This study aims to analyze the perceptions of room division employees in non-star hotels in Palembang regarding their work skills, as well as the needs and implementation of training programs. The study employed a descriptive quantitative approach, with data collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire (1–5) administered to 31 room division employees selected using purposive sampling. The research instrument consisted of 11 work skill indicators and 7 training need indicators, all of which had been tested for validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, median, and percentage) and were further supported by semi-structured interviews with non-star hotel managers. The results indicate that employees perceive their work skills to be in the good to very good category, particularly in terms of communication, teamwork, technical skills, and professionalism. However, a key finding of this study reveals a perceptual discrepancy between employees and hotel management, as managers assess employee work skills to be only at a moderate level, especially in communication and problem-solving skills. Furthermore, despite positive perceptions of work skills, the need for hard skill and soft skill training remains very high. These findings suggest that positive competence perceptions do not necessarily reduce the need for continuous self-development. Practically, this study highlights the importance of designing more structured and needs-based training programs for room division employees in non-star hotels.