Front Office PMS guide

Guest Folio With Split Billing Windows

Keep one guest folio per stay, or split it into billing windows so a company covers the room while the guest settles food.

Your folio collects every charge and payment for a stay: room nights posted by the night audit, restaurant bills charged to the room, laundry, minibar, the deposit taken weeks ago and the final payment. It opens when the booking is made and stays available after departure.

Billing windows

Some guests want separate invoices for the room, the restaurant and the spa. Others want their company to cover the room while they pay for meals themselves. Windows solve both: several bills inside a single stay, every one with a separate payer and tax invoice, and routing rules that send each charge to the correct one.

Every bill names a payer

Each folio states who settles it: the guest, a corporate account, a travel agent or an OTA that has collected. The invoice follows that choice. If the OTA is paying, the guest who stayed is still named on the invoice; the OTA is only who you collect from.

Handling payments

Split one payment across two methods, such as card and cash.
Move a balance to a company account. It is recorded as settlement, never as negative revenue.
Give a discount, recording the reason and the user's name; each role has its own discount limit.
Reopen a closed bill when it turns out to be wrong, with the right permission and a log line.
Refund money as a posting with a payment method, never by editing figures.

Good to know

A closed bill accepts no new postings, because a tax invoice already in someone's hands must not change. To fix an issued invoice, raise a numbered credit or debit note that refers back to it.

Other Front Office PMS guides

A Tape Chart That Shows Rates, Rules and RoomsSee every room, night and booking on one hotel tape chart, with the rate, minimum stay and stop-sell sitting right above the bars. Take a Reservation With a Firm Quote FirstQuote the stay before you book it, so the rate your front desk tells the guest is exactly the rate the PMS charges. Fast Guest Check-In With ID and Advance on One BillCheck guests in from one screen with ID capture, the existing advance folio and an instant room release when the last guest leaves. Printable Guest Registration Card on Your LetterheadPrint the guest registration card (GRC) straight from the booking, on your hotel letterhead, and reprint it whenever you need. GST Invoices With the Right Slab and a QR CheckIssue a GST invoice for hotel stays with the correct slab, a CGST/SGST split, the buyer GSTIN and a QR code anyone can verify. Quick Check-Out, Settlement and Small Balance WaiversSettle the bill at check-out, transfer it to a company, or waive a small leftover balance with a reason, and keep the bill open to fix later. GST Credit Notes and Debit Notes for Hotel BillsCorrect an issued hotel invoice with a numbered GST credit note or debit note that points to the original, without ever editing the bill. Move Rooms or Upgrade Guests From the ChartMove a guest to another room or upgrade them to a better category from the tape chart, recording why and by whom. No-Show and Cancellation Policies That Charge CorrectlyAttach a cancellation policy to every booking, let the night audit apply no-show retention, and never post a charge you cannot collect. Group Bookings With Rooming Lists and Master BillsManage hotel group bookings as one reservation covering several rooms, with a rooming list and separate or master billing for each room. One Guest Profile Across All Your HotelsKeep one guest profile per person across every property, stop OTA relay emails merging strangers, and catch duplicate bookings early. Admin Corrections on Any Booking, Fully LoggedLet your administrator correct any hotel booking, whether audited, in house, checked out or billed, with every change logged. Block Rooms and Close Dates Across Every ChannelBlock an out-of-order room or close dates for the hotel in a right-click, and your OTA channels update within the same minute. Daily Arrivals, Departures and In-House ListsSee expected arrivals, departures and in-house guests each morning, with the rate and payment mode on every row your desk needs. Track Every Outstanding Balance and Payment LinkSee every outstanding hotel balance in one panel and follow each payment link until you know whether the money arrived. A Full Audit Trail on Every BookingEvery booking keeps an audit trail of who created, changed, moved, checked in or billed it, with the time and the computer used. Confirm, Don't Block: How Exceptions Are HandledThe PMS blocks only actions that would make the money wrong; for every other exception it shows a warning, asks once and logs who approved. Bill Discounts With Reasons, Limits and ApprovalsGive a discount on the whole bill, room, food or one line, reduce the GST with it, record a reason and name, and need a manager above your limit. Early Check-In Fees and Late Check-Out ChargesSet early check-in fees and late check-out charges in hourly bands as a percentage or flat amount, with manager waivers and a full report. Undo Front Desk Mistakes Before the Day ClosesUndo the desk's actions on a booking until the night audit runs, restore cancelled bookings, and let an admin reopen a zero-balance bill.