What the night audit does
- Posts room and tax charges for every checked-in stay, at the agreed nightly rate, with VAT and service charge applied.
- Reconciles the day — cash, card, bank transfer and mobile-wallet payments against what each shift recorded.
- Flags no-shows — confirmed arrivals who neither checked in nor cancelled, so the no-show policy can be applied.
- Produces reports — the manager's flash, revenue and occupancy for the day just closed.
- Rolls the business date and locks the closed day so its figures cannot change silently.
Business date vs calendar date
A restaurant bill paid at 00:40 belongs to the evening before, not the new calendar day. That is why hotels count takings by business date: the day stays open until the audit closes it, whatever the clock says.
Night audit checklist
| Before the audit | After the audit |
|---|---|
| All arrivals checked in or marked for follow-up | Room and tax charges posted to every in-house folio |
| Late charges from outlets posted to the right stays | No-shows flagged |
| Each cash drawer counted by payment method | Day's reports ready for the manager |
| Room status updated from housekeeping | Business date rolled and the day locked |
Manual vs automated night audit
On paper or spreadsheets, the audit is a nightly job for a staff member, and errors surface days later. In a PMS the posting, flagging and date roll run as one operation, leaving staff to handle exceptions.
How bedsKey runs the night audit
bedsKey's night audit posts room and tax charges, rolls the business date, flags no-shows and locks the day, either on a schedule or on the duty manager's command. Cash drawers open with a float and are counted by method at shift close with any difference recorded. Outlet takings are counted in the business day, and if a late charge turns up after a stay is settled, the folio can be reopened with the reason recorded. Money is handled in exact decimal arithmetic end to end.