Your Hospitality Terms Guide
Have you ever checked in at a hotel and saw that your room is a little bit different than the pictures you remember from the booking? Have you ever been in a hotel, expecting to have breakfast, but you realized that it’s not included in the price? If yes- this blog post is for you!
• Learn what some of the abbreviations stand for
• Read about differences between the types of accommodation
• Read more about accommodation types depending on the location
• Find the accommodation option that fits you best
Scroll down to find all the important hospitality terms you need to know, in order for you to avoid unpleasant surprises and money waste. Even if you’re pretty familiar with the terms and abbreviations, I’m sure you will still find something you probably didn’t know.
What do some abbreviations/terms stand for?
ADR – A measure of the average daily rate paid for rooms sold (dividing room revenue by rooms sold).
AL (All inclusive) – Complete package that includes overnight accommodation and value-added amenities and services (food and beverage, activities, gratuities, etc.)
Aparthotel/Suites/All-Suite – Entire apartment or a room with more space and furniture than a typical hotel room (designated living area or multiple rooms).
BB/DBB – Bed and breakfast / Dinner, bed, and breakfast included
Boutique hotel – Properties with special or unique features, most of the time independently owned and run, often with smaller numbers of rooms (less than 200). High average rate, but high levels of service as well.
BRA – Best rates available
Cabin – House built from wood only, located away from the urban areas. Suitable for people who seek peaceful and quiet experience.
Chalet – Hotels/Resorts that are suitable for group travelers, especially in areas where outdoor activities are the main attractions.
Comp – Complimentary / free of charge
Condo – Individually and wholly-owned condominium units, serviced by a management company.
Conference Hotels – Accommodate larger events and have specialized facilities (must adhere to the guidelines of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC).
Contract rooms – Rooms booked for an extended period by a special contract, often used by staff of a company and frequent guests.
Convention Center – Property with large meeting facilities (at least 20,000 sq) and a minimum of 300 rooms.
Cottage – Small space accommodation with a home vibe, mostly only one story.
Day guests – Visitors who check in and check out the same day, usually to only use specific facilities like a spa center or a restaurant.
DB – Direct Booking. Booking directly with the hotel (by phone or on the company’s website) instead of booking through third parties or travel agents.
DC/Distribution Channel – Different ways guests can book accommodation through: The Global Distribution System (GDS) or the Online travel agencies (OTA), also by phone or the business’ own website.
DND – Do not disturb
ETA – Estimated time of arrival
Extended Stay – Properties that specialize in longer stay guests by offering weekly or monthly rates. Also provide features such as kitchens.
FB/Full Board – Rate that includes the accommodation for the night, along with all three main meals.
Full service hotel – Typically luxurious properties with a lot of onsite amenities: spas, gyms, conference halls, restaurants.
Gaming/Casino – Accommodation property with a focus on casino operations.
GDS – Stands for Global distribution system; a reservation system that allows professionals to make reservations for a few different services at once (hotel room, airplane ticket, car rental, etc.).
GM – General manager
Guest house – A home that has been converted to an accommodation place. Some guest houses can accommodate just a group of people, others have up to 20 rooms. They are independently owned, but some of them don’t even have a keeper onsite during guests’ stay.
HB (Half Board) – A room rate that includes breakfast and one other meal, whether lunch or dinner.
Hospitality Tray – The tray with free of charge refreshment items in a hotel room (coffee, snacks, tea). The more luxurious the hotel, the higher the quality of these items.
Hostel – Hostels are one of the cheapest accommodation options due to the shared amenities between guests- shared rooms, bathrooms, etc. This is a great option for people who travel on a budget and for those who love meeting new people.
Hotel – Hotels can be run as a part of a big chain or independently. The rating for a hotel varies between 1 and 5 stars, depending on its location, price per night, and amenities offered to its guests.
IBE – Internet booking engine
INN – Independently owned and operated property with an innkeeper owner. INNs often have not more than 20 rooms and in some cases include breakfast in the price.
IPO/EPO – Individual pays own/Each pays their own share.
KS / SKS – King Size or Super King Size (rooms or beds).
Late charges – Charges that occur if something is not settled at the time of guest’s departure.
Late check-out – Sometimes hotels will allow guests to depart later than the usual time; this might depend on the dates or the deal the guests booked and might cost an extra fee.
Limited service hotel – Property with limited facilities and amenities (no full-service restaurant in most cases).
MOD – Manager on duty
Motel – Property with less rooms than a hotel and lack of amenities, often located out of the city.
No show – A guest that neither checks in nor cancels after booking a room.
Occupancy – Shows how full a hotel is (usually in percentage).
OTA – Online travel agents
PP – Per person
PPPN – Per person per night
PRPN – Per room per night
RO – Room only (no breakfast or any extras included)
RBO – Rental by owner. Accommodation types that offer individuals rooms, beds or entire properties (Airbnb and similar).
Serviced Apartments – Properties for long stay accommodation which sometimes include cleaning services.
Spa hotel – Property with onsite spa facilities/different treatments and full-time accredited practitioners.
Timeshare – Property where multiple parties hold use rights. Each of the time sharers has a designated period of time when they use the property (typically is a condominium unit).
Walk-in – A guest who comes to stay at a hotel with no booking in advance
Accommodation types depending on the location:
• Urban – Large metropolitan area, highly populated location.
• Suburban – Suburbs of metropolitan areas
• Interstate/Motorway – Accommodation property located close to a highway, motorway or other major roads.
• Resort – Property located in a resort area (area where significant part of the local business comes from leisure/tourism.
• Airport – Hotel located close to an airport.
Difference between type of accommodation:
Hotel and Motel
• Motels are usually located on highways and more isolated routes white hotels are close to airports and around city centers.
• Motels usually don’t offer the kind of amenities hotels have (pools, laundry, gyms). Most motels don’t even have restaurants.
• At motels rooms are located directly next to the parking lot, with open hallways if there’s a second floor. At hotels rooms are located in hallways inside the property
• The lack of amenities and minimum people to run the place with, motels can afford offering much lower prices than hotels.
Cottage and Cabin
• Cottages are smaller while cabins can have two stories
• Cabins are always located in secluded areas
• Cabins are fully built from wood
