A hotel folio is the running bill of a stay. Every charge and every payment is a line on it, and the balance is what the guest, or whoever pays for the stay, owes at check-out. Hotels also call it the guest folio or guest ledger.
What goes on a folio
- Room charges, one per night, usually posted by the night audit.
- Extras: meals, minibar, laundry, transfers, activities.
- Taxes and fees on each line, such as VAT, service charge or a city tax.
- Payments: deposits, card payments, cash, transfers.
- Corrections, posted as new lines that reverse the wrong ones, so the history stays complete.
Worked example
A guest stays 3 nights at 100 a night and has dinner for 40. They paid a 50 deposit at booking.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Room, 3 nights | 300 |
| Dinner | 40 |
| Deposit paid | −50 |
| Balance due | 290 |
Taxes would add to each line according to the property's tax rules.
Split folios
One stay can have more than one folio. A company might pay for the room while the guest pays for meals, or two friends might share a room and pay separately. Each folio then gets its own invoice.
Why it matters to a small property
The folio is where money is won or lost. A charge that never reaches the folio is revenue you do not collect. A clear folio also answers the guest's questions at check-out and gives your accountant figures that match.
In LobbyMind, charges, payments and taxes post to the folio as they happen, one stay can have several folios, and invoices go out in the guest's language.