Hospitality Keywords

Phrase	Meaning	Pronounce
Access Time	The amount of time required for a processor to retrieve information from the hard drive; recorded in milliseconds
A&G	Administrative & general, a hotel department.
ABC	Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
Accommodation capacity	The measure of accommodation stock at a defined destination. May be given by various different measures: e.g. number of establishments; number of main units within an establishment (e.g. rooms, caravan stances); capacity in terms of residents (e.g. bedspaces).
Accounting period	Normally one year, the period for which accounts are drawn up.
Accounting	The hotel department responsibilities for financial control. This department sets policies and procedures for credit and cash handling to be followed by all hotel cashiers.
Accounts Payable	Amount of money that the hotel owes to private and government-agencies,suppliers and vendors.
Accounts Receivable	Amount of money owed to the hotel, by guests etc.
Accreditation	A procedure to establish if a tourism business meets certain standards of management and operation.
ADA	Americans with Disabilities Act
Add-on	Any component of a package tour that is not included in the package price
Adjoining Room	A hotel guest room located side by side with another room but without a private connecting door. Adjoining room is often confused with a connecting room, which does have a connecting door.
Adjoining Rooms	Rooms next to each other (not connected)
Adjustment	A correction of and erroneously posted guest rate or other charge.
ADR – Average Daily Rate	Room Revenue divided by number of occupied rooms.
ADR : Average Daily Rate.	Average room rate determined by dividing the total rooms revenue by the total rooms occupied.
Advance Deposit	Payment made by a Guest(Cash or Credit Card) to secure a Room Reservation.
Advance Deposit	A monetary deposit paid by a guest prior to his or her arrival in order to secure the reservation.
Advance Payment	Cash payment made by guest at the time of check in and credited to his or her account for the purpose of establishing credit in the hotel. (Advance payment takes the place of a credit card imprint)
Advanced Ecotourism	A level of accreditation consisting of all core criteria as well as some of the advanced certification criteria.
Adventure Tour	A tour designed around an adventurous activity such as rafting or hiking.
Adventure Tourism	A form of tourism in natural areas that incorporates an element of risk, higher levels of physical exertion, and the need for specialised skills.
Affinity Group	a group sharing a common interest, usually from an organization. See also pre-formed group.
After-departure charge	Expenses such as telephone charges that do not appear on a guest’s account at check out.
Agent	Representative of a Business or an individual. eg. Travel Agent
Agent	one who acts or has the power to act as the representative of another. Most frequently in travel anyone other than a principal, such as a retail travel agent, receiving agent, ticket agent, local operator or wholesaler (usage uncommon in No. America)
AGM	Assistant General Manager
Air Sea	a cruise/travel program which includes both air/sea arrangements. Often combined with local hotel arrangements for pre/post stays
Airline Classes of Service	variety of terms used to express a particular type of aircraft cabin service. Classes vary with types of compartments, seating comfort, and amenities, with variation between domestic and international flights, and denoted by a fare code on the ticket.
Airline Reporting Conference (ARC)	a consortium of airline companies, who by agreement, provide a method of approving authorized agency locations for the sale of transportation and cost-effective procedures for processing records and funds to carriers. Not all airlines are ARC companies.
All Inclusive	A hotel plan that includes all services, Room, Food, Beverage etc. for one set price. Usually offers shopping etc. and are usually “Destination/Resort” Hotels
All Inclusive	A form of package holiday where the majority of services offered at the destination are included in the price paid prior to departure (e.g. refreshments, excursions, amenities, gratuities, etc).
Allocentric	Of a minority of tourists: adventurous, outgoing, self-confident, independent, needing little tourist infrastructure. Enjoys high contact with locals.
Allowance Revenue	Refunds, rebates and other adjustments to revenue not known at the time of the sale, but later adjusted.
Allowance	A rebate or adjustment made to a charge posted in a guest folio (account) prior to the current day.
All Suite	A level of service provided by a hotel, for a guest who will desire an “at home” atmosphere- .i.e. bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchenette, Living room (usually equipped with sofa-bed)
All Suites	a level of service provided by a hotel for a guest who will desire a more at-home atmosphere
Alternative Tourism	In essence, tourism activities or development that are viewed as non-traditional. It is often defined in opposition to large-scale mass tourism to represent small-scale sustainable tourism developments. AT is also presented as an 'ideal type', that is, an improved model of tourism development that redresses the ills of traditional, mass tourism
Amenities	personal toiletry items such as shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, and electrical equipment
Amenity	A service or item offered to guests, at no extra cost.
American Hotel & Lodging Association	a professional association of hotel owners, man-agers, and related occupations.
American Plan (AP)	A rate plan that includes the lodging accommodation and meals.
American Plan (AP)	A room rate that includes room and three meals.
American Plan	A room rate that includes meals, usually breakfast and the evening meal, as well as room rental in the room rate.
American Plan	Type of rate that includes the price of the hotel room, breakfast, lunch and dinner. AP is the common abbreviation. See also room rates.
American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)	A national association comprised mostly of the leading paid executives of associations and those vendors who serve associations, such as hotels and resorts. Each state has a chapter of ASAE. See www.asaenet.org.
Antifoul	Applied to ship’s hull to prevent encrusting of barnacles, seaweed, and other marine organisms.
Antique	The term “Antique”is used to describe anything older than 100 years.
Arrival Time	Approximate time at which a guest expects to arrive at the hotel for check-in.
ARTA	Association of Retail Travel Agents.
Artefact	An object; an item of material culture.
ASAE	American Society of Association Executives.
Assets	Items that have monetary value.
Assets	Items that have monetary value.
Assets	Something of value that will provide future benefit or utility, can be used to generate revenue. Usually owned, so simply described as 'things we own'.
Assigned Rooms	A room that is not pre-registered to an individual.
Assistant General Manager	A person in the hotel who executes plans developed by the corporate owners, general manager, and other members of the management staff
Association Executive	A full-time professional administrator who is employed by an association and is responsible for planning and promoting annual conventions and association meetings.
Assured Reservation	A room will be held all night, pending guest's arrival, because payment is guaranteed (assured) by a credit card, even if the guest does not arrive.
Athletics Director	The person responsible for supervising physical exercise facilities for guests.
Atrium Concept	A design in which guest rooms overlook the lobby from the first floor to the roof. Some hotels will offer other “up-graded” views, that may include “Lake View, Harbor View, Mountain View, Ocean View” or other scenic views.
Atrium Concept	A design in which guest rooms overlook the lobby from the first floor to the roof.
Attraction	A natural or man-made facility, location, or activity which offers items of specific interest to tourists.
Attraction	A place, event, building or area which tourists want to visit.
Auditing	A process to measure and verify the practices of a business.
Availability	Hotel rooms that can be sold (also called inventory).
Available Rooms	Number of guest rooms ready for occupancy on a daily basis.
Average Daily Rate (ADR)	In lodging, the average rate at which guest rooms are rented net of taxes.
Average Room Rate	the total guest room revenue for a given period divided by the number of rooms occupied for the same period. Since it can be related to investment, this statistic is frequently used as a measure of economic feasibility.
Average Transient Rate	Determined by dividing the total non-group guest room revenue for a given period by the number of rooms occupied, then subtracting the number of complimentary rooms during that period.
B & B	Bed and Breakfast
Back- of- the- house (BOH)	The functional areas of the hotel, in which employees have little or no guest contact, such as the Engineering, Laundry, Maintenance and Accounting Departments.
back of the house	Those hotel department or areas of operations out of public view.
Back office accounts payable	Amounts of money that have been prepaid on behalf of the guest for future consumption of a good or service (sometimes referred to as back office cash accounts)
Back Office	The accounting office of a hotel
Back to Back	Describes a heavy rate of “Check- out” and “Check- in” on the same day. Guarantees Full occupancy at all times.
Backpacker	A visitor, for the purpose of a holiday or special event, who stays in a backpackers lodge/hostel.
Back-up Reports	In case of power failure, which could erase the data from the computer.
Balance Sheet	An official financial listing of assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity.
Bank Cards	Credit cards issued by banks, examples of which include Visa, MasterCard, and JCB
Bank credit cards	Credit cards issued by banks and operating on a revolving credit system, (for example) e.g., Visa and MasterCard.
Bank	Cash funds kept on hand for making change to customers (also called house bank).
Banquet Manager	A person who is responsible for fulfilling the details of service for a banquet or special event
Banquet Sheet	A listing of the details of an event at which food and beverages are served
Base Rate	The rate charged excluding any discount.
Base / Value Level 0	The regular rate, or highest valued rate, for the hotel. This rate returns the most profit for the hotel.
Bath Linen	Includes bath towels, hand towels, face towels, washcloths and fabric bath mats.
Bed & Breakfast (B&B)	Lodging and Breakfast offered in a home-setting. (Common in Europe and now gaining popularity in Singapore)
Bed and Breakfast	(B & B) overnight accommodations usually in a private home or boarding house, with a full American-style or continental breakfast included in the rate, often without private bath facilities
Bed Board	A board designed to be placed under a mattress to provide a firmer sleeping surface.
Bell Captain	Supervisor of “Bell” personnel
Bell Desk	Station manned by the Bell-Captain, where Bell-hops may be located.
Bell Staff	people who lift and tote baggage, familiarize guests with their new surround-ings, run errands, deliver supplies, provide guests with information on in-house marketing efforts and local attractions, and act as the hospitality link between the lodging estab-lishment and the guest
Benchmarking	Measuring performance against that of best in class companies, determining how the best-in-class achieve those performance levels and using this information as a basis for your own company's targets, strategies and implementation (Pryor, 1989)
Benchmarks	Points of reference or comparison, which may include standards, critical success factors, indicators, metrics.
Best Practice	Operational standards considered the most effective and efficient means of achieving desired outcomes.
Bias	Preferential display on a reservations computer of a host carrier flight schedule.
bill-to-account	An extension of credit to a guest by an individual hotel, which requires the guest or the guest’s employer to establish a line of credit and to adhere to a regular payment schedule
Biodiversity	A variety of wildlife in an area
Biological Diversity	The variety of life forms and genes they contain, and the ecosystems they form. Biodiversity is usually considered at four levels; genetic diversity, species diversity, community diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
Blackout	Total loss of electricity.
Blanket Reservation	A block (set) of rooms held or reserved, for a specific group “Blocking” - Process of reserving group of rooms, by notation in the “Room Rack.”
Block	a number of rooms, seats, or space reserved in advance, usually by wholesalers, tour operators, or receptive operators who intend to sell them as components of tour packages.
Blocked Rooms	Specific rooms or suites pre-assigned to a guest prior to his or her arrival. Block rooms may not be reassigned to another reservation or walking-in guest.
Blocking on the horizon	reserving guest rooms in the distant future
Blocking Procedure	Process of reserving a room on a specific day
BOH	Back of the House
Bonding	The guarantee of protection for a supplier or consumer. In the travel industry, certain bonding programs are mandatory. The ARC insists that travel agents be bonded to protect the airlines against defaults. Professional operators and agents buy bonds voluntarily to protect their clients.
Booking Form	A document which tour purchasers must complete which gives the operator full particulars about who is buying the tour. It states exactly what is being purchased, ( including options) and must be signed as acknowledgment that the liability clause has been read and understood.
Boutique Hotel	Small but fashionable and exclusive property, that caters to the affluent (wealthy) guests with a very highlevel of service, at premiumprices.
Breakage	Term used when Hotel services, meals etc., included in a “package, are not used by guest.
Breakfast Door-knob Cards	Card hung by guests on the knobs of guest room doors, to pre-order breakfast for the next day. The request reaches the staff on time and the guest is not disturbed for placing the order.( Part of “Room Service”).
Brownouts	Partial loss of electricity.
Bucket	Container used for filing guest registration cards, folios and other documents.
Budget	A budget is a plan that projects both the revenue, that the hotel anticipates and the expenses for a set period of time.(Quarterly, Annually etc.)
Bulk Fare	Fare available only to tour organizers or operators who purchase a specified block of seats from a carrier at a low, non-commissionable price and then have the responsibility of selling the seats, including a commission in their marked-up price.
Bus Association Network	An organization of bus tour owners and operators who offer transportation and travel information to groups
Business Affiliations	Chain or independent ownership of hotels
Business Plan	An action plan that entrepreneurs draw up for the purpose of starting a business; a guide to running one's business
Business Services and Communications Center	Guest services that include copying, computers, fax, etc.
Business Travel or Business Events	Travel for commercial rather than leisure purposes. Business travel is sometimes used as a cover-all to include what are sometimes referred to as the “MICE” markets – meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions
Business Travel	Travel of 1: 365 days duration for the purpose of attending a convention or training, conducting official/government or private business.
Cabana	A room adjacent to the beach or pool area, usually with provision for relaxing. (Very popular Rental facility, mainly used for changing, at public beaches)
Cafeteria	A food-service operation of a limited menu, in which customers carry their own trays to seating
Calendar Year	The period from January 1 through December 31.
California or Hollywood Bed	An extra-long bed (80-85inch, instead of the standard 75inch)
Call (telephone) Accounting	A computerized system that allows for automatic tracking and posting of outgoing guest room calls.
Call Accounting	a computerized system that allows for automatic tracking and posting of outgoing guest room calls
Call Sheet	Form used by Telephone Operators, to record the Room & Time of “Wake-Up” calls.
Cancellation Code / Number	A method of providing the guest with a reference for a “cancellation” of a guaranteed reservation (to void an existing reservation).
Cancellation Code	A sequential series of alphanumeric combinations that provide the guest with a reference for a cancellation of a guaranteed reservation
Cancellation Number	A number given to the guest to verify that he or she has canceled a previously made reservation.
Cancellation	A guest's request to void a previously made reservation.
Capacity Management	A process that seeks to ensure that their organisations operate at optimum capacity whilst maintaining customer satisfaction levels.
Capital Expenditure	The cost of long-term assets; such as computer equipment, vehicles and premises. Importantly these are bought to use over several years and not to resell.
Capsule Hotel	“Stacked” sleeping modules, Popular in Japan.
Carrier	A transportation company such as air, bus, cruise ship line or railroad, for passengers and/or cargo.
Carrier	transportation company such as an airline, motorcoach, cruise line, or railroad which carries passengers and/or cargo carrying capacity: the amount of tourism a destination can handle.
Carrying	Capacity analysis: Originally a term applied in ecology referring to the maximum number of animals of a given species that a particular habitat could support. In the context of tourism, it refers to the maximum number of tourists a destination can support.
Cash Bank	A specific amount of paper money and coins issued to a cashier to be used for making change.
Cash Deposit	A deposit made by a guest while checking into a hotel as a payment for all or part of the amounts expected to be due the hotel. Different from an "advance deposit," which see.
Cash Flow	Monies available to meet the company’s daily operating expenses, as opposed to equity, accounts receivable, or other credits not immediately accessible
Cashier	A person who processes guest check- outs, collects payments (Cash or Credit card) and makes change for guest. Gives daily Cash control Report.
Cashier Bank	Bank (amount of cash) Issued to a guest service agent for making change and conduction transactions.
Cashier	A person who processes guest checkouts and guest legal tender and makes change for guests.
Cashier’s Report	A daily cash control report that lists cashier activity of cash and credit cards and machine totals by cashier shift
Certified Tour Professional	CTP : a designation conferred upon tour professionals who have completed a prescribed course of academic study, professional service, tour employment and evaluation requirements. It is administered by the National Tour Association.
Certified Travel Counselor	CTC : a designation attesting to professional competence as a travel agent. It is conferred upon travel professional with five or more years of industry experience who complete a two year, graduate-level travel management program administered by the Institute of Certified Travel Agents.
CFO	Chief Financial Officer
Chain	A group of Hotels that follow the same SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
Chain Affiliations	Hotels that purchase operational and marketing services from a corporation.
Chain of Distribution	The means by which products (package holidays in this instance) are distributed from producers (principals) to consumers (tourists), often via wholesalers and retailers (tour operators and travel agents).
Chain	A group of hotels that follow standard operating procedures such as marketing, reservations, quality of service, food and beverage operations, housekeeping, and ac-counting
Chart of Accounts	A list of account numbers and names.
Charter Operations	(1) Term referring the transportation of pre-formed groups which have the exclusive use of the vehicle. (2) An operator authorized to arrange transportation, however, is not limited to dealing with pre-formed groups, but can itself form the tour group.
Charter	To hire the exclusive use of any aircraft, motorcoach, or other vehicle.
Check-In	Logging in / receiving of a Guest, who has registered to stay in a Hotel.
check-in time	The designated time that a guest may check into a room in the hotel.
check-in	The procedure of greeting the guest on arrival and completing the registration sequence to record him or her as a guest in the hotel.
Check-Out	Departure of Guest after settlement / payment of account.
check-out time	The time by which departing guests are expected to vacate their rooms.
Check-out	The procedure involved in a guest's departure and the settlement of his or her account.
Chef	Person responsible for the day-to-day operation of a Restaurant/ Kitchen.
Circle Trip	A journey with stopovers that returns to the point of departure.
City Guide	A person who has a speciality of guiding in the city only.
City Ledge	In lodging, the amounts due for goods and services provided to customers who have departed the hotel, but who have not paid.
City ledger Account	A collection of accounts receivable of non-registered guest,e.g. one who uses the services of the hotel (e.g. Dining Room, Night Clubetc.
City Ledger Accounts	A collection of accounts receivable of nonregistered guests who use the services of the hotel
City Ledger	Consisting of those accounts owed to the hotel by individuals or organizations not occupying a room in the hotel.
Client Profile	A computerized record for a frequent guest, corporation, travel agent or booker program member to allow speed in booking reservations, good customer service and more accurate tracking for the marketing reports.
Close of Day	The time at which the system is stopped and changed to the new day for posting of transactions.
Closed Date	Date for which no further room reservations can be made.
Closed to Arrival	A condition during which guests are not allowed to make a reservation for an arrival date with this restriction imposed. They may book the day before and stay through this date or book arriving the day after.
Close-out / close of the day	Time at completion of the Night Audit, to separate each days Accounting records from the next. (Times may vary from 11:00p.m to 6:00a.m. the following day)
Closeout	Finalization of a tour, cruise, or similar group travel project after which time no further clients are accepted. Any unsold air or hotel space is released, and final payments are sent to all suppliers.
Coach Tour	A guided bus tour for a group of holiday makers that follows a scheduled itinerary. Visitors purchase all arrangements from the Inbound Tour Operator prior to arrival in NZ.
Code of Conduct	Guidelines advising a tourism stakeholder, including tourists, on how to behave in an environmentally responsible manner.
Code of Ethics / Conduct / Practice	Recommended practices based on a system of self regulation intended to promote environmentally and/or socio-culturally sustainable behavior.
Collective Bargaining Unit	A Labor Union
Collective Bargaining Unit	A labor union
Commercial Cards	Credit cards issued by companies, e.g. Master Card, Visa, Diners Club.
Commercial Cards	Credit cards issued by corporations, an example of which is Diners Club.
Commercial Hotels	Hotels that provide short-term accommodation for travelling guests.
Commercial Hotels	Hotels that provide short - term accommodations for traveling guests.
Commercial Rate	Special reduced room rates offered to business people, to promote occupancy.
commercial Rate (also corporate rate)	A rate a hotel offers to companies.
Commercial Rate	A special rate agreed upon by a company and a hotel. Usually the hotel agrees to supply rooms of a specified quality or better at a flat rate to corporate clients.
Commercial Rates	Room rates for businesspeople who represent a company but do not necessarily have less bargaining power because of their infrequent or sporadic pattern of travel
Commercial Recreation System	Recreational products, services, and facilities created and operated by privately owned businesses or corporations as opposed to public facilities
Commercial Recreation System	Recreational products, services, and facilities created and operated by privately owned businesses or corporations as opposed to public facilities
Commission	Percentage (money) paid to Travel agents or to Credit card companies for use of their services.
Commission	The amount a travel agent or another receives for selling hotel accommodations.
Commission	The percentage of a selling price paid to a retailer by a supplier. In the travel industry, travel agents receive commissions for selling tour packages or other services.
Common Carrier	A privately owned carrier which offers transportation for a fee.
Communications Hierarchy	A listing of the order in which management personnel may be called on to take charge in an emergency situation
Comp (slang)	An occupied guest room for which no charge is made to the guest.
Comp.	Complimentary
Company-owned property	A hotel that is owned and operated by a chain organization.
Competitive Set	A group of hotels chosen to serve as a set of suitable competitors against which performance is measured, especially on the Star-Cast report.
Competitive Set	A group of hotels chosen to serve as a set of suitable competitors against which performance is measured, especially on the Star-Cast report.
Complimentary Rate (Comp.)	No charge to the guest. May also apply to F &B and other Services.
Complimentary Room	A guest room for which no charge is made. Complimentary rooms with a tour group are usually occupied by the tour manager or driver.
Complimentary Room	A room at no charge.
Computer Reservation Systems (CRS)	Computerised Reservation Systems used for inventory management by airlines, hotels and other facilities. CRSs can allow direct access through terminals for intermediaries to check availability, make reservations and print tickets.
Concession	A hotel or business service provided by an independent Tenant (Concessionaire)
Concessionaire	A firm which, under contract rights, operates for another party (in many cases, a government agency) food and beverage services, lodging facilities, and other services on-site at an attraction.
Concierge	A hotel employee who handles restaurant and tour reservations, travel arrangements, and other details for hotel guests.
Concierge	A person who provides an endless array of information on entertainment, sports, amusements, transportation, tours, church services, and baby-sitting in a particular city or town.
Conditions	The section or clause of a transportation/tour contract which specifies what is not included and which may spell out the circumstances under which the contract many be invalidated.
Condominium (Condo)	A multi-unit facility, where each owner shares responsibility for Public space. A Maintenance fee is usually paid and each owner may rent or lease his unit.
Condominium / Condo Hotels	Hotels similar to timeshare hotels. The difference between the two lies in the type of ownership. Units in condominium hotels have only one owner instead of multiple owners, each for a limited amount of time each year.
Conference Call	A conversation in which three or more persons are linked by telephone.
Confidential Tariff	A schedule of wholesale rates distributed in confidence to travel wholesalers and agents. Better known as a net rate.
Configuration	The interior arrangement of a vehicle, particularly an airplane. The same airplane, for example, may be configured for 190 coach-class passengers, or it may hold 12 first-class passengers and 170 coach passengers, Configuration is also used in conjunction with how the plane is arranged such as three seats on each side or in larger planes two seats on each side with four middle seats.
Confirmation Number	A number given to a reservation maker used to verify that a reservation has been made.
Confirmed Reservation	A hotel reservation with a commitment to honor it.
Confirmed Reservation	An oral or written agreement by a supplier that he has received and will honor a reservation. Oral confirmations have no legal weight. Even written or telegraphed confirmations have specified or implied limitations. e.g.: a hotel not honoring a reservation after 6 pm., unless late arrival has been guaranteed in some manner.
Confirmed Reservations	Prospective guests who have a reservation for accommodations that is honored until a specified time.
Connecting Room	A room with a private door permitting access from one room to the other without use of hotel corridor. Connecting room is often confused with adjoining room, which does not have a connecting door.
Conservation	The protection and maintenance of nature while allowing for its ecologically sustainable use.
Consolidation	Cancellation by a charter tour operator of one or more tours/flights associated with a specific charter departure or departure period, with the transfer of passengers to another charter tour/flight to depart on or near the same day.
Consortium	A group of independent travel agencies that are together under one name to pool their customer services, marketing, knowledge, etc.
Consortium	A loosely knit group of independently owned and managed companies such as travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, or other suppliers, with a joint marketing distribution process.
Continental Breakfast	At a minimum, a beverage (coffee, tea or milk) and rolls or toast. Fruit juice is often added.
Continental Breakfast	Juice, fruit, sweet roll, and / or cereal
Continental Plan	A hotel rate which includes a continental breakfast with the overnight room stay.
Continental Plan	A hotel that includes bed and continental breakfast.
Contract	A legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties.
Contractor	An operator who provides services to wholesalers, tour operators and travel agents.
Controller	The internal accountant for the hotel.
Controller	The internal accountant for the hotel.
Convention	A group of people - delegates / representatives of businesses, who gather for discussions on areas of common interest. E.g. Sales, Promotions, Marketing strategies. etc.
Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)	A non-profit local organization supported by transient room taxes, government budget allocations, private memberships, or a combination of any of these funding mechanisms. A CVB typically encourages groups to hold meetings, conventions, and trade shows in its area.
Convention Guests	Guests who attend a large convention and receive a special room rate.
Convention Hotels	Targeting Conventions and Business Meetings, have none of the usual Tourist attractions.
Convention or Conference Bureau	Usually a publicly funded organisation charged with the promotion of a town or region for conferences, meetings and exhibitions.
Convention	A meeting using guest rooms and large meeting rooms.
Co-op Tour	A tour which is sold through a number of wholesalers, cooperatives, or other outlets in order to increase sales and reduce the possibility of tour cancellations.
Corporate Client	Businesses that have accounts and usually are accommodated during “Low Season” when sales and revenue would normally be down. (Opposite of “Peak Season)
Corporate Guests	Frequent guests who are employed by a company and receive a special room rate.
Corporate rate (also commercial rate)	A rate a hotel offers to companies.
Corporate Rates	Room rate offered to corporate clients, staying in the hotel.
Correction	An immediate correcting change made to a guest.
Cost-Benefit Analysis	Full analysis of public and private costs and benefits of project.
Costing	The process of itemizing and calculating all costs the tour operator will pay on a given tour. Costing is usually the function of the operations manager.
Cost-plus Pricing	A method of pricing where an amount, to cover profit, is added to costs to establish the selling price, this is an internally orientated pricing method.
Coupon Tour	A voucher that can be exchanged for a travel product.
Courier	A European definition for tour manager / guide
Cover Charge	A fee, usually a flat amount per person, charged to patrons to cover the cost of music and entertainment
CP	Continental Plan
CPS (characters per second)	Measure of the speed with which individual characters are printed.
Credit	A decrease in an asset or an increase in liability, or an amount of money owed to the guest.
Credit Balance	Amounts of money a hotel owes guests in future services.
Credit Balance	An account balance in the customer's favor.
Credit Card Imprinter	Makes an imprint of the credit card the guest will use for payment.
Credit	A decrease in an asset or an increase in a liability, or an amount of money the hotel owes the guest.
Credit-card Discount	The amount (usually a percentage of the gross amount of transactions) paid by a merchant to a credit-card company for services including processing customers' credit-card transactions.
Credit-card Imprinter	Makes an imprint of the credit card the guest will use as the method of payment
Credit-card Validator	A computer terminal linked to a credit-card data bank that holds information concerning the customer’s current balance and security status.
Crisis Management	Maintaining control of an emergency situation.
Critical Incident Point (CIP)	A critical incident point or 'moment of truth' is any event which occurs when the customer has (or even perceives that he has) contact with a service organization.
Cross-training	Training employees to perform multiple tasks and job in other areas.
CRS	Central Reservation System
Cultural Authenticity	Ensuring the appropriate dreaming stories, spiritual beliefs, history, ceremony and art is attributed to the relevant area.
Cultural Tourism	Travel for the purpose of learning about cultures or aspects of cultures.
Culture	A set of shared norms and values which establish a sense of identity for those who share them. Typically applied at the level of nation and/or race.
Culture	The sum total of ways of living by a group of human beings that is transmitted from one generation to another.
Cumulative Total Feature	An electronic feature of a PMS that adds all posted room rate amounts previously entered into one grand total.
Current Guests	Guests who are registered in the hotel.
Current Status	The condition of all rooms as either vacant, occupied, clean, dirty or out-of-order, as well as availability of rooms versus reservations at any given time.
Cursor	A flashing point on a monitor that indicates where data can be entered on a computer screen
Customer	An organization or a person that receives a product.
Customized Tour	A tour designed to fit the specific needs of a particular target market.
Customs	The common term for a government agency charged with collecting duty on specified items imported into that country. The agency also restricts the entry of persons and forbidden items without legal travel documents.
Cut-off Date	Designated day when the buyer must release or add commitments to their event or tour
Cut-off	The time at which reservations are stopped for a group or designated segment (eliminating that rate category).
Cycle of Service	The progression, through a hotel's department, of a guest's request for products and services.
D.N.S. : Did not stay	"D.N.S." indicates that a guest checked out immediately after check-in.
Daily Announcement Board	An inside listing of the daily activities of the hotel (time, group, and room assignment)
Daily Blocking	Assigning guests to their particular rooms, on a daily basis.
Daily Flash Report	A PMS listing of departmental totals by day, period to date, and year to date, which helps the manager to determine the financial success of the previous day and the current status in achieving other financial goals
Daily Function Sheet	A listing of the planned events in the hotel.
Daily Report	“Vital signs” of the Hotel, on a daily basis, providing information to GM (General Manager)/ FOM (Front Office Manager), on all activity, financial etc., within the Hotel.
Daily Sales Report	A financial activity report, produced by a department in a hotel that reflects daily sales activities, with accompanying cash register tapes or point-of-sales tapes.
Data Sorts	Report options in a PMS that indicate groupings of information.
Database Interfaces	The sharing of information among computers.
Day Rate	A reduced rate granted for the use of a guest room during the daytime, not overnight occupancy. Often used when someone needs a display room, office, or is in-transit due to odd airline schedules.
Day Visitors	Visitors who arrive and leave the same day, irrespective of why they are travelling.
Debit	An increase in an asset or a decrease in a liability.
Debit Balance	An amount of money the guest owes the hotel.
Debit Cards	Embossed plastic cards with a magnetic strip on the reverse side that authorize direct transfer of funds from a customer’s bank account to the commercial organization’s bank account for purchase of goods and services
Debit	An accounting entry that increases assets or expenses or decreases liabilities, owner's equity or revenue.
Decision-making Unit (DMU)	The combination of inputs to a purchasing decision
Deep Cleaning	A thorough cleaning of furniture and accessories, windows, flooring and walls. (Intensive or specialized cleaning, undertaken in guestrooms or public areas; often conducted according to a special schedule or on a ‟special project‟ basis).
Degradation	Any decline in the quality of natural or cultural resources, or the viability of ecosystems, that is caused directly or indirectly by humans.
Deluxe Tour	In travel usage, presumably of the highest standard.
Demographic Data	Size, density, distribution, vital statistics of a population, broken down into, for example, age, sex, marital status, and occupation categories
Demographic Profile	Characteristics used in research such as age, gender, occupation, income, marital status, place of residence, etc.
Denial	A reservation request not booked due to lack of available room inventory.
Departmental Accounts	Income and expense-generating areas of the hotel, such as restaurants, gift shop and banquet.
Departure Tax	Fee collected from the traveler by the host country at the time of departure.
Departure	A guest's settling of his or her account and checking out of the hotel.
Dependency Theory	This theory maintains that developing countries are kept in a position of dependency and underdevelopment due to existing economic and institutional power structures sustained by leading Western nations. Dependency theorists argue that the policies and activities of multinational corporations, national bilateral and multinational aid agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) tend to widen the gap between rich and poor countries and perpetuate the dependency of developing nations.
Deposit Policy	A specified amount or a percentage of the total bill due on a specified date prior to arrival.
Deposit	An advance payment required to obtain confirmed space.
Deregulation	The act of removing regulations from the travel industry. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which amended the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, provided for the end of the Civil Aeronautics Board s regulating authority over domestic airlines on January 1, 1985, for removing travel agent exclusivity, thus paving the way for carriers to appoint and pay commissions to non-travel agents, and for the removal of antitrust immunity for travel agents. The motor-coach industry was deregulated in 1982.
Designation	The act of conferring a legal status on a building which requires compliance with specific legislation on conservation and preservation.
Desk Clerk	The person who verifies guest reservations, registers guests, assigns rooms, distributes keys, communicates with the housekeeping staff, answers telephones, gives information about and directions to local attractions, accepts cash and gives change, and acts as liaison between the lodging establishment and the guest as well as the community.
Destination Management Company (DMC)	A company working in a specific destination to handle all bookings and arrangements for tours or conferences, including hotel accommodation, transfers, sightseeing, meetings and special events. Tour operators or conference planners are likely to use the services of a DMC because of their specialist local knowledge.
Destination Marketing Organization (DMO)	A category of membership of the National Tour Association which includes state or provincial tourism offices, convention and visitors bureaus, and chambers of commerce which promote a city, region, or state as a travel destination.
Destination	The end point of a journey.
Destination	The place to which a traveler is going. In the travel industry, any city, area, or country which can be marketed as a single entity for tourists.
Dine-around Plan	A plan that permits tourists to dine at a variety of restaurants using vouchers and coupons on a tour.
Direct Billing	A special arrangement, Whereby the hotel agrees to bill for charges after the guest's departure rather than requiring the account to be settled at the time of check out.
Direct Expense	The category of each department's operating expenses that are directly allocable to that department.
Direct Spending	Money that goes directly from a tourist into the economy of the destination.
Direct-mail Letters	Letters sent directly to individuals in a targeted market group in a marketing effort.
Director of Marketing and Sales	The person who analyzes available markets, suggests products and services to meet the needs of those markets, and sells these products and services at a profit.
Director of Security	The person who works with department directors to develop procedures that help ensure employee honesty and guest safety.
Tour Director	A person, usually employed or subcontracted by the tour operator, who accompanies a tour from departure to return, acting as a guide and trouble-shooter and performing all functions to make the tour operate. Also see tour manager or escort.
Discount Rate	A percentage of the total sale that is charged by the credit card agency to the commercial enterprise for the convenience of accepting credit cards.
Discount	A rate charged that is lower than the base rate.
Discrepancy Report	A Report of variance from normal rates and/or policies, for example, report may show a vacant room as occupied.
Discretionary Income	Money received from employment or other sources which can be freely spent on leisure pursuits (such as travel and tourism) after general living costs, taxation etc. are taken into consideration.
Discrimination	Unequal treatment of persons on grounds which are not justifiable in law, e.g. in the UK, discrimination on the grounds of sex or race.
Dishonored Reservation	A guaranteed reservation not honored by the hotel, usually because of an oversell situation. In such cases, the guest in normally sent ("walked") to another, nearby, hotel and the room paid for by the hotel with which the original reservation was made.
Disk Drive	A place in the computer where data is stored or read; hard or floppy—31⁄2-inch versus 51⁄4-inch.
Displacement	Stated in revenue terms as the difference between the bas rate offered for a room and the rate at which the room is actually sold. Revenue displacement occurs when lower rated business is accepted in the place of higher rated business at a time when market demand appears to be strong.
Distance Learning	Learning that takes place via satellite broadcasts, PictureTel, or on-line computer interaction.
Distribution	The process employed to provide customers access to the product. For travel products distribution focuses largely on the ways in which the customer can reserve or purchase the product.
Disturbance	Accelerated change caused by human activity or extreme natural events.
Diversification	The process of developing new products for new markets, in order to achieve business growth.
Diversity	Variety; multiplicity; range; assortment.
DNCO	Did not check out.	dun-co
DND	Do Not Disturb
DND Card	A “Do Not Disturb” sign/card which is hung outside the room to inform hotel staff or visitors, that the occupant does not wish to be disturbed. (Some Hotels show a lit, electronic sign.)
DNS (Did Not Stay)	Guest left shortly after Registering.
DNS	Did Not Stay
Documentation	Printed or on-screen (monitor) instructions for operating hardware or software that accompany a specific PMS.
Domestic Escorted Tour	A packaged, pre-planned itinerary, including the services of a tour manager (escort) within a travelers own country
Domestic Independent Tour - DIT	A custom-made tour of a part of the USA planned exclusively for a client by a travel agent.
Domestic supply of tourism commodities	Domestic supply of tourism commodities is defined as the total production in Canada of the tourism commodities which are mainly produced by tourism industries. Not all of domestic supply is purchased by visitors, so that supply exceeds tourism demand for the national tourism indicators (NTI). For example, visitors purchase only a small proportion of food and beverage services, with most going to local consumption. Also, supply does not include imports. For example the sale of a ticket on a non-Canadian airline is excluded from supply.
Domestic Tourism	Travel within the country of residence.
Dominant Scenic Alteration	An alteration in the scenic landscape that is visually obtrusive.
Dot-matrix	A printer that produces small dots printed with an inked ribbon on paper.
Double Locked (DL)	An occupied room in which the deadbolt has been turned, to prohibit/prevent entry. Only a *“Grandmaster” key or an Emergency key can open it.
Double Occupancy / Double Room	Two guests to a room.( Large sized bed or 2 separate beds) Bed can be King-sized, usually offered as a “Superior/King Double Room.
Double Occupancy Percentage	A measure of a hotel’s staff ability to attract more than one guest to a room.
Double Rate	A guest-rate which includes an additional person charge.
Double	A guest room occupied by two people.
Double-double	A room with two double-sized (full) beds.
Double-Lock (E-key)	To use of a special key to lock a guest room door so that neither a regular or master key can open it.
Double-occupancy Rate	The price per person for a room to be shared with another person; abbreviated ppdo and most often quoted in the industry.
Double-queen	Lodging-industry jargon for a hotel room type with two queen-sized beds.
Double-room Rate	The full price of a room for two people (twice the double-occupancy rate).
Down and out (slang)	A guest room that is on the first floor and has a door that opens to the parking lot, as opposed to an interior hallway.
Down	A term used to describe how many rooms the hotel is overbooked, as in, "We are twelve rooms down."
Down Grade	Change of room to lower rate or class.
Downgrade	To move to a lesser level of accommodations or a lower class of service.
Draft-style	A good type of dot-matrix print.
Due diligence	Taking what is considered in law to be reasonable care.
Due Out	A guest or room expected to check-out today.
Duvet	Quilts filled with down feather or synthetic fiber. Many hotels use duvets with a decorative cover, in lieu(instead) of both blanket and bedspread. (Referred to as “comforters”).
Dwell time	Length of time a visitor spends at an attraction or destination. Dwell time is often taken into consideration when setting admission fees as a way of ensuring perceived value for money.
Early Arrival	The condition of a guest arriving before the arrival date scheduled on his or her reservation or arrival before the designated check-in time.
Early Departure	The condition of a guest departure before the departure date scheduled on his or her reservation or departure before the designated check-out time.
Earth Check indicators	Proprietary system belonging to Green Globe 21, which uses carefully selected indicators to measure and benchmark key environmental and social impacts, as well as operational efficiency.
Ecologically Sustainable	Using, conserving and enhancing the community’s resources so that ecological development is maintained, and the total quality of life can be sustained now and in the future.
eCommerce	Internet facilitated commerce, using electronic means for promoting, selling, distributing, and servicing products.
Economy Fares or Services	In U.S. domestic airline operations, passenger carriage at a level below coach service; in international operations, carriage at a level below first class.
Ecosystem	A dynamic system of plant, animal, fungal and micro-organism communities, and the associated non-living physical and chemical factors.
Ecotour	A tour designed to focus on preserving the environment of environmentally sensitive areas.
Eco-tourism	A combination of tourism and the environment (e.g. planning before development; sustainability of resources; economic viability of a tourism product; no negative impact on either the environment or local communities; responsibility for the environment from developers, the tourism industry and tourists; environmentally-friendly practices by all parties concerned and economic benefits flowing to local communities)
Ecotourism	Defined by The International Ecotourism Society as ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people’.
Ecotourists	Tourists who plan their vacations as a means of learning and understanding, the culture and environment of a particular area. Characteristically leaving no “foot-prints”-no damage to the environment. Many visitors to China are “Eco-Tourists”.
EDC	Electronic data capture.
EDT	Electronic data transfer.
Educational Tour	Tour designed around an educational activity, such as studying art.
Electronic Data Transfer (EDT)	The process of electronically transferring credit-card and check data electronically over telephone lines between the merchant and financial institutions and/or credit-card companies. Also called "electronic data capture."
Electronic Key	A plastic key with electronic codes embedded on a magnetic strip.
Electronic Key System	A system composed of battery-powered or, less frequently, hard-wired locks; a host computer and terminals; a keypuncher; and special entry cards that are used as keys.
Elevator Operator	A person who manually operates the mechanical controls of the elevator.
E-mail	A communication system that uses an electronic network to send messages via computers.
Employee Discount	A special rate for employees of the company or franchise-affiliated hotels.
Employee Handbook	Publication that provides general guidelines concerning employee conduct.
Employment Development Department	Governmental department responsible for collecting payroll taxes and other activities related to employment.
Empowerment	Management’s act of delegating certain authority and responsibility to frontline employees.
Endangered Species	In severe danger of becoming extinct in the near future unless immediate steps are taken to protect the species.
Energy Conservation	Positive initiatives to reduce the consumption of energy to the minimum level required.
Environment	The diverse community activities and cultures of a country's inhabitants, as well as its scarce and sensitive natural resources.
Environmental Auditing	Inspection of a tourism organisation to assess the environmental impact of its activities.
Environmental Education	Formal and informal learning processes that are designed to raise awareness and teach new values, knowledge and skills, in order to encourage more sustainable behavior.
Environmental Impact Assessment	A study undertaken to assess the effect of an action upon a specific environment or the social or cultural integrity of a community.
Environmental Impact Statement	The report resulting from an environmental impact assessment.
Environmental Impact	The effects that a community has on the environment as a consequence of its activities.
Environmental Management Systems	Systems established by tourism organizations with the aim of mitigating negative environmental impacts.
Environmental Scanning	The process of collecting information to carry out a systematic analysis of the forces effecting the organisation and identifying potential threats and opportunities with view to generating future strategies.
EP	European Plan
Ergonomics	The study of how people relate psychologically and physiologically to machines.
Errors and Omissions Insurance	Insurance coverage equivalent to malpractice insurance, protecting an agent s or operator s staff if an act of negligence, an error, or an omission occurs which causes a client great hardship or expense.
Escort Service	Having a uniformed security guard escort a hotel employee to a financial institution.
Escort	A person who accompanies a tour from departure to return, as guide, troubleshooter, etc. A person who performs such functions only at destination. The terms "host-escort" or "host" are often used and are preferred to describe this service.
Escrow Accounts	Funds placed in the custody of licensed financial institutions for safekeeping. Many contracts in travel require that agents and tour operators maintain customers deposits and prepayments in escrow accounts until the time of service.
Ethnic Tour	Tour designed for people usually of the same heritage traveling to their native origin, or to a destination with ethnic relevance.
Euro	The accepted currency for some European states: Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, and Greece.
European Plan - EP	A hotel rate including only the lodging accommodations - no meals are included.
Evolutionary Theories	Theories of tourism which see destinations evolving, in the sense that the types of tourists change, or evolve, over time.
Excursion	Journey where the traveler returns to the original point of departure.
Executive Coach	A luxury motor-coach with seating of 25 or fewer with upscale amenities.
Executive Housekeeper	A person who is responsible for the upkeep of the guest rooms and public areas of the lodging property as well as control of guest room inventory items.
Exempt Employee	An employee who is exempt from the overtime provisions of law.
Exotic Plants	Plants whose genetic stock comes from beyond the area in which they are found.
Expense Report	A report submitted by an employee for the purpose of being reimbursed for expenses advanced on behalf of company business.
Express Check-Out	Means by which the guest uses computer technology in a guest room or a computer in the hotel lobby to check out.
Express Check-Out	A procedure by which a hotel guest can check out of the hotel without having to visit the front desk.
Extended Stay	A level of service that attracts long-term guests by providing light food service and amenities that include fully equipped kitchenette, spacious bedrooms, and living areas for relaxation and work
Extensions	An arranged sub-tour offered optionally before or after a tour or cruise at an extra charge.
Externalities	Those costs or benefits arising from production or consumption of goods and services which are not reflected in market prices.
F&B	Food and Beverage, A hotel department.
FAM (familiarization) Tours	Complimentary visits sponsored by the lodging property that host representatives of travel organizations, bus associations, social and nonprofit organizations, and local corporate traffic managers.
FAM Tour	An abbreviation for familiarization tour which is often a complimentary or reduced-rate travel program for travel agents, tour operators, travel writers or others to acquaint them with a specific destination or attraction, thereby helping to stimulate sales.
Family Plan / Rate	Special room rates offered to encourage visits by families with children.
Family Rates	Room rates offered to encourage visits by families with children.
FAP	Full American Plan
Fauna	All the animals of a particular area.
Fax Machine	Equipment for facsimile reproduction via telephone lines.
Feeder Market	A city or town (Marketing Statistical Area) from which your hotel derives business (can be the town/city in which your hotel is located).
Financial Period	A determined amount of time during which financial records are kept distinct from other periods.
Fire safety Display Terminal	A device that ensures a constant surveillance of sprinkler systems and smoke detectors.
Fiscal Year	A financial period of one-year beginning and ending on any date, not necessarily the first and last day of the calendar year.
Fixed Expense	An expense related to the tour as a whole, which does not vary with the number of passengers such as a meal or a per person entrance to an attraction.
Flag Carrier	A transportation carrier designated by a country to serve international routes.
Flat Rate	A rate which is offered for one to four people in a room with no additional person charge.
Float	(a) General: Period between the start and end of a transaction; (b) Small sum of money kept on hand to meet small expenses. (Set amount, issued daily)
Float	The delay in payment from an account after using a credit card or personal check.
Floor Inspector	A person who supervises the housekeeping function on a floor of a hotel.
Floor Inspector	A person who supervises the housekeeping function on a floor of a hotel.
Floor Limit	A dollar amount set by the credit-card agency that allows for a maximum amount of guest charges.
Flora	All the plants of a particular area.
Flotels – (Floating Hotel)	Luxury Cruise ships which offer the same services and amenities of land-based hotels.
Flow Analysis Processes	The preparation of a schematic drawing of the operations included in a particular function.
Flowchart	An diagram showing the delivery of a particular product or service.
Flowchart	An analysis of the delivery of a particular product or service.
Folio	A document in which Guest account is maintained (A guests record of charges and payment).
Folio	A document in which Guest account is maintained (A guests record of charges and payment).
Folio Well	A device that holds the individual guest folios and city ledger folios.
Folio	A guest’s record of charges and payments.
Folio	An itemized record of a guest’s charges and credits, maintained in the front office till departure, and can be referred to as guest bill or guest statement.
Food and Beverage Director	A person who is responsible for the efficient operation of the kitchen, dining rooms, banquet service, room service, and lounge.
Food Cover	A unit of food service provided to a customer. The term is not synonymous with meal because a food cover may comprise only a cup of coffee or bowl of soup.
Foot Patrol	Walking the halls, corridors, and outside property of a hotel to detect breaches of guest and employee safety.
Force Majeure	This is an unforeseeable or uncontrollable situation or train of events that would excuse a breach of contract.
Forecast	Monthly pre-estimation of Room sales, based on past and present data.
Forecast	Refers to the estimated occupancy of the hotel as well as the projection of estimated income, expense and profit for a future period.
Forecasting	Projecting room sales for a specific period.
Foreign Flag	Any carrier not registered in the USA (applies to air and sea transportation).
Foreign Independent Travel (FIT)	An international prepaid tour, usually unescorted, although guide service is often offered on some segments. An FIT is designed to the specifications of the individual client.
Franchise	The right to market a product or service, often exclusively for a specified area by a manufacturer, developer, or distributor in return for a fee.
Franchisee	A hotel owner who has access to a national reservation system and receives the benefits of the corporation’s management expertise, financial backing, national advertising, and group purchasing.
Frequent Independent Traveler - FIT	Custom designed, pre-paid tour with many individualized arrangements. Also used as foreign independent traveler.
Front Desk Clerk	A guest service agent
FRONT OF THE HOUSE	The functional areas of the hotel in which employees have extensive guest contact, such as food and beverage outlets and front office areas, Housekeeping.
Front Office Manager	Another title for guest services manager, but more specific. Front desk managers may not have responsibility for other guest service departments.
Front Office Manager	The person responsible for leading the front office staff in delivering hospitality.
Front Office	Office situated in the lobby of a hotel, the main functions of which are (1) control/sale of guest rooms, (2) providing keys, mail, and information, (3) keeping guest accounts, rendering bills/payments, and (4) providing information to other departments.
Frontline Employees	Employees who deliver service to guests as front desk clerks, cashiers, switchboard operators, bellhops, concierge, and housekeeping employees.
Full House	100 percent hotel occupancy; a hotel that has all its guest room occupied.
Full House	A hotel with all guest rooms occupied.
Full Service	A level of service provided by a hotel with a wide range of conveniences for the guest.
Full-service Restaurant	A food-service establishment with several menu selections and table service.
Function Room	Room used for functions, also called banquet room.
Function Sheet	Listing of the daily events in a hotel, such as meetings, etc.
Function	A pre-arranged, catered group activity, usually held in private room / area.
Gate-Pass	An authorization given to an employee to take a guest or hotel property, out of the hotel.
Gateway City	City with an international airport.
Gateway	City, airport, or area from which a flight or tour departs.
GDS - Global Distribution System	The entire electronic travel information network.
General Ledger	A collection of accounts that the controller uses to organize the financial activities of the hotel
General Manager - GM	Manages the operation of an individual hotel.
General Manager - GM	Person - responsible for the day to day operations of a Hotel or Business.
Gigabyte	1,024 megabytes of formatted capacity.
Global Distribution System - GDS	Distributor of hotel rooms to corporations such as travel agents, that buy rooms in large volume.
Globalization	Generally defined as the network of connections of organisations and peoples are across national, geographic and cultural borders and boundaries. These global networks are creating a shrinking world where local differences and national boundaries are being subsumed into global identities. Within the field of tourism, globalisation is also viewed in terms of the revolutions in telecommunications, finance and transport that are key factors currently influencing the nature and pace of growth of tourism in developing nations.
Going “Green”	the responsibility to be environmentally “friendly”.
Government Rate	The discounted rate sometimes available to some government travelers.
Graveyard Shift	Night shift, usually beginning at about mid-night.
Green Globe / Green Globe 21	GREEN GLOBE 21 is the worldwide benchmarking and certification programme which facilitates sustainable travel and tourism for consumers, companies and communities. It is based on Agenda 21 and principles for Sustainable Development endorsed by 182 governments at the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. www.greenglobe21.com
Greenhouse Effect	The trapping of the sun’s thermal radiation by gases and water vapor, keeping the surface of the earth warmer than it would be otherwise.
Greenhouse Gases	Gases that contribute to the greenhouse affect. These include carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour. One source of greenhouse gases is the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, gas and coal.
Gross Income	The difference between revenue and the cost of goods. (Different from "gross operating income.")
Gross Operating Income	Net profit or loss after operating expenses have been deducted from operating revenues. (Different from "gross income.")
Gross Operating Profit (GOP)	Profit before taxes, depreciation, management fees, insurance, debt service and capital expenditures are deducted.
Gross Receipts	All proceeds, including revenue and taxes, collected by a company.
Ground Operator	A company or individual providing such services as hotel, sightseeing, transfers, and all other related services for groups. See receptive operator.
Ground Package	Often expressed as a percentage (eg. 100% or 110%) of the lowest regular fare for the air travel scheduled.
Group Block	A specified number and type of rooms assigned to a particular group.
Group Deposit	Funds advanced to a hotel for the purpose of guaranteeing a group of room reservations.
Group Guest	A hotel customer traveling as part of a group of customers.
Group Leader	An individual, acting as liaison to a tour operator, acts as escort.
Guest History	A record of details concerning the guests visits, such as frequency, corporate affiliation, credit rating, personal information or special needs. Important to better service.
Guest Ledger	Account, kept in the Front Office, where all guest charges and payments are logged.
Guest Loan Items	Guest supplies not normally found in a guestroom but available upon request.
Guest Ledger	The amounts due for goods and services provided hotel guests who have not yet checked out and who have not yet paid for those goods and services.
Guest Room	Accomodations consisting of fully equipped bed- and bathroom, with amenities.
Guest Service Agent	An employee who works at the front desk of a hotel.
Guest Service Area	Usually referred to as the Front Office.
Guest Services Department	Hotel employees responsible for greeting guests on arrival, transporting them and their luggage to and from their rooms at check-in and departure, handling transportation, and providing appropriate assistance to guest as needed.
Guest Services Department	Usually the hotel department comprising the front desk, reservations, telephone, concierge, bell services and guest transportation departments.
Guest Services Manager (GSM)	Maintains the quality of guest services. Manages front office operations including reservations, check-in, check-out and accounting functions.
Guest Services Manager	The supervisor of a hotel's guest services department.
Guest Supplies	Items placed in the guestroom free of cost, for the use and comfort of guest. Commonly referred to as guest amenities or personal toiletries - care items include small bottles of shampoo, hair conditioner, lotion, soap, mouthwash, shoeshine cloth, mending kit etc.
Guest Test	Evaluation procedure in which an outside person is hired by the hotel to experience hotel services and report the findings to management.
Guest	A person occupying a hotel room or using another hotel service.
Guests	Guest who will spend money at the hotel's food and beverage outlets, spa etc. That will maximize profit for the hotel.
Half-day Rate	A room rate based on length of guest stay in a room.
Handle with Care (HWC) Guest	Guest who may have had some unpleasant experiences in the hotel or had some complaints, genuine or otherwise, are labeled as handle with care by the hotel, for the remainder of their stay.
Hard Key System	A security devise consisting of the traditional hard key that fits into keyhole.
Hard Key	A metal device used to trip tumblers in a mechanical lock.
Hard-key System	A security device consisting of the traditional hard key that fits into a keyhole in a lock; preset tumblers inside the lock are turned by the designated key.
Hardware	Computer equipment used to process software, such as central processing units, keyboards, monitors, and printers.
Head Tax	Fee charged for arriving and departing passengers in some foreign countries.
Heritage Site	A place that capitalizes on its connection with heritage.
Heritage	A very broad expression that describes anything that has a link with some past event or person (e.g. cultural heritage refers to past customs and traditions with the unspoken implication that these are worthwhile or creditable)
Heritage	Things of value that are inherited which people want to keep. Heritage can be natural, cultural, tangible, intangible, personal or collective. Natural heritage is often conserved in places such as reserves and national parks. Cultural heritage practices are often conserved through ongoing traditions and practices.
Heritage	Today's perception of a pattern of events in the past.
High Conservation Value	Recognition of the great significance of a natural or cultural site.
High Season	A period of time when occupancy demand of a hotel is at its highest, and rates are usually at their highest as well.
History	A pattern of events in the past.
Hold Mail	Mail that has arrived either prior to a guest's arrival or following his or her departure.
Hollywood Twin Room	A room with two twin beds ( but a common headboard), which is meant for two people. If the need arises, the beds can be “bridged” together to make it appear as a single, “King-sized” bed.
Hospitality Suites	A bedroom with connection parlor room used for entertaining and/or serving food and beverage.
Hospitality Television (HTV)	A commercial hospitality educational organization based in Louisville, Kentucky, that provides satellite broadcasts to hotels, restaurants, and food service facilities.
Hospitality	The cordial and generous reception and entertainment of guests, either socially or commercially.
Hospitality	The generous and cordial provision of services to a guest.
Host	A representative of the tour operator, destination or other tour principal who provides escort service at the destination. The term host-escort is often used to make a distinction between this function and such representatives who provide only information or greeting services, or who assist at the destination with ground arrangements without actually accompanying the tour.
Hotel Broker	A person who sells hotel room prize packages to corporations, sweepstakes promoters, game shows, and other sponsors.
Hotel Description Screen	Information for a property or hotel chain in the GDS. All relevant information regarding location, amenities and policies are sorted and accessed in this arena. It is equivalent to a sales brochure about a property.
Hotel Package	A package offered by a hotel, usually at a special rate, sometimes consisting of room and breakfast only, and at other times consisting of transportation, room, meals, exercise facilities and other components.
Hotel Representative (Hotel Rep)	A member of the Marketing and Sales department of the hotel who actively seeks out groups.
Hotel Representative	A member of the marketing and sales department of the hotel who actively seeks out group activities planners.
Hotelier	An individual who is expert, in maintaining the overall operation of a hotel.
House Bank	Funds kept on hand by a merchant for the purpose of making change to customers.
House Count	The number of persons registered in a hotel on a specific night.
House Limit	A dollar amount set by the hotel that allows for a maximum amount of guest charges.
Housekeeper’s Room Report	A daily report that lists the occupancy status of each room according to the housekeeping department.
Housekeeper's Report	A report by the housekeeping department indicating the status of each room in the hotel (clean, dirty, vacant, etc.).
Housekeeping	Hotel Department responsible for the cleaning, maintenance and upkeep of the Hotel – Guest Rooms and Public Areas. Responsible for the largest/most important hotel inventory.
Housekeeping Room Status	Terminology that indicates availability of guest room such as Available, Clean or ready ( room is ready to be occupied ), Occupied ( guest or guests are already occupying a room ), Dirty or Stay over ( guest will not be checking out of a room on the current day ), On change ( guest has checked out of the room, but housekeeping staff has not released the room for occupancy), and Out of Order( the room is not available for occupancy because of a mechanical or other malfunction)
Housing Bureau	An organization, often government sponsored, which acts as a clearing house for accommodations, particularly for conventions and other large meetings.
HRD	Human Resources Department
HRM	Human Resource Management, concerned with the strategic management of human resources to achieve a competitive advantage.
Hub and spoke Tours	Tours which utilize a central destination with side trips of varying length to nearby destinations.
Hubbart Formula	A method used to compute room rates that considers such factors as operating expenses, desired return on investment, and income from various departments in the hotel.
Human Resources Manager	The person responsible for administering federal, state, and local employment laws as well as advertising, screening, interviewing, selecting, orienting, training, and evaluating employees.
Human-made Attraction	An attraction created by people.
HWC	Handle With Care
IATA Number	A number used by the International Association of Travel Agents to designate each member. This is done to avoid individuals and organizations fraudulently representing themselves as travel agents.
IATA	International Association of Travel Agents
Incentive Program	An organized effort by management to understand employees‟ motivational concerns and develop opportunities for employees to achieve their goals and the goals of the hotel.
Immigration	The process by which a government official verifies a person’s passport, visa or origin of citizenship.
Impacts	Effects, which may be either positive or negative, felt as a result of tourism-associated activity. Tourists have at least three kinds of impacts on a destination: economic, sociocultural and environmental. Tourism also has effects on tourists, in terms of possible attitude and behavior changes.
Impromptu Travel	No arrangements booked in country of destination prior to travel. (Another name for FIT travel).
Inbound Tour Operator	Company specializing in domestic tours for foreign visitors in the strictest sense. Can also be used interchangeably with receptive operator.
Inbound Tour	Group of travelers whose trip originated in another city or country.
Incentive Program	An organized effort by management to understand employees’ motivational concerns and develop opportunities for employees to achieve both their goals and the goals of the hotel.
Incentive Tour	(1) a trip offered as a prize, particularly to stimulate the productivity of employees or sales agents, or (2) the business of operating such travel programs
Incentive Travel	A trip offered as a prize, particularly to stimulate the productivity of employees or sales agents.
Incidental Charges	Extra or miscellaneous charges added to a guest account.
Incidentals	Charges incurred by participants of a tour, but are not included in the tour price.
Inclusive Tour	Tour in which all specific elements – transportation, airfare, hotels, transfers, and other costs – are offered for a flat rate. An inclusive tour does not necessarily cover all costs such as personal items and telephone.
Income Audit	An accounting function, to verify and check on any inaccuracies that may occur in various Outlet transactions. (Items billed at correct quantity and price)
Income Statement	A summary of a company's revenue, costs and expenses during a financial period. Also called "profit and loss statement," "income and expense statement," and "operating statement."
Income	Revenue less expenses. The type of income depends on the type of expenses deducted. Revenue less cost of goods is "gross" income, for example.
Independent Contractor	A person contractually retained by another to perform certain specific tasks The other person has no control over the independent contractor other than as provided in the contract. In the context of group travel, a tour manager is often retained by the tour operator, or tour brochure designer/writer might be hired in this capacity.
Independent Hotel	A hotel that is not associated with a Franchise.
Independent Tour	An unescorted tour sold through agents to individuals. For one price, the client guaranteed air travel, hotel room, attraction admissions and (typically) a car rental.
Indexes	Reference points a travel agent uses to locate a hotel near where their client is going. These can be companies, attraction, etc.
Indigenous Species	A species that occurs at a place within its historically known natural range, and forms part of the natural biological diversity of a place.
Indirect Air Carrier	Generally synonymous with charter tour operator. A tour operator, travel agent, or other promoter who (under federal regulations) contracts for charter space from a carrier for resale to the public. In theory, indirect air carriers act as independent, risk-taking entrepreneurs, promoting their own product.
Individual Deposit	Funds advanced to a hotel for the purpose of guaranteeing a reservation.
info-mediaries	Organisations which provide websites/electronic guides as an information resource, sharing other resources such as web links to organisations that sell tourism/travel. The infomediary may be an organisation or company in its own right, or may form part of an individual company's or organization's customer service
Information Systems	Systems that use information technology to capture, transmit, store, retrieve, manipulate, or display information.
Infrastructure	Construction needed to support economic development.
In-house Laundry	A hotel-operated department that launders linens, uniforms, bedspreads etc.
Ink-jet	A printer that produces small dots printed with liquid ink on paper.
Innovative best Practice	A practice that is considered to be of the highest quality, excellence, or standing – a leader in the field.
Inquiries / Reports	A feature of the PMS that enables management to maintain a current view of operations and finances.
In-room Guest Checkout	A feature of the property management system that allows the guest to use a guest room television to check out of a hotel.
In-service Education	Courses that update a professional’s educational background for use in current practice.
Intangibility	The characteristic of not being touchable : a good is tangible whereas a service is intangible
Inter-departmental Communication	Communication between departments.
Interfacing	The ability of computers to communicate electronically and share data.
Inter-hotel property Referrals	A system in which one member-property recommends another member property to a guest.
Interhotel Property Referrals	A system in which one member-property recommends an-other member-property to a guest.
Intermediary	An organisation within the chain of distribution whose function is to facilitate the supply of a given product from producers to consumers. In the travel industry examples are travel agencies and tourism information offices.
Intermediate Carrier	A carrier that transports a passenger or piece of baggage as part of an inter-line movement, but on which neither the point of origin or destination is located.
Intermodal Tour	Tour using several forms of transportation such as airplanes, motorcoaches, cruise ships, and trains to create a diversified and efficient tour package.
International Association of Travel Agents	Well-know and reputable organization of travel agencies.
Internet	A network of computer systems that share information over high-speed electronic connections.
Interpretation	An educational process that is intended to stimulate and facilitate people's understanding of place, so that empathy towards, conservation, heritage, culture and landscape is developed.
Interpretation	Revealing the significance and meanings of natural and cultural phenomena to visitors, usually with the intent of providing a satisfying learning experience and encouraging more sustainable behavior.
Intersell Cards	Credit cards issued by a hotel corporation, similar to private label cards.
Introduced Species	A translocated or alien species found at a place outside its historically known natural range, as a result of the intentional or accidental dispersal by human activities. Includes genetically modified organisms.
Inventory	Stock or merchandise, operating supplies, and other items held for future use in a hotel. For example - linen, cleaning supplies and so on, are important housekeeping inventory items(Verb) To take “stock” / physical count of items.
Invoice	An itemized bill presented by the seller of goods and/or services to the buyer for the purpose of collecting payment.
IT Number	A registration number that is assigned to a tour package.
Itinerary	The travel schedule provided by a travel agent or tour operator for the client. A proposed or preliminary itinerary may be rather vague or very specific. A final itinerary spells out all details, including flight numbers, departure times, and similar data, as well as describing planned activities.
Jacuzzis	Whirlpool ; small pools in which alternate, under-water jets of warm water, bring about a therapeutic effect (like a massage).	Ja-koo-zi
Job Analysis	A detailed listing of the tasks performed in a job, which provides the basis for a “Job Description”.
Job Analysis	A detailed listing of the tasks performed in a job, which provides the basis for a sound job description.
Job Description	A list of required duties to be performed by an employee in a particular job.
Key Clerk	A person who issues keys to registered guests and other hotel personnel and sorts incoming mail for registered guests and management staff.
Key Drawer	A drawer located underneath the counter of the front desk that holds room keys in slots in numerical order.
Key Fob	A decorative and descriptive plastic or metal tag attached to a hard key.
Keyboard	A standard or Dvorak-type typewriter-style keypad that allows the operator to enter or retrieve data.
Keypad	A numeric collection of typewriter keys and function keys that allows the operator to enter numbers or perform math functions in a computer.
King-size Bed	The largest size bed available, with a dimension of 78 inches x 80 inches ( eastern king ) or 72 x 80 inches ( California king )
Labor Charge	Labor charges are fixed dollar amounts (not based on a percentage.
Lanai	A balcony, a patio or both, overlooking a landscaped area, a scenic view, water or garden.	La-nai
Land Operator	A company that provides local services, see also ground/receptive operator
Landscape Area	An area where trees, plants, turf, deck, walks, ponds etc, have been used to create a natural looking outdoor space that is functional and visually appealing.
Laser	A printer that produces photo images on paper.
Last Room Availability	A room rate that is available as long as there are rooms left to sell in their hotel.
Late Arrival	A guest with a reservation who notifies the hotel that he/she expects to arrive after 6:00 p.m.
Late Charges (AD)	(a) Guest charges that might not be included on the guest folio because of a delay in posting by other departments. (b)Applied to guest who is Checking out after scheduled “Check-out” time. **AD – (After Departure)
Late Charges	Charges made by the guest and received at the front desk for posting after the guest has checked out.
Late Charges	Guest charges that might not be included on the guest folio because of a delay in posting by other departments.
Lead Time	Advance time between initiating a tour and its departure date.
Leadership	Influencing and directing the performance of group members towards the achievement of organizational goals
Learner	An employee who may receive a rate of pay than minimum wage during a training period.
Leg	Portion on a journey between two scheduled stops.
Leisure Travel	Travel undertaken for pleasure and unrelated to paid work time.
Leisure Travelers	People who travel alone or with others on their own, for visits to points of interest, to relatives, or for other personal reasons.
Length of Stay	No of nights spent in one destination. Most tourist boards seek to find ways of increasing visitors’ length of stay.
Letter of Agreement	A letter from the buyer to the supplier accepting the terms of the proposal. This may also be the supplier s initial proposal that has been initialed by the buyer.
Letter-quality	A better type of dot-matrix print.
Liabilities	Financial or other contractual obligations or debts.
Liability	A debt or claim on the assets of an organization.
Lifecycle	The particular pattern through which a destination evolves.
Limited Partnership	A form of business organization in which there are limited partners and a general partner. The limited partners invest in the business but do not manage it. The limited partners have limited liability.
Limited Service	A level of service provided by a hotel with guest room accommodations and limited food service and meeting space.
Limited Service	A level of service provided by a hotel with guest room accommodations and limited food service and meeting space.
Liquor License	A state-issued permit allowing a reseller to purchase liquor from a wholesaler and resell it, either by the drink or by the container, depending on the type of license.
Litigious Society	An environment in which consumers sue providers of products and services for not delivering those products and services according to expected operating standards.
Load Factor	Average number of seats occupied, e.g. motor-coach or air.
Local	Belonging to a particular place or region.
Lodging Industry	The industry comprising hotel, motels, resorts, condotels, etc.
Log Book	Maintained to record daily incidents.
Lost and Found	Term applied to department/area, which receives and secures, items misplaced or lost by guest. Usually located in the House-keeping or Security Department.
Low Season	A period of time when occupancy demand of a hotel is at its lowest, and rates usually at their lowest as well.
Low Season	That time of the year at any given destination when tourist traffic, and often rates, are at their lowest. Also referred to as off-peak or off-season.
Luggage Rack	A furniture item provided in guestrooms for placing the guest's luggage on.
M.I.C.E	Meeting, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions. This segment is now a big revenue generator for the hotels. Certain hotels cater specifically to the “MICE” customers.
Macro Business	A large, formal business that employs many people.
Main Menu	On-screen list of all the available individual programs (modules) that are included in the software system.
Maintenance Manager	A staff member in a limited-service property who maintains the heating and air-conditioning plant, produces guest room keys, assists housekeeping attendants as required, and assists with guest safety and security.
Make-up	Servicing of the room while a guest is registered in the room. (Reverse of “DND”)
Management Contract Property	A hotel that is operated by a consulting company that provides operational and marketing expertise and a professional staff.
Manager Hold	An inventory control used to prevent rooms from being booked.
Manager of Information Services (MIS)	A commonly used job title describing one who is responsible for a company's computer systems.
Manager’s Report	A listing of occupancy statistics from the previous day, such as occupancy percentage, yield percentage, average daily rate, Revenue PAR, and number of guests.
Manager-on-Duty	The ranking supervisor responsible for the hotel.
Manifest	Final official listing of all passengers and / or cargo aboard a transportation vehicle or vessel.
MAP	Moderate American Plan
Mapping	Matching a room type/rate type in the reservations system with a specific code in the GDS.
Market Orientated Pricing	A method of pricing that benchmarks prices against competitors when deciding on price.
Market Segment	Identifiable group of customers with similar needs for products and services.
Market Segment	The concept of dividing a market in parts.
Market Segmentation	Market segmentation is a marketing approach that encompasses the identification of different groups of customers with different needs or responses to marketing activity. The market segmentation process also considers which of these segments to target.
Marketing Statistical Area	Geographic areas, usually defined by area zip codes, from which your hotel's guests originate.
Marquee	The curbside message board, which includes the logo of the hotel and space for a message.
Mass Marketing	Advertising products and service through mass communications such as television, radio, and internet.
Mass Tourism	Traditional, large scale tourism commonly, but loosely used to refer to popular forms of leisure tourism pioneered in southern Europe, the Caribbean, and North America in the 1960s and 1970s.
Master Account	The billing account for a particular group or function that will be paid by the sponsoring organization.
Master Bill	All items contracted by the operator and supplier that will be paid by the operator
Master Credit Card Account	An accounts receivable that tracks bank, commercial, private label, and intersell credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, and JCB
Master Key	A key which opens all locks in the building. Usually held by GM, Engineer and Housekeeper. (There are “Master Keys” for each Department, held by Department Head)
MAVERICS	Characterisation of tourists of the future as multi-holidaying, autonomous, variegated, energized, restless, irresponsible, constrained and segmented.
Maximum Length of Stay	An inventory control used to ensure a reservation departure date. Often used prior to a special event.
Mediation	An attempt to settle a dispute using a neutral third party.
Meet and Greet	Pre-purchased service for meeting and greeting a client/group upon arrival in a city, usually at the airport, pier, or rail station. Service may include assisting the client/group with entrance formalities, collecting baggage, and obtaining transportation to the hotel.
Meeting Planners International (MPI)	An international organization comprised of those who plan meetings and conventions as a profession and those who supply the meeting industry, such as convention bureaus, exhibition companies and hotels.
Megabyte	1,024 kilobytes of formatted capacity.
Megahertz (mHz)	One million cycles per second; indicates computer speed.
Menu	A listing of accessible tasks displayed on a computer screen.
Message Book	A loose-leaf binder in which the front desk staff on various shifts can record important messages.
Micro Business	A small, often informal, business that employs very few people.
Military and Educational Rates	Room rates established for military personnel and educators.
Mini Bar	A private miniature refrigerator, in the guest room, conveniently stocked with a collection of juices, liquor, and snacks, available for sale. Prices are generally much higher than those in a store.
Minibar	Honor bar, an area or container for selling beverages in a guest-room.
Minimal Impact Practices	Deliberate human behavior that reduces the negative impact of people or objects on the environment to a minimum.
Minimum Charge	The amount that each customer must pay no matter what is consumed. For example: a two-drink minimum in a club.
Minimum Land Package	The minimum tour expressed in terms of cost and ingredients that must be purchased to qualify for an airline inclusive tour, or contract bulk inclusive tour fare. Such packages usually include a certain number of nights lodging, other specified ingredients such as sightseeing tours and/or entertainment and/or car rental.
Minor	A person under 18 years of age.
MIS	Manager of information services.
Mode of Travel	The type of transport used to make a journey between an origin and a destination, and can include walking and cycling as well as all forms of mechanical transport.
Modem	Computer hardware that allows for transfer of data through telephone lines, data expressed in baud—information transfer—rates.
Modified American Plan	A room rate that offers one meal with the price of a room rental.
Moments of Truth	Every time the hotel guest comes in contact with some aspect of the hotel, he or she judges its hospitality.
Money Wire	An electronic message that authorizes money from one person to be issued to another person.
Monitor	A television screen with color or monochrome capacity to view input and output data, control column width and line length of display, adjust height of character display, and allow visual control.
Monitoring	The ongoing review and assessment of the natural or cultural integrity of a place in order to detect changes in its condition with reference to a baseline condition.
Moonlighter	A person who holds a full-time job at one organization and a part-time job at another organization.
Motels (Motor- Hotel)	Hotels that are located primarily near highways. They provide modest lodgings to highway travelers, Salesmen etc.. Most motels provide ample parking space and may be located near petrol/gas stations and main highways.
Motivation	Internal and external forces and influences that drive an individual to achieving certain goals.
Motivation	Investigating employee needs and desires and developing a framework for meeting them.
Motorcoach Tour Operator	A company that creates tours in which group members are transported via motor-coach on a planned itinerary of stops.
MPI	Meeting Planners International.
MSA	Marketing support applications.
Murphy Bed	This refers to a bed that folds up into the walls and looks like a bookshelf or cupboard when folded away, being named for a leading manufacturer of such beds. It may also be called a “Sico” bed (after another leading manufacturer of foldaway or wall beds)
Mystery Tour	A tour to an unpublished destination - passengers get a surprise!
Nationwide Tour	Sold to people throughout the Nation.
Natural Area	Areas that exist in or are formed by nature which are not artificial, and can include cultural aspects.
Natural Attraction	A tourist attraction that has not been made or created by people.
Natural Disaster	A destructive force (e.g. earthquake, flood, volcanic eruption)
Nature Tourism (Nature-based tourism)	Ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas.
Needs Analysis	Assessment of the flow of information and services of a specific property to determine if proposed new equipment can improve the flow.
Negligence	Failing to exercise what is legally considered to be reasonable care.
Net non-commissionable Rates	A rate offered by a hotel for which a travel agent or wholesaler agrees to not receive commission.
Net Operating Income (NOI)	The remaining income after all operating expenses have been deducted from revenue, excluding mortgage payments.
Net Rate	A rate given by a hotel, attraction or airline to a travel agent or wholesaler. This rate will be marked up, and often combined with other features, before being sold to a customer.
Net Revenue	Revenue less allowances.
Net Wholesale Rate	A rate usually slightly lower than the wholesale rate, applicable to groups when components are specifically mentioned in a tour brochure. The rate is marked up by wholesale sellers to cover tour costs.
Night Audit	The control process, by which the financial activity of guest‟s accounts is maintained and balanced on a daily basis. (usually between 11:00 p.m and 7:00 a.m.)
Night Audit	The control process whereby the financial activity of guests’ accounts is main-tained and balanced on a daily basis.
Night Auditor	A person who balances the daily financial transactions of guests who have used hotel services, acts as a desk clerk for the night shift, and communicates with the controller.
No Show	Guest with confirmed reservations who does not arrive and has not canceled.
No-Frills	A low-cost scheduled travel package based on minimising operator service and costs, which are passed to the consumer as a low price.
NOI	Net operating income.
Non-profit	Non-profit organisations are those which are driven by non-financial organizational objectives, i.e. other than for profit or shareholder return.
Non-revenue Receipts	Receipts collected that are not from the sale of goods and services, such as sales tax.
No-show Factor	Percentage of guests with confirmed or guaranteed reservations who do not show up.
No-show	A guest with a confirmed reservation who does not arrive and whose reservation was not canceled. If the reservation was guaranteed, the hotel may charge the guest (usually for one night's room and tax).
Occupancy Management Formula	Calculation that considers confirmed reservations, guar-anteed reservations, no-show factors of these two types of reservations, predicted stay-overs, predicted understays, and predicted walk-ins to determine the number of additional room reservations needed to achieve 100 percent occupancy.
Occupancy Percentage	The number of rooms sold divided by the number of rooms available.
Occupancy Rate	The ratio, expressed as a percentage, of room night sold or occupied to the total number of rooms offered for sale by a hotel.
Occupancy	The percentage of available rooms occupied for a given period. It is computed by dividing the number of rooms occupied for a period by the number of rooms available for the same period.
Occupied	Used by a guest, such as an “occupied” room.
Off sale	A type of liquor license that allows the holder to sell alcoholic beverages only for removal from the seller's site. This type of license does not allow the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the seller's site.
Off/Low Season	Period when hotel business is slow, with low occupancy.
Off-peak	A period in which a hotel or attraction is not in its busiest season.
Off-site management	Provision of pre-visit (or otherwise off-site) educational and interpretive materials to raise awareness of management issues and encourage minimal impact behavior.
On sale	A type of liquor license that allows the holder to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the seller's site.
On the Job Training	A training process in which the employee observes and practices a task, while performing his or her job.
On-demand public Transportation	Transportation services, such as taxicabs that do not have regular schedules.
On-line	Operational and connected to the main computer system.
On-site Assessment	A site-visit by a quality systems member to verify material submitted during the accreditation application.
On-site Management	Management of visitor impacts and behaviour on-site through the use of signs, formed tracks or board-walks, barriers and the physical presence of management staff.
On-the-job Training	A training process in which the employee observes and practices a task while performing his or her job.
OOO	Out of Order
OOO	Out of Order is the status of a guestroom that is not rentable because it is being repaired or redecorated.
Open Jaw	An arrangement, route, or fare, authorized in a tariff, granting the traveling public the privilege of purchasing round-trip transportation from the point of origin to one destination, at which another form of transportation is used to reach a second destination, where a passenger resumes the initial form of transportation to return to the point of origin.
Operating Budgets	These forecast the expense and revenues for the routine operations of the hotel during a certain period.
Operating Expenses	Those costs that the hotel incurs in order to generate revenue in the normal course of doing business.
Operating Supplies	The items essential to day-to-day operations, including F& B supplies, Guest supplies and Cleaning supplies.
Operational Effectiveness	The ability of a manager to control costs and meet profit goals.
Operational Reports	Operational data on critical financial aspects of hotel operations.
Operations Management	The ongoing activities of designing, reviewing and using the operating system, to achieve service outputs as determined by the organization for customers" (Wright, 1999)
Operations	Performing the practical work of operating a tour or travel program. Operations usually involves the in-house control and handling of all phases of the tour, with both suppliers and clients.
OPL	On Premises Laundry. An “ in- house” area in the hotel, where linen and uniforms are washed, dry-cleaned and pressed. Services may be provided to Guests (Valet service).
OPL	On premises Laundry
Optimal Occupancy	Achieving 100 percent occupancy with room sales that will yield the highest room rate.
Optimal Room Rate	A room rate that approaches the rack rate.
Option Date	The date agreed upon when a tentative agreement is to become a definite commitment by the buyer.
Option	Tour feature extension or side trip offered at extra cost.
Organisation	A deliberate arrangement of people to achieve a particular purpose.
Organization Chart	“Table” or drawing, that lists management positions in an organization.
Orientation Check List	A summary of all items that must be covered during orientation.
Orientation Checklist	A summary of all items that must be covered during orientation.
Orientation Process	The introduction of new hires to the organization and work environment, in order to provide background information about the property.
Other Revenue	A category of lodging revenue, including laundry, pay movies, vending, interest, parking, copying, etc.
Outbound Operator	A company which takes groups from a given city or country to another city or county.
Outbound Tour	Any tour that takes groups outside a given city or country, opposite of inbound.
Outfitter	A business that provides services or equipment at a recreational facility.
Out-of-inventory	The condition of a hotel made unavailable.
Out-of-order Room	Designation of a room taken out of the available inventory for the purpose of repairs, maintenance, redecorating, etc.
Outsourcing	Provision of service to the hotel, for example - a central reservation system or service e.g. (Laundry Service) by an agency outside of the hotel.
Outsourcing	Provision of service to the hotel—for example, a central reservation system—by an agency outside of the hotel
Outstanding Balance Report	A listing of Guests folio balances.
Overbook	Accepting reservations for more space than is available.
Overbooked	1. The practice by a hotel of confirming reservations beyond capacity in the expectation of cancellations and/or no shows. 2. The inadvertent confirming of reservation beyond capacity.
Overbooking	Accepting reservations for more rooms than are available.
Overbooking	The practice of offering more rooms for sale than what the hotel has in physical inventory. This practice is commonly used to ensure a sell-out by offsetting the effects of anticipated cancellations and no-shows.
Override	A commission over and above the normal base commission percentage.
Overtime	Premium pay for excessive hours worked.
P & L	Profit and Loss Statement.
Pacing	The scheduling of activities within an itinerary to make for a realistic operation and give a certain balance of travel time, sightseeing, events and free time.
Package Rate	Room rate “packaged” to include goods and services, in addition to rental of a room.
Package Rate	Room rates that include goods and services in addition to rental of a room.
Package Tour	A combination of several travel components provided by different suppliers, which are sold to the consumer as a single product at a single price.
Package	Generally, any advertised combination of rooms with some other amenity.
Packager	An individual or organization that coordinates and promotes the package tours and establishes operating guidelines for the tour.
Packing Slip	A document listing the contents of a shipment and accompanying that shipment. (Not an invoice, because it contains no pricing information.)
PAF	Personnel Action Form.
Paging System	Finding/searching for a Guest through use of a “Paging Board” (or overhead audio system)
Paid in advance (PIA)	Guest who paid cash at check- in.
Paid in Advance	Full amount of room and tax paid by guest before arrival or during stay.
Paid Out Form	A form used to document payments made to hotel guests, but not used for payments to employees.
Paid Out	Cash given to a guest by the front desk.
Paid-out Slips	Prenumbered forms that authorize cash disbursement from the front desk clerk’s bank for products on behalf of a guest or an employee of the hotel.
Paid-Outs	Amounts of monies paid out of the cashier’s drawer on behalf of a guest or an employee of the hotel.
Paper Trail	Documents to support one or more transaction postings.
Par stock / Par number	Quantity of a particular inventory item that must be on hand to support daily, routine operations.
Par System	A level of inventory established that provides for adequate service.
Parking Garage Manager	The person responsible for supervising garage attendants and maintaining security of guests and cars in the parking garage.
Parlor	A sitting room ( living room, salon ), usually connecting with a bedroom.
Passport	Government document permitting a citizen to leave and re-enter the country.
PAX	Industry term for “person”. E.g. –Rate is $120 per Pax.
Pax	Industry abbreviation for passengers.
Payback Period	The period of time required for the hotel to recoup purchase price, installation charges, financing fees, and so forth through cost savings and increased guest satisfaction; assists in deciding whether to install computers.
Payroll Departments	Departments that have labor expense.
Peak Season	Period when Hotel occupancy is high –usually during Summer and at Holiday periods e.g. – Spring Festival, New Years.
Peddler’s Club	A marketing program meant to encourage repeat business by frequent business guests.
Percent Occupancy	The number of rooms sold divided by the number of rooms available multiplied by 100.
Percent Yield	The number of rooms sold at average daily rate versus number of rooms available at rack rate multiplied by 100.
Perfect sell-out.	A condition in which all hotel guest-rooms are sold and all reservations are honored.
Perishability	The characteristic of being perishable. In tourism the term is used to describe, for example, a particular hotel room on a specific night or a particular seat on a specific flight: they cannot be 'stored' and sold later, so they are perishable.
Permanent Guest	A customer who has established permanent residence in a hotel.
Personal Disposable Income	The amount an individual has left over for personal expenditure on goods and services, after payment of personal direct taxes, national insurance and pension contributions.
Personnel Action Form (PAF)	The form used by hotel to report to the business office all changes in employees' status.
Person-trip	A Person-trip for non-residents begins each time a non-resident traveller enters Canada. The person-trip concludes when the traveller leaves Canada. For residents, each time a person departs from Canada a person-trip begins. It ends when the traveler returns to Canada.
Petty Cash	Money allocated from “Float” for incidentals.
Petty Cash	Funds from which cash purchases are made.
Physical Evidence	The tangible evidence of a service, including everything which can be seen, touched, smelt and heard.
Physical Plant Engineer	The person who oversees a team of electricians; plumbers; heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning contractors; and general repair people to provide behind-the-scenes services to the guests and employees of the lodging property.
PictureTel	The use of telephone lines to send and receive video and audio impressions.
Plant	An outside person who is hired by a hotel to experience hotel services and report the findings to management.
Pleasure Travelers	People who travel alone or with others on their own for visits to points of interest, to relatives, or for other personal reasons.
PMS – (Property Management System)	A computerised front desk system that deals with online reservations, guest bookings, point of sale, telephone and other amenities. Some property management systems also include payroll and Guest billing.
PMS	Property Management System.
Point of Sale	An outlet in the hotel that generates income such as a restaurant, gift shop, spa etc.
Point-of-sale Front Office	A front office whose staff promotes other profit centers of the hotel.
Point-of-sale Terminals	Computerized cash registers that interface with a property management system.
Point-of-Sale	An outlet in the hotel that generates income, such as a restaurant, gift shop, spa, or garage.
Policy and procedure Manual	Provide an outline of how the specific duties of each job are to be performed.
Policy and Procedure Manual	Publication that provides an outline of how the specific duties of each job are to be performed.
Pollution	Harmful effects on the environment as a by-product of tourism activity. Types include: air; noise; water; and aesthetic.
Port of Entry	Point at which persons enter a country where customs and immigration services exist.
Portage	Baggage handling service or the fee charge for handling baggage.
Porte-cochére	An enclosure over a driveway at the entrance of a building to provide shelter.
Positioning	The process of ensuring potential customers have a desired perception of a product or service, relative to the competition.
Posting	The process of debiting and crediting charges and payments to a guest folio.
Posting	The process of debiting and crediting charges and payments to a guest folio.
Potential Gross Income	The amount of sales a hotel might obtain at a given level of occupancy, average daily rate and anticipated yield.
PPM - Pages per Minute	Printing speed capability.
Pre- and Post-trip Tours	Optional extension packages before or after a meeting, tour or convention.
Pre-Assign	Assignment of Guest –rooms, before arrival of Guest.
Pre-Block	To hold, assign or reserved in advance of arrival, such as a guest room.
Predicted House Count	An estimate of the number of guests expected to register based on previous occupancy activities.
Pre-formed Group	A tour group in existence prior to the tour, the members of which share a common destination and purpose.
Prepaid Expense	An expense paid before the entirety of its benefit is received.
Pre-Registration	Registering guests, prior to their arrival.
Pre-registration	Room assignment and the filling out of registration cards prior to the guest's arrival, often used for convention, meeting and tour guests.
Price elasticity of Demand	A measure of the variability that can be expected in sales when prices are changed. Unity elasticity would see equal increase in sales to in reaction to a decrease in price. Inelastic demand would not change when prices went down or up.
Pricing	Decision-making process of ascertaining what price to charge for a given tour, once total costs are known. Pricing involves determining the markup, studying the competition, and evaluating the tour value for the price to be charged; function performed by the operations manager.
Primary Market	A country in which the US Travel & Tourism Admin (USTTA) maintains an office.
Printer	Computer hardware in dot-matrix, ink-jet, or laser models that produces hard copies of output data in letter quality or draft style in various print fonts, with printing speed being expressed in CPS (characters per second), number of characters per line, and pages per minute and paper insertion being tractor-fed, single-sheet, or continuous-form.
Prior Approved Credit	Use of a credit card to establish creditworthiness.
Private Label Cards	Credit cards issued by a retail organization, such as a department store or gasoline company.
Process Control	A systematic use of tools to identify significant variations in operational performance and output quality, determine root causes, make corrections and verify results.
Process Design	Involves specifying all practices needed, flowcharting, rationalization and error prevention.
Process Improvement	A proactive task of management aimed at continual monitoring of a process and its outcome and developing ways to enhance its future performance.
Process Management	Planning and administering the activities necessary to achieve a high level of performance in a process and identifying opportunities for improving quality, operational performance and ultimately customer satisfaction. It involves design, control and improvement of key business processes.
Process	A set of interrelated or interacting activities which transforms inputs into outputs.
Processor Speed	How fast a CPU (central processing unit) makes calculations per second; expressed in MHz (the abbreviation for “megahertz”)
Productivity Standards	The quantity of work expected to be completed by each department employee.
Profit	The difference between the amount of revenue and expenses, if positive.
Profit	The excess of revenue over expenses, if expenses exceed revenues in a given period the organization will make a loss.
Profit-and-loss Statement	A listing of revenues and expenses for a certain time period.
Proof of Citizenship	A document, necessary for obtaining a passport, that establishes one s nationality.
Protected Area	Any area of land and/or sea dedicated to the conservation, protection and maintenance of biodiversity and natural and cultural resources, which is managed through legal or other means.
Protected	Guarantee by a supplier or wholesaler to pay commissions, plus all refunds to clients, on pre-paid, confirmed bookings regardless of subsequent cancellation of a tour or cruise.
Pseudo city Code	An ID code which identifies the location of the terminal of a travel agency which makes reservation for a designated company. This allows classified information (negotiated rates for a given company) to be accessible only to that agency. This is also referred to as " defined viewership."
Psychographic Data	Emotional and motivational forces that affect a service or product for potential markets.
Public Policy	Is whatever governments choose to do or not to do (Thomas Dye 1992: 2). Such a definition covers government action, inaction, decisions and non-decisions as it implies a very deliberate choice between alternatives.
Public Space	The areas of the hotel generally accessible by all hotel guests, such as the lobby, corridors and pool deck.
Purchase Order	A contract authorizing the purchase of goods or services.
Quality	The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of a product fulfils customer requirements.
Qualmark	Classification and grading system for the New Zealand tourism industry, using 5 star system.
Rack Rate	The highest room rate category offered by a hotel.
Rack Rate	Retail price of accommodation, airfares, activities / attractions.
Rate Tier	Different levels of rates that are placed in Special Rate Plans and are categorized by moderate, high, and heavy room-night volume. These levels of rates may be structured as a percentage off base rate, dollars off base rate, or a flat room rate. Typically used for locally negotiated rates established in exchange for volume.
Ratings	“Star “ Ratings commonly used for classifying Hotels, 5-star being highest.
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)	A form of financing an investment in real estate through a mutual fund.
Recreation Director	The person who is in charge of developing and organization recreational activities for guests.
Referral Member	A hotel owner or developer who has access to the national reservation system.
Referral Property	A hotel operating as an independent that wishes to be associated with a certain chain; uses national reservation system.
Referral Reservation Service	A service offered by a management company of a chain of hotels to franchisee members.
Registration Card	A form on which the guest indicates name, home or billing address, phone number, date of departure, method of payment etc.
Registration Card	Card used by guests to sign in at check-in.
Regret	A potential reservation not booked. Common regret reasons are: rate, room type not available and the location of the hotel.
Regulation	Control through formalized processes.
Renewable Energy	Energy sources that are practically inexhaustible. For example solar, hydro and wind energy.
Requirements	Stated, generally implied (as a custom or common practice for the organization, its customers and other interested parties) or obligatory needs.
Reseller's Permit	Effectively, a sales tax license, allowing the holder to collect sales tax and avoid paying sales tax for goods purchased for resale to consumers.
Reservation Code	A sequential series of alphanumeric combinations that provide the guest with a reference for a guaranteed reservation.
Reservation Confirmation	A written notice sent to a reservation maker or traveler that a reservation has been made.
Reservation Deposit	Funds advanced to a hotel for the purpose of guaranteeing a reservation or group of reservations.
Reservation Referral System	A worldwide organization that processes requests for room reservations at a particular member-hotel.
Reservation Status	Terminology used to indicate the availability of a guest room to be rented on a particular night, i.e., open (room is available for renting), confirmed (room has been reserved until 4:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.) guaranteed (room has been reserved until guest arrives), and repair (room is not available for guest rental)
Reservation	The holding of a guest-room for occupancy.
Reservations Manager	The person who takes and confirms incoming requests for rooms, noting special requests for service; provides guest with requested information; maintains an accurate room inventory; and communicates with marketing and sales.
Reserve	Assignment of a vacant room on the day of arrival to a reservation in an effort to accommodate a special request.
Resident Manager	A hotel or motel manager who lives at the work site.
Residential Hotel	Hotels that provide long term accommodations for guest.
Resort Hotel	A fashionable hotel, usually located in a resort area , with other attractions. Some hotels are built specifically to create a captive trade e.g. the casinos and holiday resorts of Macau, Hainan and the Caribbean.
Resort Hotel	A fashionable hotel, usually located in a resort area , with other attractions. Some hotels are built specifically to create a captive trade e.g. the casinos and holiday resorts of Macau, Hainan and the Caribbean.
Resort	A hotel, motel or condominium complex located in an area associated with recreation and leisure, such as the mountains or the seashore. Normally offer facilities for sports and recreational activities.
Responsibility Clause	That section of a brochure that spells out the conditions under which a tour is sold. The clause should name the party responsible for the tour financially.
Responsible Tourism	Type of tourism which is practised by tourists who make responsible choices when choosing their holidays. These choices reflect reponsible attitudes to the limiting of the extent of the sociological and environmental impacts their holiday may cause.
Restoration	Returning existing habitats to a known past state, or to an approximation of the natural condition, through repairing degradation, removing introduced species, and revegetating using native locally occurring species.
Restricted Date	A date for which management has limited the type of reservation to be accepted.
Returned Cheques	Dishonored cheques returned by the bank to the depositor.
Revenue Account	Part of owner’s equity.
Revenue Departments	Departments that generate revenue.
Revenue expenditure	The cost of resources consumed or used up in the process of generating revenue, generally referred to as expenses.
Revenue Management	A process of planning to achieve maximum room rate and most profitable.
Revenue Management	Revenue management is a management approach to optimising revenue, often based on managing revenues around capacity and timing (yield management), for different market segments or from different sources of funding.
Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR)	The amount of dollars each hotel room produces for the overall financial success of the hotel, determined by dividing room revenues re-ceived for a specific day by the number of rooms available in the hotel for that day.
Revenue Realized	The actual amount of room revenue earned (number of rooms sold actual rate).
Revenue	The cash value of a company's receipts for the sale of goods and/or services. (Revenue does not include taxes collected, but "gross receipts" does.)
RevPAR	Revenue Per Available Room. The amount of money a hotel earns for each available room. (Occupancy x ADR).
RFP	Request for proposal. The opportunity to offer a company or consortium a discounted rate(s).
RM	Resident Manager.
Role-playing	Acting out a role before actually being required to do the job.
Rollaway	A portable bed for one person.
Room Attendants	Employees who clean and maintain guest rooms and public areas.
Room Blocking	Reserving rooms for guests who are holding reservations.
Room Change	Moving of a guest from one room to another during his or her stay.
Room Key Control System	An administrative procedure that authorizes certain personnel and registered guests to have access to keys
Room Rates	Day rate: usually one-half the regular rate for a room during the day up to 5 pm; flat rate: a specific room rate for a group agreed upon by the hotel/group in advance; group rate: rate based on an agreed upon minimum number of rooms used, also called flat rate; net group rate: a wholesale rate for group business (usually a minimum of 10 and 15 people) to which an operator may add a markup if desired; net wholesale rate: a rate usually lower than the group rate, applicable to groups or individuals when a hotel is specifically mentioned in a tour folder; published rate: a full rate available to or advertised to the public, The rate can change, depending upon the season. Also known as rack rate.
Room Revenue	The amount of room sales received.
Room Revenues	The amount of room sales received.
Room Sales Figure	The total of posted daily guest room charges.
Room Sales Projections	A weekly report prepared and distributed by the front office man-ager that indicates the number of departures, arrivals, walk-ins, stayovers, and no-shows.
Room Service	Food or beverages served in a guest’s room.
Room Status Discrepancy	A situation in which the housekeeping departments description of a rooms status differs (is different) from the room status information with the front office.
Room Status Report	Allows the housekeeping department to identify the occupancy or condition of the property‟s rooms. It is made daily through a two-way communication, between Housekeeping and Front office.
Room Status	Information on availability of entry to a guest room—reservation (open, confirmed, guaranteed, or repair) or housekeeping (ready, on change, or out-of-order).
Rooming List	Given in advance of a group arrival, which lists the names of those who will be staying in the hotel.
Rooming	Group room arrival sheet. A list of names informing us of the individual guests who will occupy a specific block of rooms held for a group. Sometimes a list is used in lieu of telephone or mailed reservations.
Rooms Forecast	The projection of room sales for a specific period.
Rule-of-Thumb Method for determining Room Rates	Guideline stipulating that the room rate should be $1 for every $1,000 of construction costs (this figure is from the 1960s; the current figure is $2 for every $1,000 of construction costs)
Safety Committee	A group of frontline employees and supervisors who discuss safety issues concerning guests and employees.
Sales Associate	A person who books the guest’s requirements for banquets and other special events.
Sales Indicators	Number of guests and revenue generated.
Sales Tax	Tax collected by merchants on behalf of state and local governments when selling some goods and services.
Sales	Revenue from ordinary activities: not necessarily cash.
Sauna	Small room or hut, heated to approximately 80degrees C. It is used for dry heat Cleansing as well as for mental & physical relaxation.
Scanty Baggage	A room status indicating a room assigned to guest with small, light and few pieces of luggage that could be carried away without obviously indicating departure, should a guest walk out with them.
Seasonality	A phenomenon created by either tourism supply or demand (or both) changing according to the time of the year.
Sector	A part or branch of the whole industry that provides particular goods and/or services.
Security Deposit	A payment made by a hotel guest guaranteeing the payment of debts for services or damaged or missing hotel property.
Security	A hotel department or function provided by hotel employees or a hotel contractor to provide for the safety and protection of hotel guests, employees and property.
Self-check-in Process	A procedure that requires the guest to insert a credit card with a magnetic stripe containing personal and financial data into a self check in terminal and answer a few simple questions concerning the guest stay.
Sell Up	Employment of selling techniques to persuade guests to choose a higher rate room then originally intended.
Sell-through	The condition or act of taking a reservation that extends through a sold-out date. For example, a hotel may take a five-day reservation through a period in which one of the five days is sold-out to not lose the revenue on the other four days.
Series Operator	A travel agent, wholesaler, tour operator, or broker who blocks space in advance for a series of movements over a given period of time, not necessarily on a back-to-back basis.
Service Animals	Animals used to help people overcome physical disabilities.
Service Charge	(1) a specified percentage of a hotel’s daily rate (usually 10% or 15 %) charged to the guest, who in return is relieved of the responsibility for tipping; (2) a fee charged to a client by a travel agent in addition to the commissions paid to him or her by the principals.
Service Charge	Amounts collected, mostly on behalf of service employees, for banquet services, usually calculated as a fixed percentage of the revenue subject to the service charge. Also called banquet "tips" and "gratuities,"
Service Delivery	The manner in which customer needs are met.
Service Directory	This is a booklet in which the services offered to guests by the hotel are listed, along with the intercom numbers to reach the relevant departments.
Service Encounter	The moments of interface between customer and supplier.
Service Management Program	A management program that highlights a company’s focus on meeting customers’ needs and allows a hotel to achieve its financial goals.
Service Marketing Mix	The addition of People, Physical Evidence and Process to the four areas of activity more usually associated with marketing products,: Price, Place, Promotion and Product.
Service Provider	A person or company that supplies a particular service.
Service Strategy Statement	A formal recognition by management that the hotel will strive to deliver the products and services desired by the guest in a professional manner.
Service	Non-physical, intangible attributes that management controls, including friendliness, efficiency, attitude, professionalism, and responsiveness.
Service	Work done for the benefit of another.
Servicescape	The location in which the service encounter takes place.
Shelving	The capability of allowing a travel agency to book a rate other than the base rate through an airline system.
Shift Leader	The person responsible for directing the efforts of a particular work shift.
Shore Excursion	A land tour, usually available at ports of call and sold by cruise lines or tour operators to cruise passengers.
Short Haul	1-3 hour flight.
Shoulder Season	Period when there is neither a high nor low demand for a destination, usually falling in the spring or fall months for most areas.
Show Rooms	Rooms set aside for showing to prospective clients and customers.
Single Supplement	An extra charge assessed to a tour purchased for single accommodations.
Single	A room rented to one guest only and charged at the single rate.
Single-sheet	A type of printer that uses single-sheet paper.
Site destination selection Company	Company that investigates and suggests potential meeting sites to suit corporate or association needs.
Skill Demonstration	Demonstration of specific tasks required to complete a job.
Skills Gaps	Employers perceive existing employees have lower skill levels than needed to achieve business objectives, or where new, apparently trained and qualified for specific occupations, entrants still lack requisite skills.
Skills Shortages	Lack of adequately skilled individuals in the labour market due to low unemployment, sufficiently skilled people in the labour market but not easily geographically accessible or insufficient appropriately-skilled individuals.
Skipper	A room status that indicates the guest has left the hotel without making arrangements to settle his/her account.
Sleep Out	A guest who is registered into a room, but who informs the front desk that he or she will be sleeping in the hotel.
Sleeper	A room that is thought to be occupied but is in fact vacant.
Small Business	A small business is one which has a small number of employees, profit and/or revenue. Often these are owner-managed, with few specialist managers. Some definitions of small businesses distinguish between businesses with under 10 employees, which are micro-businesses, and those with 10-49 employees, which are classified as small businesses.
SME(s)	Small and Medium Enterprises.
Smart Card	An electronic device with a computer chip that allows a guest or an employee access to a designated area, tracking, and debit-card capabilities for the hotel guest.
Social	Relating to human society and interaction between its members.
Software	Computer-designed applications that process data such as guest information and aid in financial transactions and report generation.
Sold out	Status of the hotel when all rooms have been rented and there are no further rooms available. When the hotel reaches sold-out status, no more reservations or walk ins may be accepted for that date.
Souvenir	A product purchased by a tourist as a reminder of a holiday.
Special Event Tour	A tour designed around a particular event, e.g. : Mardi Gras
Special Interest Tour	A tour designed to appeal to clients with a curiosity or concern about a specific subject. Most special interest tours provide an expert tour leader and usually visit places and/or events only relevant to that interest.
Special Market	A foreign country with high potential for US inbound travel which does not have an office of the US Travel and Tourism Administration (USTTA).
Spillage	High valued customers turned away because lower valued customers have been previously accepted.
Split Shift	A work schedule interrupted by non-paid time, except meal and rest breaks.
Split Transaction	A single entry in computer accounting programs that has more than one offsetting account.
Stakeholder	Any person, group or organization with an interest in, or who may be affected by, the activities of another organization.
State travel office	An official government agency or privately run, non-profit organization responsible for travel development and promotion of a state or province.
State	'The state' is a set of officials with their own preferences and capacities to effect public policy, or in more structural terms a relatively permanent set of political institutions operating in relation to civil society' (Nordlinger 1981, in Hall and Jenkins 1995). The state includes elected politicians, interest or pressure groups, law enforcement agencies, the bureaucracy, and a plethora of rules, regulations, laws, conventions and policies.
Statement	1. A summary of a customer's account, including debit and credit entries for charges, payments and credits totaling to a balance due. 2. Any of a number of financial reports.
Statute	The law as made by parliament, e.g. in the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act (1995). A statute is made up of many parts called 'sections' or 'provisions'.
Statutory Instrument	The vast majority of delegated legislation in the UK is in the form of statutory instruments governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946.
Stay-over	A registered guest who extend his or her stay beyond the check-out date originally requested.
Stayovers	Currently registered guests, who wish to extend their stay beyond the time for which they made reservations.
Step-on Guide	An independent guide who comes aboard a motor-coach to give an informed overview of the city or attraction to be toured.
Stock taking (Inventory)	The physical verifying of items by counting up stocks, at periodic intervals. Stock taking is also termed conducting inventory.
Strategic Information Systems	Systems designed to support the strategic management decision processes and implementation.
Strategy Pyramid	A visual way of representing the different levels of the strategy conceptualisation and implementation process. The most general assumptions are shown at the apex and the practical, implementation actions are at the base.
Subcontractor	A local operator who provides services for a wholesaler.
Suite	A sitting room ( parlor, living room, salon ) connected to at least one sleeping room.
Supplier	The actual producer of a unit of travel merchandise or service such as a hotel or restaurant.
Suppliers	Individuals, companies or other organizations which provide goods or services to a recognizable customer or consumer.
Surcharge Rates	Telephone rates for adding service charges for out-of-state long-distance telephone service.
Surety Bond	Insurance to guarantee that an insure will carry out the specific work he or she was hired to do.
Surveillance Equipment	Equipment such as CCTV’s ( Close circuit televisions ) that help to closely observe suspicious activities and persons.
Suspense Account	An account used to temporarily carry amounts (such as discrepancies) pending their analysis.
Sustainable Development	Development carried out in such a way as to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Sustainable Tourism	According to the World Tourism Organization, this is "envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled with maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support systems."
Sustainable Tourism	Tourism that can be sustained over the long term because it results in a net benefit for the social, economic, natural and cultural environments of the area in which it takes place.
Sustainable	Something which can be kept in the same or a better condition for the future.
Tariff	Published Rate of Rooms.
Tariff	(1) fare or rate from a supplier; (2) class or type of a fare or rate; (3) published list of fares or rates from a supplier; (4) official publication compiling rates or fares and conditions of service.
Tax Cumulative Total Feature	An electronic feature of a PMS that adds all posted room tax amounts previously entered into one grand total.
Telecheck	A company that electronically approves customers' checks.
Telephone Initiation and Reception Agreements	Contracts between senders and receivers of PictureTel concerning specifications of the telephone call and who pays for the call.
Telephone Operator	The person who handles incoming and outgoing calls, locates registered guests and management staff, deals with emergency communication, and assists the desk clerk and cashier when necessary.
Tent Cards	Hotel publicity cards in the shape of tents placed in guestrooms, or Dining Rooms.
Themed Tour	A tour designed around a specific theme such as fall foliage, also a special interest tour.
Tickler Files	Files used to prompt notice that certain events will be occurring.
Timeshares	Vacation “interval” hotels. These involve individuals purchasing the ownership of accommodations for a specific period of time, usually one or two weeks a year. These “owners” then can occupy the unit during that time. Owner may also have the unit rented out, by the management company that operates the hotel.
TIPS	Extra money (gratuity) given by the guest, as a reward for quality service, received. T.I.P.S – (the acronym), means “To Insure Prompt/Polite Service”. Tipping is now the accepted “norm”, as many facilities will add an automatic 10-20% Gratuity (Service charge), which usually supplements the salary of personnel, who earn minimum wage.
Top Down	A sales method that involves presenting the most expensive rate first.
TOT	Transient Occupancy Tax
Total Quality Management	TQM : a management technique that encourages managers to look at processes used to produce products and services with a critical eye.
Total Restaurant Sales Figure	Total of all sales incurred at restaurants or food outlets in the hotel.
Touch Screen	A type of computer monitor screen that allows the operator to input data by touch.
Tour Basing Fare	A reduced-rate excursion fare available only to those who buy pre-paid tours or packages. Tour basing fares include inclusive tours, group inclusive tours, incentive tours, contract bulk inclusive tours, and group round-trip inclusive tours.
Tour Booker	A person or company who holds an ICC license to organize and market motor-coach tours.
Tour Broker	A person or company which organizes and markets tours.
Tour Catalog	A publication by tour wholesalers listing their tour offerings.
Tour Consultant	Individual within an agency selling and advising clients regarding a tour. The consultant is sometimes a salesperson with particular expertise in escorted tour sales.
Tour Departure	The date of the start by any individual or group of a tour program, also used in referral to the entire operation of that single tour.
Tour Escort	The tour company staff member or independent contractor who conducts the tour. Often called the tour manager or tour director. It is technically a person that only escorts the group and does not have charge of the commentary portion.
Tour Manager	A person employed as the escort for a group of tourists, usually for the duration of the entire trip, perhaps supplemented by local guides.
Tour Manual	(1) a summary of facts about a company s rules, regulations, and official procedures; (2) a compendium of facts about a destination, including its attractions, accommodations, geography, and special events, used by destination marketing organizations to attract tour operators and visitors and their area.
Tour Menu	A menu that limits group clients to two or three choices at a special price.
Tour Operator	A person or company which creates and/or markets inclusive tours and subcontracts with suppliers to create a package. Most tour operators sell through travel agents and/or directly to clients.
Tour Option	Any component of a package tour that is not included in the package price, but may be purchased as an added feature to extend the length of the package or enhance the trip.
Tour Order	A coupon given to the purchaser of a tour package, identifying the tour, the seller, and the fact that the tour is pre-paid. It is used as a form of proof of payment and receives vouchers for meals, porterage, transfers, entrance fees, and other expenses. Also see tour vouchers.
Tour Organizer	Person who locates and creates groups for preformed tours. The tour organizer is often compensated only with a free trip.
Tour Vouchers	Documents issued by tour operators to be exchanged for tour components, also called coupons.
Tour	Any pre-arranged journey to one or more destinations.
Tourism Commodity	Tourism Commodity is one for which a significant part of its total demand in Canada comes from visitors.
Tourism Demand	Tourism Demand is defined as the spending of Canadian and non-resident visitors on domestically produced commodities. It is the sum of tourism domestic demand and tourism exports.
Tourism Domestic Demand	Tourism Domestic Demand is the spending in Canada by Canadian visitors on domestically produced commodities.
Tourism Employment	Tourism Employment is a measure of employment in tourism and non-tourism industries. It is based on an estimate of jobs rather than “hours of work”. Thus, someone who works 10 hours a week counts for as much, by this measure, as someone who works 50 hours a week.
Tourism Flows	The major movements of tourists from specific home areas to destinations.
Tourism Geography	The knowledge of countries, regions, major cities, gateways, famous icons, monuments, building structures, and geographical features such as rivers, seas, mountains, deserts and time zones.
Tourism Income Multiplier (TIM)	Exaggerated effect of a change in tourism expenditure on an area's income.
Tourism Industry	A group of businesses that provide services and facilities for consumption by tourists.
Tourism Industry	Tourism Industry is an industry that would cease to exist or would continue to exist only at significantly reduced levels of activity in the absence of tourism.
Tourism Infrastructure	Roads, railway lines, harbors, airport runways, water, electricity, other power supplies, sewerage disposal systems and other utilities to serve not only the local residents but also the tourist influx (suitable accommodation, restaurants and passenger transport terminals form the superstructure of the region)
Tourism Product	Different things to the various members of the tourism industry. To the hotel it is `guest- nights'. To the airline it is the `seats flown' and the `passenger miles'. To the museum, art gallery or archaeological site, the product is measured in terms of the number of visitors. For the tourist the product is the complete experience resulting from the package tour or travel facility purchased, from the time they leave home until their return.
Tourism Satellite Account	System of accounting at national or regional level which reveals the total direct impact of tourism on the economy.
Tourism System	A framework that identifies tourism as being made up of a number of components, often taken to include the tourist, the tourist generating region, the transit route region, the tourist destination and the tourism industry.
Tourism	The all-embracing term for the movement of people to destinations away from their place of residence for any reason other than following an occupation, remunerated from within the country visited, for a period of 24 hours or more.
Tourism	The business of providing and marketing services and facilities for leisure travelers. Thus, the concept of tourism is of direct concern to governments, carriers, and the lodging, restaurant, and entertainment industries, and of indirect concern to virtually every industry and business in the world.
Tourism	The definition of tourism used in the national tourism indicators (NTI) is that adopted by the World Tourism Organization and the United Nations Statistical Commission: “the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes.”
Tourist Attractions	Tourist attractions are defined as being destinations for visitors' excursions which are routinely accessible to visitors during opening hours. Visitors can include local residents, day-trippers or people who are travelling for business or leisure purposes. Formal definitions exclude shops, sports stadia, theatres and cinemas, as these meet a wider purpose, although in practice tourists may consider the excluded categories to be tourist attractions.
Tourist Card	A kind of visa issued to tourists prior to entering a country (required in addition to a passport or other proof of citizenship).
Tourist Facility	A feature created for utilization by tourists.
Tourist Route	A route developed to attract tourists to an area to view or experience something unique to that area (e.g. wine route, whale route, heritage route, battlefield route)
Tourist Trend	A general tendency to visit a country, region or destination or to pursue a specific tourist activity.
Tourist	Anyone who spends at least one night away from home, no matter what the purpose.
Tourist	One who travels for a period of 24 hours or more in a place other than that in which he or she usually resides, whose purpose could be classified as leisure (whether for recreation, health, sport, holiday, study or religion), business, family, mission or meeting.
TOWS Matrix	Uses a SWOT analysis to develop strategies by matching strengths with opportunities, using opportunities to reduce weaknesses, using strengths to overcome threats, and reducing weaknesses and avoiding threats.
Tracking Research	Ongoing research conducted at regular intervals to track changes in specific factors, for example, potential customers' intention to travel to NZ.
Tracking	A cause of action or method of monitoring, such as tracking the number of tours that come into a specific destination.
Tractor-fed	A type of printer that uses a continuous roll of paper.
Traffic Managers	Persons who direct hotel guests to available elevators in the lobby.
Training Tickler File	A database that keeps track of training sessions and alerts trainers to important upcoming dates.
Transfer Slip	A form used to transfer an amount of money from one account to another while creating a paper trail.
Transfer	Local transportation, sometimes including porterage, as from one carrier terminal to another, from terminal to a hotel, or from a hotel to an attraction.
Transient Guest	An individual (non-group) hotel customer.
Transient occupancy tax (T.O.T.) (also bed tax, occupancy tax, room tax)	Tax on the sale of lodging rooms.
Transient Revenue	Room revenue from services provided to an individual (non-group) customer.
Transient	An individual not directly associated with a particular group or convention.
Transit Visa	Visa allowing the holder to stop over in a country to make a travel connection or brief visit.
Transit	Process of changing planes without going through security and/or customs.
Travel Agent	A Travel Agentis a person or business that sells travel-related services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, cruise lines, hotels etc.
Travel Directories	Organized listings of hotel reservation methods and specific accommodations information.
Travel Directories	Organized listings of hotel reservation access methods and hotel geo-graphic and specific accommodations information.
Travel-agent Commission	Percentage of room rate paid to travel agent for sending a guest to our hotel. Payment is usually 10%.
Traveler’s Checks	Prepaid checks that have been issued by a bank or other financial organization.
Traveler's Checks	Prepaid checks that have been issued by a bank or other financial organization.
Trial Balance	A first run on a set of debits to determine their accuracy against a corresponding set of credits.
Trial Balance	The process of checking that the total of all debit entries equals the total of all credit entries for a period.
Trip Director	An escort for an incentive company. Larger companies reserve this title for the person who directs all personnel and activities for a trip.
True Integration	The sharing of a reservation database by a hotel’s central reservation system and property management system.
Turn Down Service	A special service provided by the housekeeping department in which a room attendant enters the guestroom early in the evening to re- stock supplies , tidy the room and turn down the covers on the bed, in preparation for the night.
Understays	Guests who arrive on time but decide to leave before their predicted date of departure.
Up-grade Voucher	Guest receives change of status –room etc., to a higher rate/grade.
Upgrade	To move to a better accommodation or class of service.
Upgrade	When a guest is given a higher priced room for no additional charge.
Upsell	To encourage a customer to consider buying a higher priced product or service than originally anticipated.
Utell	A large, worldwide reservation service renamed to Rezsolutions.
V & R	Vacant and ready, a guest room that is ready to be occupied.
V.I.P.	Abbreviation for "Very Important Person".
Vacant	The status of a room in which no guest has slept the previous night and is not yet occupied.
Valet Service	Laundry, Dry cleaning, shoe cleaning service provided to Hotel Guests.
Valet	(a) A man employed for personal services like pressing and shoe cleaning, for hotel or cruise-ship patrons. (b) An attendant who parks cars for patrons of a Hotel Restaurant etc. (This Service is usually contracted out)
Value Season	A time of year when prices are lower than peak, also called low or off-season.
Van Log	A record of the use of a company vehicle.
Variability	Because the production and the consumption of a tourism experience are inseparable and because differing circumstances and people will affect each experience, those experiences are prone to variance and create a challenge for tourism managers to achieve consistency of standards.
Variable Cost	An expense that changes in direct proportion to a related increase or decrease in total activity or volume.
VAT/TVA/MWS/GST	Acronyms for value-added tax, a tax system which adds a fixed percentage of taxation on products and services at each step of production or service delivery. Common in Europe and Canada.
Virtual Organization	Organization in which major processes are outsourced to partners.
Visa Waiver	A program to eliminate the visa requirement for selected countries.
Visa	Stamp of approval recorded in a passport to enter a country for a specific purpose.
Visitors	A broader category than 'tourist', includes tourists and same-day visitors.
Visitors	Visitors are persons who undertake tourism as defined above. They are referred to as either tourists (those who stay overnight or longer in the place visited), or same-day visitors.
Visual Alarm Systems	Flashing lights that indicate a fire or other emergency in a hotel room.
Waiting List	A list of prospective customers awaiting availability of room reservations.
Waitlist	List of clients awaiting transportation or accommodations at times when they are not available, confirmed as a result of subsequent cancellations.
Wake-up Call	Telephone “Morning Call” Service, provided at guest's request.
Walk in Guest	Guest who requests a room rental, without having made a reservation.
Walk	Lodging-industry slang for relocating a guest to another hotel because reserved accommodations are not available.
Walk-In	Person without prior reservation who requests accommodation for that night.
Walking a Guest with a Reservation	Offering accommodations at another hotel to a guest who has a reservation when your hotel is overbooked
Water Closet (WC)	Sanitary fittings consisting of the toilet bowl, tank etc.
Wholesaler	A company that usually creates and markets inclusive tours and FITs for sale through travel agents. Although the term is used often as a synonym for tour operator there are several distinctions: (1) presumably sells nothing at retail while a tour operator often does both; (2) does not always create his/her own products, while a tour operator always does; (3) is less inclined than a tour operator to perform local services.
Wholesaler	An agency which packages tours. A package may consist of a combination of transportation, hotel accommodation and/or attractions.
Wi-fi	Wireless fidelity. This is an amenity provided nowadays by world class hotels. Wi- fi‟ enables
Working Capital	Operational assets and liabilities needed for everyday operation, e.g. cash or bank overdraft, stock and trade creditors, known as net current assets/liabilities.
Working Supervisor	A person who participates in the actual work performed while supervising.
World Heritage Area	Land of cultural and/or natural significance inscribed on the World Heritage List.
World Heritage Site	A site designated by UNESCO as being of special historical, cultural or natural importance.
Yield Management	"A revenue maximization technique which aims to increase net yield through the predicted allocation of available … capacity to predetermined market segments at optimal price" (Donaghy et al., 1997a).
Yield Management	A process of planning to achieve maximum room rates and most profitable guests (guests who will spend money at the hotel’s food and beverage outlets, gift shops, etc.), which encourages front office managers, general managers, and market-ing and sales directors to target sales periods and develop sales programs that will maximize profit for the hotel.
Yield Percentage	The effectiveness of a hotel at selling its rooms at the highest rate avail-able to the most profitable guest.
Yield	The percentage of income that could be secured if 100 percent of available rooms are sold at their full rack rate.
Zip drive	A computer accessory that holds data; a 100-megabyte Zip drive holds an equivalent of 70 floppy disks
Zip or Postal Code	A postal designation assigned by country, to facilitate the efficient movement of mail.
Zip or Postal Code	An individual local postal designation assigned by a country.
Zoning	Different eco-systems may be zoned in terms of their robustness to pressures from tourism in an attempt to mitigate environmental damage.
Phrase	Meaning	Pronounce

Hospitality Keywords

Are you sure? ?