HSMAI

HSMAI
Name	HSMAI
Founded	1927
Location	United States
Fields	Hospitality, Revenue Management, Marketing, Sales

HSMAI is a global professional association serving professionals in hospitality industry sectors including hotel operations, resort management, travel agency executives, airline commercial teams, and cruise line marketers. The organization connects practitioners across regions such as North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Middle East through education, certification, research, and networking with partners like American Hotel & Lodging Association, World Travel & Tourism Council, International Air Transport Association, UNWTO, and Skift. HSMAI collaborates with technology providers, academic institutions, and trade associations including STR (company), Sabre Corporation, Amadeus IT Group, Oracle Corporation, and Google to advance revenue management and commercial strategies.

History

HSMAI traces origins to early 20th-century professional movements among sales and marketing leaders in the hotel sector alongside contemporaries such as American Hotel & Lodging Association and National Hotel Association (UK). Throughout decades, HSMAI intersected with milestones like the postwar expansion of Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the globalization of InterContinental Hotels Group, and the rise of distribution channels exemplified by Expedia Group, Booking.com, and Priceline. The association evolved alongside innovations introduced by figures such as Conrad Hilton, J.W. Marriott, and Isadore Sharp, and during eras shaped by events including the 1970s oil crisis, the growth of low-cost carrier models like Ryanair and Southwest Airlines, and the digital transition led by Yahoo!, Microsoft, and Amazon (company) technologies.

Organization and Structure

HSMAI is structured with national and regional boards that mirror governance models used by entities like Board of Directors (corporate), drawing advisors from companies including Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, AccorHotels, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Choice Hotels International. The association convenes committees resembling those in Institute of Travel & Tourism and coordinates with certification bodies such as Project Management Institute and Chartered Institute of Marketing for standards alignment. HSMAI operates through volunteer leaders and paid staff who liaise with corporate partners like Sabre, Amadeus, TravelClick, Cvent, and academic partners from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, and Les Roches.

Membership and Chapters

Membership categories echo models used by Institute of Hospitality and include individual professionals, corporate memberships, student affiliates from institutions such as NYU School of Professional Studies, Johnson & Wales University, and Michigan State University College of Hospitality Business. HSMAI maintains chapters in major markets including New York City, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Sydney, Toronto, São Paulo, Mexico City, Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai, and Seoul. Chapters collaborate with regional associations such as AHLA, UKHospitality, Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Australian Hotels Association, and Singapore Tourism Board to host events, trainings, and certification exams.

Programs and Services

HSMAI offers training programs modeled after continuing education frameworks like those at Cornell University and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), including revenue management, digital marketing, distribution strategy, and sales leadership curricula. Services include certification tracks comparable to Certified Hospitality Revenue Manager and partnerships for credentialing akin to Certified Meeting Professional and Google Analytics Individual Qualification. HSMAI runs conferences and summits similar to Phocuswright Conference, ITB Berlin, World Travel Market, Skift Forum, and AHLA's Independents Conference, and provides webinars featuring speakers from Revenue Management Systems (RMS) providers such as IDeaS, Duetto Research Corporation, and Revinate.

Awards and Recognition

The association administers awards recognizing excellence in revenue strategy, digital marketing, and sales achievements, akin to accolades distributed by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Forbes Travel Guide, and World Travel Awards. HSMAI honors individuals and companies with distinctions that parallel recognitions given by AAA, Michelin Guide, and trade honors like Hotelier Middle East Awards and European Hospitality Awards. Award recipients often include executives from Marriott International, Hilton, Accor, InterContinental Hotels Group, Airbnb, Expedia Group, and leading boutique brands such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton.

Research and Publications

HSMAI produces research reports and white papers on topics comparable to studies from STR, Phocuswright, Skift Research, Deloitte, McKinsey & Company, PwC, and Ernst & Young. Publications cover forecasts, benchmarking, distribution cost analyses, channel performance, and consumer behavior, and are disseminated through partnerships with media outlets like Hospitality Net, Hotel News Now, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg. HSMAI collaborates with academic researchers from Cornell University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College, and Oxford School of Hospitality Management to produce peer-informed content.

Influence on Hospitality Revenue Management and Marketing

HSMAI has influenced practices in revenue management and marketing through advocacy, education, and standards-setting similar to the impact of IATA on aviation and WTO on tourism. Its frameworks have informed methodologies adopted by technology vendors like IDeaS, Duetto, Infor, and Oracle Hospitality, and by corporate chains including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Accor, and InterContinental Hotels Group. HSMAI’s training and certification programs have been cited by corporate learning & development teams at Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, Accor, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Wyndham Worldwide as part of talent pipelines, and its events foster collaboration among marketing leaders from Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Category:Hospitality organizations