Supplier's Toolkit
CHSP Certification:
What is the CHSP designation and what does it mean to you?
By Jodie Langhammer, CHSP
What is the CHSP designation and what does it mean to you?
The CHSP - Certified Hospitality Sales Professional - is a designation that heightens your professional credibility in the Hospitality and Meeting Planning Industries. The course material is extremely relevant and your acquired knowledge can be utilized immediately. The certification is offered through the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (formerly known as the American Hotel and Motel Association). I learned about the CHSP Certification Program when the independent property in which I was employed, converted to a Holiday Inn franchise property. It was a Holiday Inn Worldwide requirement for all Directors' of Sales to carry the CHSP designation, and all of the General Managers to obtain the CHA (Certified Hotel Administrator) designation.
To become eligible for the CHSP, candidates must comply with a combination of education and professional experience requirements. Like the CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) designation, there is a point system established to determine your eligibility. The number of professional development points that you will need will be based upon the formal education you received from an accredited institution in the hospitality/sales field. To determine whether or not you qualify to sit for the exam, you may refer to the AHLA web site. The address is www.ei-ahla.org.
The exam is a proctored 4 hour test that is a combination of multiple choice, practical problems and essay questions. There is a CHSP Study Guide provided to prepare for the exam that includes sample questions and problems. It covers Hospitality Sales, Hospitality Marketing, Sales and Service, Hotel Operations, Hospitality Law, and Management and Administration.
Having taken (and Passed-Whew!) both the CHSP and the CMP examinations, the CHSP exam was the most difficult for me. This is for a variety of reasons. I participated in the MPI sponsored Study Group for the CMP but only used the Study Guide on my own to prepare for the CHSP. The CHSP curriculum encompassed areas outside our everyday sales responsibilities such as Operations and Hospitality Law. The practical problems were based on hypothetical properties in which you were asked to provide solutions that required you to pull from a broad spectrum of your hotel knowledge and experience-unlike multiple choice questions.
Would I recommend the CHSP certification program to my colleagues?
The knowledge that I derived from the program is very worthwhile and applicable in your day to day performance as a sales professional. It expands your horizons, gives you new ideas or refreshes those that you've had in the past, and learning something new keeps your career interesting!
Jodie Langhammer is the DOS of the Holiday Inn San Diego Bayside. She is the 2nd Vice President of the SGMP San Diego Chapter and a member of the 2004/2005 SGMP Supplier Leadership Roundtable. You may contact her at
800-650-6660 or dos@holinnbayside.com.
- Application process:
- Make check payable to the Educational Institute of AH&LA at the time of application to the program. Fee includes the comprehensive study guides. Candidates who successfully pass the certification exam will earn:
- Industry renowned professional designation
- Professionally displayed certificate
- Certification lapel pin
- The first step to earning your CHSP is to obtain an application by:
- Visiting EI's Web site at: www.ei-ahla.org
- Calling the Educational Institute at 888.575.8726
- Organizational chart template: This is a template and should be tailored to fit your Company’s management structure
- SGMP Review and Exam is available each year two days prior to the Annual Education Conference
- Registration for the Review and Exam is sent with the Exhibitors Registration. For current rates and dates of the class please refer to the Exhibitors Registration available on the National Website
|
FAQ | 
Contact SGMP | 
Home 
