---
title: What Is a Guest Folio in a Hotel? Examples & Types | bedsKey
description: A guest folio is the running statement of every charge, tax and payment for a stay. How folios work, split and transferred bills, and folio vs invoice.
canonical: https://bedskey.com/glossary/guest-folio/
updated: 2026-09-24
publisher: bedsKey (Innovate Solution)
---

# What is a guest folio?

**In short:** A guest folio is the running statement of every charge, tax and payment linked to a hotel stay. Room nights, restaurant bills, laundry, deposits and refunds are all posted to it, and the folio must balance to zero before the guest checks out or the balance is moved to a company account.

Updated September 2026

## What appears on a folio

| Date | Description | Charge | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Mar | Deposit (card) | | $80.00 |
| 12 Mar | Room 204, Deluxe | $80.00 | |
| 12 Mar | VAT and service charge | $16.00 | |
| 13 Mar | Restaurant, charged to room | $24.50 | |
| 13 Mar | Laundry | $6.00 | |
| 14 Mar | Balance paid (cash) | | $46.50 |
| | **Balance** | | **$0.00** |

The tax figure here is illustrative; each property configures its own rates.

## Types of folio

- **Guest folio** — the standard statement for a stay.
- **Split folios** — several bills for one stay, such as room to the company and extras to the guest.
- **Master folio** — one bill that collects charges from several rooms, common for families and groups.
- **Company (city ledger) account** — where a balance goes when a company is billed after the stay; see [city ledger](https://bedskey.com/glossary/city-ledger/).

## Folio vs invoice

The folio is the live working record during the stay. The invoice or receipt is the document issued from it when the stay is settled, numbered and sent to the guest or company.

## How bedsKey handles folios

Every charge, tax and payment sits on one running statement. Charge codes cover laundry, minibar, spa, transport and your own items; VAT and service charge are configured per property, effective-dated, with compounding where required. Bills can be split several ways or divided by percentage in one step, and a family in two rooms can settle once by transferring one bill to the other room (the transfer can be undone). Payments accept cash, card, bank transfer, mobile wallet and city-ledger settlement, including partials, and refunds are capped at what is owed and default to the original payment method. Invoices, receipts and credit notes are branded, printable and sequentially numbered.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does folio mean in a hotel?

It is the account of a stay: the list of every charge, tax and payment posted during the guest's visit.

### Can one stay have more than one folio?

Yes. Split folios let a company pay for the room while the guest pays for extras. bedsKey supports several bills per stay and dividing a bill by percentage.

### Can room-service orders go on the folio?

Yes. In bedsKey, an order from any outlet settled to a stay becomes one taxed line on the guest folio.

## Related terms

- [Night audit](https://bedskey.com/glossary/night-audit/)
- [City ledger](https://bedskey.com/glossary/city-ledger/)
- [ADR](https://bedskey.com/glossary/adr/)
- [PMS](https://bedskey.com/glossary/pms/)
- [bedsKey Folio & Night Audit](https://bedskey.com/features/billing-night-audit/)
- [Full glossary](https://bedskey.com/glossary/)

## Talk to bedsKey

Book a demo: https://bedskey.com/contact/ · sales@bedskey.com