-issued course certificate; it is an industry-association credential tied to the organizations that shape hotel and lodging education.
Delivery runs through ExamFlex, in online or print formats, with an approved proctor supervising the exam. No separate external testing vendor has been verified for this program, so candidates should expect the issuer's own process rather than a walk-in test center experience. For the full application-to-exam flow, see our guide to CHSP exam dates and scheduling.
What Each Word in the Title Signals
Certified
"Certified" means you applied, were approved, and passed a proctored exam. It is more than course completion. The application step also screens for real sales responsibility, which we cover below.
Hospitality
The scope is the hospitality sector, with the curriculum built around lodging and the events and meetings business that surrounds it. Topics such as reservations, catered events, and meeting rooms reflect that setting.
Sales
This is the distinguishing word. The credential is not a general hospitality management certification. It concentrates on marketing and sales: segmentation, the marketing plan, personal and telephone selling, and revenue management.
Professional
"Professional" points to ongoing standards. The credential has a five-year renewal cycle with professional development requirements, so holding the title means staying current rather than testing once and stopping.
The Fourteen Topics Behind the Name
The substance of the credential is organized as fourteen subordinate topics under two parent groups. These are the current issuer-published exam competencies. They are not a weighted blueprint: percentages and scored-question allocations are not published, so no one can honestly tell you that a given topic is worth a particular share of the exam. For a deeper walkthrough, our complete guide to all 14 CHSP content areas expands on each one.
Group 1: Markets and Market Segments (Topics 1-7)
This group covers who buys hospitality and how to reach each buyer type.
- Introduction to Hospitality Marketing and Sales - the foundation for everything that follows
- The Marketing Plan: The Cornerstone of Sales - how sales activity is planned and directed
- Marketing to Business Travelers
- Marketing to Leisure Travelers
- Marketing to Travel Agents
- Marketing to Meeting Planners
- Marketing to Special Segments
Group 2: Sales Functions (Topics 8-14)
This group covers the operational and selling skills a property uses day to day.
- Managing the Marketing and Sales Office
- Reservations
- Revenue Management
- Personal Sales
- Telephone Sales
- Internal Marketing and Sales
- Marketing Catered Events and Meeting Rooms
What the Exam Looks Like
| Feature | What the current product specifies |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | 100 |
| Time allowed | 2 hours |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Proctor | Required |
| Delivery | ExamFlex, online or print, with an approved proctor |
| Question format | Not specified by the current product |
| Scored vs. unscored split | Not publicly disclosed |
| Observed pass rate | Not publicly disclosed |
Two hours for 100 questions averages out to roughly 72 seconds per question, which is a comfortable pace for most candidates who know the material but leaves little room for lingering on a single item. Details such as calculator use, open-book rules, and specific remote-proctoring procedures are not verified, so confirm them with the issuer when you register rather than assuming. Our pages on the CHSP passing score and the CHSP pass rate explain what is and is not publicly known.
Key Takeaway
Because the item format is not specified and no blueprint weights are published, treat all fourteen topics as fair game and aim for solid command of each rather than betting on a few favorites.
Eligibility, Fees, and Retakes
Who qualifies to apply
The current global issuer requirements ask for at least 50% of your duties in qualifying hospitality sales and six months in your position. There are two ways the time requirement can shrink:
- A Supervisor, Manager, Department Head, or Executive Certification eliminates the time requirement.
- An accredited academic degree eliminates the six-month requirement.
Neither shortcut waives the qualifying-duties requirement or the need for application approval. There is no verified universal degree, experience-hour, training-hour, or reference-count requirement. The roughly 40 hours of self-paced review material in the study package describes study time, not a mandatory minimum or the length of the exam. Our CHSP requirements guide walks through qualifying in more detail.
What it costs
The current official bundle, which includes the application, online study guide, and exam, is USD $398. Member versus non-member pricing and any exam-only price are not disclosed. For the broader financial picture, see the CHSP certification cost breakdown.
If you do not pass the first time
The current global product allows two retake purchases within one year from application approval. The current retake fee has not been verified, so check it before you budget. The one-year window runs from approval, not from your first exam attempt, which makes it worth planning your timeline around your approval date.
Who Values This Title
The title speaks most directly to employers whose revenue depends on organized selling: hotels and resorts, convention and meeting properties, and operations with significant catering and events business. Roles that naturally align with the curriculum include:
- Hotel sales managers and sales executives
- Catering and event sales coordinators
- Reservations and revenue-focused team members
- Marketing and sales office managers
- Group and meetings sales specialists who work with meeting planners and travel agents
The fourteen topics map almost one to one onto these jobs. A candidate who sells to meeting planners, builds a marketing plan, and manages the sales office is working through the same material the credential tests. For a closer look at the employment side, read our pages on CHSP jobs, the CHSP salary guide, and whether the credential is worth it for your situation. No specific salary figures are quoted here because none are verified for this credential.
Keeping the Title Active
The credential does not last forever. Current issuer renewal guidance calls for 50 recertification points within five years, and again every five years thereafter. The official renewal fee is currently USD $102.
Building points gradually across the five years is easier than scrambling at the end, especially if you track what you earn as you go.
Sequencing Your Preparation
Since the fourteen topics fall into two natural groups, a simple way to order your study is to move from foundations to segments to functions. The sequence below is a suggestion, not an official schedule, and you should adjust it to your own strengths. Our full CHSP study guide and one-page cheat sheet are good companions.
Foundations
- Introduction to Hospitality Marketing and Sales
- The Marketing Plan: The Cornerstone of Sales, since later topics assume you understand how plans drive activity
Segments
- Business travelers, leisure travelers, travel agents, meeting planners, special segments
- Compare how needs, booking behavior, and sales approaches differ across buyer types
Sales Functions
- Managing the sales office, reservations, revenue management
- Personal sales, telephone sales, internal marketing and sales
Events and Review
- Marketing Catered Events and Meeting Rooms
- Timed practice sets of 100 questions in two hours to rehearse the real pacing
Revenue Management deserves extra attention if your day job is outside pricing and inventory decisions, since it often feels less intuitive to people who come from the face-to-face selling side. Conversely, if you have never worked a sales office or reservations desk, give those topics more time. To check where you stand, take a timed run on our CHSP practice tests and review which topics trip you up.
Frequently Asked Questions
On this site, CHSP means Certified Hospitality Sales Professional, an AHLA-endorsed certification administered by AHLEI for people in hospitality sales and marketing. Other credentials elsewhere share the same acronym, so always check the context. See also what does CHSP mean and what CHSP certification is.
The current global product specifies 100 questions in 2 hours with a 70% passing score and a required proctor. The question format, scored/unscored split, and observed pass rate are not specified or disclosed.
No weights are published. The fourteen headings are current issuer-published competencies grouped under Markets and market segments (seven topics) and Sales functions (seven topics), but they are not an official weighted or exhaustive blueprint.
No universal degree, experience-hour, training-hour, or reference-count requirement has been verified. The core requirements are at least 50% of duties in qualifying hospitality sales and six months in position, with the time requirement reduced by certain management certifications or an accredited academic degree. Approval of your application is still required.
The current global product allows two retake purchases within one year from application approval. The retake fee is not currently verified, so confirm it with the issuer before registering.
Renewal happens every five years and requires 50 recertification points, with an official renewal fee of USD $102. Points are not automatically equivalent to CEU hours, so follow the issuer's current evidence rules.