A hotel no-show is a guest who has a reservation but neither arrives nor cancels. The room was held for them, often turned away from other guests, and stayed empty.
How a no-show is recorded
A stay becomes a no-show when the arrival day ends without a check-in. In most systems the night audit marks it: it lists the arrivals that never checked in and changes their status. The room is then free for the following nights, unless the policy keeps it for the whole stay.
No-show fees
The booking's policy says what a no-show costs. Common rules are:
- the first night's price,
- the full stay for a non-refundable rate,
- nothing, for some flexible rates.
The fee is charged to the card or deposit held for the booking, and it should be stated to the guest when they book.
Worked example
A guest books 3 nights at 100 a night on a rate whose policy charges the first night on a no-show. They never arrive. The audit marks the stay as a no-show and posts a fee of 100 to the folio, which is settled against the card on file. The other 2 nights go back on sale.
Why it matters to a small property
In a 10-room guesthouse, one no-show on a full night is 10% of the night's rooms lost. A clear policy, a card or deposit to charge, and a reminder message before arrival all cut the loss. Track your no-show rate by channel: if one OTA sends most of them, its terms may need a look.
In LobbyMind, no-show rules sit in the policy attached to each rate plan, the night audit marks the stays, and a report lists no-shows with the fee expected and the fee posted. See reservations.