Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer (CHDM)

Digital marketing is marketing – and a lot more. And what once was a way to set yourself apart is now a professional necessity.

Whether you’re in hospitality marketing, sales, or revenue optimization, this is your reality. This is your future.

Learn more about the globally recognized certification, the CHDM. It is for established hospitality digital marketing professionals who want to demonstrate their proficiency, and sales, marketing, and revenue optimization professionals who want to expand their current role or move into a digital role, upskill and become more proficient, and better understand how digital marketing intersects with and impacts their areas of responsibility.

Learn about Certification: Certified Hospitality Digital Marketing (CHDM) Certification Information Webinar

Be Prepared: Hotel Digital Marketing Essentials Series – Expert-Led Six-Week Virtual Classroom Series. Participants will also gain the skills and knowledge to pass the CHDM exam

The Value of CHDM

The CHDM, a professional certification created by hoteliers for hoteliers, demonstrates your proficiency, upgrades your skills, and helps you to better understand how digital marketing intersects with your areas of responsibility.  It shows your employer and your professional community that you’re committed to advancing your knowledge, skill set, and expertise.

The CHDM is not just for marketers. Today everyone touches digital marketing. If you are in sales, you should understand how to help your marketing team drive better leads to you. If you are in revenue management, understanding advertising and analytics will help you make better pricing decisions. No position within a hotel exists in a vacuum anymore. The better you understand the bigger picture, the more valuable your contribution will be.

The CHDM certification exam is based on the CHDM study guide, Hospitality Digital Marketing Essentials: A Field Guide for Navigating Today’s Digital Landscape.

Topic areas include:

  • Owned Media
  • Earned Media
  • Paid Media
  • Digital Intermediaries
  • Trending Topics
  • Measuring & Managing Digital Performance

For more, see study guide Table of Contents.

The CHDM certification program is a two-part process in which you must complete the CHDM application to demonstrate your eligibility (minimum points: 50), and then pass an online exam covering the subject matter covered in the study guide. CHDM applications may be sent to HSMAI any time throughout the year. Once approved, you may take the online exam at a time of your choosing, as long as it is within twelve (12) months of having your application approved.

Your application will be assessed on a points basis according to your work profile. The items assessed are:

  • Professional Experience
  • On-the-Job Responsibilities
  • Membership in an Industry Organization
  • Leadership in an Industry Organization
  • Authoring Published Articles
  • Speaking at Industry Programs/Meetings
  • Higher Education Coursework
  • Non-Academic Coursework
  • Other Certifications

*Applicants must earn a minimum cumulative total of 50 points from the areas specified above to be eligible for the CHDM. Review CHDM application for more details.

The registration fee includes application processing, the CHDM Study Guide, and the exam.

HSMAI Member Non-Members
Registration Fee $500 $675
Re-examination Fee $45 $45
Recertification Fee (every 2 years) $150 $200

Not a member? Join and save! AmericasEuropeAsiaPacificMiddle East

NEW! Scholarship Fee Grant Funding From The Timothy S.Y. Lam Foundation

Inquire about volume discounts through Kathy Tindell at 703-506-2010 or ktindell@hsmai.org.

Complete the CHDM application — in writable PDF format — and follow the instructions for submitting it to HSMAI, then take and pass the online CHDM examination.

A digital copy of Hospitality Digital Marketing Essentials: A Field Guide for Navigating Today’s Digital Landscape, the official study guide for the CHDM, is included in the cost of the exam. You can take the exam at the time of your choosing as long as it is within a year of having your application approved.

Study at your own pace, using Hospitality Digital Marketing Essentials as your guide. An optional opportunity is to take the CHDM Review Course, a one-day, face-to-face “cram session” that — while not required — covers key concepts outlined in the study guide. Participants who have applied for the CHDM in advance can take the exam onsite immediately following the course.

CHDMs are required to renew the certification every two years. There is no exam, but CHDMs you must 1) earn a minimum of 20 points on the recertification application, which verifies that you are still active in the field of digital marketing and 2) pay the recertification fee. All points claimed on the recertification application must have been earned since the date of your initial CHDM certification, or your last renewal.

Questions?

Contact Kathleen Tindell | ktindell@hsmai.org | 703-506-2010