Hotel Glossary

ROOM ENSUITE: A guest room with a private bathroom.

PACKAGES: Special offerings which include a hotel stay combined with tours, car rentals, meals, etc.

ADR: Stands for Average Daily Rate, a statistic calculated by dividing actual daily revenue by the total number of room(s) sold.

NO SHOW: When a guest does not show up for check-in, leaving the room unoccupied but the hotel holding it for the guest. For no shows, are charged with a penalty clarified in the booking conditions.

KEY CARD: A plastic card provided to the guest to open a room door or to activate room electricity.

CHECK-IN: The procedure for a guest’s arrival at the property.

CHECKOUT: The procedure for a guest’s departure. Payment is settled, keys, TV and A/C controls are returned.

LATE CHECK-IN: When a guest plans to arrive late.

EARLY CHECK-IN:  An arrangement which allows a guest to check in earlier than the normal time.

TRANSFERS: An arrangement between a hotel and a guest that provides transportation from one location to another, such as from an airport to a hotel or vice versa. It’s a pre-arranged service, to ensure a smooth transfer for passengers and their luggage.

GROUPS: A reservation for a large number of guests, usually more than 10 persons.

AVAILABILITY: The number of rooms open for sale for a specific set of dates.

REQUESTS: Inquiries/questions sent to the hotel through email or contact form before the guest makes the actual booking. These questions can be for prices, discounts, package deals, etc. REQUESTS IN BOOKINGS: Special remarks the guest is asking in addition to the booking made, e.g., room with a balcony, extra bed, quiet room, room on a higher floor. Special requests are not confirmed, only requested and paid attention to by the hotel.

AMENITIES: Services or products given to guests by the hotel. Room amenities include shampoo, hairdryer, TV, air conditioning unit, etc.

HOTEL: An establishment offering lodging to travelers. In most countries, hotels are rated from 1 to 5 stars. 1-star properties provide a limited range of amenities and 5-star hotels offer luxurious services at higher rates. Property owners and tour operators also give additional titles to hotels for better customer targeting like budget, cheap, luxury, boutique, design, art, business, eco.

OCCUPANCY RATE: An important statistic calculated by dividing the total number of rooms occupied by the total number of rooms the property has.

Roomtypes

• SINGLE ROOM: A room for 1 person with 1 single bed.
• TWIN ROOM: A room for 2 persons with 2 single beds.
• DOUBLE ROOM: A room for 2 persons with 1 double bed.
• TRIPLE ROOM: A room for 3 persons with 3 beds or 1 double and 1 single bed.
• QUADRUPLE ROOM: Also known as a quad room, it can accommodate up to 4 persons with a combination of 2 double beds or 4 single beds or 2 singles and 1 double bed.
• SUITE: A series of multiple rooms usually including a bedroom and a living or sitting room. Hotels give additional titles such as junior suite or executive suite according to the amenities and luxury level. Suites are larger-sized rooms than the standard rooms you find in hotels. Some have kitchen space, sofa, fireplace, bar, and other appliances and services. A presidential or royal suite is the most luxurious of the suites.
• STANDARD TYPE: A basic room with a private bathroom, toiletries, TV, heating, air conditioning, telephone. Sheets, towels, and free wifi are usually included. Depending on the property, you may also find a tea/coffee maker, hairdryer, safe box, fridge-minibar in the room. Room size may vary from country to country, but standard rooms average around 12m2.

ROOM RATE: The rate charged for a room.

DORMITORY (ALSO KNOWN AS DORMS): A room shared for a number of persons containing several beds, often bunks. Each person is charged for bed use. Dormitories usually offer common bathrooms, kitchens, and lounges for travelers. Dormitories are also known as dorms and found in hostels normally rented to travelers over 18 years of age. There are mixed type dormitories for males and females staying together in the same room or seperate – only for males or only for females.

DORM: Multiple persons sharing a room and each paying only for 1 bed.

MIXED DORM ROOMS: A shared room where each person is charged by bed instead of room. Mixed means males and females staying together.

FEMALE DORM: Shared room only females are allowed to stay in.

POS – POINT ON SALE: A computerized terminal provided with an application software for businesses, including touchscreen displays, barcode scanners, receipt printers, credit card-debit card machines, and more.

REVENUE MANAGEMENT: Strategic control of inventory and prices manually or automatically operated, settings for a hotel property.

ACCOMMODATION TYPES: Hotels, bed and breakfasts, inns, hostels, motels, resorts, and more.