Glossary.
AAAA American Automobile Association.
AARP American Association of Retired People.
adjacent or adjoining rooms Rooms located side by side that do not necessarily have a connecting door.
all-inclusive Travel arrangements where all costs are covered in one prepaid price, i.e., transportation, accommodations, meals, and often beverages, tax, and tips.
American Plan All meals are included in the cost of the room.
associations An organization of people who have a common interest, be it personal or professional.
B
bank The amount of money given a cashier at the beginning of the shift. The bank must be reconciled at the end of that shift with cash payments, checks cashed, and paid outs.
bed and breakfasts (B & Bs) Lodging facilities which include breakfast in the cost of the room. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom.
blocked rooms A number of rooms reserved at the same time, usually for a convention or tour group.
boatels Accommodations on boats.
branding A hospitality company that gives different names to different types of hotels that serve a certain type of clientele. A large chain may have several "brands" with different names and marketing strategies.
bucket Usually a metal, oblong box on rollers that contains guests' folios.
bus people Restaurant employees who clean and reset the tables. They assist the waiters and waitresses.
C
caravansary An inn or hotel where caravans stopped overnight, primarily in the Middle East and Orient. Usually buildings surround a courtyard.
catering/banquet department The hotel department that plans and sometimes serves and prepares meals for groups at the hotel.
chain A group of affiliated hotel/motels that usually carry the same name and share established operating policies, common reservation systems, and decor standards.
checker The employee who inspects a room after room cleaners have cleaned it.
chief engineer The head of the engineering department in a hotel.
city ledger The account that shows all money owed to the hotel except that owed by guests currently staying there. Credit card charges, personal charges, and overlooked charges are reflected in it.
concierge service (pronounced: con-c-erzh) Personalized service to VIP guests. The term concierge is the title given to the person in charge of providing these special services.
condo (condominium) An apartment house where individual apartments are owned by private individuals who pay fees for the upkeep of the common areas. Often these are rented as vacation accommodations.
conference and visitor bureaus (CVBs) Organizations within a city or county with membership made up of tourism-related businesses. Joint advertising and promotions are carried out to increase visitors to the area.
connecting rooms Rooms located side by side with a door between them.
continental plan Breakfast is included in the cost of the room.
controller The employee in charge of the fiscal matters at a hotel/motel.
convention services manager (CSM) The person in a property who is assigned to a group that is holding an event within the premises. He serves as primary contact between the group and other hotel staff.
D
day rate The rate charged in a property for use of a room only during the day.
discrepancy report The difference between the rooms listed as ready for rental according to the front desk and those listed ready according to the Housekeeping department.
DNA (did not arrive) A guest who had a reservation but did not check in to the hotel.
DNS (did not stay) A guest who checked in to a hotel but did not stay there.
double-double room A room that can accommodate two to four people with two double or queen-size beds.
double room A room that can accommodate two people in a double or queen-size bed.
due-outs Guests who are expected to check out.
E
EAP Each additional person. The extra charge made when additional persons in a room exceed its capacity designation, such as double or triple.
Elderhostel An organization that sponsors package tours for senior citizens. These often include educational activities. engineering department The department that handles the maintenance and repair of the physical plant, i.e., electricity, plumbing, renovating.
en suite The term used to describe rooms with private baths. The term is used most often in Europe describing bed and breakfasts.
European plan (EAP) No meals are included in the cost of the room.
executive chef The manager of all food preparation.
executive housekeeper The employee in charge of the cleaning staff.
F
FIFO First in-first out. Used in inventory control to promote the utilization of items that have been "on the shelf" the longest time.
floor limit The amount of credit available to a guest as specified by the credit card company.
folio A running tabulation of the charges a guest has incurred from all the departments of the hotel.
food and beverage manager The employee who supervises all staff dealing with food and beverage preparation, serving, and purchasing.
forecasts The reports that estimate the number of guests to occupy the hotel at a particular period.
franchise Property that is a part of a national or regional chain or management company sharing the name, a central reservation network, and advertising. The property is not owned by the chain or management company but pays a fee for the shared benefits.
frequent-user programs Programs that reward travelers that are loyal to one particular brand of airline, hotel, or rental car business.
front office The nerve center of the hotel that typically includes the front desk, uniformed services, the switchboard, and reservations.
full-service Properties that provide a range of services, usually including a restaurant on the premises, luggage assistance, and room service.
G
general manager (GM) The chief executive officer of a hotel, ultimately responsible for all its activities.
group sales Sales of more than an individual room. These might be for group meetings or for tour groups.
guaranteed reservation A reservation for which the first night has been paid in advance. The room will be held until checkout time the following day.
guest houses Private homes with bedrooms for rent. Often a bath is shared with other guests or with the family.
H
hostel Origin of the term "hotel" which denotes an inn or lodging place. In today's usage, the term indicates lesser quality or group dormitory like accommodations.
hosteler Historically, the term referred to the owner of a lodging establishment or person who worked at a lodging establishment. Today's meaning is a person who stays at a hostel.
hotel Multistoried lodging facilities, usually located in city environments which range in size from 20 rooms to hundreds of rooms.
hotel representative A person or company that handles reservations and group sales for independent properties. A 1-800 reservation number might be used.
housekeeping department The department in charge of cleaning both guest rooms and public areas. It might also manage maintenance and renovation.
house staff The workers who set up meeting and dining rooms for groups.
I
incentive travel Awards or prizes of free travel given to top business performers, usually for excellence in sales.
Intourist The national tourism organization of Russia.
K
kitchen steward The person in charge of nonfood activities in a restaurant kitchen, including cleanup, sanitation, and linen and china supplies.
L
limited-service Properties that provide primarily sleeping rooms without other amenities such as food service.
long room Historically, the sleeping room of an inn. All guests slept in one room with their feet toward the fireplace.
M
maitre d' The person in charge of serving the guests in the dining room. The maitre d'oversees hosting, table service, and bus personnel.
media Communications channels for advertising such as newspapers, magazines, broadcasting, billboards, and the internet.
meeting planner The person who organizes conventions, conferences, board meetings, seminars, trade shows, social events, or any gathering for an organization or business group.
modified American plan Two meals are included in the price of the room, which are breakfast plus lunch or dinner.
motel Lodging facilities usually found on feeder highways and roads, with parking in front of or near the room. Motels are most often one-story structures.
motor inns Lodging facilities usually located near major highways wherein guests park their own cars in the vicinity of their rooms. Motor inns range in height from two to six stories.
N
night auditor The person who finalizes the hotel's accounts for each day, updating credits and debits for each room rental and for each hotel department. Summaries for the day's business and forecasts for the future are made.
nonrevenue (nonrev) No payment is received by the property. Usually used in reference to people, such as meeting planners or VIPs, who are not charged for accommodations.
no-show A person with a reservation who does not come to the hotel.
O
OC (on change) A room that has been vacated by a guest and is scheduled to be cleaned by the housekeeping department.
occupancy rate The available rooms divided by the number of rooms actually occupied.
OOO (out of order) A room that cannot be occupied because of a cosmetic or mechanical problem.
ordinary Historic term used, particularly in Britain, for taverns or lodging establishments.
outside contractor A person who does not work for the hotel, but who is hired to complete a specific maintenance or construction job.
overstays (stay-overs) Guests who remain at the hotel longer than the length of their original reservation.
P
package plan A trip for which a person pays one price which includes two or more components of tourism, such as transportation and accommodations.
paid outs Money that is paid by the cashier for incidentals such as COD deliveries, or to reimburse a bellhop for a tip that was charged to a guest's folio.
paradores Government-owned properties in Spain. Often these are renovated historic buildings and charge reasonable rates.
pensiones Term used primarily in Europe to denote a guest house.
PIA (paid in advance) A prepayment for a room which is included with the reservation.
POS (point of sale) The place where a sale is made. This might be the front desk, restaurant, or gift shop. A POS computer can automatically enter the charge in the guest folio the moment the transaction occurs.
post roads The roads used by the United States Postal Service when it was established in the early eighteenth century.
pousadas Government-owned properties in Portugal. Often these are renovated historic buildings and charge reasonable rates.
profile Data that show the preferences of regular clients or guests of a hotel. Demographics of the guest and characteristics, such as type of room and use of business facilities, are recorded for future reference.
Property Management Systems (PMS) Computer programs that perform much of the tedious night auditor's accounting duties.
public areas Areas in a hotel/motel that are not private rooms but are used by guests of the hotel. These include the lobby, public rest rooms, and meeting rooms.
purchasing steward The employee in the food and beverage department who purchases all food products.
Q
quad A room that can accommodate four people in double or twin beds.
R
rack rate (room rate) The standard rate a sleeping room is assigned.
ready rooms Rooms that have been cleaned and are ready for the occupancy of the next guest.
rebate voucher The form given a guest that indicates a credit is due the folio. This might be for an overcharge on a meal or an incorrect phone charge.
receiving steward The employee in the food and beverage department who inspects, properly stores, and inventories all food coming into the restaurant.
registration card The card an incoming guest completes at the front desk during the registration process. It acts as a contract between the guest and the hotel.
regular reservation A reservation that has not been paid for in advance. If the guest does not arrive by a specified time, the reservation will be released and the room sold to a walk-in.
residential clients Those guests who live at a hotel/motel on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis. They are usually given a less-expensive rate.
resorts Hotel/motels usually located at popular vacation locations which offer recreational activities such as golf, tennis, or casino gambling.
RFP (Request for Proposals) Documents sent to vendors that give the specifications for a product or activity and that invite the company to offer a bid for such.
RNA (registered but not assigned) A person who has registered with the hotel but has not yet been assigned a room. This might occur if there is not yet a cleaned room ready for occupancy.
ROH (Run-of-the-House) No specific location within the property is designated for the reservation. The property chooses the room to offer to the guest. No special requests, such as beach front or third floor are honored.
room board A board, usually located behind the front desk, with slots for each room indicating that room's status. A registration card inserted in a slot would indicate the room is occupied. Colored plastic over the room's slot might indicate that the room is being cleaned.
room cleaners The workers who physically clean the guest rooms.
rooming slip A form or copy or portion of the registration card that is given to the guest. It indicates the guest's name, room number, and room rate.
room rack See room board.
room rate See rack rate.
S
sales department The department responsible for finding occupants for each room, each night, at the highest rate possible. It is also the department responsible for filling meeting rooms.
service Conduct that is useful or helpful to others.
single room A room that can accommodate one person with a twin or double bed.
skippers People who depart the property without paying their bills.
sleepers A room that does not show on the room rack or computer as being available for occupancy, although it is available. This results in lost revenue for the hotel.
slept-outs Guests who have paid for a room but did not sleep there.
smart card A card that can be programmed to hold great quantities of information, such as identification, nationality, credit, and health. These can be programmed to open locks.
spas Pools or springs thought to be of medicinal value and around which beautiful resorts were often built.
stay-overs See overstays.
suite A guest space which contains a living room and one or more bedrooms.
switchboard The central telephone mechanism. Incoming and outgoing calls process through it.
T
table d'hote "Table of the house or hotel." A meal is selected from a limited menu.
time and charges A request made of the long distance operator in order that a call can be properly billed.
time-sharing A specific period of rental time that is bought at a hotel or condominium.
time stamp A clock that can imprint the date and time on various paperwork, or incoming mail, and messages.
tourist courts A term used to denote a small motel. These were usually roadside lodging establishments with parking in front of the individual rooms.
tour operators People or companies that put together the components of a tour or package vacation. They deal with the transportation, hotel/motel, and sightseeing facets of tourism from a wholesaler's perspective.
tower concept Rooms, usually on the top floor of a property, that are set aside for VIPs. Usually concierge service is offered. A key in the elevator allows access only to those residing there.
trade shows An exhibit of merchandise for sale usually concerning one field of business. These are held in conjunction with meetings and conventions.
transfers Travel arrangements that move people from one place to another, usually from their primary transportation (for example, from the airport) to their place of accommodation.
transient clients Vacation or business travelers who stay at a lodging facility for a short time, not on a regular basis.
triple room A room that can accommodate three people either in a double and a single bed, three twin beds, or two double beds.
twin-double room A room that can accommodate two people with two twin beds.
U
understays Guests who do not stay at the hotel for the entire time they initially indicated.
V
voucher A form that indicates that a charge has been made by a guest. For example, a guest charges lunch and the restaurant draws up a voucher which is sent to the front desk to be included in the guest's folio.
W
walk-in A person with no reservation who appears at the property desiring a room.
walk-outs See skippers.
walk the guest A hotel places a guest in another hotel. This occurs when a guest has a reservation which, for some reason, the hotel cannot honor.
wine steward The person in charge of alcoholic beverage service. The wine steward might also be in charge of purchasing and taking inventory of beverages.
Y
yield management A financial management method of pricing and capacity control that yields maximum profits. History, occupancy data, and competition are among the considerations used in this method.
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| |
| Author: | Weissinger, Suzanne Stewart |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Hotel/Motel Operations, An Overview, 2nd ed. |
| Article Type: | Glossary |
| Date: | Jan 1, 2000 |
| Words: | 2810 |
| Previous Article: | Chapter 10 Accommodations: references and ratings. |
| Topics: | |