What is a “twin”, “half board” or “overbooking”? How is a standard room different from a superior, and ADR from RevPAR? This hotel terms glossary explains 65 key words of the hotel business in plain language — no complicated definitions.
How to use this hotel terms glossary
- Looking for a specific word? Find it in the table of contents below and click — the page will jump straight to the explanation. On a computer you can also press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac) and type the word.
- Every term is explained the same way: first a short explanation in simple words, then more detail — what it means and where the word comes from — and finally an example.
- Terms are grouped by topic: types of hotels, rooms, meals, booking and rates, working with guests, hotel staff, software and numbers.
Contents
- Types of hotels — boutique hotel, aparthotel, business hotel, guest house, hostel, motel, resort, pension and sanatorium, spa hotel, eco hotel, hotel chain, hotel garni
- Rooms — standard and superior, junior suite, suite, apartment, SGL, DBL, TWN, TRPL, duplex, family room, executive room, room inventory
- Meals — RO, BB, HB, FB, All Inclusive, à la carte, table d’hôte, buffet, brunch
- Booking and rates — rack rate, group, corporate and agency rates, cancellation, no-show, guaranteed booking, voucher, direct booking, OTA, booking engine, MLOS, overbooking
- Working with guests — check-in and check-out, upgrade, upselling, VIP guest, amenities
- Hotel staff — receptionist, porter, concierge, bellman and doorman, room attendant, supervisor, entertainment staff
- Software and numbers — PMS, channel manager, CRS, rate shopping, room night, occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, revenue management, USALI
- Words that are most often confused
- Frequently asked questions
1. Types of hotels
1. Boutique hotel
In simple words: A boutique hotel is a small, stylish hotel with an unusual interior and a special atmosphere, unlike typical chain hotels.
A boutique hotel usually has few rooms — from 10 to a few dozen. Each room may be decorated differently, and the interior is full of design details, local art and the history of the building. Staff often know guests by name.
The word “boutique” comes from the fashion world: it means a small shop with special clothes, as opposed to a big department store. The name is believed to have first been used for a hotel in New York in the 1980s. “Boutique hotel” is not an official category — it describes a style.
Example: a 15-room hotel in an old house in Tbilisi: every room has its own furniture, the walls are hung with work by local artists, and homemade pastries are served at breakfast.
2. Aparthotel
In simple words: An aparthotel is a hotel where, instead of ordinary rooms, there are apartments with a kitchen — but there is a reception and cleaning, just like in a hotel.
It is a mix of an apartment and a hotel. The guest lives as if at home: they can cook and have more space. But there is a receptionist who checks guests in and housekeepers who clean and change the linen.
Often the apartments in an aparthotel belong to different owners, and one management company rents them out and services them. This format is very common in Batumi — many new high-rise buildings by the sea work exactly this way.
Example: in a residential complex in Batumi, a management company rents out 80 apartments belonging to different owners: it checks guests in, cleans the apartments and shares the income with the owners.
3. Business hotel
In simple words: A business hotel is a hotel for people travelling for work: in the city centre, with good internet, a work desk and meeting rooms.
These hotels are usually located in the city centre near offices, or close to the airport. Rooms have a comfortable desk and good Wi-Fi; the hotel has conference halls, meeting rooms and an early breakfast.
The main guests are business travellers. That is why these hotels are full on weekdays but often empty out at weekends and lower their prices.
Example: a hotel in central Tbilisi is almost fully booked by business travellers from Monday to Thursday, and at weekends it runs a promotion for tourists to fill the empty rooms.
4. Guest house
In simple words: A guest house is small accommodation with a few rooms, most often in a family home, where the owners welcome guests themselves.
The owners live nearby or in the same house, greet guests, clean, and often cook breakfast or dinner. Prices are usually lower than in a hotel, and the atmosphere feels like home.
In Georgia, guest houses are one of the most popular types of accommodation, especially in the mountains and villages: in Svaneti, Kazbegi, Adjara and Kakheti. Many guests choose them for the chance to talk to the hosts and try home cooking.
Example: a family in a mountain village has turned the second floor of their house into 4 guest rooms: the hostess welcomes guests, cleans and cooks dinner herself.
5. Hostel
In simple words: A hostel is cheap accommodation where a guest pays not for a room but for a bed in a shared room.
In a hostel people usually stay in shared rooms for 4–12 people, on bunk beds. Showers and toilets may be shared per floor, and there is a shared kitchen and lounge. There are often private rooms too — at a higher price.
The idea of the hostel was invented by German teacher Richard Schirrmann at the beginning of the 20th century. He took schoolchildren on hikes and wanted them to have a cheap and safe place to spend the night. The first youth hostel opened in Germany, in an old castle.
Example: a hostel has 3 rooms with 8 beds each. Each bed is sold separately for 35 GEL a night — so 8 people who don’t know each other can stay in one room.
6. Motel
In simple words: A motel is a simple roadside hotel for people travelling by car: you can park right outside the door of your room.
The word combines two English words: motor and hotel. Motels are built along highways. Usually it is a one- or two-storey building with rooms opening straight onto the car park, and the service is minimal: stay the night and drive on.
Motels appeared in the USA in the 1920s, when many people got cars and began travelling around the country by road.
Example: on the Tbilisi–Batumi highway there is a single-storey building with 12 rooms, each with its own parking space by the door.
7. Resort
In simple words: A resort is a large holiday hotel with everything for relaxing: a beach or mountains, pools, restaurants, a spa and entertainment.
A resort usually covers a large area and works like a small town: a guest can spend the whole holiday without leaving. There are several restaurants, pools, sports grounds, a kids’ club, a spa, and sometimes a private beach or ski slope.
Resorts often work on an all-inclusive basis.
Example: a beachfront hotel with three restaurants, two pools, a kids’ club, a spa and its own beach is a resort.
8. Pension and sanatorium
In simple words: A pension is a place for a quiet holiday with meals included. A sanatorium is a place for a holiday with medical treatment: there are doctors and procedures.
A pension is a holiday hotel, usually by the sea, in the mountains or outside the city. The main difference from an ordinary hotel is that meals are most often included in the price, sometimes three times a day.
A sanatorium also offers accommodation and meals, but the main goal is health. There are doctors, massage, therapeutic baths, mineral water and special diets. Well-known sanatorium resorts in Georgia are Borjomi and Tskaltubo, famous for their mineral waters.
Example: at a sanatorium in Borjomi, the price includes accommodation, three meals a day, a doctor’s check-up and treatments. At a seaside pension it includes only accommodation and meals.
9. Spa hotel
In simple words: A spa hotel is a hotel focused on relaxation for the body: a pool, sauna, massage and other relaxing treatments.
Such a hotel has a spa centre: a pool, a sauna or hammam, massage rooms, face and body treatments. Unlike a sanatorium, it doesn’t treat illnesses — it helps you relax.
The word “spa” comes from the small town of Spa in Belgium, long famous for its hot mineral springs. There is a version that SPA is an abbreviation of a Latin phrase meaning “health through water”, but that was invented much later.
Example: a 30-room country hotel with a pool, a sauna and three massage rooms sells a “Spa weekend” package: two nights, breakfasts and a massage.
10. Eco hotel
In simple words: An eco hotel is a hotel that takes care of nature: it saves water and energy and uses local food and natural materials.
Such hotels are usually located in nature — in the mountains, a forest or by a lake. They are built from wood or stone, use solar panels, avoid single-use plastic and serve breakfast made from local farm produce.
“Eco” is not always an official category. Some hotels use the word just because it is fashionable. Real eco hotels often hold green certificates, such as Green Key.
Example: a hotel in the mountains of Adjara is built of wood, gets part of its electricity from solar panels and serves cheese, honey and vegetables from neighbouring farms at breakfast.
11. Hotel chain
In simple words: A hotel chain is many hotels under one brand in different cities and countries, all working by the same rules.
The best-known chains are Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Accor and IHG. In any city in the world, their hotels under one brand are similar: the same room standard and the same standards of cleanliness and service.
Often the chain doesn’t own the building. It either manages the hotel for a fee or allows the owner to operate under its brand and by its rules — this is called franchising.
Example: a Georgian investor builds a hotel in Tbilisi and signs a contract with an international chain: the hotel gets the brand, the booking system and the standards, and the chain gets a percentage of the income.
12. Hotel garni
In simple words: A hotel garni is a hotel that serves only breakfast and has no restaurant for lunch or dinner.
The term is common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. In French, garni means “furnished, equipped”. Breakfast is served in the morning, and guests go to cafés and restaurants for lunch and dinner.
Hotels garni are usually small and inexpensive: they don’t need a big kitchen and chefs.
Example: a small hotel in Austria is called “Hotel Garni”: it has a breakfast room in the morning but no restaurant.
2. Rooms
13. Standard and Superior
In simple words: A standard room is the simplest and cheapest room in a hotel. A superior room is a little better than standard: bigger, with a better view or newer renovation.
A standard room has everything you need: a bed, a wardrobe, a bathroom, a TV. Superior means “better”. What exactly makes it better is up to the hotel: somewhere it is a few square metres larger, somewhere it has a balcony, somewhere a sea view.
There are no common rules, so in one hotel a “superior” may be almost the same as a “standard”, and in another noticeably better. It is important that the hotel describes the difference honestly.
Example: in a Batumi hotel, a standard room is 18 m² with a courtyard view for 150 GEL, and a superior is 24 m² with a balcony and sea view for 190 GEL.
14. Junior suite
In simple words: A junior suite is a large room with both a sleeping area and a sitting area with a sofa in one space. It is bigger than an ordinary room but smaller than a suite.
Junior means “younger”, so a junior suite is a “smaller suite”. It is usually one spacious room in which the bed and the sitting area are separated — by a partition, a screen or simply by furniture.
Example: a 35 m² room: in one part there is a large bed, and by the window a sofa, an armchair and a coffee table. There is no separate living room — this is a junior suite.
15. Suite
In simple words: A suite is one of the most expensive and spacious rooms in a hotel. It usually has at least two separate rooms: a bedroom and a living room.
The word suite comes from French and means “a series, a sequence” — several rooms following one another. In Russian and some other languages, the same room is called “lux”, from the Latin luxus, “luxury”.
A suite may have a living room, a separate bedroom, sometimes a study, a large bathroom and even a kitchen. The most expensive suites are called presidential suites.
Example: on the top floor of a hotel there are two suites: each has a bedroom with a large bed, a separate living room with a dining table and a bathroom with a jacuzzi.
16. Apartment
In simple words: An apartment is a room that is like a flat: with a kitchen, and sometimes several rooms.
An apartment usually has a kitchen or kitchenette with a stove, fridge and dishes, and sometimes a washing machine. The guest can cook and live as if at home. Such rooms exist both in ordinary hotels and in aparthotels.
Example: besides ordinary rooms, a hotel has 6 apartments with two bedrooms and a kitchen — they are most often booked by families and groups of friends for a week or more.
17. SGL, DBL, TWN, TRPL
In simple words: These abbreviations show how many people a room is for and what beds it has. SGL is for one person, DBL is for two with one large bed, TWN is for two with two separate beds, TRPL is for three.
These abbreviations are used all over the world:
- SGL (single) — a room for one person.
- DBL (double) — a room for two with one large double bed.
- TWN (twin) — a room for two with two separate beds.
- TRPL (triple) — a room for three, for example one large bed and one single bed.
Double and twin are the most often confused. Both rooms are for two people, but a double has one shared bed and a twin has two separate beds.
Example: two colleagues on a business trip need a TWN — two separate beds. A couple on their honeymoon will want a DBL — one large bed.
18. Duplex
In simple words: A duplex is a room on two floors connected by a staircase inside the room.
The Latin word duplex means “double”. Usually the living room is downstairs and the bedroom upstairs. Such rooms feel more spacious and unusual than ordinary ones.
Example: on the ground floor of the room there is a sofa, a TV and a kitchenette, and an internal staircase leads up to a bedroom with a large bed.
19. Family room
In simple words: A family room is a room for a family with children: it has more beds, and sometimes two rooms.
A family room usually has a large bed for the parents and one or two beds for children, or a sofa bed. Sometimes it is two connecting rooms with a door between them.
Example: a 30 m² room has a double bed and a children’s bunk bed — it is designed for two adults and two children.
20. Executive room
In simple words: An executive room is an upgraded room for business guests: with a work area and extra privileges.
Executive means “a manager, a director”. Such rooms are often on separate upper floors. The price may include access to a special lounge with free drinks and snacks, a separate check-in desk, and sometimes a meeting room.
Example: on the 15th floor of a hotel there are 20 executive rooms. Their guests have breakfast in a separate lounge on the same floor and can use the meeting room for free.
21. Room inventory
In simple words: Room inventory is all the rooms in a hotel that can be sold to guests.
When people say “the hotel’s room inventory is 120 rooms”, it means the hotel has 120 rooms of different categories in total. Almost every calculation in a hotel depends on it: occupancy, revenue per room, how many housekeepers are needed.
Example: a hotel has 40 rooms: 25 standard, 10 superior and 5 suites. That is its room inventory.
3. Meals
22. RO — Room Only
In simple words: RO means the guest pays only for the room; food is not included in the price.
The same is sometimes marked EP (European Plan), or simply “no meals”. It is the cheapest option. The guest can eat in the hotel restaurant for an extra charge or in any café.
Example: a hotel sells the same room at two rates: RO — 160 GEL, with breakfast — 190 GEL.
23. BB — Bed & Breakfast
In simple words: BB means breakfast is included in the room price.
This is the most popular option in city hotels. Breakfast may be a buffet or served from a menu. You may also see CP (Continental Plan) — a light “continental” breakfast: coffee, tea, pastries, butter and jam.
Example: a room description says “DBL, BB, 200 GEL” — a room for two with one large bed and breakfast, for 200 lari per night.
24. HB — Half Board
In simple words: HB (half board) means two meals a day are included in the price: breakfast and dinner.
It is usually breakfast and dinner, less often breakfast and lunch. Drinks with dinner, especially alcohol, are most often paid separately. You may also see MAP (Modified American Plan) — it means the same.
Example: a mountain hotel sells a room with HB: guests have breakfast and dinner at the hotel and pay separately for wine with dinner.
25. FB — Full Board
In simple words: FB (full board) means breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the price.
Drinks, especially alcoholic ones, are usually paid separately — that is how full board differs from all inclusive. You may also see AP (American Plan) — it means the same.
Full board is common in sanatoriums, pensions and hotels far from town, where there are no cafés nearby.
Example: at a pension with FB, breakfast at 9:00, lunch at 14:00 and dinner at 19:00 are included, while coffee at the bar and a glass of wine are paid by the guest.
26. All Inclusive
In simple words: All Inclusive means all food throughout the day and drinks, often including alcohol, are included in the price.
The guest pays one sum in advance and then eats and drinks at the hotel as much as they like: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks at the bar.
But “all” can mean different things. Usually imported alcohol, freshly squeezed juices, à la carte restaurants and the spa are paid separately. There is also Ultra All Inclusive — with even more services included. This format is very popular in Turkey and Egypt.
Example: at an all-inclusive hotel, a guest eats at the buffet, orders cocktails by the pool during the day, drinks wine at dinner — and pays nothing extra.
27. À la carte
In simple words: À la carte is a restaurant where the guest chooses dishes from a menu and they are brought to the table.
The French à la carte means “from the menu”. In a hotel this usually refers to a restaurant with waiters rather than a buffet. In all-inclusive hotels, such restaurants are often paid, or free but by reservation.
More restaurant words are explained in our article “Restaurant terms in plain words”.
Example: the hotel’s main restaurant is a buffet, and in the evening an à la carte Italian restaurant opens, where the waiter takes orders from the menu.
28. Table d’hôte
In simple words: Table d’hôte is when all guests are served the same menu at a set time, sometimes with a small choice of dishes.
The French table d’hôte means “the host’s table”. In the past, travellers ate at the same table as the innkeeper whatever had been cooked that day. Today in hotels and pensions, table d’hôte is a lunch or dinner from a set menu at the same time for everyone.
Table d’hôte suits small hotels and guest houses: there is no need to run a large restaurant or keep lots of food in stock.
Example: dinner at a guest house is at 19:00: today everyone gets a salad, kharcho soup and fried trout. Guests can only ask to swap the fish for chicken.
29. Buffet
In simple words: A buffet is when all the food is laid out on shared tables, and everyone serves themselves whatever and however much they want.
In hotels, breakfast is most often served this way, and in all-inclusive hotels lunch and dinner too. It is convenient for the hotel: many guests can be fed at once, without many waiters. In Russian it is called a “Swedish table”.
Example: in the morning the breakfast room has omelette, cheeses, vegetables, pastries and a coffee machine — guests serve themselves and pour their own coffee.
30. Brunch
In simple words: Brunch is a late breakfast combined with lunch. It usually happens at weekends, from morning until the middle of the day.
The word combines breakfast and lunch. Many hotels hold a brunch at weekends: a long breakfast that gradually turns into lunch, often with music and sparkling wine. Not only hotel guests but also city residents come — for the hotel restaurant it is extra income.
Example: on Sunday the hotel holds a brunch from 11:00 to 15:00 — the buffet has breakfast dishes, salads and hot dishes.
4. Booking and rates
31. Rack rate
In simple words: The rack rate is the full official price of a room, without any discounts.
It is the highest price a hotel announces for a room. In practice it is rarely paid: there is almost always a lower price — a promotion, an early booking discount, a corporate agreement.
The name comes from the past: the reception desk used to have a special rack with a card and price for every room. The price “from the rack” became known as the rack rate.
Example: the hotel price list says “Standard — 300 GEL”. That is the rack rate. With early booking, the same room sells for 240 GEL.
32. Group rate
In simple words: A group rate is a discount when many rooms are booked at once for one group of people.
When a tour group, a wedding party, a sports team or conference participants arrive, the hotel gives them a special price. Each hotel decides how many rooms make a “group” — often 8–10 rooms or more.
Group rates usually have stricter rules: prepayment, a guest list in advance, and a penalty for cancelling some of the rooms.
Example: 30 guests are coming to a wedding in Batumi. The organiser books 15 rooms at a group rate — 180 GEL per room instead of the usual 230 GEL.
33. Corporate rate
In simple words: A corporate rate is a special price for employees of a company that has an agreement with the hotel.
A company whose employees travel often makes a deal with a hotel. The hotel gives a lower price, and the company puts its employees up there. Such rates often include extras: breakfast, late check-out, payment by one invoice at the end of the month.
It pays off for the hotel: it gets regular guests, especially on weekdays.
Example: a bank has an agreement with a hotel: its employees stay for 170 GEL instead of 220 GEL, and once a month the hotel sends the bank one combined invoice.
34. Agency rate
In simple words: An agency rate is the price of a room for a travel agency, which then sells the room to tourists.
The hotel sells the room to a travel agency cheaper than to ordinary guests. The agency adds its mark-up and sells the room to a tourist — often together with flights, transfers and excursions. The difference is the agency’s earnings. Sometimes it works differently: the agency sells at the normal price, and the hotel pays it a commission — a percentage of the sale.
Example: the hotel sells a room to an agency for 150 GEL. The agency includes it in a tour at 180 GEL and earns 30 GEL.
35. Cancellation
In simple words: Cancellation means cancelling a booking. For a late cancellation, the hotel may charge a penalty.
Every hotel has a cancellation policy. For example: until a certain date the booking can be cancelled for free, and after that the guest pays a penalty, usually the cost of the first night. There are also non-refundable rates: they are cheaper, but no money is returned on cancellation.
Cancellation rules protect the hotel from losing money: if a guest cancels at the last minute, there is no time to sell the room to someone else.
Example: the hotel’s policy says: “Free cancellation up to 3 days before arrival. Later — a penalty of 100% of the first night.”
36. No-show
In simple words: A no-show is when a guest booked a room but didn’t arrive and didn’t cancel.
For the hotel it is a loss: the room was held for the guest, and there was no time to sell it to anyone else. That is why a no-show is usually charged a penalty — often the cost of the first night or of the whole stay, depending on the hotel’s rules.
Example: a guest booked a room for 3 nights but didn’t arrive and didn’t warn the hotel. The next day the hotel marks the booking as a no-show and charges the guest’s card for the first night.
37. Guaranteed and non-guaranteed booking
In simple words: A guaranteed booking means the hotel holds the room no matter what, because the guest has paid or left card details. A non-guaranteed booking means the room is held only until a certain hour.
With a guaranteed booking, the guest has made a prepayment or the hotel has the right to charge their card. So the room waits for the guest even if they arrive late at night. But if they don’t come at all, they pay a penalty.
With a non-guaranteed booking, the guest pays nothing in advance. If they haven’t arrived by a certain time (often 18:00), the hotel can sell the room to someone else.
Example: at 19:00 a guest with a non-guaranteed booking hasn’t arrived and isn’t answering the phone. The receptionist cancels the booking and sells the room to a walk-in guest.
38. Voucher
In simple words: A voucher is a document confirming that a room is booked and paid for.
A voucher is usually issued by a travel agency or a booking website. It states the guest’s name, the hotel, arrival and departure dates, room type, meal plan and what has already been paid. At check-in the guest shows the voucher at reception.
A voucher can also be a gift certificate: for example, “a voucher for dinner at the hotel restaurant” or “a voucher for 2 nights”.
Example: a guest shows a travel agency voucher at reception: “2 guests, DBL, HB, 10–17 July, paid”. The receptionist checks it against the booking and checks the guest in without payment.
39. Direct booking
In simple words: A direct booking is when a guest books a room directly with the hotel: on its website, by phone or via a messenger.
Direct bookings are very important for a hotel. When a guest books through an intermediary website (for example, Booking.com), the hotel pays it a commission — often around 15% or more. With a direct booking, all the money stays with the hotel.
That is why hotels often offer extras for direct bookings: a slightly lower price, free breakfast, late check-out or a transfer.
Example: a 200 GEL room booked via Booking.com brings the hotel about 170 GEL. The same room booked on the hotel’s website brings in the full 200 GEL.
40. OTA — Online Travel Agency
In simple words: OTAs are websites where you can book hotels online, such as Booking.com, Expedia or Airbnb.
These websites list thousands of hotels from around the world: guests compare prices, look at photos and read reviews.
The hotel pays the OTA a commission on every booking. In return, the website brings guests who would otherwise never have heard of the hotel. That is why almost all hotels work with OTAs while also trying to get more direct bookings.
Example: a small hotel in Batumi gets 60% of its bookings through Booking.com, 25% through its own website and 15% by phone and messengers.
41. Booking engine
In simple words: A booking engine is a form on a hotel’s website where guests choose dates and a room themselves and book it online straight away.
The guest selects arrival and departure dates and the number of guests, clicks “Search” and sees available rooms and prices. Then they enter their details and pay. That is the booking engine.
Without such a form, the guest has to write or call the hotel and wait for an answer. With it, they can book in a couple of minutes, even at night. So a booking engine helps the hotel get more direct bookings.
Example: a guest house added a booking engine to its website. Now guests book rooms themselves, even at night, and the owner no longer has to answer every message.
42. MLOS — minimum length of stay
In simple words: MLOS is a rule that a room can only be booked for a certain minimum number of nights.
Hotels introduce this rule on popular dates: weekends, holidays, high season. This helps them avoid selling a room for one night while the days around it stay empty.
Example: for New Year, the hotel sells rooms only for 3 nights or more. Booking a single night from 31 December to 1 January is not possible.
43. Overbooking
In simple words: Overbooking is when a hotel has sold more rooms than it actually has.
Sometimes it is a mistake, and sometimes hotels do it on purpose: they know some guests will cancel or not show up, and they don’t want rooms to stay empty. But if everyone arrives, someone is left without a room.
In this situation, the hotel usually puts the guest up in another hotel of the same or higher level at its own expense, pays for the transport and apologises.
Example: a hotel has 50 rooms but has sold 52. All the guests arrived. The receptionist sends two of them by taxi to a nearby hotel and pays for their night there.
5. Working with guests
44. Check-in and check-out
In simple words: Check-in is when a guest arrives and moves into the hotel. Check-out is when the guest leaves the hotel.
At check-in, the receptionist checks the booking and the guest’s passport, sometimes takes a deposit and hands over a key or key card. At check-out, the guest returns the key, pays for extra services (minibar, restaurant, laundry) and leaves.
Every hotel has check-in and check-out times. Most often check-in is from 14:00–15:00 and check-out is by 11:00–12:00. The time in between is needed for housekeepers to clean the rooms. Early check-in and late check-out may be free or charged.
Example: check-in at the hotel is from 14:00, check-out by 12:00. A guest asks to leave at 15:00, and the hotel offers a late check-out for 50 GEL.
45. Upgrade
In simple words: An upgrade is when a guest is given a better room than the one they booked — free or for an extra charge.
A hotel may give a free upgrade if there are no rooms left in the booked category, if the guest is a regular or has a special occasion, such as a honeymoon. An upgrade can also be sold: the guest is offered a better room for an extra charge.
Example: all standard rooms are taken because of overbooking, so the receptionist moves the guest to a superior room with a sea view for free.
46. Upselling
In simple words: Upselling is when a hotel employee offers a guest something better or more expensive: a better room, dinner, the spa or a transfer.
Hotels train staff to politely offer guests extra services — this way the hotel earns more. Good upselling helps the guest too: they learn about something that will make their stay better.
How is upselling different from an upgrade? An upgrade is the room improvement itself (sometimes free). Upselling is a sale: the employee offers something to buy. A paid upgrade is one kind of upselling.
Example: at check-in the receptionist says: “For 40 GEL a night we can give you a room with a balcony and sea view. And tonight we have a Georgian wine dinner — shall I reserve a table?”
47. VIP guest
In simple words: A VIP guest is an especially important guest who receives extra attention at the hotel.
VIP stands for Very Important Person. It may be a celebrity, a regular guest, a guest staying in an expensive suite or an important partner of the hotel.
The hotel prepares for a VIP guest’s arrival in advance: fruit, flowers, a card and sometimes a bottle of wine are placed in the room. The hotel manager may greet the guest personally.
Example: a guest is coming to the hotel for the tenth time. Their profile in the PMS is marked VIP: the manager greets them, and fruit, wine and a note saying “Welcome back!” are waiting in the room.
48. Amenities
In simple words: Amenities are small things in the room for the guest’s comfort: shampoo, soap, a toothbrush, slippers, a bathrobe and so on.
Most often the word means toiletries and small bathroom items: shampoo, shower gel, soap, a shower cap, a dental kit, as well as slippers, a bathrobe, tea and coffee in the room. Sometimes it also means the hotel’s facilities in general: a pool, a gym, parking.
Today many hotels, especially eco hotels, are giving up small single-use bottles and installing large wall dispensers — this means less plastic waste.
Example: when cleaning a room, the room attendant restocks the amenities every day: new soap, shampoo and shower gel, and fresh sachets of tea and coffee.
6. Hotel staff
49. Receptionist
In simple words: A receptionist is the employee at the front desk (reception) who checks guests in and out and answers their questions.
This is the first person a guest sees at the hotel. The receptionist checks bookings, registers arrivals, hands out keys, takes payments, answers calls and emails, and solves guests’ problems: the air conditioning broke, a taxi is needed, the guest wants to change rooms. In most hotels reception works around the clock.
In small guest houses, the owner often does the receptionist’s job.
Example: a guest walks into the hotel, the receptionist greets them, asks for a passport, finds the booking in the system and hands over the key card for room 305.
50. Porter
In simple words: A porter is a hotel employee who meets guests and helps them, most often with luggage.
The word comes from the French portier — “gatekeeper”, the person who stands at the gate or door. In the past, the hotel porter kept the room keys, received mail for guests and watched who came in and out.
Today the meaning depends on the hotel and the country. In English, a porter usually carries luggage. In Russian-speaking countries, “portier” more often means a front desk clerk. So a porter’s duties can differ from hotel to hotel.
Example: in a small hotel, one night porter is on duty: he checks in late guests, answers calls and watches the entrance.
51. Concierge
In simple words: A concierge is a hotel employee who helps guests with any requests: booking a restaurant, buying tickets, arranging an excursion or a taxi.
A concierge knows the city well: where to eat, what to see, how to get around. They can book a table at a popular restaurant, get theatre tickets, arrange a transfer, find a pharmacy at night. Concierges usually work in upscale hotels.
The world’s best concierges belong to an international association, Les Clefs d’Or (“The Golden Keys”). Its members wear a pin with two crossed golden keys on their jacket — a sign of high professionalism.
Example: a guest asks the concierge to help plan the day. The concierge books a table at a restaurant for the evening, arranges an excursion to Mtskheta and calls a taxi.
52. Bellman and doorman
In simple words: A bellman is an employee who helps carry suitcases to the room. A doorman is an employee who greets guests at the entrance and opens the door for them.
The bellman (also bellboy) gets the name from the bell: in the past the receptionist rang a bell to call the luggage carrier. The bellman takes luggage up to the room, shows how everything works and can bring items from the luggage room.
The doorman stands at the entrance: opens doors, helps guests out of cars, calls taxis and keeps order at the entrance. These positions are more common in large, upscale hotels.
Example: a taxi pulls up to the hotel. The doorman opens the car door, and the bellman takes the guest’s suitcases and escorts them to the room.
53. Room attendant
In simple words: A room attendant (housekeeper, maid) is a hotel employee who cleans rooms: changes bed linen and towels, cleans the bathroom and restocks amenities.
Room attendants work in the housekeeping department. During a shift, a room attendant cleans many rooms. There are two kinds of cleaning: daily — while the guest is staying in the room, and full — after the guest checks out, before the next guest arrives.
If a “Do Not Disturb” sign hangs on the door, the room attendant does not enter. A “Please Make Up Room” sign means the guest wants the room cleaned soon.
Example: while the guest is at breakfast, the room attendant makes the bed, changes the towels, cleans the bathroom and restocks the shampoo and soap.
54. Supervisor
In simple words: A supervisor is a senior employee who oversees their team’s work and checks the quality.
Hotels have supervisors in different departments. For example, the housekeeping supervisor assigns rooms to the room attendants and inspects each cleaned room before a guest is checked in. The front desk supervisor helps receptionists in difficult situations.
It is the step between a regular employee and a manager. An experienced room attendant or receptionist often becomes a supervisor.
Example: a room attendant has finished cleaning, and the supervisor enters the room, checks for dust and whether the bed is made correctly, and only then marks the room as ready.
55. Entertainment staff (animator)
In simple words: Entertainment staff (animators) are hotel employees who entertain guests: they run games, morning exercises, contests and evening shows.
Animators work mainly in holiday hotels and resorts, especially all-inclusive ones. During the day they run water aerobics, sports games and kids’ club activities, and in the evening — discos, shows and contests. There are separate kids’ animators who look after children while parents relax.
Example: in the morning an animator invites everyone to exercise by the pool, in the afternoon runs a volleyball tournament, and in the evening hosts a kids’ disco.
7. Software and numbers
56. PMS — Property Management System
In simple words: A PMS is the hotel’s main computer program, where all bookings, check-ins, rooms and payments are managed.
It is like the hotel’s electronic logbook. The PMS shows which rooms are occupied and free, who arrives and leaves today, which rooms need cleaning and how much a guest owes. Invoices and reports are printed from it.
In the past all this was written in paper logbooks and charts on the wall. Today even small guest houses use simple, inexpensive PMS programs.
Example: in the morning the receptionist opens the PMS and sees: 8 guests arriving today, 5 leaving, and rooms 204 and 310 must be cleaned first.
57. Channel manager
In simple words: A channel manager is a program that automatically updates a hotel’s prices and available rooms on all booking websites at once.
A hotel usually sells rooms in several places at once: on its own website, on Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and others. Each of these is called a “sales channel”. Without special software, an employee would have to change prices on each website by hand and make sure the same room isn’t sold twice.
A channel manager does this automatically: as soon as a room is sold on one website, it is closed on all the others.
Example: a guest house has one room left for Saturday. It is booked via Booking.com, and a minute later it automatically disappears from Airbnb and the guest house’s website.
58. CRS — Central Reservation System
In simple words: A CRS is a shared booking system for many hotels at once, most often for a hotel chain.
If a chain has 50 hotels in different cities, all their rooms and prices are kept in one system. Bookings come into it from the chain’s website, the call centre, travel agencies and other websites.
Such systems appeared in the 1960s: first at airlines, then at hotel chains. How is a CRS different from a PMS? A PMS runs operations inside one hotel, while a CRS handles room sales for many hotels.
Example: a guest calls a hotel chain’s call centre and wants a room in Tbilisi. The operator sees available rooms in all the chain’s hotels in the CRS and makes the booking straight away.
59. Rate shopping
In simple words: Rate shopping is when a hotel monitors the prices of nearby competing hotels to set its own prices correctly.
A hotel needs to know how much similar rooms cost at its neighbours. If the hotel is more expensive and the room isn’t better, guests will go to a competitor. If it is much cheaper, the hotel loses money. Checking prices by hand every day takes a long time, so there are special programs — rate shopping tools. They collect competitors’ prices from booking websites and show them in one table.
A small hotel or guest house can do the same by hand: once a week, check the prices of 5–7 neighbours for the dates it needs.
Example: the program shows that for next weekend, neighbouring hotels have raised their price from 200 to 260 GEL. The manager raises the price too, because demand is high.
60. Room night
In simple words: A room night is one room sold for one night. Hotels use it to count how much they have sold.
It is the main unit of counting in the hotel business. It doesn’t matter how many people are in the room — what counts is the room and the night. Room nights are used to calculate occupancy and revenue and to compare months and years.
The formula is simple: number of rooms × number of nights.
Example: a family booked 2 rooms for 3 nights. That is 2 × 3 = 6 room nights.
61. Occupancy rate
In simple words: The occupancy rate shows what share of the hotel’s rooms is occupied by guests. It is calculated as a percentage.
How to calculate: rooms sold ÷ all rooms available for sale × 100%. For example, if half the rooms are occupied, occupancy is 50%.
High occupancy is good, but not always. If the hotel is full because it sells rooms very cheaply, it may earn less than with lower occupancy at a normal price. That is why occupancy is always looked at together with ADR and RevPAR.
Example: a hotel has 40 rooms, and 30 are occupied tonight. Occupancy: 30 ÷ 40 × 100% = 75%.
62. ADR — Average Daily Rate
In simple words: ADR is the average price of one room sold per night.
In a hotel, rooms are sold at different prices: some guests booked early with a discount, some at a corporate rate, some at full price. ADR shows the average price.
How to calculate: room revenue ÷ number of rooms sold. Important: only room revenue counts — without the restaurant, spa and other services.
Example: in one night the hotel sold 30 rooms and earned 6,000 GEL for them. ADR: 6,000 ÷ 30 = 200 GEL.
63. RevPAR — Revenue Per Available Room
In simple words: RevPAR is how much money, on average, each room in the hotel earned — including the empty ones.
It is one of a hotel’s main indicators because it takes both price and occupancy into account. A hotel with expensive rooms that is half empty and a hotel that is full but very cheap can have the same RevPAR.
How to calculate: room revenue ÷ all rooms in the hotel. Or another way: ADR × occupancy.
Example: a hotel has 40 rooms; in one night it sold 30 rooms for 6,000 GEL. RevPAR: 6,000 ÷ 40 = 150 GEL. Check it the second way: ADR 200 GEL × occupancy 75% = 150 GEL.
64. Revenue management
In simple words: Revenue management is when a hotel constantly changes its prices depending on demand to earn as much as possible.
The idea is simple: sell the right room to the right guest at the right time at the right price. When demand is high (holidays, high season, a concert in town), prices go up. When it is low, prices go down, or the hotel runs promotions and packages so rooms don’t stay empty. This relies on occupancy, bookings from previous years and competitors’ prices.
This approach came to hotels from airlines — that is why the price of the same ticket or room can change every day.
Example: in summer a room in Batumi costs 250 GEL, in November 120 GEL. And when there is a big festival in town, the same room may cost 350 GEL.
65. USALI
In simple words: USALI is a set of international rules by which hotels account for income and expenses, so that their reports can be compared with each other.
USALI stands for Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry. These rules were first published in New York in 1926 and have been updated many times since.
USALI explains how to split income and expenses by department: rooms, restaurant, spa and so on. Thanks to this, an owner, a management company or a bank can compare a hotel in Tbilisi with a hotel in Berlin. A small guest house usually doesn’t need it, but in large and chain hotels all the finance people speak this language.
Example: an investor looks at the reports of two hotels. Both are prepared according to USALI, so the investor immediately sees which hotel has higher room revenue and which has higher restaurant expenses.
8. Words that are most often confused
| Words | The difference in short |
|---|---|
| Double and twin | Double — one large bed for two. Twin — two separate beds. |
| Half board and full board | Half board — breakfast and dinner. Full board — breakfast, lunch and dinner. |
| Full board and all inclusive | With full board, drinks are usually paid. With all inclusive, drinks and snacks are included. |
| Junior suite and suite | Junior suite — one large room with a sitting area. Suite — at least two separate rooms. |
| Upgrade and upselling | Upgrade — moving to a better room. Upselling — offering the guest something better or extra to buy. |
| Pension and sanatorium | Pension — a holiday with meals. Sanatorium — a holiday with meals and medical treatment. |
| Cancellation and no-show | Cancellation — the guest cancelled the booking. No-show — the guest didn’t arrive and didn’t warn the hotel. |
| PMS, channel manager and CRS | PMS — operations inside the hotel. Channel manager — prices and rooms on booking websites. CRS — a shared booking system for many hotels. |
| ADR and RevPAR | ADR — the average price of a sold room. RevPAR — average revenue per hotel room, including empty ones. |
| Receptionist and concierge | A receptionist checks guests in and out. A concierge helps with requests: restaurants, tickets, excursions. |
9. Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a twin and a double?
A double (DBL) has one large bed for two. A twin (TWN) has two separate beds.
What do BB, HB, FB and RO mean in a hotel?
These are meal plans. RO — no meals. BB — breakfast only. HB (half board) — breakfast and dinner. FB (full board) — breakfast, lunch and dinner. More in the “Meals” section.
What is the difference between half board and all inclusive?
With half board, guests are fed twice a day and drinks are usually paid. With all inclusive, all food during the day and drinks, often including alcohol, are included in the price.
What is the difference between a cancellation and a no-show?
A cancellation is when the guest cancels the booking themselves. If they do it in time, according to the hotel’s rules, there is no penalty. A no-show is when the guest doesn’t arrive and doesn’t warn the hotel. In that case the hotel almost always charges a penalty.
What is the difference between ADR and RevPAR?
ADR shows the average price of a sold room. RevPAR shows how much, on average, each room in the hotel earned, including empty ones. If a hotel has 40 rooms and sold 30 for 6,000 GEL, ADR = 200 GEL and RevPAR = 150 GEL.
Why does a hotel need direct bookings if there is Booking.com?
The hotel pays a commission on every OTA booking. With a direct booking, all the money stays with the hotel — and the hotel keeps the guest’s contacts so it can invite them back.
Which terms should you learn first if you have just started working in a hotel?
Start with room types and meal plans: they are used every day. Then move on to booking and rates: cancellation, no-show, OTA. Once you feel comfortable, go on to occupancy, ADR and RevPAR.