A receipt for a hotel stay is a document created by the hotel management and given to the guests when they have paid the bill. It can also be defined as an accounting bill containing a comprehensive statement of how much money a particular guest has to pay the hotel for the stay and other services provided during their stay.
Most hotels use pre-made hotel receipts for efficiency and better time management. The document serves as proof that the guest has paid for their stay in the hotel and any other services availed of by them.
As a hotel manager, billing your clients accurately is important. Your clients expect you to charge them transparently and accurately, and providing them with professionally formatted receipts simplifies the process.
Although hotel receipts are of different sizes and formats, they are all based on each business’s preferences. They contain vital information for documenting a guest’s stay on the premises. This information includes the guest’s personal information, the dates of their stay, the room rate, the prices of amenities, the prices of foods and services offered, the total payable amount, details about the hotel, and payment details.
These invoices are also important for filing tax returns. Complete and properly formatted hotel receipts are important whenever the business is being audited and questioned by the IRS, as they can support the businesses’ tax deduction claims.
Any establishment in the hospitality industry that offers accommodation, food, and drink services to guests may use a hotel receipt. This includes bed & breakfasts, hotels, motels, resorts, hostels, serviced apartments, time-share accommodations such as a condo or a house, restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and cafes.
Hotel Receipt Templates
Following are some free downloadable templates for you:
How to Fill Hotel Receipt
A hotel receipt can be simple or elaborate, depending on the preferences of the hotel owners. There are many ways a receipt for any hospitality business can be created. For example, a hotel receipt generator, online templates, or simply making one yourself and saving it as a template. Regardless of how you make one, you should ensure that it contains certain essential components of a well-crafted receipt.
These essential components include:
Identifying details
A hotel receipt needs to stand out from other documents the hotel issues by having distinctive identifying information. This is crucial for easy tracking and identification of a guest’s payment and the services offered.
The identifying details to include in hotel receipt are:
- The receipt number: Ideally, a receipt should contain a unique receipt or invoice number to make it easy to keep track of your receipts. It is also a great idea to include the booking number, which serves as a link between the receipt and the booking, especially when you have several receipts issued to the same customer.
- The date: Include the date on which the invoice is generated and issued to the guest.
Hotel details
An accurate receipt must include the details of the accommodation facility. This confirms the essential details of the facility and also helps the guests’ contact them if they need to.
The information to be provided in this section of hotel receipt includes:
- Hotel name: Write the full legal name of the hotel receiving the payment. This is essential as it demonstrates professionalism and helps market your business through customer referrals and return customers.
- Phone number: Add a reliable phone number that the guests can use to contact you if they have any questions or complaints regarding their payment or need to book a reservation at the hotel in the future. If you have a hotel or motel toll-free number, consider including it to make it more convenient for customers to contact your hospitality establishment.
- Address: It is also important to include the physical and email addresses of your business. This may include information such as the street address, city or province, country, postcode, a business email address or fax number, and the website link.
Clients’ information
Next, write the personal information of the guest and their contact information to correctly identify that they are the party to be billed. Including the client’s information is helpful if you need to contact the guests in the future.
The relevant information to include in this section of hotel receipt consists of:
- Client’s name: Enter the client’s full legal name, including their first name, middle name, and surname. This helps distinguish your guests, especially when two or more recipients have similar first or last names.
- Address: List the guest’s home address, along with their postal and email addresses. The street name, city, state, zip code, and country should all be mentioned in this section.
- Contact details: Add the customer’s relevant contact information, including their mobile phone number, fax number, email address, and web address, if any.
Transaction details
The items that contribute to the overall amount payable are listed in detail in this part. This is the most critical section of an invoice and thus should be prepared carefully. To make it convenient for the customers, make sure to itemize all of the charges and specify them accordingly to avoid confusion about the bill.
The following information is mentioned in this section:
- Room number: First, specify the guest’s room number on the receipt and include the room service expenses
- Name: If the room has a unique identifying name, ensure that you include it in the receipt.
- Check-in and check-out dates: The date the guest checked into the hotel and checked out should also be included in the invoice. This information is important for transparency.
- Number of nights: The number of nights that the guest occupied the room should also be specified. This information determines the total bill.
- Price per night: The room rate per night should also be detailed in this section of the invoice. The per night rates will help to calculate the total bill. Itemizing charges also makes it easier for your guests to double-check the bill if they have complaints or queries.
- Line total: The line total is the total payable amount calculated as the total number of nights the guest occupied the room multiplied by the per night room rate plus any additional charges for extra amenities and services rendered to the guest by hotel personnel. The additional charges include costs such as parking fees, minibar fees, swimming pool fees, spa services, room service, meals, transportation, print services, etc.
Payment amount details
A coherent summary of the entire bill should be included in the hotel receipt. The charge per item should be specified for easy understanding of the receipt. Individual listings of all costs are important to provide clarity to the customers and also for your own bookkeeping.
This section will typically contain the following information:
- Subtotal: Once you have calculated the total amount, you should enter it in the subtotal section.
- Sales tax: This refers to the total amount of money charged as taxes for the specific transaction.
- Total: Add the taxes to the subtotal to calculate the total amount payable.
- Paid: This is a part of a invoice where advance payments made by the customer in the form of a deposit, hotel reservation fee, etc., are documented.
- Total due: To calculate the total due, subtract the paid amount from the guest’s total bill and enter the resulting figure in this section.
- Payment method: This refers to the mode of payment that the client chooses to pay with. The mode of payment can either be cash, debit card, or credit card.
- Card or check number: If the guest uses a credit card or check, make sure to enter the card or check’s number.
Notes
This is usually the last section of the invoice, and any additional information is mentioned here.
For example:
You can include information such as the sales representative’s name, the cashier’s name, and a personal message to guests such as a thank you note to build a personal connection.
Note that including the sales representative’s and cashier’s names is important, as it will help identify the person responsible for the transaction if a guest has questions regarding the receipt or in case of any complaints.
How to Make a Hotel Receipt: Tips
Following are tips to make a hotel receipt:
- Get the guest’s details: Ensure to get complete information about the guest at the time of check-in. You may also request a copy of the guest’s ID document to confirm their identity.
- Security deposit: The hotel may charge a deposit for the rooms. These charges are meant to cover any damages that the guest may cause in the room or any unpaid bills.
- Add daily charges: Guests at a hospitality facility can use many facilities during their stay. Among the many activities available to guests during their stay are the hotel bar and the swimming pool. However, these services are charged separately from the room rate and should be billed whenever used. A hotel receipt should consist of a section to indicate such charges.
- Guest signature: You should create a section for the guest to sign.
Final Thoughts
An official document acknowledging a transaction is called a receipt. The receipt for a hotel stay serves as proof that a particular guest has paid for their accommodation and any other services they availed of during their stay. It contains the receipt’s identifying details, the hotel details, the guest’s information, the room number, check-in, and check-out dates, number of nights, nightly room rate, payment amount details, payment method, and any additional notes from the hotel management for the customers.
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