ACCOUNTING FOR HOTELS

Meaning and Definition of Hotels

A hotel simply refers to an establishment that provides rooms and meals. A hotel may be defined as a place that offers accommodation, food, and beverages at a cost that enables it to make a profit. Hotels provide accommodation, meals and refreshments, for irregular periods of time for those who may reserve their accommodation either in advance or on the premises. In broad terms, hotels provide facilities to meet the needs of the modern traveler. In short, hotel is an establishment that provides lodging usually on a short term basis. Today hotels provide much more than just accommodation and meals. It often provides a number of services such as restaurant, swimming pool, or child care; some hotels have conference and meeting rooms. Services are provided to guests based on their needs. Now the hotel industry is referred to as ‘hospitality industry’.

Features of Hotel Business
 The chief features of hotel business are as follows:

1. Hotels provide accommodation and food items to guests.

2. Some hotels maintain bars. They offer drinks to customers.

3. Some hotels may have on their premises a beauty parlor, a hair dressing saloon, a jewelers shop, a book stall, a newspaper stand etc.

4. There are some hotels that provide various professional and technical services.

5. Most hotels provide credit facility to customers. No guest is required to pay room rent in advance or to pay for the other services and facilities at the time when the services are rendered to him. Sometimes an advance is required to be paid. At the time of departure the balance is paid

6. In hotels, there are large numbers of stereo type transactions.