Bookkeeping for small hotels and inns
A small hotel or inn collects room revenue through several channels, pays commissions to booking sites, collects lodging taxes and carries heavy property costs. Mispar reconciles channel payouts to reservations, separates taxes and commissions, tracks housekeeping and property costs, and prepares monthly books in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero file. Plans start at $229/mo.
Best for: Independent hotels and motels, bed and breakfasts, inns and small lodging groups.
By channel
Room revenue
Itemized
Commissions
Separated
Lodging taxes
Tracked
Property costs
Where hotel and inn books usually go wrong
- Deposits and advance bookings recorded as income when received instead of when the guest stays.
- Online travel agency commissions netted out of deposits and never tracked.
- Occupancy taxes collected without a clean liability account.
- Payroll for seasonal and housekeeping staff mixed with owner pay.
- Property improvements expensed when they should be capitalized.
How Mispar keeps your hotel or inn books clean
Industry-specific accounts and categorization, with the reporting scope agreed before work starts.
Room revenue by channel
Match direct, phone and booking-site revenue to deposits, so each channel can be compared.
Booking commissions and card fees
Record commissions and processor fees as expenses, apart from gross room revenue.
Deposits and advance bookings
Record advance deposits as owed stays until the guest checks in, using a method agreed with your CPA.
Lodging and occupancy taxes
Keep taxes collected in separate accounts matched to your filings.
Housekeeping, laundry and supplies
Group housekeeping labor, linens and amenities so cost per occupied room can be estimated.
Utilities, maintenance and mortgage
Separate property loan interest and principal, utilities and maintenance.
Breakfast, events and extras
Track food, events and other add-ons as their own revenue lines.
Seasonal occupancy
Show high and low seasons so reserves for slow months can be planned.
Reports a hotel or inn can use
- Revenue by channel: direct, online travel agencies and groups.
- Commissions and fees by channel each month.
- Occupancy tax collected versus remitted.
- Payroll by department compared with occupancy.
A simple, predictable process
From kickoff to your first clean close, here is exactly what happens.
Map channels and taxes
We list reservation sources, card processors and the taxes you collect.
Set up room and add-on accounts
Rooms, food, events and extras get separate accounts.
Reconcile each month
Channel payouts, card batches, tax payments, payroll and property bills are matched to the bank.
Deliver monthly statements
Monthly statements arrive ready for your CPA with an open-items list.
Illustrative example
A booking site pays a month of stays in one deposit, net of its commission. Matching the payout to the reservations shows the gross, the commission and the net for that channel. This is an illustration of the method, not a customer case or a guarantee.
Small Hotels & Inns bookkeeping — your questions
Can you reconcile booking-site payouts?
Yes, matched to reservation reports with commissions shown separately.
How do you handle lodging taxes?
Tracked in separate accounts and matched to filings. We do not give tax advice.
Can you handle advance deposits?
Yes, as owed stays until check-in, with treatment agreed with your CPA.
Do you work with property management systems?
We use its revenue and payment exports, matched to your bank.
Can you track more than one property?
Yes, separately, when revenue and costs identify the property.
What do you need each month to keep small hotel or inn books?
Reservation system reports, channel payout statements, tax filings, payroll reports, utility and loan statements and access to your bank and card feeds.
How do you treat advance deposits?
They are held as unearned until the stay, so revenue matches the nights actually sold.
Can you help with seasonal planning?
Monthly statements show peak and slow periods so cash needs can be planned.
Explore other industries
Restaurants
Prime cost, tip pools, POS reconciliation, and food/beverage COGS — booked the way a restaurant actually runs.
Learn more →E-commerce
Multi-channel reconciliation, FIFO/weighted-average inventory, COGS at ship date, and sales-tax nexus done right.
Learn more →Retail
POS reconciliation, COGS, shrinkage, vendor payables, and sales-tax remittance — clean end to end.
Learn more →Customers slow to pay?
Our in-house collections team calls and emails customers who owe your company money, so you can stay focused on the work.