emerit Hotel GM / CHGM key terms
emerit Hotel GM / CHGM · Get comfortable with the vocabulary.
- Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR)
- Related: Average Daily Rate (ADR), Occupancy Percentage, Gross Operating Profit Per Available Room (GOPPAR)
A hotel performance measure found by multiplying average daily rate by occupancy percentage, or by dividing total room revenue by available rooms. It combines pricing and occupancy into one indicator of how well rooms earn income.
- Average Daily Rate (ADR)
- Related: Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR), Occupancy Percentage, Rate Fencing
Total room revenue divided by the number of rooms actually sold in a period. It shows the average price paid per occupied room and is used with occupancy to judge pricing strategy and market positioning.
- Occupancy Percentage
- Related: Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR), Average Daily Rate (ADR), Overbooking
The share of available rooms sold in a period, calculated by dividing rooms sold by rooms available and multiplying by one hundred. It measures demand capture but says nothing about price achieved.
- Gross Operating Profit Per Available Room (GOPPAR)
- Related: Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR), Gross Operating Profit (GOP), Departmental Profit
Gross operating profit divided by available rooms for a period. Unlike RevPAR, it reflects cost control and departmental margins, so it is a stronger indicator of management performance than revenue alone.
- Gross Operating Profit (GOP)
- Related: Gross Operating Profit Per Available Room (GOPPAR), Departmental Profit, Undistributed Operating Expenses
Income remaining after all departmental and undistributed operating expenses are deducted from total revenue, before fixed charges such as rent, property taxes, insurance, and management fees. It is the standard measure of hotel operating performance.
- Departmental Profit
- Related: Gross Operating Profit (GOP), Undistributed Operating Expenses, Cost of Sales
Revenue from a department such as rooms, food and beverage, or spa minus that department's direct costs. Departmental profit shows which profit centers contribute most before shared overheads are allocated.
- Undistributed Operating Expenses
- Related: Departmental Profit, Gross Operating Profit (GOP), Fixed Charges
Costs that support the whole property and cannot be assigned to one revenue department, such as administration, sales and marketing, property operations, utilities, and information technology. They are deducted after departmental profits to reach gross operating profit.
- Uniform System of Accounts
- Related: Gross Operating Profit (GOP), Departmental Profit, Budget Variance
A standardized hospitality accounting framework that defines revenue, expense, and profit lines consistently across hotels. Its common format lets owners and managers compare results across properties, brands, and time periods.
- Budget Variance
- Related: Annual Operating Budget, Forecast, Uniform System of Accounts
The difference between actual financial results and the approved budget for a period, usually shown as an amount and a percentage. Managers investigate large unfavorable variances to correct overspending or lost revenue.
- Annual Operating Budget
- Related: Budget Variance, Forecast, Capital Expenditure (CapEx)
A financial plan for a full year setting expected revenue, expenses, and profit by department and month. It becomes the benchmark for performance review and usually requires owner or asset manager approval.
- Forecast
- Related: Annual Operating Budget, Budget Variance, Revenue Management
A rolling projection of revenue, costs, and profit for the remainder of a period based on current bookings, pace, and market conditions. It lets managers adjust staffing, purchasing, and pricing before the year ends.
- Capital Expenditure (CapEx)
- Related: Property Improvement Plan (PIP), Annual Operating Budget, Fixed Charges
Funds spent on long-term assets such as building improvements, furniture, equipment, or technology that provide benefit over several years. CapEx is usually planned through a reserve or owner-approved schedule rather than daily operations.
- Revenue Management
- Related: Rate Fencing, Overbooking, Forecast
The practice of controlling room inventory, rates, and distribution channels to maximize total revenue from available capacity. It relies on demand forecasting, segmentation, and pricing rules rather than discounting by intuition.
- Rate Fencing
- Related: Revenue Management, Average Daily Rate (ADR), Market Segmentation
Rules that restrict a low rate to guests who accept conditions such as advance purchase, minimum stay, or no cancellation. Fencing protects higher rates from being undercut by price-sensitive buyers.
- Market Segmentation
- Related: Rate Fencing, Revenue Management, Request for Proposal (RFP)
Dividing potential guests into groups with similar needs and buying behavior, such as corporate, leisure, group, and government. Segmentation guides pricing, sales effort, and channel decisions.
- Overbooking
- Related: Occupancy Percentage, Revenue Management, Walked Guest
Accepting more reservations than rooms available to offset expected no-shows and cancellations. It must be managed within legal and brand rules, with plans to walk guests and compensate them when demand exceeds supply.
- Walked Guest
- Related: Overbooking, Guest Recovery, Service Failure
A guest with a confirmed reservation who is relocated to another hotel because no room is available. The hotel typically pays for the alternate accommodation and transport and follows brand or legal compensation rules.
- Property Improvement Plan (PIP)
- Related: Capital Expenditure (CapEx), Franchise Agreement, Brand Standards
A schedule of required upgrades and deadlines issued by a brand, often tied to a franchise agreement renewal or conversion. The general manager must plan funding and execution without disrupting guest service.
- Brand Standards
- Related: Property Improvement Plan (PIP), Franchise Agreement, Quality Assurance Audit
Mandatory rules set by a hotel brand covering facilities, service, cleanliness, training, and reporting. Compliance is checked through audits, and repeated failures can lead to penalties or loss of the franchise.
- Quality Assurance Audit
- Related: Brand Standards, Guest Satisfaction Score, Service Failure
A structured inspection, often by the brand or an independent evaluator, that scores a hotel against defined service and product standards. Results identify gaps and may affect the hotel's license to operate under the brand.
- Franchise Agreement
- Related: Brand Standards, Management Contract, Property Improvement Plan (PIP)
A contract in which a hotel owner pays a brand for the right to use its name, systems, and reservation network in exchange for fees and compliance with standards. It sets the term, territory, and performance obligations.
- Management Contract
- Related: Franchise Agreement, Asset Manager, Gross Operating Profit (GOP)
An agreement under which an owner engages an operating company to run the hotel for a fee, usually a base fee plus an incentive tied to profit. It defines authority, reporting, performance tests, and termination rights.
- Asset Manager
- Related: Management Contract, Annual Operating Budget, Capital Expenditure (CapEx)
The owner's representative who monitors the hotel's financial performance, budget, capital plans, and contract compliance. The asset manager works with the general manager but protects the owner's investment value.
- Guest Satisfaction Score
- Related: Quality Assurance Audit, Guest Recovery, Net Promoter Score (NPS)
A measured rating of guest experience, often from post-stay surveys, review sites, or brand tracking. It is used to spot service gaps, compare against competitors, and link service quality to loyalty and revenue.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Related: Guest Satisfaction Score, Guest Recovery, Market Segmentation
A loyalty metric based on the share of guests who would strongly recommend the hotel minus the share who would not. It summarizes advocacy rather than overall satisfaction and is compared over time and against competitors.
- Guest Recovery
- Related: Service Failure, Walked Guest, Guest Satisfaction Score
The actions taken to resolve a guest complaint, correct the problem, and restore goodwill, often through apology, service recovery, or compensation. Effective recovery can turn a dissatisfied guest into a repeat customer.
- Service Failure
- Related: Guest Recovery, Quality Assurance Audit, Brand Standards
Any gap between what a guest expects and what the hotel delivers, such as a delayed check-in, dirty room, or billing error. Managers analyze failures by type and frequency to remove root causes.
- Request for Proposal (RFP)
- Related: Market Segmentation, Revenue Management, Average Daily Rate (ADR)
A formal invitation asking hotels to bid on group or corporate business by stating rates, availability, and services. The sales team responds with a tailored offer that balances volume, rate, and seasonality.
- Labor Cost Percentage
- Related: Productivity Ratio, Undistributed Operating Expenses, Budget Variance
Total labor cost, including wages, benefits, and payroll taxes, divided by total revenue for a period. It is a core productivity measure, but must be read alongside service standards and occupancy levels.
- Productivity Ratio
- Related: Labor Cost Percentage, Forecast, Departmental Profit
A measure of output per labor hour or per employee, such as rooms cleaned per housekeeper hour. It helps managers schedule staffing to demand without eroding cleanliness or service quality.
- Cost of Sales
- Related: Departmental Profit, Inventory Turnover, Undistributed Operating Expenses
The direct cost of goods sold in revenue departments, mainly food and beverage, expressed as a percentage of that department's revenue. It is controlled through purchasing, inventory, portion standards, and menu pricing.
- Inventory Turnover
- Related: Cost of Sales, Departmental Profit, Purchasing Specification
The number of times stock is sold and replaced over a period, calculated as cost of goods used divided by average inventory. Low turnover signals excess stock, waste, or slow-moving items.
- Purchasing Specification
- Related: Cost of Sales, Inventory Turnover, Request for Proposal (RFP)
A written description of the required quality, size, packaging, and delivery terms for an item bought by the hotel. Clear specifications support competitive bidding, consistent quality, and cost control.
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Program
- Related: Risk Assessment, Incident Report, Emergency Action Plan
The hotel's documented system for identifying hazards, controlling risks, training staff, and responding to incidents. It covers areas such as kitchens, housekeeping chemicals, pools, and emergency evacuation.
- Risk Assessment
- Related: Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Program, Incident Report, Emergency Action Plan
A structured review that identifies hazards, estimates the likelihood and severity of harm, and sets controls. It is recorded, reviewed regularly, and updated when work practices or equipment change.
- Incident Report
- Related: Risk Assessment, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Program, Duty of Care
A written record of an accident, injury, near miss, security event, or property damage. Accurate reports support investigation, insurance claims, legal defense, and prevention of repeat events.
- Emergency Action Plan
- Related: Risk Assessment, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Program, Crisis Communication Plan
Documented procedures for evacuation, sheltering, medical response, and communication during fire, severe weather, or other emergencies. It assigns roles, includes drills, and is reviewed with local authorities.
- Duty of Care
- Related: Risk Assessment, Incident Report, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Program
The legal and ethical obligation of the hotel to take reasonable steps to protect guests, staff, and visitors from foreseeable harm. It underpins security, safety, food hygiene, and premises maintenance decisions.
- Crisis Communication Plan
- Related: Emergency Action Plan, Incident Report, Duty of Care
Prepared messages, spokespeople, and channels for informing guests, staff, media, and authorities during a serious incident. It aims to give accurate information quickly while protecting safety and reputation.