Front office
What is a guest ledger?
The guest ledger is the set of accounts for guests who are currently staying in the hotel. It is the total of all open folios: the charges posted to in-house guests, less what they have paid so far. It is also called the front office ledger or transient ledger.
Guest ledger and city ledger
While a guest is in the hotel, their balance sits in the guest ledger. At check-out the folio is either paid, which clears it, or transferred to a company or travel agent to be invoiced, which moves the balance to the city ledger. The guest ledger is short-term; the city ledger is the hotel's accounts receivable.
Checking it
The night audit checks that the guest ledger balance equals yesterday's balance plus today's charges, less today's payments and transfers. A high balance on one folio is a prompt to ask for a payment or a deposit before the stay runs on.
In StaySynq
StaySynq keeps every charge and payment on the guest's folio, moves company bills to the city ledger at check-out, and reports on both.
Common questions
Can a guest ledger balance be negative?
Yes. A guest who has paid an advance deposit has a credit balance until room charges are posted against it.
Related terms
- FolioA folio is the running account of everything a guest is charged and everything they pay during a stay: room nights, restaurant bills, minibar, laundry, taxes, deposits and payments. At check-out the folio is settled and becomes the basis for the invoice.
- City ledgerA city ledger is the hotel's record of money owed by parties who are not currently staying: companies with credit accounts, travel agents, OTAs and guests who left with an unpaid balance. It is the hotel's accounts receivable for stays that were billed rather than paid at check-out.
- Night auditA night audit is the daily routine that closes one hotel business day and opens the next. It posts the night's room and tax charges to guest folios, reconciles the day's payments and cash, identifies no-shows and errors, and produces the daily reports for management.
- Advance depositAn advance deposit is money paid before the stay or event to secure a booking. The hotel holds it as a credit on the guest's account and sets it against the final bill at check-out. Deposits are common for peak dates, group bookings and banquets.
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