Front Office Terminology

A
AAAAmerican Automobile Association.
AARPAmerican Association of Retired Persons.
accidentterm used to describe employee injuries.
accounting equationAssets = Liabilities +
Owners Equity.
accounting transferused when a charge or
credit needs to be sent elsewhere within the
guest ledger.
aging statementwithin the city ledger, the
aging statement tracks how long each receivable
has remained uncollected.
all suitehotel type that offers suites as the primary
room type.
ancillaryhotel revenue sources outside of sleeping
rooms or food/beverage.
anticipated usage amountcash deposit required
covering the estimated use of hotel facilities
and services (e.g., in-room phones, in-room movies,
room service, etc.).
arrival chronologythe term used to categorize
the stages a transient or group guest go through
upon arrival to a hotel.
arrival/departure reporta night audit report
that summarizes all the check-ins and checkouts
that occurred in the course of a day.
arrivals reporta front office report that lists
every guest due to arrive that day; a front office
report that lists only those check-ins yet due to
arrive at that specific time. This report can be run
at anytime during the day.
assetan economic resource.
audit trailserves as documented history of transactions.
automated call distributor (ACD)routes
reservations calls to available agents.
automatic postingthe transfer of guest charges
to an account as they are incurred.
average daily rate (ADR)an average of all the
rates sold at a hotel on a given night.
B
back of the househotel departments with traditionally
low amounts of guest contact.

bag deliveryterm used when a groups luggage

is delivered to individual rooms at some point after
the group has checked into the hotel.
bag pullat a predetermined time in the day
(usually when all group attendees are in session),
the bellstaff go into each room and pull each
attendees luggage. This luggage is then stored until
the group is ready to depart.
balance sheetserves to summarize a hotels
financial situation on a given date.
banka cash reserve assigned to individual front
desk employees/managers to handle daily transactions.
bellcaptainthe leader of the bellstaff.
bellcarta large metal cart on rollers that bellstaff
use to carry luggage to and from a guest
room.
blockingprocess of holding or reserving a specific
room based on room preferences and other
factors.
brand loyaltythe institutionalized preferences
of a consumer for a product or service based on a
brand name or logo.
bundlingthe process of combining one or more
hotel products or services together to make the
new entity more attractive; most commonly used
with package rates.
business transienttransient market subset
comprised of guests traveling on business.
buyer confidencea hotel guests predetermined
desire to book a room at a hotel at almost
any cost.
C
captive audiencecustomers who are staying at
the hotel and will, for convenience and lack of
other options, partake in the outlets the hotel has
to offer.
card approvalprocess to ensure that each
credit card is valid and that a sufficient amount of
credit is available on the card.
central reservations system (CRS)provides
the consumer with an avenue to locate a hotel of
choice in a certain location.
charge/credit slipsused when the entry in the

guest account menu has a net effect on the overall

guest ledger.
chief engineercoordinates the day-to-day maintenance
of the hotels physical structure.
city ledgertracks revenues due to the hotel.
closed to arrival (CTA)a useful restriction in
slowing demand on one night while increasing
demand on the prior night.
commission(usually 10 percent of the rate for
hotels) paid to travel agents by hotels, airlines, and
other travel related suppliers to induce further
bookings.
common areashotel spaces where most, if not
all, guests may walk through.
comp rooms reportthe night auditors must
verify each room that has no rate posted to it. This
report will include a reason for the complimentary
status (e.g., per group contract, VIP, distressed
guest, etc.).
competitive sethotels of similar product type,
location type, and size.
compression of demandthe theory that the
need for hotel rooms in a city or geographical
region will remain static and fairly constant in
spite of what the occupancy level is. In effect, if
one part of an area is sold out, the demand for
rooms will compress in such a way as to drive
those looking for rooms elsewhere.
connecting roomshave doors between them
that can be opened.
contract roomsa block of rooms set aside for
an organization each and every night, whether
they are occupied or not.
controllerperson in charge of the hotels financial
reporting and cash flow management.
convention centera locally funded, or privately
owned structure that caters to large groups and
conventions for meetings of all kinds.
conversion ratiothe number of transient bookings
made versus the number of calls received.
core competencyan organizations strengths.
correction entryis used to correct a mistake in
the posting process.

cost rate formulamethod of determining initial

hotel rates based on construction costs. This
formula determines the average room rate by allocating
$1 towards the rate for each $1,000 spent in
construction.
credithas a negative effect on the total balance
of a guest account.
credit card transaction reportconducted so
that accounts receivable can verify the allowances
and revenue due from each credit card company
on the city ledger.
credit limit reportThis report is run to verify
that guests within the hotel have not exceeded
their credit card limits or cash balances on hand.
The information from this report should be shared
with accounts receivable and the front office
manager.
credit riskcredit extended to an individual or
organization that may be unable to pay.
crosstrainingemployees learning other jobs
within the hotel.
cutoff datethe last possible date the hotel can
hold contracted rooms for a group before releasing
them.
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D
date rollhotels must designate a certain point
in the night to establish a change in date.
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debithas a positive effect on the total balance of

a guest account.
deep cleanthe process of completely cleaning a

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room.
department headsmanagers who are most

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directly involved in an areas day-to-day operations.

departures reporta front office report that lists

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each guest who is due to check out that day; a

front office report that lists only those checkouts

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yet due to leave the hotel at that specific time. This

report can be run at anytime during the day.

direct billinga process in which payment of a

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portion or all of a groups or guests charges are

deferred in some way.

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direct billing applicationa form requesting

some level of credit from a hotel.
director of cateringresponsible for the catering
side of the hotel sales effort.
director of engineeringinvolved in the physical
aspects of the hotels operation.
director of food and beverageruns each
department that sells, buys, or prepares food and
beverage products for hotel guests.
director of groundsunique to the resort hotel,
the director of grounds is in charge of landscape
and the surrounding area.
director of human resourcesin charge of all
hotel personnel.
director of loss preventionmain priority is
the safety and security of all hotel guests and
employees.
director of marketingoversees the hotels
sales and marketing operation, directing the group
and transient sales efforts to maximize room revenue.
director of operationsis in charge of the fundamental
operational functions of the hotel in a
revenue-based deployment structure.
director of recreationis in charge of a resorts
signature attraction.
director of servicesresponsible for the hotels
housekeeping and laundry operations.
disabled access configurationsleeping rooms
that are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
compliant.
discrepant codeexists when housekeeping and
the front desk have different information on the
status of a guest room.
displacementoccurs when lower-rated group
rooms are booked in place of higher-rated transient
rooms.
diversity trainingteaches employees that they
must understand and appreciate the differences in
people.
double occupancytwo occupants in a guest

room.
driving ratewhen demand dictates, a hotel
may never even begin selling discounted rates,
and thus have them restricted from the start. This
practice attempts to maximize revenue when demand
is known to be forthcoming.
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E
employee shift closing reportoutlines each
transaction a front desk agent completed within
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the guest ledger.

empowermentthe ability and authority to
satisfy guest complaints/requests within preset

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parameters.
enhanced configurationunderstood to include

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more amenities and/or services than the

standard guest room configuration.

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entriesupdate the guest accounting menu.

executive chefresponsible for the hotels overall

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food production.
extended stayhotels that provide their guests

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with services, amenities, and facilities that they

want or need to facilitate a long-term stay in one

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location.
F
FF&Efurniture, fixtures, and equipment.
food and beverage potential reportreconciliation
of what was sold in the outlets to what price
it was sold at.
food/beverage audit reporta night audit report
that summarizes the outlet/ancillary report
and the F&B potential report.
food costthe cost of a particular food item in
relation to the price for which it is sold.
forecastingthe task reservations performs of
providing information on forthcoming occupancy
levels.
franchise companyacts as an agent on behalf
of the owner and implements the franchise agreement

between the owner (franchisee) and the

hotel chain (franchiser).
franchisedhotels that are independently
owned hotels and affiliate themselves with a
chain. In a franchise agreement, the owner (franchisee)
pays a franchise fee to the chain (franchiser)
in exchange for the rights to use their name.
frontterm used to alert the bellstaff that a guest
is ready to be escorted to the room.
front log sheetrecord kept at the bellstand of
all activity by each bellperson; used to ensure parity
in all assignments.
front office managerresponsible for a large
portion of the most visible aspects of a hotels daytoday operations. He or she directs the day-to-day
activities of the front desk, the bellstand, and the
concierge staff.
front of the househotel departments with traditionally
high amounts of guest contact.
full servicehotels that by definition provide
their guests with services, amenities, and facilities
that they want or need to complete a total hotel
experience.
G
gateway citiestraditionally those located in an
area that makes them the first practical stop for an
international flight coming in to a country.
general cashieran accounting employee who
maintains the cash supply inside the hotel. The
cashier audits each bank to ensure that proper
accounting procedures are adhered to and to avoid
fraud.
general managerthe person ultimately responsible
for the hotel.
group arrivaloccurs when a large number of
guests from the same group arrive at once.
group basethe measurement of how many
group rooms are on the books on a given night.
group blockthe number of rooms the hotel is
contractually required to provide a group.
group cateringfunctions such as meetings,
events, and meal functions tied to a block of group
guest rooms.

group catering contributiondefined as the

catering business acquired by a hotel that has all,
or a major portion of, the attendees staying at the
hotel itself.
group functioncan be a meeting, meal, dance,
or any other gathering of more than one person.
In addition, a group function must have at least 10
sleeping rooms per night associated with it.
group roomsoriginate from reservations that
are made to bring more than one guest into the
hotel (usually 10 or more rooms per night).
group rooms worksheeta tool the reservations
department uses to aid in forecasting.
group rsuma hotel document that communicates
to all vital departments any aspect of a
group that may affect them.
guaranteed no-show (GNS)guaranteed reservation
that is not occupied.
guest accounttracks all the data that pertains
to an individual guest in a PMS system.
guest accountingthe tracking of debits and
credits within the front office.
guest accounting menua PMS menu used to
track all credit/debit transactions related to a
guests stay.
guest history accountrecords details of a hotel
guests stay. Room preferences, rates paid, outlet
and ancillary usage, and other details are tracked
for future marketing and guest service uses.
guest ledgeran all encompassing term used to
track hotel transactions primarily before and during
a guests or groups stay.
guest registration menua PMS menu that
contains all the pertinent information garnered
from the initial reservationi.e., name, arrival/
departure, room preferences, method of payment,
and other miscellaneous information.
guest room buyback processallows housekeepers
to purchase guest rooms over and above
the number assigned to them in their initial section.
guest supply usage per occupied roomthe
measurement of housekeeping supplies used in a
guest room averaged over time.

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H
hard goodsguest room items that are difficult
or expensive to replace, such as TVs or furniture.
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historythe documented record of historical

data.
house accountserves as a perpetual account to

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track recurring transactions that occur within the

hotel.

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house countlooks at how many rooms are inhouse,

how many are due to arrive, and how

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many are due to check out. That number, less any

OOO rooms, yields a house count.

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housekeepers caddiea handheld carrying

case that can be easily brought into a guest room.

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Each caddie will consist of glass cleaner, bathroom

cleaner, multipurpose cleaner, bath amenities

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(shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc.).

housekeeping cartcart that holds the caddie,
towels, linens, glasses, vacuum, and miscellaneous
items needed to clean a guest room.
housepersonthe housepersons role is to support
the housekeepers and maintain the cleanliness
of guest hallways.
hybrid marketscombined target markets.
I
IATAInternational Association of Travel Agents.
incident reportreport used to make documentation
of any calls made to police, fire, or ambulance
services and a summary of the circumstances
surrounding said incident.
incidentalsnonroom and tax charges.
independentIn these hotels, the owner has no
role in management or day-to-day operations. An
independent group of managers are responsible to
the owner for the hotels performance.
individual booking cyclethe time between
when an individual reservation is made and when
that reservation is due to arrive.

individual market potentialthe number of

rooms a hotel has for sale within a give time
frame.
in-house reporta front office report that lists
each room that was occupied and not due to check
out.
intermediaryperson or entity that acts as a liaison
between a guest and the hotel.
J
journey segmentis the maximum reasonable
distance traveled in one day along trade or travel
routes using the transportation of the day.
junction pointsAreas where different trading
routes intersected also became favored stopping
points.
K
key control systemsensure guest safety by
changing the access to a guest room between
guests.
L
liabilityan economic obligation.
limited servicehotels that do not offer food
and beverage outlets as well as meeting space.
local cateringnon-group catering.
location typesclassified by physical positioning
in relation to the customers in the area and to their
tangible locale.
lodging management associationthe relationship
between ownership and management.
M
management contractis similar to a franchise
in that it is supplied with standard operating procedures
as well as quality and service level targets.
However, these hotels differ in that they are actually
operated by the company that supplied those
standards.
management feefee paid by a hotel owner to a
chain or management company in return for operational
and management services.
manual postingoccurs when an individual
must apply a charge to an account by hand.
market segmenta portion or segment of the
actual or potential business mix at any given hotel.

market sharea hotels occupancy performance

in relation to other hotels within a predetermined
competitive set.
market tolerancemethod of determining average
room rates by surveying rates offered by other
hotels in the competitive set.
marketing plana document put together by a
hotels senior management to chart a course for
the next year. It summarizes departmental goals,
advertising schedules, financial targets, and market
conditions. A marketing plan is sometimes
referred to as a budget.
master accountencompasses registration/
accounting information for an entire group, not
individual attendees.
message reportprints out all the reports that
were delivered via the PMS message system in the
day. It is a backup document that serves as a permanent
record.
mid-marketlisted as being part of both the
limited- and full-service hotel classifications because
these hotels can vary from one place to the other.
minimum length stay (MLS)a restriction that
mandates that all new reservations stay at the
hotel for a minimum number of nights.
MODmanager on duty.
MOD reporta summary of all guest interaction
and general hotel conditions during a given shift.
This report serves as documentation for the general
manager.
MSDSMaterial Safety Data Sheet.
Murphy bedbed that is stored in the wall of a
guest room and pulled out when needed.
N
national accountspreapproved direct billing
can be extended to large accounts a hotel chain
may do business with. These accounts do not have
to go through the billing approval process at each
individual hotel they wish to do business with.
needs analysisthe process where hotel owners
and senior managers determine the required scope
of a potential large purchase.
night audita department of the front office that

assumes the role of reconciling a hotel=s daily

activities and transactions.
night audit reportdata compiled by the night
audit team for management review.
no-show reportThis report is also run for the
benefit of the accounts receivable department. The
verification of who had a guaranteed reservation
and did not show up will assist in determining
who needs to be billed.
nonaffiliated management companiesorganizations
with no tie to a chain, but who also offer
hotel management and operational expertise in
much the same way a chain would.
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occupancyis the measurement of how many
rooms are sold each night versus how many rooms
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the hotel has available to sell.

occupancy drivenmanagement philosophy
that may forgo a higher average rate for greater

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occupancy levels.
opportunity costSleeping rooms at a hotel are

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considered a perishable commodity. Each night,

when a room goes unsold, the hotel loses that

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opportunity to ever sell it again. A hotel cannot

regain that opportunity.

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out of order rooms reportAny room that cannot

be sold must be listed. The reason for the OOO

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status (e.g., leaky shower, renovation) should be

listed and an indication of action taken (notified

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engineering) should accompany it.

outleta food and beverage point of sale.
outlet/ancillary reconciliation reporta report
incorporated into the night audit report that
must match the total sales reports of each outlet/
ancillary venue.
outsourcingutilizing an outside vendor for
products or services.
oversellinga hotel may sell more rooms than

are actually in inventory.

owner-managedconsist of hotels where the
owner has hired additional (nonfamily) personnel
to help run the property.
owner-operateda hotel that is run by an
owner and the owners family.
owners equitythe level of ownership the
owner has in the operation.
P
paid out slipdebits an account (charges) in
return for cash paid out on the guest=s behalf.
paran inventory of supplies.
pass on logguest information that requires indepth
explanation or other hotel issues that may
impact the desk are often communicated via the
pass on log.
per diemtypically applies to governmental employees
traveling on business. Usually covers hotel,
meals, and other out-of-pocket expenses.
perfect sellreached when every room is occupied
and no guest was walked.
petty cash slipslip used for nonguest-related
expenses incurred by the hotel.
pleasure transienttransient market subset
comprised of guests traveling for pleasure.
PMSproperty management system.
PMS summary-posting reportall the posting
activities conducted during the course of business
at the front desk is verified against individual bank
outs and then included into the night audit report.
PMS hierarchythe organization of specialized
menus within a Property Management Systems
software.
PMS workstationsArea where a hotel employee
or manager can access the Property Management
System. Each workstation includes the
software, hardware, and monitor.
POSpoint of sale.
postingthe act of applying a debit or credit to an
account.
pre-key/key packcheck-in system that begins
the check-in process before guests arrive. To prekey
is to pre-assign guests a room and issue a key.

The actual key pack is simply a document to

hold the key.
prime selling timethe specific hours during the
day when the transient guests are most likely to
call in for a reservation.
product typesdefine a hotels service level as
well as its target market.
profit margindetermined by comparing the sales
revenue versus the costs incurred in providing a
service or product.
Q
quad occupancyfour occupants in a guest
room.
R
rack rateunderstood to be the highest published
rate a hotel can charge for a specific room.
rate averagingsimply averaging the target rates
for any multiple-night reservation.
rate drivenmanagement philosophy that may
forgo occupancy levels for higher average rates.
rate restrictionsyield management tools that
hotels use by limiting options available to the hotel
guest for transient reservations.
rate spreadthe difference between the single
and double occupancy rates.
rate structurecombination of all the rates offered
at a hotel.
rate triggera signal programmed into the reservation
computer system that instructs it to change
the rate based on preset criteria.
readerboarda listing of meetings taking place
at the hotel. Often posted throughout the facility
and available on in-room closed-circuit TV channels.
receivablesrevenue due to the hotel.
receptive customerone who is more likely to
be interested in a product or service than the general
population due to personal interest or need.
referral organizationan association of nonchain
affiliated hotels who pool marketing and
other resources for mutual benefit.
registration carda preprinted card that summarizes
much of the information contained in the
guest registration menu of PMS. It is used to verify

the accuracy of the information.

remote check-inusing signage identifying a
group, a separate table is set up to accommodate
the arrivals and check guests into the hotel; sometimes
referred to as satellite check-in.
reservation avenuea means by which a guest
is able to make a reservation at a hotel.
reservation carda preprinted form that group
guests would fill out to make reservations.
reservations mapused to determine what
types of rooms are available and when they are
available.
resident managerin charge of all rooms-related
functions.
rev-parrevenue per available room.
revenue sourceis the result of a product or
service a hotel makes available to guests for a
price.
rightful market sharereveals how much of
the total market potential is made up by its own
individual potential.
ROIreturn on investment.
room costcalculation of fixed costs a hotel
incurs in preparing a room for sale. Room cost is
incurred whether the room is sold or not.
room designationidentifies whether the sleeping
room is a smoking or non-smoking room.
room rackprior to the integration of PMS systems,
hotel rooms were laid out behind the front
desk in a room rack. The room rack would identify
each room type and configuration at a glance.
room ratethe price of hotel accommodation
units.
room rate designationthe term used to specify
the rate threshold within the overall structure.
room rate posting reportgenerated for inclusion
into the night audit report that verifies the
rates for all the rooms within the hotel occupied
nightly for management review.
room status codedescribes a guest rooms
readiness for occupancy by combining both occupancy
and cleanliness information.
room status reconciliationensuring that

rooms are properly designated by their current status,

and assigned a new status as it changes.
room preferencesdefined as the individual
guests choice of room type, configuration, and
designation.
room typesbased on the intended number of
occupants.
rooming a guestescorting a guest to the room.
rooms controllerreservations employee tasked
to block rooms for arriving group and transient
guests.
rooms inspectorperson assigned to a group of
eight housekeepers to inspect the cleanliness of
guest rooms at random.
routingthe process where credits/debits incurred
by one account are manually or automatically
transferred to another account.
run of house (ROH)another way of describing
the standard sleeping room configuration.
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Posted: 2-13-2009 02:17 | All replies by this member

S
seasonalityterm used to define the time of year
when a special attraction is open or at its peak
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level. (Terms also used to describe seasonality are

in season and off-season.)
sectionthe assignment of rooms to an individual

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housekeeper.
series groupsgroups who book several programs

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at one time.
service levelis measured by the amount of

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actual and perceived consideration a guest can

reasonably expect to receive.

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service mission statementserves as the rule

and/or goal of the guest service philosophy of a

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hotel.
sign all charges (SAC)this billing arrangement

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allows for each member of a group to sign all

their charges to the group. The group will pay for
everything.

sign room and tax (SRT)this arrangement

allows for the group to pay the room and tax
charges for the attendees. The guest is responsible
for their incidentals.
signature attractionshotel features that are
unique to the property.
single occupancyone occupant in a guest
room.
sleeping roomtraditionally the main product
for sale at any hotel.
slippagethe term used when analyzing the
group room performance. It is the difference
between what is contracted and what actually
arrives.
SMERFmarket segment encompassing the
Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal
markets.
soft goodseasily replaced and relatively inexpensive
guest room items, such as bedspreads and
draperies.
special attractiona service or facility that
attracts guests for a reason other than the hotel
itself.
standard configurationdefined as the room
configuration that makes up the majority of the
sleeping rooms at a particular hotel.
state of cleanlinessa room status code describing
a guest rooms cleanliness standing. Those
states are (1) Dirty (applies to a room that has not
been cleaned by housekeeping); (2) Clean (room
has been cleaned but not yet inspected).
state of exceptiona room status code describing
the reason a guest room is not available for
sale. That state is Out of Order (room was removed
from inventory for a specific reason such as repairs
or renovation).
state of occupancya room status code describing
a guest rooms occupancy standing. Those
states are (1) Occupied (applies to a room that
has been assigned to a guest and that guest has
checked in; (2) Vacant (the guest has checked out
of the room); (3) Ready (room is available for new
occupancy).

suburbana hotel location type identifying nonresort

hotels that are not in the downtown or airport
areas.
suite configurationinvolves a larger room (in
terms of square footage) than the standard configuration.
T
target ratean average rate goal a hotel sets to
achieve for a certain day or market segment.
target marketa (combination of) market segment(
s) the hotel wants to penetrate.
tariff sheetdocument posted on the back of
guest room doors that indicates what the rack rate
is for that particular room.
10x10 rulehas two parts. The first part states
that a guest=s perception of the entire stay is, in
large measure, instilled in the first 10 minutes
upon arrival. The other part states that the front
desk must greet a guest 10 feet before he/she approaches
the front desk.
total market potentialthe total number of
available hotel rooms within the competitive set.
transient roomsrooms that originate from
individual reservations.
triple occupancythree occupants in a guest
room.
turnHousekeeping is said to turn a room when
it goes through the act of cleaning and preparing it
for resale.
turndown servicethe process by which the
guest room is made warm and inviting for the
evening.
U
upgradesthe process of offering a better room
type than initially reserved.
upsellingthe ability to move a guest from a
lower-priced product to a higher-priced product.
USALIuniform system of accounts for the lodging
industry.
W
walk-in reservationsmade by guests arriving
unannounced at a hotel looking for rooms.
walked reservationa guest who must stay at
some location other than where they were initially

booked to be.
walkoutsthose who leave a hotel before properly
settling their accounts.
Y
yield managementthe pricing strategy managed
by a hotels reservations department. Because
a hotel has a group base before the booking cycle
starts, the reservations department can charge room
rates based on how many rooms are available.