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Hotel Night Audit Checklist

A shift checklist for the hotel night auditor, from the evening handover to the system date roll and the morning report.

Published October 18, 2026

HospitalityHotelFront DeskAccountingNight Shift
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Start of Shift

  • Get a handover from the evening shift on open issues and VIPs
  • Count the cash drawer with the outgoing clerk and both sign the count
    Never accept a drawer you have not counted yourself.
  • Review today's arrivals still due and any late check-in notes
  • Read the log book for guest requests, complaints and wake-up calls

Check Accounts

  • Post any outlet charges not yet on guest folios, such as restaurant or bar
  • Check rates on in-house folios match the reservation
  • Check that discounts, packages and comp rooms are approved and coded right
  • Review the high balance report and flag guests over their authorization
  • Check that departures due today are checked out or extended

Room Status

  • Compare the PMS room status with the housekeeping report
  • Investigate rooms the PMS shows vacant but housekeeping found occupied
    A room that is occupied but shown vacant in the PMS can be a guest staying without paying, or a check-in the desk missed. Check it before you post room charges.
  • Investigate rooms shown occupied but found vacant (possible skips)
  • Correct room status in the PMS and note each change in the log

No-Shows and Reservations

  • Run the list of arrivals that did not check in
  • Charge guaranteed no-shows per the hotel's no-show policy
    Check for a cancellation number or a message from the guest before you charge.
  • Cancel non-guaranteed reservations that did not arrive
  • Check tomorrow's arrivals for guarantees, deposits and special requests

Cash and Card Balancing

  • Balance the cash drawer against the PMS cashier report
  • Match card payments in the PMS to the card terminal totals
  • Settle the credit card batch and keep the settlement report
    If the PMS and the terminal do not match, find the difference before you settle. Common causes are a duplicate swipe or a payment posted to the wrong room.
  • Prepare the deposit and drop it in the safe per hotel policy

Post Charges and Close the Day

  • Post room and tax charges to all in-house folios
  • Review the posting report for missing or doubled charges
  • Print or save the backup reports before the roll
    Keep the in-house guest list, room status, arrivals and guest ledger on paper in case the PMS goes down.
  • Run the end-of-day roll to change the system date
    Make sure no other user is posting at the desk while the roll runs.

Reports and Morning Handover

  • Run the daily revenue report and check room, tax and other revenue
  • Record occupancy, ADR and RevPAR for the day
  • Run the guest ledger and city ledger balance reports
  • Send or file the audit pack for the general manager and accounting
  • Count the drawer with the morning clerk and both sign the count
  • Brief the morning shift on issues, high balances and early departures

Audit Sign-Off

  • Business date: ____ Auditor: ____
  • Rooms sold: ____ Occupancy: ____ ADR: ____ RevPAR: ____
  • Cash over / short: ____ Card batch total: ____
  • Issues for the manager: ____

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The night auditor closes out the hotel's business day. On this shift you post room and tax charges, balance the cash drawer and card batches, and handle no-shows. You also match room status with housekeeping and run the daily reports. Then you roll the system date in the PMS and hand over to the morning shift.

This checklist follows a typical overnight shift at a small or mid-sized hotel. Most property management systems (PMS) post room charges and roll the date for you. The auditor's real job is to catch errors before that happens, because fixing a closed day is much harder.

Keep the order: check and correct first, then post, then close the day. Print the backup reports before the roll, so the desk can still work if the system goes down overnight.

FAQ

What does a hotel night auditor do?

A night auditor runs the front desk overnight and closes the hotel's business day. They post room and tax charges, balance cash and card payments, check that every account is correct, process no-shows, run the daily reports, and roll the PMS to the next day. At small hotels they also check in late arrivals and handle guest calls.

How do you calculate ADR, occupancy and RevPAR?

Occupancy is rooms sold divided by rooms available. ADR (average daily rate) is room revenue divided by rooms sold. RevPAR (revenue per available room) is room revenue divided by rooms available, which is the same as ADR times occupancy. Check whether your hotel counts comp and house-use rooms in these figures.

What is a high balance report?

It lists in-house guests whose charges are close to or above the amount authorized on their card or their credit limit. The night auditor flags these accounts so the day shift can get a new authorization or payment before the guest runs up more charges.

What happens if the night audit is not done?

The PMS stays on the old business date. Room charges are not posted, reports are wrong, and new check-ins and payments can land on the wrong day. Many systems will not let staff work normally until the audit is run, so it must be done every night.

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