100 Hotel Terminologies

List of 100 Selected Hotel & Restaurant Terminologies that covers different parts and segments of a hotel or restaurant. This is part 1. More Hotel & Restaurant Terminologies will be provided.

1. Account: a document in which all charges and payments of a guest /customer are recorded in the folio.
2. Accommodation: stay arrangement in the hotel room.
3. Accompaniments: Foods that complement main dish or drinks.
4. Allowance: the amount of money that hotel pays to the crews on behalf of the respective airline for expense during their stay in the hotel.
5. Amendment: changes that place out of the original arrangement.
6. Arrival: the time when a guest arrives in the hotel and gets registration to check in the hotel.
7. Advance deposit: a paid amount by a guest prior to any charges against the guest account as a guarantee of final payment.
8. Authorization code/approval code: a code number given by a credit card authority for acceptance of a certain amount against credit card.
9. Affiliate: a property that is related to another property by contract.
10. Allotment: a room or some room which are set aside for guest arrival as per reservation.
11. Average room rate: a rate which is determined by dividing the total room charge, amount by the total occupied rooms.
12. A la cartelist is the name of a menu by guest can chose whatever dish he/she may desire to have. Each dish is priced individually.
13. Booking: reservation.
14. Block: reserve.
15. Bell boy: porter who handles guest luggage.
16. Bell desk: station of the bell boys and bell captain
17. Luggage tag: a document which is issued to affix with luggage or identification.
18. Back office: departments not located in the guest area.
19. Brochure: a pamphlet in a form of booklet.
20. Bulletin: a brief, periodically issued like a small magazine.
21. Cancellation: a party withdraws a room reservation.
22. Charge: a bill settlement done on a credit.
23. Check: guest charge voucher.
24. Check in: arrival of guest who has registered to stay in a hotel room.
25. Check out; departure of guest from hotel after settlement of his/her bill.
26. City ledger: all outside clients/customer accounts, maintained in credit department on credit t basis.
27. Credit: accounts yet to be paid by customer in favor of hotel.
28. Credit Card: A credit is plastic card issued by a finance establishment  to a person to enable him to buy or to settle any bill by signing an imprinted card sales slip on the basis of “pay later “upon producing the sales slip to the cretin card issuing company by the seller.
29. Coffee shop: restaurant where light pre plated meals are served on a la crate menu.
30. Clearance: when a room is prepared by housekeeping for sale or when a guest’s hotel bill is paid, the cashier gives clearance to bell for luggage movement.
31. Commission: amount payable to travel agents for giving reservation and also the amount payable to credit card Company for settlement by credit card.
32. Close: the end of a shift or business day, by preparing all kinds of document.
33. Complementary: a service that is provided without any charger.
34. Confirm: make sure of any activity.
35. Cruet Set: Dispensers for salt and pepper.
36. Double occupancy: one room occupied by two people.
37. Deluxe: the high level of elegancy and service.
38. Deposit: amount of payment made by guest upon arrival to guarantee the final payment.
39. Departure: when a guest leaves the hotel after paying his/her bill.
40. Discrepancy: the tagging which does not tally with other tagging
41. Discount: percentage of monetary benefit given on actual price.
42. Double room: a room with large sized bed or two separates bed.
43. Down grade: change of room class to lower rate and class.
44. Debit: a change made on guest account.
45. Extra bed: an additional bed given to the normal arrangement of a room.
46. Early Arrival: A guest who arrives earlier than to a scheduled date.
47. Forecast: A pre estimated exception of room sale on coming month based on past and present data.
48. Free sale: Available rooms prepared by housekeeping for sale.
49. Floor Limit: a set credit limit given by Credit Card Company or by hotel authority to guests.
50. Folio: A document in which guest account is maintained.
51. Forfeit: When a deposit cannot be withdrawn due to no-show of guest.
52. Family plan: It is a special rate given for a family accommodation.
53. Garnish: Food items that are used to decorate and flavor food and drinks.
54. Guest history card: A guest maintained in a card, who stayed before in the hotel.
55. Group Rate: A special rate given for multiple occupancy.
56. Guide: A person who accompanies guests for sightseeing.
57. Guest ledger: Account of all guests where all charge and payments are made.
58. Hotelier: A person who is a hotel expert in maintaining the overall operation of a hotel.
59. Hospitality: Accommodation, food, beverage and other entertainment facilities provided to travelers/guests.
60. Health Club: provides gymnasium, sauna, message, stem bah and sport facilities.
61. Housekeeping: a department of hotel responsible for cleanliness, maintenance and make up of rooms and all the house.
62. House count: Number of guest staying in the hotel.
63. Mini Bar: Refrigerated collection of liquor in guest room for sale.
64. Mis-en-place: Preparation of place before starting operation.
65. Mis-en-scene: Preparing the environment of a restaurant.
66. Lost and found: It is a term used in hotel when any article temporarily misplaced or lost by guest but later by hotel staff. Normally housekeeping keeps record and item in a systematic order to be delivered upon guests query.
67. Log book: A registered book maintained to note down all kinds of incidents and happenings.
68. Maitre ‘d: Headwaiter or A person who in-charge/head of all table.
69. Master Key: A key that can open all the locks of the hotel.
70. Massage: Rubbing of the body for comfort.
71. Night auditor: A title of front office staff who works at night sift and responsible for reconciliation of all the day non revenue earning documents, and for final recapitulation/master summery of the whole day earnings and transactions.
72. No show: a guest who has confirmed reservation but not arrived.
73. Occupancy: The number of rooms in percentage occupied by guest.
74. Out of order: A room which is not sellable due maintenance work or repair work.
75. Package: A combination of service provided to a guest at a certain rate.
76. Pre-assign: assignment of rooms before guest arrival.
77. Per-registration: Registration formalities before guest arrival.
78. Pax: Person.
79. Paging: Search of guest by displaying guests name in paging board.
80. Portion: The quantity of food served at a time and at a price.
81. Quote: A certain rate mentioned to customer for certain services.
82. Registration: Formalities maintained upon guest arrival.
83. Rooms rack: A rack maintained at reception serially for operational convenience.
84. Rate: Price of room use.
85. Resident: A person who is staying in the hotel.
86. Room status: present condition of rooms that shows vacant, occupied, dirty, ready for sale or out of order. Learn Different Room Status Terminology.
87. Sauté: A frying method.
88. Single Room: room with one bed.
89. Sold out: Rooms that have been sold.
90. Sauna bath: A system of cleaning one’s body by dry heat.
91. Suite: Two rooms inter-connected, one bed room and the other one is living/sitting room.
92. Travel agent: A company that coordinates travel arrangement.
93. Time punch/stamp: it is a time record that is punched or stamped in any document by one kind of machine.
94. Tariff: The published rate of rooms.
95. Valet: laundry attendant who receives and delivers guest’s laundry.
96. VIP: very important person.
97. VIP amenities: any complementary special services provided to a vip guest.
98. Upgrade voucher: change o room status to a higher rate/class. A document of guest charge for services rendered.
99. Wakeup call: a telephone call given to sleeping guest to wake him up.

100.  Walk in: a guest arrives in hotel without reservation.

Tagged as: Hotel Management Terminology