1. Account aging: A method for tracking past due accounts according to the dates the charges originated.

2. Account receivable: An amount owed to the hotel.

3. Achievement factor: The % of the rack rate that a hotel actually receives. In hotels not using yield management
software, this factor is generally approximated by dividing the actual average room rate by the potential average rate.
4. Adjacent room: Room close to each other, such as across the hall.
5. Adjoining room: Rooms with a common wall but no connecting door.
6. . ADR: Average Daily Rate
7. ADR = Total Room Revenue Number of rooms sold.
8. Affiliate reservation network: A hotel chain reservation system in which al! participating properties are
contractually related.
9. AH&MA: American Hotel and Motel Association.
10. Auditing: The process of verifying front office accounting records as to accuracy and completeness.
11. Airline rate: A reduced rate offered to air-crew personnel.
12. Allowance: A reduction in the folio as an. adjustment either for unsatisfactory service or for a posting error. It is
also called 'rebate'.
13. Amendment: Any change from the original..
14. American Plan: Room rate plan that includes room rent + EMT + Two minor meals + two major meals. Also called 'En
pension or ' Full board plan '.
15. Interconnecting room: Two rooms next to each other with a door in the common wall allowing entry from one room
to other without having to go out in the corridor. Also called 'Connecting rooms' and ' interconnecting room.
16. Authorisation: It is the permission approval by the credit card company to the hotel for the extortion of me credit
card facility incase the credit card holder's credit exceeds or is about to exceed the assigned floor limit.
17. Authorisation Code: A code generated by online credit card verification service indicating that the requested
transaction has been approved.
18. Availability report: A report that contains expected arrival and departure information for the next several days,
typically prepared as pan of the night audit
19. Baby sitter: One who is hired to take care of the babies in the absence of the parents.
20. Back of the house: Service areas in which the staff have little or no direct guest contact Eg Personnel, accounts,
purchase maintenance etc.
21. Back to back: Heavy check out and check in on the same day relating to groups. as one group leaves, another checks
in.
22. Bell stand: The bell desk situated in the front office.
23. Blacklist: A list of names of all unwelcome persons usually made by the hotel management.
24. Blanket reservation: A block of rooms held for a particular group with individual members requesting from the
block i.e. a unit that has been reserved for a specific arrival date but not for a specific guest. also referred to as a
blocked room.
25. Block booking : Term used for the reservation of several people at the same time normally at the same rate.
Example groups, conference, delegates etc.
26. Budget hotel: Hotel which provide cheap and more basic guest rooms often wit h limited food and beverage services.
27. Bucket check: The night auditor's check of room rate posting on guest folios against the H/K departments report
of occupied rooms and the front office room rack. It helps to ensure that rates are posted for all occupied rooms
and help reduce the occupancy errors caused when front desk agents do not properly complete check-in and check-
out procedures.
28. Bounced reservation: Same as ' walking a guest'.
29. Breakage: If an individual guest or a group does not avail of some services or amenities such as meals/food
included in the package, then the gain which accrues to the hotel is called. breakage.
30. Caf- Complet: A midmorning or afternoon coffee snacks.
31. Call accounting system ( CAS ): A device linked to the hotel telephone system that accurately accounts for guest
telephone calls by identifying each phone number dialed from the guest room telephones and tracking charges.
32. Cancellation: Nullification. When any reservation or booking is made void. The average cancellation rate is 2% of the
reservations.
33. Card key: Computerized room key.
34. Charge voucher: A bill or docket showing details of the amount to be charged to the guests account. Eg., food and drink at the
bar etc.
35. Cash Bank: An amount of money given to the cashier at the start of each shift so that he or she can handle the various
transactions that occur.
36. Cash sheet: A document in report form prepared by the cashier carrying all transactions against folio accounts, cash
paid-outs and departmental cash sales This document serves as a primary cross reference document n the hotel s audit
37. Casino hotel: A hotel with gambling facilities.
38. Charge back: Sometimes the credit card company refuses the payment of a voucher signed by the customer which is
sent by the hotel. This situation is called charge back.
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39. Check-in: The procedure of registration, as well as a name given to the guest who arrives at the hotel and registers.
40. Check-out: The procedure of settling the hotel account on departure of a guest as well as a name given to the guest who settles
the account and leaves the hotel
41. Check-out time / hour: The time by which the guest must vacate the room
42. CIP: Commercially important person A person who has influence over a large volume of business given to hotels.
43. City accounts / ledger: records of financial transactions between hotel and nonresident guests
44. Credit limit: The amount of money up to which the guests given credit facility after which the hotel requests the
guest to clear the bill either partly or full Also called the ' House limit.
45. Concessionaire: Refers to the shop providing services, amenities and facilities etc. to the guests, generally, they
are not operated by the hotel but are rented It's an example of NORP.
46. Closed dates : Particular dales on u h i c h t he hotel is fully booked.
47. Commercial hotels Hotels situated at vintage points in the city mainly catering to the business clientele. Also
known as 'Downtown hotels'.
48. Commercial rate: A special room rate agreed on by a company and a hotel for frequent guest. Also called a
Corporate rate.
49. Commission: Payments or discounts made to travel agents or companies for the introduction/ providing business.
50. Cut off hour: The date and time till which a booking is kept valid.
51. Concierge: An employee whose basic task is to serve as a guests liaison with both hotel and non-hotel
attraction, facilities, services and activities.
52. Current account: A city ledger account that is within the current billing period i.e. within 30 days.
53. D Card: A night auditors report used in semi automated front office accounting system.
54. Daily operations report: A report typically prepared by the night auditor that summarizes the hotels financial
activities during a 24hour period and provides insights into revenues, receivables, operating statistics and cash
transactions related to front office. Also known as the Managers report.
55. Deposits: Payments received in advance to guarantee a booking.
56. DNS: (Did not stay) when guest leaves immediately after having registered.
57. Direct Billing: A credit arrangement normally established through correspondence between a guest or a company
and the hotel in which the hotel agrees to bill the company for the charges incurred.
58. Day Rate: A special room rate for less than an overnight stay.
59. Day Use: A room status term indicating that the room would be used less than a nights stay.
60. Delinquent account: A city Ledger account that has not been settled within a reasonable collection period i.e.
usually 90 days.
61. Due out: A room status term indicating that a room is expected to become vacant after the following days check
out time.
62. Due Back: A situation that occurs when the cashier pays out more than what he receives. The difference is due
back to the cashiers bank.
63. Dumb Waiter: a luggage lift used by the bell boys to carry luggage to the guest room.
64. Early Arrival: A guest who checks in before the expected arrival date..
65. Early Departure: Guest who leaves before the original date of departure. Also called Curtailment or
Understay.
66. EMT: Early Morning Tea. (Also Coffee) TCM: Tea Coffee Maker.
67. ETA: Expected Time of Arrival; ETD: Expected Time of Departure.
68. European Plan: A basic kind of Room Plan where only accommodation charges and EMT are included.
69. Executive Floors: Rooms Provided to business people on a floor sometimes with a separate check-in and check-
out facilities, meeting space, business center, a separate lounge and bar areas.
70. FAM trip: Familiarization trip; People may be shown around the hotel and its facilities may be offered free of
charge or at a nominal rate, in order to invite business.
71. Family Plan: A special room that that allows children to occupy their parents room at no extra charge.
72. Farm Out: Same as ' walking a guest'.
73. Float: An amount of money given to the cashier for the purpose of giving change and making small payments.
Also called Cashiers bank or Imprest.
74. Floor Limit: The maximum amount a hotel can accept on a credit card. Also known as Sanction Limit.
75. Foyer: The entrance hall to a lobby.
76. Folio: Guest Bill on which all charges are recorded. Also known as Guest Account.
77. Front Office Accounting Formula: The formula used in posting transaction in Front Office Accounts: Previous
Balance + Debit Credits = Net Outstanding Balance.
78. Free Sale: Term used when rooms are available for sale.
79. FFC: Flower Fruits and Cookies. A complimentary gesture to special guests in which a basket of fruits, Some
cookies and a Flower Arrangement is provided in the guest room.
80. Global Distribution System: (GDS) A distribution channel for reservation that provides worldwide distribution
of hotel reservation information and allows selling of the hotel reservation around the world Eg. Galileo,
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 Amadeus, Worldspan, Apollo, Sitar, Sabare etc.
81. GIT: Group Inclusive Tours.
82. Group rate: Subsidized rate for groups. Also called Flat Rate.
83. Garni Hotel: A hotel which has no food and beverage facility.
84. Guaranteed reservation: Payment for room is promised even if the guest fails to arrive, unless the reservation is
properly cancelled. The room is kept back for the guest for a period of 24 hrs.
85. House Count: The number of guest staying in a hotel at any given point of time.
86. House Phone: Telephone (s) located in the Lobby for the guest to make any in house or outside call. Outside
calls are normally charged.
87. High Balance Report: A report that identifies a guest, approaching their account credit limit, typically prepared
by the night auditor.
88. Housekeeping Status Report: A report prepared by the housekeeping department that indicates the current
occupancy status of each room, based on a physical check.
89. IATA: International Air Transport Association.
90. Imprinter: A machine which used to imprint the detail of credit card on a charge slip or a sales voucher.
91. Incidental Accounts: Charge levied on the guest and payable by him and not by a travel agent or a company.
92. Induction: An organizational process to familiarize a new recruit with the organization and the work plan.
93. Job Description: A detailed list of identifying all key duties of a job as well as reporting relationship, additional
responsibilities, working conditions and any necessary equipments and materials.
94. Job Specification: A list of the personal qualities, skills and traits needed successfully to perform the jobs
outlined in the Job Description.
95. Key Card: Card issued to the guest on registration,. It displays the room number, name rate and other relevant
details.
96. Late Check Out: A room status term indicating that, it is allowed to check out later than the hotels standard
check-out time.
97. Log Book: A journal in which important Front Office events and decisions are recorded for reference during
subsequent shifts.
98. Lead time: Time period from when a booking was made, to the time a guest checks in the hotel.
99. Low Season/ Lean Season: Quietest period in terms of business for a hotel, prices are normally at their lowest.
1. Lock out: Denying guest of luggage usually because of unpaid bill.
2. Management Accounts: Expense accounts or allowance given by some hotels to the hotel management.
3. Master Bill: The main account on which charges have been recorded to a company for a particular guest.
Charges not recorded on the main account are normally posted on an incidental account.
4. (MAP) Modified American Plan: Plan Includes Room Rate, EMT, one major and one minor meal for a day.
Also known as Demi-Pension or Half Board Plan.
5. Materialization Percentage: The % of reserved guest who actually arrives.
6. Moments of Truth: Every time the guest has an opportunity to form an impression about the hospitality
organization and inform the same to the service providers.
7. No Show: A guest who made a room reservation but did not register or cancel.
8. No post status: A term used to indicate a guest who is not allowed to charge credit purchases to his or her room
accounts.
9. Non affiliate reservation system: A subscription system which is designed to connect independently operated
hotels.
10. No Information (NI): A guest who does not want to disclose his or her identity. The GRC is marked N.I.
11. Open Dates: Term means rooms are available for booking.
12. O.O.O.: Rooms are not available for letting since some repair works or redecorations are going on. Out of Order.
13. Overstay: A guest who was expected to check out and now wishes to stay an extra night or nights.
14. Overbooking: Term means, to accept more room bookings than they are available. This is done to ensure 100%
occupancy after allowing no shows, cancellations and early departures.
15. On Change: A room status indicating that the guest has departed but the room has not been cleaned or readied
for resale.
16. Pay-per-view: Industry term for video or audio service, usually delivered at the
17. guest room television, in which the guests are charged for the time they
18. actually use the service.
19. Per Diem: Per Day Basis.
20. Posting: Term used for entering an amount to a guest account.
21. Point of Sale (POS): The location at which goods or services are purchased. Any hotel department that collects
revenues for its goods or services is considered a revenue center and thus a point of sale.
22. POS System: A computer network that allows electronic cash registers at the hotels POS to communicate
directly with the front office guests accounting module.
23. Pre-Payment: An amount paid in advance of services rendered.
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24. Paid in Advance: A guest who pays his or her room charges in Cash during registration. PIA guests are ofter
denied house credits.
25. Pick Up Report: Summarizes reservation activity, the term Pick Up indicates the actual number of rooms sold
to individual travelers.
26. Pull Out: Often called a sofa-sleeper.
27. Qualifying: Process of asking questions to a guest and obtaining answers, that
28. will better help the hotel sales person to meet the guest reservation needs.
29. Rack Rate: The highest quoted rate printed in the Tariff Card.
30. Release Time: Booking held for a guest for a particular time. If he does not arrive the room can be sold to
another person.
31. Rev-Par: Average revenue generated by each guest room, during a given time period.
32. Rev Par = Occupancy% x ADR.
33. Room Occupancy %: Refers to the actual number of rooms sold, as a percentage (Rooms Sold/ Total number of
saleable rooms ) x 100.
34. Room Status: Indicates whether a room is occupied or vacant or reserved at any given time.
35. Rooming List: A list containing the list of the group members viz. Names, passport detail, date of issue, place of
issue and the allotted room numbers.
36. Room Mix: Ratio of hotels room types.
37. Room Night: Single night use of a guest room.
38. Eg. A group using 10 rooms for 5 nights generates 50 room nights.
39. Safe Deposit: A facility available to the guest, for storage of their valuable
40. property.
41. Self Check Out: Computerized system to allow the guest to review ones folio
42. and settle the account by ones credit card.
43. Shoulder Period: A price offered between High and Low season.
44. Siberia: A term normally used for any inferior quality room, such as near the staircase, elevators etc. guests must
be informed about the condition and situation before selling it.
45. SIT ( Special Interest Tours) : A visit normally once in a lifetime.
46. Skipper: A guest who leaves the hotel, without settling ones bills.
47. Split Folios: Folio in which guest charges are separated in two or more folios.
48. Star Reservation: A reservation for a VIP.
49. SPATT: Special Attention Guests Eg. Handicapped Guest, Celebrities etc.
50. Stay over: A guest who occupies a room in the previous night and will not check out today.
51. Travel Agent: An agent who reserves accommodation and activities at the hotel on behalf of the guests and
normally charges a commission against the services rendered.
52. Twin: A room with two separate beds separated by a bed side table.
53. TIPS: To Insure Prompt Service.
54. Travelers Cheque: A prepaid cheque sold by banks and other financial institutions which is considered
equivalent to cash when the guest signs on it.
55. Travel Agent Voucher (TAV): A type of travel agent guaranteed reservation, in which the agent forwards a
voucher to the hotel, as a proof of payment and guarantees that the prepaid amount would be sent to the hotel
when the voucher is returned to the Travel Agency for payment.
56. Uniformed Service: A section within the rooms division including parking attendants, door attendants, porters,
drivers and the bell boys.
57. Up-selling: A sales technique whereby a guest is offered more expensive room than what he/she had originally
reserved or requested and then persuaded to rent the room based on the rooms features, benefits and his/her
needs.
58. Voice Mail Box: A device capable of storing, recording, and playing back messages for guests through the
telephone system.
59. VPO (Visitors Paid Out): When the hotel cashier pays on behalf of the guest, and later collects it from the guest
at the point of check out---- its a service given against some petty cash expenses made by the guests eg. Purchase
of flower, taxi fare etc.
60. Walking a guest: Relocating to another hotel (owing to lack of rooms/ overbooking) of guests who had a
confirmed or guaranteed reservation.
61. Walk in: Guests who arrive in the hotel without prior reservation.
62. Wash Factor: The number of rooms which are reduced during the period of lead time. This is a forecast as a %
by the FOM , normally applies to the GIT bookings.
63. Yield Management: A technique based on the supply and demand used to maximize revenue, by lowering prices
to increase sales during the period of low seasons/ demands and by raising prices during periods of high demands.
64. Z Bed : a portable bed that can be folded for easy storage also called an Extra bed, a Roll away or Roll ins.
65.Zero Out: To settle in full the balance of a folio account as the guest checks out.
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66. Internet distribution system (IDS) A direct-marketing distribution channel that provides property exposure
and reservations management for independent hotels, chain hotels, and third-party intermediaries representing hotel
companies.