night audit
The overnight process of checking and reconciling a hotel's financial transactions from the day, and preparing reports for the next morning.
Example: The night audit turned up a small error in that day's charges.
C120 words · Advanced
Hospitality & Tourism vocabulary — C1
Advanced hospitality vocabulary for hotel operations, including the night audit, revenue management, the average daily rate and the service recovery a front office team practises.
20 questions
Words in this set
20maître d'
The head waiter who manages a restaurant's dining room and greets guests.
Example:
The maître d' showed us to our table.
revenue management
The overall strategy of coordinating price, availability and marketing across every booking channel to earn the most total income for a hotel.
Example:
Revenue management decides how room prices change day to day.
guest profile
A record of a visitor's preferences and past stays, used to personalise their experience.
Example:
Staff checked her guest profile and had her favourite pillow ready.
average daily rate
The typical price paid for a hotel room over a given period.
Example:
The average daily rate rose during the festival week.
front office
The department of a hotel responsible for reservations, check-in and guest services.
Example:
The front office handled the group's late check-in.
walk-through
A physical inspection of a property, room by room, to check its condition or readiness.
Example:
The manager did a walk-through before the inspectors arrived.
ancillary revenue
Extra income a travel or hospitality business earns from add-on services, not its main price.
Example:
Baggage fees are a major source of ancillary revenue for budget airlines.
layover
/ˈleɪˌoʊvər/A stop and wait between two flights or buses on the same journey.
Example:
We had a six-hour layover in Istanbul before our connecting flight.
concession
/kənˈsɛʃən/The right to run a small business, such as a shop or stall, inside a larger venue.
Example:
The airport awarded a coffee shop concession near the main gate.
total revenue per room
All income from a room, including food and extras, not just the rate.
Example:
Total revenue per room tells the owners more than the rate ever did.
length of stay
How many nights a guest books on average.
Example:
A longer length of stay is worth more than a higher rate.
distribution channel
The route through which a room or trip is sold.
Example:
Every distribution channel takes a different commission.
commission override
An extra payment to an agent for exceeding a target.
Example:
The commission override was worth more than the base rate.
service recovery
Putting things right after a guest has had a bad experience.
Example:
Good service recovery turns a complaint into a regular customer.
guest cycle
The whole sequence from booking to departure and after.
Example:
The guest cycle has nine points where something can go wrong.
food cost percentage
What ingredients cost as a share of the price charged.
Example:
A food cost percentage over thirty-five ends most restaurants.
soft opening
Opening quietly to a small number of guests first.
Example:
The soft opening found four problems the plans had missed.
destination management
Organising how a whole place handles its visitors.
Example:
Destination management is what stops a town being eaten by its own success.
seasonality
/ˈsizəˌnælɪti/The way trade rises and falls at different times of year.
Example:
Seasonality in that resort means eight weeks pay for the year.
