---
title: What Is a Hotel Night Audit? Process & Checklist | bedsKey
description: The hotel night audit posts room and tax charges, reconciles the day, flags no-shows and rolls the business date. What it does and how to automate it.
canonical: https://bedskey.com/glossary/night-audit/
updated: 2026-09-24
publisher: bedsKey (Innovate Solution)
---

# What is a hotel night audit?

**In short:** The night audit is the end-of-day process that closes a hotel's business date. It posts each in-house guest's room and tax charges to their folio, reconciles the day's payments, flags reservations that did not arrive as no-shows, produces the day's reports and moves the system to the next business date.

Updated September 2026

## What the night audit does

1. **Posts room and tax charges** for every checked-in stay, at the agreed nightly rate, with VAT and service charge applied.
2. **Reconciles the day** — cash, card, bank transfer and mobile-wallet payments against what each shift recorded.
3. **Flags no-shows** — confirmed arrivals who neither checked in nor cancelled, so the no-show policy can be applied.
4. **Produces reports** — the manager's flash, revenue and occupancy for the day just closed.
5. **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.

## Frequently asked questions

### What time should the night audit run?

Most hotels run it after the last expected arrival and outlet close, commonly between midnight and 3 a.m. The exact time matters less than running it consistently.

### Can the night audit be automated?

Yes. In bedsKey it can run on a schedule or on demand, posting charges, flagging no-shows, rolling the business date and locking the day.

### What happens if a charge is missed before the audit?

In bedsKey a settled folio can be reopened so the late charge goes on the stay it belongs to, with the reason recorded in the audit trail.

## Related terms

- [Guest folio](https://bedskey.com/glossary/guest-folio/)
- [City ledger](https://bedskey.com/glossary/city-ledger/)
- [No-show](https://bedskey.com/glossary/#no-show)
- [ADR](https://bedskey.com/glossary/adr/)
- [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