Hotel Management Glossary

A rooms statistics which indicates the point at which rooms are sold at the best rate for the type of guests accommodated by a property.

Short for Internet Distribution System.

An in-depth evaluation of the effect on occupancy percent and ADR that a new hotel in a given market will have on an existing hotel(s) in that same market.

A term used to describe the state when the totals of debit amounts and credit amounts for a set of accounts are equal.

A system which dispenses beverages within a guestroom, monitors sales transactions, and determines inventory replenishments quantities. Two popular systems are non-automated honor bars and microprocessor-based vending machines.

A system which allows guests to use in-room computers to access guest folio data and approve and settle their accounts.

A system which provides guestroom entertainment through a dedicated television pay channel. Automatic posting of charges to the appropriate guest folio may be possible.

A lamp in which a filament inside the lamp's bulb is heated by electrical current to produce light.

A special room rate for guests in affiliated travel and tourism organizations because of the potential referral business they can generate for the hotel.

Travel financed by a business as an employee incentive.

A document prepared to record the details of an accident, injury, or disturbance, and the hotel's response to it.

A single price that includes all charges.

This is net earnings after all expenses for an accounting period are subtracted from all revenues recognized during that period.

See statement of income.

To reimburse someone for a loss that has been incurred.

A hotel with no ownership or management affiliation with other properties.

A system of selling to consumers utilizing one or more intermediaries.

A cost that is not easily assigned to a specific operating unit or department.

The process of informing new employees about matters related to the department in which they will work.

A collection of information kept at the front desk for front desk agents to use in responding to guests requests, including simplified maps of the area, taxi and airline company telephone numbers, bank, theatre, church, and store locations, and special event schedules.

An alphabetical index of registered guests used in routing, telephone calls, mail, messages, and visitor inquiries. The information rack normally consists of aluminum slots designed to hold information rack slips.

A new idea, a recombination of old ideas, or a unique approach that is perceived as new by the individuals involved; innovation is the combination of both invention and commercialization.

A piece of computer hardware which allows a user to interact with the computer system. Input/output units include keyboards, display screens, and printers.

The individual(s) responsible for physically checking the room status of guest rooms, as well as other tasks as assigned by the executive housekeeper. See also as floor attendant, or floor-supervisor.

Those food services provided by health care, educational, military, religious, and numerous other organizations whose primary reason for existence is not to generate a profit from the sale of food/beverage products but rather is to support another organizational purpose.

Lacking material qualities, not able to be touched or seen, but nonetheless perceived.

Organizational assets that are difficult to quantify, such as knowledge, skills, abilities, stakeholder relationships, and reputations.

Software which allows several programs to use the same database.

Stand-alone computer software packages which may be linked to a front office management system, including point-of-sale systems, call accounting systems, and electronic locking systems.

The term used to describe the process in which one data generating system shares its data electronically with another system.

An entity that acts as a communication or service link between buyers and sellers that are unable or unwilling to deal directly.

A warning system that notifies an area within the hotel if the alarm is activated.

An independent verification of financial records performed by members of the organization operating the hotel.

The policies, procedures, and equipment used in a business to safeguard its assets and promote operational efficiency.

Tactics to identify and attract currently employed staff members for job vacancies that represent promotions or lateral transfers to similar positions.

The group of online reservation systems and travel portals that utilize the Internet to connect travel-related businesses such as hotels with those individuals and companies seeking to buy from them. (IDS)

A central reservation system that handles reservations for more than one product line, such as airline companies, car rental companies, and hotel properties.

The commercial trading or transportation of people or property that occurs between and/or among states.

Corporate entrepreneurship, or the creation of new business ventures within existing corporations.