RDPWin

Night Audit Procedures - Check-In, Totals Reset to Zero

Click here for Night Audit tutorials

Click here for Check-In, Totals Not Reset to Zero Day End Checklist or No Check-In Day End Checklist

Overview

Customers operating as "Check-In, Totals Reset to Zero" function like a hotel and access the Night Audit menu. Reservations are checked in on the arrival, totals are reset to zero upon check-in, and reservations are checked out on the departure date. A brief Night Auditor Checklist - Check-In, Totals Reset to Zero is available for easy reference and printing.

Mandatory Night Audit Procedures

The following procedures must be completed BEFORE posting room and tax in RDPWin:

Clear House Status Screen. In order for RDP to provide accurate data, it is CRITICAL and mandatory that the House Status Screen be cleared on a daily basis.
1. Click Sleepers. "Sleeper" in the RDP system is defined as a reservation with a check-out date less than the current system date. The most common reason for having sleepers in the RDP system is that the guest left the property but was not checked out of the RDP system. There will never be sleepers in the RDP system if the house status screen is cleared on a daily basis. To clear these reservations from the House Status screen, select one of the following:
  1. If the guest has departed, verify that all reservation details, charges, and payments are correct; then check out the reservation.
  2. If the reservation should remain in-house, change the departure date, post the correct room and tax, and post payment.
2. Click Departures. Departures are in-house reservations that have not been checked out for the current system date. Depending on the property’s policies, all departing reservations should be checked out before the start of the next day’s check-ins. Clear all departing reservations from House Status to avoid sleepers in the system. To clear these reservations from the House Status screen, select one of the following:
  1. If the guest has departed, verify that all reservation details, charges, and payments are correct; then check out the reservation.
  2. If the reservation should remain in-house, change the departure date, verify that the correct room and tax will be charged, and post payment.
3. Click No-Shows. No-Shows are future reservations that have not been checked in or cancelled for yesterday’s system date. There will never be No-Shows in the RDP system if the House Status screen is cleared on a daily basis. To clear these reservations from the House Status screen, select one of the following:
  1. If the guest is not in the room and will not arrive at all, cancel the reservation. Charge the guest the correct cancellation fee based on the property's cancellation policies.
  2. If the guest is in the room, verify that all reservation details, room rate, charges, and payments are correct. Check the reservation in and manually post room and tax for any nights prior to the current system date.
  3. If the guest will arrive at a later date, change the arrival date to the appropriate future date.
4. Click Arrivals Guaranteed. Arrivals Guaranteed are future reservations with an advance deposit and/or a credit card on file due to check-in on the current system date. Guaranteed arrival reservations are eliminated by clearing all arriving reservations from the House Status screen. To clear these reservations from the House Status screen, select one of the following:
  1. If the guest is in the room or will be a late arrival, verify that all reservation details, room rate, charges, and payments are correct; then check in the reservation.
  2. If the guest will arrive at a later date, change the arrival date to the appropriate future date.
  3. If the guest will not arrive, cancel the reservation. Forfeit the correct amount of advanced deposit based on the property's cancellation policies.
5. Click Arrivals Not Guaranteed. Arrivals Not Guaranteed are future reservations with no advanced deposit or credit card on file due to check-in on the current system date. To clear these reservations from the House Status screen, select one of the following:
  1. If the guest is in the room, verify that all reservation details, room rates, and charges are correct; then check in the reservation. Be sure to notify the morning shift to collect payment for the reservation.
  2. If the guest is not in the room, cancel the reservation. If the reservation does arrive, Uncancel the reservation, verify all that reservation details, room rates, and charges are correct. Collect payment and check in the reservation.
DO NOT CONTINUE until the House Status screen is cleared.
Reset Res on All In-House Reservations.
1. Reset Res recalculates transactions and ensures that totals are equal to the sum of all transactions.
2. Res Res should only be run on In-House reservations.
Bucket Check. Perform BEFORE posting room and tax in RDPWin. The bucket check displays a list of every in-house guest, the room rate to be posted, the actual room rate, and the posting status. By reviewing all rates prior to posting, fewer posting errors are made allowing for fewer adjustments in the morning while guests are checking out.
1. Check for skipped reservations and any unusual rates.
2. Check posting rate plan, rate, status, and that the guest is in the correct room to verify guest is being charged the correct rate.
  1. Compare to the registration cards to insure that guests are being charged the correct rate.
3. Adjust any incorrect rates or rate plans.
Post Room and Tax.
1. If after posting room and tax there are check-ins, post room and tax manually using the B220 posting code.
Run Back-up of RDP System.
Complete any Optional Procedures.
Close the Day.

Optional Night Audit Procedures

Day End Balance/Daily Deposit. In order for the following audit procedures to be accurate, it is critical that all mandatory steps listed above are completed on a DAILY basis. The following procedures may be completed daily, weekly, or as often as necessary.
1. Stop all posting.
  1. Logout all interface bridge computers.
2. Run shift payment report for the current system date.
  1. Balance all payments (cash, credit card, check, etc.) to an outside source.
  2. Make necessary adjustments for any incorrect payments.
3. Run shift charges report.
  1. Balance all charges to an outside source.
  2. Make necessary adjustments.
  3. Post any additional incidental charges.
4. Balance and batch out credit cards (See PBAdmin Instructions).
  1. Run credit card payment report and balance to the PBAdmin report or the credit card batch report (for those without the Protobase interface).
  2. Batch out credit cards.
5. Run Generate Totals.
6. Run Internal Audit Report.
  1. View last page to make sure all RDP ledger totals balance to detailed reports.
RDP Utilities.
1. Run Transfer Res to Non-active History.
  1. Transfer reservations that have checked out or cancelled and have a last changed by date greater than X number of days to Non-Active History. The greatest benefit of running Utility 910 Option 1 is to keep active history (future, in-house, recently checked out reservations) as clean as possible. RDP system performance is improved by running Utility 910 Option 1 on a regular basis. A reservation in non-active history may still be accessed by clicking F3 and selecting "non-active" in the drill-down under reservation status.
  2. Table C1 Sub-record 910 determines the number of days a checked-out reservation remains in active history. The number of days should be no less than 60 so owners are paid correctly.
  3. Verify the following switches are set correctly before running Transfer Reservations to Non-active to avoid cancelled reservations being deleted from the RDP system. These switches can be viewed in RDP-DOS or on various configuration pages in RDPWin.
    1. Switch 109-11: Keep cancelled reservations until their departure date.
    2. Switch 219-14: Transfer ALL cancelled reservations to non-active history.
    3. Switch 425-16: Turn off Security Deposit & Transfer Open Security Deposit to Non-Active.
    4. Switch 426-08: Transfer reservations to non-active if balance is less than 1.00.
2. Run Reset Availability. Correct and avoid availability problems such as:
  1. Availability is incorrect on the Yield Management screen.
  2. Preassigned reservations missing from the Tape Chart.
  3. A new room is added or the room type of an existing room is changed on the room master.
  4. Reservations appear to be missing.
3. Run RDP-DOS System Utility 710. Repost missed Call Accounting Postings.
RDP Daily Reports
1. GLAccountsYTD.
2. TransactionRange for yesterday's date.
3. Arrivals List.
4. Departures List.
5. House Status List.

Click these links for Frequently Asked Questions or Troubleshooting assistance.

04/05/2010