Hotel folios, sometimes called a guest bill, guest folio, or invoice, recaps every charge throughout a guest’s stay, from room charges to last-minute spa treatments. Not only does it provide an end-of-stay summary, but it also ensures accurate billing — and thus happier guests.
A hotel folio is a comprehensive document that itemizes all charges incurred by a guest throughout their stay. This can include:
There are a few types of hotel folios that may be applicable to different types of guests, from individual visitors to group bookings.
This is the standard type of guest folio used for an individual staying at the hotel. It’s a comprehensive look at every charge a guest incurred during their stay. Analyzing these folios for trends can be helpful in identifying upsell opportunities, as patterns may start to emerge related to the upsells that guests choose.
Company folios are used for business travelers and are sent directly to the company paying for the stay. Typically, business travelers will have their room covered, but may also receive extras their company agreed to pay for, such as meals or dry cleaning.
In the case of a group booking, a master folio consolidates all the charges made by the group into one comprehensive bill to simplify the payment process for event organizers.
Staff folios are used for non-guest charges, such as employee purchases on behalf of the hotel or use of a facility. These can come in handy if there are unusual circumstances that arise, such as a guest leaving without paying, as staff can still reconcile the open bill.
Hotel folios are helpful for guests to see their charges at a glance, but they provide several benefits for hoteliers as well.
Forty percent of travelers report challenges paying at hotels, and guests also report experiencing anxiety when it comes time for checkout due to bill uncertainty. But technology like Hotel Revenue Management software can significantly improve the guest billing experience (and increase upsells, too). Here’s how:
Manual billing is time-consuming and prone to errors. By automating guest folio creation, you eliminate potential issues by generating accurate, real-time invoices with all charges, taxes, and fees.This speeds up the billing process, reduces disputes and enhances overall guest satisfaction.
You can significantly increase revenue by offering guests the chance to upgrade their stay. That said, keeping track of upsells can get complex, fast.By integrating Dynamic Upsells technology with your folio management, guests easily see their add-ons, upgrades and additional services. This transparency fosters trust and allows guests to feel in control of their spending, ultimately improving their overall experience and reducing bill anxiety.
One of the biggest pain points for guests is the checkout process, which often involves long waits at the front desk. By enabling self-checkout, guests can review, approve and pay their folio directly from their smartphones. Mobile Checkout speeds up the departure process and enhances convenience, allowing guests to leave your property at their leisure.
Mobile checkout also prompts guests to leave a rating as part of the user flow, and those who leave four or five stars are directed to leave a review on Google or Tripadvisor. This generates a higher number of positive reviews on key third-party platforms, which can lead to increased bookings.
By leveraging Canary Technologies' advanced guest experience solutions, hotels streamline folio management, improve guest communication and gain valuable revenue management insights. With our eFolio offering, it’s possible for guests to access information about their folio both during and after their stay, making for a transparent experience. Book a demo today to learn more.
Everything you need to perfect the guest journey, boost revenue, and automate processes….
