Guest Ledger & Billing

The guest ledger is used to track guest charges and payments while the guest is at your property. This is also known as the "folio tub" in a standard manual front desk operation. For detailed information about the ledgers, see Accounting Overview.

There are two types of guest ledger accounts: folios for guests checked into or out of a room, and desk folios. Desk folios are folios used to track charges and payments for non guests. For example, the front desk staff may be allowed to make phone calls or charge cleaning for laundry. You can open as many desk folios as needed. See the Desk Folios section later on for more detail.

Briefly, the process of guest ledger is as follows:

• A guest checks in.
• Charges are made to the guest folio.
• Payments are made to the guest folio.
• Guest's account is brought to zero and guest checks out.
• Guest folio is moved to history and/or city ledger if applicable.

Each folio in the guest ledger can be accessed by either room number, name or folio number. The folio is assigned a folio number consecutively when the folio is created. Once the guest has checked out, the only way to access the guest folio is by folio number or last name through the History option.

The Guest Ledger consist of the following topics: Select each for more information.

• Adding a transaction
• Expanding/Voiding/Moving a Transaction
• Changing a Transaction Date
• Folio Labels
• Splitting Room Charges
• Changing Guest Properties
• Moving a Guest
• Notes for Folio
• Guest Messages
• Printing a Folio
• Checking out a Guest
• Guests who Skips
• Petty Cash
• Complimentary Rooms

Cash Paying Guests

When a guest pays cash, check the guest in normally. Next, press the Total Stay button to see what the guest will owe at check-out. Collect that amount of cash as well as any deposits you may collect such as key or phone deposits. Add a transaction to the guest bill for the amount of cash collected. The guest will then have a credit balance. Print out the folio to give to the guest as a receipt. As each dayend completes, the guest folio credit balance is reduced until there is no credit balance left. At time of check-out, the folio balance will be zero (or any other balance if there have been charges). You then have the option to print the guest a final bill showing all his daily charges. If the guest leaves early, you can post a cash refund to bring his balance to zero. See Adding a Transaction for more information.

Paying by Credit Card Up-front

Some hotels charge the guests credit card at check-in rather than at check-out. This would be treated just like Cash Paying Guest mentioned above. If the guest leaves early, you can process a credit card refund. Usually, credit card processing is done at check-out. If this is the case, you would just check the guest and apply no transactions to the guests account at check-in. As each dayend completes, room and tax will automatically be posted. At check-out, charge the balance on the account to the guest's credit card. See Adding a Transaction for more information.