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Night Audit - Introduction

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Because many properties do not have a 24 hour front desk, the PMS is designed in such a way that the date will roll-over along with the System Clock of your computer, at midnight. Due to this fact, it does not require a cut-off procedure or "End of Day" sequence to be run in order to move the system from one day to the next.

As most users will take financial data from the PMS, and load it into external accounting software to balance their property, there are a set of required Checks & Balances that need to be performed on a nightly basis, in order to keep the system in balance financially, and to ensure the data being exported is accurate and correct.

The following chapter will outline the steps required to keep the PMS in balance, and ensure financial integrity is maintained in the system and reports.  As not all tasks outlined here will relate to every property, please consult with your manager to determine which ones you will need to perform, in addition to any other tasks specific to your organization's operations.

Please note that this chapter was written with the following assumptions:

  1. The Night Auditor is already well versed on PMS Front Office Functionality (Reservations, check ins, walk ins, check outs, etc.) As they will often be working alone, they will need to be able to function independently.
  2. The Night Audit Shift runs similar to 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM.
  3. As a best practice, we recommend a Rollover Time of 3:00 am for properties that have a 24 Hour Front Desk. If you do not have a 24 Hour Front Desk, your PMS trainer will discuss the best Rollover time for your operation to ensure balancing can be accurately completed.
  4. This chapter does not review any interfaces; PMS interface documents are separate but should be taken into account for the Night Audit process
  5. The PMS does not auto-print reports, please determine which reports are required for your operations (i.e. Accounting, Front Desk, General Manager, etc.) This chapter will make suggestions on several reports you should include.

For Properties without an Overnight Audit Shift

For properties that close overnight, The Night Audit Task List can be split between the Closing PM and Opening AM shifts. Below is the recommended division of tasks for each shift.

PM Closing Shift Task List

  • Phone System Audit
  • Movie System Audit
  • POS (Point of Sale) Audit
  • Credit Card Reconciliation
  • Clerk Audits / Cashier Reports
  • Credit Limit Audit
  • Bucket Check
  • Checked Out By City Account
  • Unbalanced Folios - *Mandatory Task*
  • Verify Calendar - Refreshing the Inventory Calendar

AM Opening Shift Task List

  • Essential Accounting Balancing - *Mandatory Task*
  • Addressing No Show Reservations - *Mandatory Task*
  • Recommended Audit Reports and Packet
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