Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA)

The Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics instructor-led workshops, online course, and the corresponding certification are endorsed by the organizations below. Together we offer the Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics instructor-led workshops, online course, and certification for professors to use in their classes and for students and industry professionals to earn a highly valuable certification to be used in the workforce.

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If you are a professor looking to provide the certification to your students, click on the “I am a professor” button. 

If you are an industry professional, click on the “I am a professional” button.

The CHIA is endorsed by the following organizations

What is the CHIA?

Obtained by over 40,000 students, professors, and professionals, the CHIA if the most popular hotel industry certification.  The CHIA is offered by hundreds of universities around the world and is mandatory at many.  Recipients include professionals from almost every hotel company and related firm.  For a student, achieving this distinction announces that they have a place among the best graduates in their profession.  For a professional, the CHIA certification emphasizes their analytical expertise and opens the doors to future career opportunities.

This recognition provides evidence of a thorough knowledge of the foundational metrics, definitions, formulas, and methodologies that are used by the hotel industry. Recipients have proven that they can “do the math” and interpret the results. They have demonstrated an ability to analyze various types of hotel industry data and to make strategic inferences based upon that analysis. Certification also confirms a comprehensive understanding of benchmarking and performance reports that are used by industry professionals. Recipients have a grasp of the current landscape of the hotel industry, including relevant current events.  

The CHIA certification is based upon four core content areas:

  • Hotel Industry Analytical Foundations – single/less space
  • Hotel Math Fundamentals, the metrics used by the Hotel Industry
  • Improving Property Performance using STAR Data (STAR Reports and dSTAR)
  • Analyzing Market Performance using STR Industry Data (Trends, Development, P&L, and Destination Reports)

A detailed outline of the training content and a sample exam are available.  CHIA training includes case scenarios, hints, sample reports, industry “tricks of the trade,” analysis examples, quizzes, discussion questions, and application exercises where participants gain hands-on experience working with hotel data.

Universities are provided with a comprehensive training program, sample data, supporting materials, and free train-the-trainer sessions to make it easy to present the training to their own students.  Schools are presenting the certification training to students in labs and optional workshops as well as courses in lodging operations, revenue management, finance, and capstone classes.

The CHIA is targeted at industry professionals such as general managers, revenue managers, corporate staff, travel and tourism professionals, trainers, and research staff from a variety of organizations:

  • Hotel companies and hotels
  • Management companies and owners
  • Tourism/Travel organizations
  • Hotel associations
  • Convention and Visitor Bureaus
  • Developers, consultants, and appraisers
  • Accounting and financial firms
  • Hotel-related vendors
  • Other organizations serving the hotel industry

Here's what students, professors, and professionals have to say about the CHIA

Christina Tavares | Senior Lecturer,
Hospitality Business School
Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL)

“I have over ten years of experience with CHIA as a certified instructor. I look forward to the training sessions with the new students each semester. It is gratifying to see their interest grow during the workshops and when they realize that numbers can tell a story. The certificate is an excellent asset on the students’ CVs when applying for internships or positions around the globe, as numerous hospitality companies worldwide use the STR reports and information taught during the certification. As an instructor, I appreciate the up-to-date information in the teaching material. The content is easy to work with, with clear explanations, many examples and exercises.”

Robert O'Halloran | Professor and Director, SHL East Carolina University

“The School of Hospitality Leadership at East Carolina University has been part of the Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA) since the pre-pilot days.  The integration of the exam and its corresponding materials has enhanced the professional recognition of our students and supported them in their job searches.  The CHIA material is integrated in my own class focusing on financial management and has assisted students in handling more complex problems.  They strengthen their decision making skills by focusing on the interpretation of data.  The CHIA program integrated with ECU academics and combined with industry experience has been a positive addition to student education and professionalism.”

Dave Roberts | Lecturer,
Nolan School of Hotel Administration
SC Johnson College of Business
Cornell University

"CHIA training is a required part of my core course here at Cornell; I'm happy to say that we have hundreds of students complete the training and receive their CHIA certification each year.  The content and knowledge learned is directly applicable to the industry.  Students also develop critical thinking skills that will serve them well in virtually any field."

Daniel J. Mount | Associate Professor,
School of Hospitality Management
Pennsylvania State University

“As a faculty, we felt that CHIA knowledge and certification were required knowledge for our graduates.  As such, we added the CHIA material in our lectures and the certification to a required Hospitality Revenue and Profit Optimization course.  All of our graduates will be exposed to the CHIA training and take the CHIA certification exam. Our industry advisory board is thrilled with this requirement.  We have had several graduates that have entered the hotel industry communicate with us that they frequently are involved in meetings that discuss STAR Reports on their first day on the job, and they appreciate being able to understand the reports and contribute to the discussion. It makes a tremendous impression when a new employer assumes that a new graduate knows nothing about STAR Reports and they are able to contribute from day one.”

H.G. Parsa | Associate Professor, Barron Hilton Chair in Lodging & Professor, University of Denver

“The CHIA is an exceptional credential every hotel manager, teacher, or consultant must have. The CHIA training program is well-researched and meticulously presented. It is respected worldwide. I have taught CHIA for the past several years, and my students think it is challenging yet highly rewarding.  I highly recommend CHIA certification to all hospitality faculty and students and professionals.”

Sijun Liu | Assistant Professor, School of Business Southern Utah University

“As a hospitality professor, incorporating the Certified Hospitality Industry Analytics (CHIA) certification into our curriculum has significantly elevated our students' analytical capabilities. The CHIA certification stands out for its practical applicability, bridging academic theory with the real-world demands of the hospitality industry. It covers crucial areas such as market analysis, revenue management, and performance benchmarking, enhancing decision-making and strategic skills. Witnessing students apply these insights in real-life scenarios has been exceptionally rewarding, highlighting the certification's transformative impact. The CHIA certification is indispensable for those aspiring to lead in the data-driven hospitality sector.

Jeff Wermager | CRME Director, Revenue Optimization, Americas Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

“It is vital at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group that our operators and revenue optimization team have a thorough understanding of the metrics used in the hotel industry.  The Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics training has significantly helped further develop their knowledge of these fundamentals and has enhanced their daily job performance.  Those that attended a CHIA training session and successfully received their certification are more confident in their ability to read and interpret not only the STR reports, but other reports commonly used in the hotel industry.  We would highly recommend this training to any professional working in the hospitality industry.”

John Sozansky | Vice President, Valuation & Advisory Newmark Knight Frank

“The Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA) course and certification is a major step towards gaining professionalism in the hotel industry. Whether it is as a corporate executive, industry analyst or appraiser, this is the course that sets the standard for lodging analytics. STR does a great job in making the course material relevant to upper level industry professionals. I recommend this course and designation to take the next step in your career since STR is the acknowledged leader in the data analytics field.”

Jim Lindsey | Instructor, Western Kentucky University

Learning the content included in the Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics training material has helped my students improve their analytical skills! Getting the certification is icing on the cake – the credential certainly helps them stand out among peers. My students major in business disciplines such as data analytics, finance, accounting, economics, and operations management. The CHIA training and certification helps them even more than it does my business students.

Yousry Edris | CFO, Nayyara Hospitality, Egypt

“When you have a better understanding of what you share, you can give more happiness to your stakeholders. The CHIA certification confirms a comprehensive understanding of benchmarking and performance reports, knowledge of the foundational metrics, definitions, formulas, and methodologies that are used by the hotel industry, ability to analyze various types of hotel industry data and to make strategic decision based upon that analysis. Thank you to STR, Inc. and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute for making people (investors, guests, hospitality experts) happier.”

Morgan Lemis | Senior Financial Analyst, Xenia Hotels & Resorts

“The CHIA course was my first exposure to STR, as I have previously worked in other types of commercial real estate. The course was well-planned, and I felt like I learned a great deal of information in the allotted time period. I would highly suggest this to anyone who deals with STR reports, as this is a tremendous tool for hospitality professionals and a deeper understating of how to effectively interpret the reports is a necessity. Very happy I took this course from the start.”

Tomm Hamm | Owner, SVN Hotels

“STR Reports are of critical importance for our hotel brokerage business, whether analyzing the performance of hotels we list for sale, for purposes of writing Broker Opinion of Value (BOV) for prospective sellers, investors and lenders, and site selection for hotel development. The CHIA workshop provided deeper comprehension of STR’s reports, data interpretation as well as new insights, thus enabling us to provide a higher level of service to our customers and clients.”

Marichu Liwanag | Assistant Professor, ITHM Far Eastern University Manila

"It was a great and challenging experience to be assigned on facilitating the Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics training to our first batch of HRM students in FEU-Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management.  This training will not only strengthen the knowledge and skills of our students, but they will be recognized for their accomplishments. Thus, we are so delighted that we achieved 100% CHIA student passers this semester. This endeavor is evidence of their hard work learning the material to obtain the certification and achieved our primary goal of honing them to have the advantage on leading the hospitality industry in the future."

Here is what your CHIA certification will look like

Are you ready for your Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA)?

I am a student
I am a professor
I am a professional

If you are a student click on the “I am a student” button. 

If you are a professor looking to provide the certification to your students, click on the “I am a professor” button. 

If you are an industry professional, click on the “I am a professional” button.