The CHA is AHLEI's executive-level certification for hotel general managers and senior lodging executives. The exam is 200 questions over 4 hours, proctored, with a 70% passing score, and you can choose print or online delivery at administration time through ExamFlex. You need two years in a qualifying position, with limited experience credits available, and the application, study modules, and exam come as an $800 package. Prepare by working through the official Smart Study Modules topic by topic, and confirm anything AHLEI has not published directly with AHLEI.
What the CHA credential covers
The Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) is AHLEI's executive-level certification for hotel general managers and senior hospitality professionals, validating strategic, operational, and business management skills.
AHLEI, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, administers the CHA on behalf of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, whose trademarks cover nearly 30 certification designations. The institute positions the CHA as its highest achievement for hotel executives, aimed at general managers, owner-operators, and senior lodging professionals.
The current offering is the Third Edition program, sold as a combined package of Smart Study Modules, the exam, and the application. AHLEI describes the revised content as a contemporary overview of hotel technology integration, health and safety protocols, and data analytics for decision-making, developed with input from industry professionals.
Because the CHA targets executive-level practice rather than entry-level knowledge, AHLEI gates it with an experience requirement, which the next section explains. If you are earlier in your hospitality career, AHLEI's certification ladder runs from frontline level up to general management, so a department-level designation may fit you better today.
Sources: AHLEI CHA: Certified Hotel Administrator Smart Study Modules, Exam (ExamFlex), and Application — AHLEI store product page — Overview, Exam Details, and How To Apply tabs; Hotel and Hospitality Industry Training and Education | AHLEI — CHA program announcement and ExamFlex section; About AHLEI | AHLEI — Organization background and certification scope
Who qualifies to apply
You need two years of experience in a qualifying lodging position, with two specific ways to shorten that requirement, each usable once.
AHLEI lists these qualifying positions: general manager or owner-operator of a lodging hospitality company, or a corporate executive at a lodging hospitality company responsible for operating two or more properties. Assistant general managers and directors of operations or rooms division also qualify, but only after successfully earning the Certified Rooms Division Executive (CRDE) certification first.
AHLEI lists a one-year experience credit for a current department-head certification and a one-year credit for a degree from an accredited institution, with each category limited to one use. Ask AHLEI how the credits apply to your position and documents before assuming you qualify.
Eligibility is confirmed through the application itself. AHLEI's process asks you to submit your application and supporting documents, and approval is what unlocks the exam stage, so do not book a proctor before your application is approved.
Exam format, delivery, and scoring
The CHA exam has 200 questions, a 4-hour time limit, a required proctor, and a 70% passing score; ExamFlex lets you pick print or online delivery when the exam is administered.
Delivery is flexible. AHLEI's ExamFlex option lets you choose between a print exam and an online proctored exam at the time the exam is administered, rather than locking that choice in when you purchase. This applies to AHLEI certification exams generally, including the CHA package.
| Exam detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Questions | 200 |
| Time allowed | 4 hours |
| Proctor | Required |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Retakes | 2 retake purchases, within 1 year of application approval |
| Delivery | Print or online proctored, chosen at administration time (ExamFlex) |
Sources: AHLEI CHA: Certified Hotel Administrator Smart Study Modules, Exam (ExamFlex), and Application — AHLEI store product page — Overview, Exam Details, and How To Apply tabs; Hotel and Hospitality Industry Training and Education | AHLEI — CHA program announcement and ExamFlex section
The seven exam topics
AHLEI publishes seven exam topic areas: Financial Management, Food & Beverage Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Revenue Management, Rooms Management, and Sales & Marketing.
AHLEI lists these seven areas without per-topic weights or question counts on the CHA product page. Cover every area and use the Smart Study Modules to identify where you need more work.
A practical way to work the list is to pair each topic with the executive decisions it feeds at a property: financial management and revenue management with budgets and pricing calls, human resources and leadership with staffing and development, rooms and food and beverage management with operations, and sales and marketing with demand generation. The official Smart Study Modules then tell you where your knowledge gaps actually sit.
- Financial Management
- Food & Beverage Management
- Human Resources
- Leadership
- Revenue Management
- Rooms Management
- Sales & Marketing
How to apply and what it costs
You purchase the application, study guide, and exam package, submit your application with supporting documents, wait for approval, and then connect with a proctor; the package lists at $800.00.
AHLEI's store lists the complete CHA Third Edition package, which includes the Smart Study Modules, the exam, and the application, at $800.00. The published steps are straightforward: purchase the package, complete and submit your application with supporting documents, access your resource materials once approved, and connect with a proctor to complete your exam.
Two cost details are worth knowing before you buy. AHLEI's page notes that special industry and academic pricing is available through its sales team, so the list price is not necessarily the final figure for every candidate. And because retake purchases are counted within one year of application approval, the clock that matters starts at approval, not at purchase.
How to prepare across the seven topics
Use the Smart Study Modules to assess your knowledge, study weaker topics and check your progress. Cover all seven areas rather than assuming your department experience covers the whole exam.
The self-paced modules are designed to identify knowledge gaps. Set regular study sessions, review the module explanations and return to topics where you still struggle. Use the official materials for detailed content; the public topic names alone do not specify the formulas, laws or scenarios you will be tested on.
Before your appointment, confirm proctor arrangements and current exam instructions with AHLEI. If you need renewal or results-reporting details, use the separate official policy pages linked from the CHA offering.
Next steps
Confirm your eligibility route, purchase the official package, submit your application early, and prepare through the Smart Study Modules before scheduling a proctor.
- Check which qualifying position applies to you, including the CRDE condition if you are an assistant GM or director of operations or rooms division
- Check your qualifying experience and ask AHLEI how any certification or degree credit applies.
- Purchase the CHA Third Edition package from AHLEI's store, or contact the sales team about industry or academic pricing
- Submit your application and supporting documents, and wait for approval before scheduling anything
- Work through the Smart Study Modules across all seven exam topics, using the diagnostics to target gaps
- Connect with a proctor and choose print or online delivery at administration time through ExamFlex
- If needed, remember the two-retake limit runs one year from your application approval date
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