usali

Attrition and Cancellation Revenue

Robert Mandelbaum | May 20, 2019

By Robert Mandelbaum Per the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI), the income received from transient and group guests that fail to occupy a room, or cancel a reservation in the prescribed timeframe, and for which payment was guaranteed on an individual basis, is recorded as No Show Revenue in the Rooms Department. This source of revenue is frequently difficult to identify as a discrete source of income on the standard hotel operating statement format. On the other hand, the fees hotels receive from the cancellation of group meetings are typically presented as a separate line item in Miscellaneous Income. Because ...

Revenue Is Rising, But Collecting Is More Challenging

Robert Mandelbaum | April 18, 2019

By Robert Mandelbaum According to STR, U.S. hotels achieved all-time high levels of occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR in 2018. While a record number of guests are staying at hotels, and revenues are flowing in, the ability to collect these funds is starting to become more of a challenge. Per the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry, an account entitled "Provision for Doubtful Accounts" has been established in the Administrative and General Department of a hotel operating statement. Each month, hotel managers estimate the portion of their property's receivables that they do not believe will be collectible. The Provision for Doubt...

HFTP Purchases Rights to the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI)

HFTP | October 26, 2018

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) has purchased the copyright to the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI), a resource the association has been connected to since its origins. Widely used internationally, the primary purpose of the USALI is to offer operating statements formatted to provide hotel owners, managers and other interested parties with operational information pertinent to the lodging industry. The USALI was first published in 1926 and is currently in its 11th edition. The copyright was previously owned by the Hotel Association of New York City. The resource is published by th...

New Edition of Planning and Control for Food and Beverage Operations Textbook Reflects Industry Trends, Technology Updates

the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) | January 25, 2018

Orlando, Florida, January 2018—The ninth edition of Planning and Control for Food and Beverage Operations is now available from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). Written by Jack D. Ninemeier, Ph.D., this essential management textbook introduces readers to the control processes used to reduce costs and increase efficiency in food and beverage operations in restaurants and hotels. The book explores how planning and control functions can help operations work smarter, compete for greater market share, and provide value to guests. New to the ninth edition is a chapter feature called "Advice from a Mentor,"...

AHLA’s Financial Management Committee Issues Guidance for the New Revenue Recognition Standards

American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) | January 25, 2018

The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") recently revised how revenue from contracts with customers should be recorded. This was contained in FASB's Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 606. Implementation of ASC 606 is effective starting January 1, 2018 for public companies and no later than December 31, 2019 for all other companies. The objectives of the new accounting guidance are to clarify how revenue should be recognized for goods and services. The American Hotel & Lodging Association's (AHLA) Financial Management Committee has issued guidance on the new revenue recognition standards and how it affects the hotel ...

Hotel Rooms Departments Struggle to Control Expenses

the Authors | March 13, 2017

By Robert Mandelbaum and Gary McDade Changes in rooms revenue per available room (RevPAR), and RevPAR penetration receive a lot of attention from hotel managers. This is because the monies hotels receive from renting guest rooms is the major source of revenue across all property types in the U.S. According to the 2016 edition of Trends® in the Hotel Industry, rooms revenue averaged 68.1 percent of total operating revenue in 2015. This metric exceeds 97 percent at limited-service and extended-stay hotels. Alternatively, rooms revenue comprises only 51.8 percent of total revenue at resorts. Even more impressive than the contribution o...

USALI Changes Offer New Benchmarks

Robert Mandelbaum | August 16, 2016

By: Robert Mandelbaum Every ten years or so, the Financial Management Committee (FMC) of the American Hotel & Lodging Association revises the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI). The USALI serves as the industry standard for reporting hotel revenues and expenses. Revisions to the USALI are necessary in order to keep up with changes in industry practice, as well as changes in accounting rules and regulations. In preparing the 11th revised edition of the USALI that was used by hoteliers to prepare their 2015 operating statements, the FMC addressed some industry changes that had occurred since the 10th edition t...

The Need for Standardization of Distribution Channel Metrics

Financial Management Committee (FMC) | January 27, 2016

Financial Issues Impacting the Lodging Industry The Financial Management Committee (FMC) of the American Hotel & Lodging Association was established to provide superior financial management expertise on issues of common interest to owners and operators of hotels and motels. In an effort to assist hotel owners and operators, the FMC is presenting a series of monthly articles that address current and emerging financial issues impacting the lodging industry. Some of the potential topics to be discussed include the standardization of industry definitions for distribution channels and associated costs, benchmarking green and sustainable ...