diff --git a/awx_collection/plugins/modules/tower_host.py b/awx_collection/plugins/modules/tower_host.py
index 4443b2ceff..48da007602 100644
--- a/awx_collection/plugins/modules/tower_host.py
+++ b/awx_collection/plugins/modules/tower_host.py
@@ -79,8 +79,6 @@ EXAMPLES = '''
 '''
 
 
-import os
-
 from ..module_utils.tower_api import TowerModule
 
 
@@ -106,13 +104,10 @@ def main():
     inventory = module.params.get('inventory')
     enabled = module.params.get('enabled')
     state = module.params.get('state')
-
     variables = module.params.get('variables')
+
     if variables:
-        if variables.startswith('@'):
-            filename = os.path.expanduser(variables[1:])
-            with open(filename, 'r') as f:
-                variables = f.read()
+        variables = module.load_variables_if_file_specified(variables, 'variables')
 
     # Attempt to look up the related items the user specified (these will fail the module if not found)
     inventory_id = module.resolve_name_to_id('inventories', inventory)
@@ -130,8 +125,10 @@ def main():
         'name': new_name if new_name else name,
         'description': description,
         'inventory': inventory_id,
-        'enabled': enabled
+        'enabled': enabled,
     }
+    if variables:
+        host_fields['variables'] = variables
 
     if state == 'absent':
         # If the state was absent we can let the module delete it if needed, the module will handle exiting from this
diff --git a/awx_collection/tests/sanity/ignore-2.10.txt b/awx_collection/tests/sanity/ignore-2.10.txt
index c9df9574f5..e69de29bb2 100644
--- a/awx_collection/tests/sanity/ignore-2.10.txt
+++ b/awx_collection/tests/sanity/ignore-2.10.txt
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-plugins/modules/tower_host.py use-argspec-type-path