Checkout, and the bill is short again
A couple checks out after two nights. They had dinner both evenings and drinks in the bar and charged it all to the room. At checkout the folio shows the rooms, one breakfast upgrade and nothing else. The receptionist knows they ate in the restaurant because she saw them. She rings the restaurant, who find one of the bills; the other was charged to room 21 instead of 12.
Sometimes the guest points it out and pays. Sometimes they do not notice, leave, and the charge is found at night audit, or never. And sometimes the guest in room 21 finds someone else's dinner on their bill and asks, reasonably, what else might be wrong.
Where postings go missing
Most hotels connect the EPOS to the PMS so a room charge in the bar lands on the folio. The interface works most of the time, which is exactly why the failures are not noticed.
- The interface drops postings when the connection blips, and nobody sees the error message on the EPOS terminal.
- Staff pick a room number from memory, or the guest gives the wrong one.
- Room charges are allowed for guests who have already checked out, or who are on a no-extras company account.
- Paper chits from events, room service or the terrace are keyed in at the end of the night or the next day.
- Nothing compares the EPOS room charge total with what arrived in the PMS.
What missing charges cost
Every missing posting that is not found before checkout is revenue you probably will not recover. Contacting a guest after they have left to ask for more money is uncomfortable, often unsuccessful, and can lead to a poor review. Charges on the wrong room create disputes and undermine trust in the whole bill.
It also costs staff time. Night audit spends a chunk of each night trying to balance the outlet reports against the room ledger, and when the numbers do not agree, the hunt for the difference goes on into the morning.
How we build a room charge posting check
- Room charges are read from your EPOS as they are made, or at short intervals, with the room number, guest name if captured, amount and outlet.
- The same charges are looked for in your PMS folios through its API.
- Any EPOS room charge not found in the PMS is flagged immediately, with the bill attached, so it can be reposted.
- Charges to rooms that are vacant, checked out, or on an account that does not allow extras are flagged before they are accepted where the EPOS allows, or straight after.
- Names on the EPOS bill (where captured) are compared with the guest in that room, and mismatches are flagged as a possible wrong room.
- Before each departure, reception gets a short check: all room charges for this guest in EPOS have reached the folio, or here is what is missing.
| Flag | Example | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Not posted | Bar bill charged to room 12, not on folio | Night audit or reception, repost |
| Wrong room | Name on bill Smith, room 21 guest is Patel | Outlet supervisor checks and moves |
| Room vacant or checked out | Charge to room 7 after checkout | Duty manager, contact guest or void |
| Account does not allow extras | Corporate guest charging drinks | Reception asks for a card before checkout |
The check runs beside your existing interface. It does not replace it; it catches the moments it fails.
Checkout with complete bills
When the couple from room 12 checks out, the receptionist sees a green tick: every room charge made to their room has arrived. The dinner that went to room 21 was flagged the evening it happened, and the supervisor moved it before either guest saw it.
Night audit balances outlets against the room ledger in minutes because differences have been dealt with during the day. The weekly list of flags shows which outlet or shift makes most errors, which points to where some training would help.
Signs room charges are leaking
- Guests have found other people's charges on their bill.
- Charges are discovered after the guest has left.
- Night audit struggles to balance outlet totals with room postings.
- Some outlets still use paper chits keyed in later.
- Nobody checks that every EPOS room charge reached the PMS.