The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IHLA) has become the most recent state hospitality association to earn the designation of Certified Guest Service Partner from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI).
To earn the designation, the partner state association's marketing, membership, and event staff completed EI's Guest Service Gold® training program and then successfully passed the Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®) exam.

"In order to thrive in the competitive hospitality industry, hotels must provide top-notch service to each of their guests. The Certified Guest Service Professional program uses real-life examples to emphasize the importance of taking customer service to the next level and really going above and beyond to make each guest feel wowed. After participating in the training, the IHLA staff now has a full understanding of what quality guest service is in hotels. We see how simple but effective the CGSP program is and can better explain and promote the training benefits to our members," said Marc Gordon, IHLA president and CEO.

Founded in 1910, the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association represents more than 450 hotels in Chicagoland and the state of Illinois. It is one of the top five fastest-growing state hospitality associations in the United States. Illinois is the sixth-most-visited state in the country, and Chicago is the ninth-most-visited city.

To learn more about becoming a Certified Guest Service Property or Partner, visit www.ahlei.org, or call 1.800.349.0299 or +1.407.999.8100.

About the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI)

Established in 1953 as the nonprofit education and training arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), AHLEI's mission is to be the preferred provider of quality resources to educate, develop, and certify hospitality educators, students and professionals worldwide. AHLEI became part of the National Restaurant Association" Training & Certification division in 2017, connecting and leveraging the resources of two organizations that are deeply committed to a vision of career success and upward mobility for current and future hospitality, restaurant, and food service employees.

Elizabeth Johnson
Senior PR & Marketing Manager
+1.517-318-2359
Educational Institute