Active learning connects students to the real life situations they will encounter in their future jobs. In hospitality education, active learning implements various lively, fun activities to introduce practical scenarios students may experience in their hospitality careers. This study identifies 18 essential active-learning items of hospitality education through a comprehensive literature review and in-depth personal and focus group interviews with 19 hospitality educators and eight hospitality students in Asia. This paper discusses the potential benefits of using active learning, and its relationship with two major student engagement themes: "knowledge seeking" and "skills enhancement."