Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify recent research on knowledge development in Facility Management (FM); identify types of knowledge and its degree of importance in the FM field within the Malaysian environment; and how does it benefit Hospitality Management (HM) in terms of managerial competency. Design/methodology/approach – The nature of this study is quantitative. Data were gathered through questionnaires distributed to various practitioners in the FM field in the private sector and government sector in Malaysia. Findings – The analysis results support that all types of knowledge, which was considered important, are required to develop a conceptual model of training syllabus for an intensive training program. The analysis results will be discussed in the context of hospitality management. In addition, a decision-making tree model was created to facilitate the training program in the future with the aim of developing a competency model. Research limitations/implications – Most of the participants have experience with the FM field. Future research is recommended to include the conceptual model of training syllabus in analysis information relating to managers directly involved with the orientation of HM. Originality/value – This paper presents a quantitative survey regarding the importance of knowledge in the FM industry in Malaysia and generally discusses the link between FM and Hospitality managerial competency. Further, this research delivers useful information for FM and HM managers who intend to further develop the practical training program based on the proposed decision-making tree model.