Members of the Association of Australian Hotel Schools (AAHS) are all private, full fee paying colleges, offering programs that are specifically geared towards preparing new entrants to meet the demands and expectations of the service management sector including tourism, hotel, conventions and event industries.

A key distinguishing feature of the programs offered by the members is that students acquire, by graduation, all the skills, knowledge and attributes required of industry professionals. They can be expected to perform competently at the entry and junior supervisory level upon appointment and to build on their skills for long term careers in progressively more responsible positions. All the programs include practical training and significant workplace release to ensure the development of the required competencies. Most offer programs up to Degree level (but with a strong vocational focus) in their own right or in association/ownership with a major university, and several offer graduate qualifications up to Masters level.

The purpose of this body is to reflect the growing maturity and professionalism of the sector and will contribute, through benchmarking and a quality assurance focus, to improved outcomes for life-long learning in a changing global environment.