Overview

This chapter discusses accounting structures for large hotels, small hotels, and chain restaurants with a focus on the organization and operation of accounting departments in full-service hotels. Full-service hotels are defined as hotels that have from 250 rooms to more than 2,000 rooms; in addition these establishments provide sleeping rooms, operate food and beverage outlets, provide catering functions and meeting room rentals, and offer gift shops, valet laundry, health workout facilities, bellmen, a concierge, and other services and amenities that are typically included in larger hotels. A wide range of hotels are included in the full-service category, such as corporate hotels, airport hotels, suburban hotels, convention hotels, and resorts. Because of the wide range of activities and the large amounts of revenues and profits generated, full-service hotels have accounting departments in the hotel to take care of all the accounting responsibilities.

Because smaller hotels and select-service hotels do not offer their guests such a wide range of amenities and services, they do not require an onsite accounting department. Their accounting functions are coordinated by a regional or corporate accounting structure, which includes a centralized accounting department that handles the accounting activities of the individual hotels. These hotels provide information daily to the corporate accounting office, which then prepares reports and information and sends them back to the individual hotels for their use and review.

The accounting operations of chain restaurants are similar to the accounting operations of smaller hotels. A regional or corporate accounting office provides the accounting services...