High School

Business, general science, and mathematics classes will give you a solid educational foundation for working in this field. Speech and English courses will boost your communication skills.

Postsecondary Training

Though hotels recognize the importance of experience, with today's competitive market, it is increasingly important to have further education. A bachelor's degree in hotel management is your best bet, but associate's degrees are valued as well. Emphasize course work in business administration, accounting, budgeting, and economics. Classes in communication, sociology, and psychology will prove helpful in dealing with a large, diverse staff. Other useful classes are interior design and purchasing.

Other Education or Training

The IEHA offers professional education credentialing programs that cover topics such as technical, administrative, and management skills. Contact the association for more information. 

Certification or Licensing

Certification or registration is not required of executive housekeepers, though it is something many seek. It is often considered a measure of professional success. IEHA offers the following designations: certified executive housekeeper, registered executive housekeeper, master certified executive housekeeper, and master registered executive housekeeper. Qualified individuals earn these designations by fulfilling educational requirements through a certificate program, a self-study program, or a college degree program. The American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEA) provides the certified hospitality housekeeping executive credential.

High school juniors and seniors who are interested in working in the hospitality industry can take advantage of the AHLEA's Hospitality and Tourism Management Program. The two-year program combines classroom and online learning with work experience in the hospitality industry. Graduating seniors who pass examinations, complete 360 hours of classroom learning, and accrue 100 hours of paid or unpaid work experience at hotels, restaurants, or other tourism industry employers receive the certified hospitality and tourism management professional designation. Visit https://www.ahlei.org/academic/high-school/hospitality-and-tourism-management-program for more information.

Hotel executive housekeepers should have several years of experience handling the cleaning and maintenance responsibilities in hotel facilities. They need to be very detail oriented to maintain high standards of cleanliness. Housekeepers should know how to communicate effectively with their staffs, write reports, perform employee evaluations, order supplies, and handle complaints from hotel guests smoothly and efficiently. As with most service-oriented jobs, customers' complaints are inevitable. It is the manager's job to assess the situation and resolve the problem.