The guest folio
Hotel & Rooms is an add-on. See What's included, and what's an add-on.
What this is for
A folio is a guest's running bill for their stay. It opens at check-in and closes at check-out, and everything they spend in the building lands on it.
It's the reason to run rooms and restaurant in one system: dinner on Tuesday and the minibar on Wednesday are on the same bill as the room.
What's on it
Three numbers at the top:
| Figure | What it is |
|---|---|
| Total Charges | Everything owed. |
| Total Payments | Everything paid. |
| Balance | The difference. |
Then the detail, line by line, with Date, Type, Description and Amount.
The folio shows which stay, room and guest it belongs to. A stay with no folio says so rather than showing an empty bill.
What lands on it
- Room charges, posted at check-in from the reservation.
- Booking taxes.
- Extra services — breakfast, parking, transfers.
- Room service — POS orders posted to the room. See Room service.
- Manual charges you add.
- Payments, including the advance taken at booking.
Adding a charge
Add Charge, then a Charge Type, Description and Amount.
Use it for things that don't come through another route: a late check-out fee, a damaged item, a laundry charge, an amenity.
Write a description a guest will understand. "Charge" invites a question at check-out; "Late check-out — 2 hours" answers it before it's asked. This is the line they'll read, sometimes weeks later on an expense claim.
Recording a payment
Add Payment, with a Payment Method — cash, card, UPI, bank transfer or other — a Payment Amount and a Transaction Reference.
Record the reference. It's what makes reconciling a day's card takings possible rather than approximate.
Payments can be taken at any point in the stay, not only at check-out. A long stay taking an interim payment keeps the balance manageable for everyone.
Reading the balance
- Positive balance — the guest owes money. Settle before they leave.
- Zero — settled.
- Negative — they've overpaid. Refund it, or check whether a charge is missing.
Check the balance before check-out, not during. A room service order posted an hour earlier is on there, and the moment to find it is while the guest is still in the lobby.
Discounts and adjustments
Two permissions exist specifically for changing what a guest is billed: Apply Hotel Folio Discount and Apply Hotel Folio Adjustment.
Treat them like refund permissions — they move money, and they should sit with managers rather than with everyone on the desk. See What each role can do.
Where you do adjust, describe it properly. "Goodwill — no hot water Tuesday night" is a record that still makes sense in three months.
Running it well
- Post charges as they happen. A folio that's only assembled at check-out is a folio with things missing.
- Show the guest the folio at check-out. Read it down. It prevents nearly every billing dispute.
- Take a deposit on long stays, and interim payments as it runs.
- Never let a guest leave with a balance unless it's a deliberate arrangement with someone's name against it.
Good to know
- One folio per stay. A guest returning next month gets a new one.
- Show Hotel Folio and Post To Hotel Folio are separate permissions — a waiter can post a room service charge without being able to read the whole bill.
- Restaurant orders posted to a room don't take payment at the till. The money is collected at check-out.
- Bank details for invoices and transfers are set under hotel settings. See Rate plans.