FindMyStay.in
Hotel & PMS abbreviations
Short codes you will see in the owner dashboard, Help Academy, and Indian hotel ops — OTA, KOT, GST, ADR, BEO, OOO and 113 more — with plain-language meaning and India examples for owners and staff.
Same list as in-app Academy
Why this glossary exists
FindMyStay’s owner tools use the same shortcodes Indian hotels, CAs, and OTAs use every day. This public page mirrors the Help Academy abbreviation hub so guests of the product — owners, FO, HK, F&B, and accounts — can look up a term without guessing from WhatsApp.
113 terms · A–Z
All abbreviations & short codes
No abbreviations match that search. Try ADR, OTA, or GST.
0–9
Eighty-six (sold out / unavailable)
Restaurant slang: mark a dish or drink unavailable so Service stops selling it. On Menu items, uncheck Available (or use Kitchen 86).
A
Accounts Payable
Money the hotel owes suppliers — tracked mainly via Vendor bills (due dates, partial payments, balances). Not the same as meal-plan AP (American Plan).
Acknowledgement
Confirmation number/date from the e-invoice portal after IRN generation — paste into Finance → E-invoice with the IRN.
Average Daily Rate
Room revenue ÷ rooms sold for a period. Read with Occupancy and RevPAR on Analytics → Occupancy & RevPAR / Daily business.
Allergen disclosure (menu)
What a dish contains that commonly triggers allergies (milk, egg, fish, wheat/gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, sesame…). Set on Menu → Add/Edit item; guests see tags on QR / table order.
American Plan
Room + breakfast + lunch + dinner (all meals).
Accounts Receivable
Money guests or companies still owe the hotel (open folios / corporate credit). Finance → Accounts receivable; Aging often from checkout date.
Audio Visual
Projectors, mics, PA/sound and screens for meetings and banquets — allocate under Events → Resources and note on the BEO.
B
Business to Business / Business to Consumer
B2B invoices go to companies (usually with GSTIN); B2C to individual guests. Billing fields and e-invoice rules differ.
Best Available Rate
The standard public / walk-in rack rate for a date before corporate or promotional deals.
Banquet Event Order
Function sheet issued to kitchen, stewards, and FO with layout, menu, timing, and AV — Events → BEO.
Bar Order Ticket
Ticket sent to the bar for drinks — menu items should use station Bar so BOT routes correctly.
Balance Sheet
Assets, liabilities, and equity as of a date. Assets = liabilities + equity.
Hotel working date
Operational date for posting and night audit — may lag calendar midnight. Set under Workflows → Business date.
C
Void the entire ticket
Cancels the whole restaurant order with a required void reason for audit. Not allowed if any line is already posted to a folio — void unposted lines or reverse via folio process first.
Central GST / State GST
Split of GST on intra-state supplies (same state). Often shown as two equal lines on the invoice.
Casual / Sick / Earned leave
Common Indian leave types on People → Leave (plus unpaid). Balances show entitled / used / left for the year.
Finish / archive a ticket
Marks a restaurant ticket closed after lines are posted or there is nothing left to bill. Table can be vacated; use Cancel order (with reason) if the whole check was a mistake.
Channel Manager
A tool (often external, e.g. Staah / SiteMinder) that pushes rates and availability to OTAs. In FindMyStay, External CM records that tool; publishing is still attested manually unless a live adapter exists.
Credit Note / Debit Note
Formal GST documents that decrease (CN) or increase (DN) value against an issued tax invoice — separate from informal folio comps.
Chart of Accounts
The list of GL codes (assets, liabilities, income, expenses, equity) used on every voucher line.
Complimentary
A free or goodwill credit (room night, F&B, amount) logged under Discounts & comps with a reason code and usually posted to the folio.
Guest count on a ticket
Number of diners on the order (e.g. 2 covers on T3). Used for pacing, average check, and sometimes service charge rules.
Continental Plan
Room + breakfast (usually for the booked occupancy).
Customer Relationship Management
Keeping guest profiles, preferences, enquiries, and follow-ups so the hotel treats people as relationships — not one-off bookings.
Closed To Arrival
Restriction blocking check-in on that date (guests may still stay through if they arrived earlier) — common on peak Fridays.
D
Daily Business Report
One business-date snapshot (occ, ADR, RevPAR, movement, collections) under Performance reports → Daily business.
Date of Joining
Employee start date on the People → Employees master — used for probation, leave seeding, and HR audits.
Data Protection Officer / privacy contact
Named contact for privacy/retention questions under Settings → Privacy & retention / Compliance → Data privacy.
E
European Plan
Room only — no meals included. Guest pays restaurant separately.
Employees’ State Insurance
Social insurance for eligible wage bands. Store ESI number on Employees when applicable.
Estimated Time of Arrival
When the guest expects to reach the hotel — useful on pre-arrival / arrivals notes for room readiness.
F
Food and Beverage
Restaurant, kitchen, and related outlets — including covers for CP/MAP/AP meal plans.
First Expiry, First Out
Issue/use stock with the earliest expiry date first — reduces wastage on perishables.
Free Independent Traveller
Individual / small private booking (not a packaged tour group) — often via a travel agent.
Front Office
Reception / front desk team handling arrivals, in-house requests, and departures.
Guest bill / account
The running guest (or company) bill: room, F&B, extras, advances, and taxes. Post charges and payments on Guest folios before night audit; do not keep balances only in WhatsApp.
Foreign guest arrival report (C-Form)
India foreign-guest reporting workflow (often with FRRO/Bureau of Immigration portals). Track under Compliance → Foreign guest / Form C; file on the official portal.
Foreigners Regional Registration Office
Authority / process context for foreign-guest reporting; many hotels use Form C style workflows alongside local police rules.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Food-business licence and inspection regime. Track under Compliance → Food safety (FSSAI). Menu allergen tags support guest transparency; they do not replace your FSSAI labelling duties.
Financial Year
India’s accounting year (typically 1 Apr–31 Mar). Invoice number prefixes often reset each FY (e.g. INV/2025-26/000123).
Financial Year closing
Closing locks the year and carries balance-sheet openings into the next FY after Trial Balance is clean — Accounting → FY closing.
G
Gluten-free
Dietary badge on a menu item when the dish is prepared without wheat/gluten. Guests see a GF tag on QR; still confirm with kitchen for cross-contamination.
General Ledger
The books of account: posted debit/credit lines by COA code from JV/PV/RV/CV vouchers.
General Manager
Property leader who often receives Daily business / scheduled reports and approves exceptions above FO limits.
Goods Receipt Note
Formal receipt of goods into stores (common in full Inventory). Supplies (quick) uses a simpler receive on the PO.
GST Suvidha Provider
Licensed intermediary some businesses use to file e-invoices/GST returns. FindMyStay does not replace your GSP/portal filing.
Goods and Services Tax
India’s consumption tax applied on hotel invoices per configured slabs / tariff bands.
Goods and Services Tax Identification Number
15-character tax ID of the hotel or company used on tax invoices and compliance settings.
GST Return 1 (outward supplies)
Return of outward supplies filed on the GST portal. FindMyStay exports a GSTR-1 style CSV for your CA — it does not file the return.
Guest table QR order
Order started by the guest scanning the table QR (public menu). Lines often arrive as pending — staff review, then Send KOT. Same void/post rules as cashier tickets.
H
Housekeeping
Department that cleans and inspects rooms; Status board Dirty → Clean is their signal to Front Office.
Human Resources
People band: employees, attendance, roster, leave, payroll, documents, training, and performance.
Harmonized System of Nomenclature
GST classification code for goods. Hotels use it mainly for F&B goods context and e-way / inventory movements; confirm codes with your CA.
I
Identity document
Proof of identity at check-in (e.g. Aadhaar, driving licence). Store only permitted masked references — not full scans in notes.
Indian Financial System Code
Bank branch code on the employee master for salary NEFT/IMPS credits.
Integrated GST
GST on inter-state supplies (different state) — one integrated line instead of CGST+SGST.
Immediate Payment Service
Instant Indian bank transfer (often 24×7) used for guest refunds, advances, and salary credits alongside NEFT/UPI.
Invoice Reference Number
Unique ID returned when an e-invoice is registered on the IRP. Log it under Finance → E-invoice after you file on the portal/GSP.
Invoice Registration Portal / National Informatics Centre
Government e-invoice infrastructure. FindMyStay does not call these APIs; you file externally then paste IRN/ACK into the e-invoice log.
Input Tax Credit
GST credit claimed on eligible business purchases (vendor bills) against output GST — follow your CA’s rules; not auto-computed in guest folios.
J
Journal / Payment / Receipt / Contra voucher
Double-entry documents: JV adjustments, PV money out, RV money in, CV cash↔bank transfers. Debits must equal credits before post.
K
Kitchen Display System
Live screen of open/ready tickets and wait times for the kitchen/expo pass.
Kitchen Order Ticket
Ticket sent to the kitchen for food items (Orders → Send KOT & print). After send, lines move from pending → kot. Reprint if a chit is lost. Open KOTs should be served, posted, voided, or cancelled before night audit.
Key Performance Indicator
A headline metric used in reviews (occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, collections, conversion %) — see Daily business and Growth tracker.
Know Your Customer
Business identity / tax verification steps for the property (GST certificate, PAN) — separate from guest check-in ID.
L
Length of Stay
How many nights a guest stays. Analytics → Length of stay shows buckets; Guest statistics shows average LOS.
M
Modified American Plan
Room + breakfast + one major meal (lunch or dinner — fix which in plan notes).
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions
Corporate event segment often sold as day packages (working lunch, AV) alongside weddings and parties.
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
Bank cheque code sometimes stored on the employee bank block with IFSC/account details.
Minimum Length Of Stay
Restriction requiring guests to book at least N nights (e.g. 2 on Diwali weekend) — set in PMS then mirror on OTAs.
MakeMyTrip
A major Indian OTA brand often used in examples alongside Booking.com.
N
National Electronic Funds Transfer
Bank transfer used for agent commissions, corporate settlements, payroll, and larger payouts.
No Objection Certificate
Common for fire safety and other local permissions — log under Fire & safety with next due dates.
O
Out of Order
Room blocked for maintenance / unsafe — must not be assigned to guests; often paired with Availability stop-sell.
Overtime
Extra hours logged under People → Overtime with a multiplier (often 1.5×). Only approved OT feeds the payroll run.
Online Travel Agency
Booking platforms such as Booking.com or MakeMyTrip (MMT) that sell your rooms and send reservations to the hotel.
On The Books
Already-confirmed future reservations / revenue in PMS — say “on the books” when presenting Forecast or pace, not guaranteed cash.
P
Profit and Loss
Income vs expenses for a period. Finance insights P&L is operational; Accounting P&L (GL) is books — do not mix the two in meetings.
Permanent Account Number
Income-tax ID for the property entity or employee. Store on KYC / Employees; never paste full IDs into public notes.
Some lines posted, some still open
Split/post: e.g. drinks posted to Room 204 now, mains left unposted. Badge on the order means not every billable line is on the folio yet.
Passengers / persons (guest count)
Number of guests for a function — drives package ₹/pax, catering lines, and chair allocations.
Portable Document Format
Downloadable/printable file (menus, invoices, reports) — keep menu PDFs in sync with live Menu prices.
Line not yet sent to kitchen
Item status before KOT. Guest QR and new adds sit in pending until Send KOT & print. Void pending lines freely with a reason if the guest changes mind.
Provident Fund (EPF)
Retirement contribution scheme. Capture PF/UAN on the employee master; withholdings are handled outside auto payslip math unless your CA process adds them.
Personally Identifiable Information
Guest/staff data that can identify a person (phone, email, ID). Protect CSV exports and follow Privacy & retention SOP.
Property Management System
The hotel’s operating software for reservations, rooms, front desk, and billing (FindMyStay owner dashboard for your property).
Purchase Order
Document telling a vendor what to supply (items, qty, rates). Receive against the PO to raise stock.
Point of Sale
Cashier screen to open tables, add menu items, and bill guests in the F&B outlet.
Charge F&B to the guest bill
Moves selected (or all unposted) order lines onto the in-house guest folio after linking a reservation. Do this before checkout / night audit so FO sees the true balance.
Purchase Requisition
Internal request from a department to buy items; approved before an inventory PO is raised.
Q
Quick Response code
Scannable code for digital menus, listing pages, or Google review asks — must match the intended table/destination.
R
Kitchen and runner statuses
Ready = food at the pass / expo; Served = delivered to table or room. Update so runners and Billing know what is still cooking.
Revenue Per Available Room
Blends occupancy and rate (room revenue ÷ rooms available, or ADR × occupancy) — headline rooms KPI for owner scorecards.
Revenue Management System
Specialised pricing software. FindMyStay’s Revenue hub is PMS guidance + manual OTA attestation — not a live RMS auto-push.
Real Time Gross Settlement
High-value same-day bank transfer. Record the UTR on advances, vendor payments, or OTA remittance reconciliation.
S
Services Accounting Code
GST classification code for services (e.g. hotel accommodation / restaurant). Set on profile and rate rules; prints on invoices and GSTR helper exports.
Search Engine Optimization
Improving how your public listing appears in search — photos, content, and competitor gaps under Analytics / Listing.
Stock Keeping Unit
Unique code for an inventory item (e.g. SHAM-30) used on Item master, GRN, and POs.
Short Message Service
Text message to guest phone (confirmations, OTPs, reminders) when your notifications/integrations support it.
Standard Operating Procedure
Written checklist so every shift does the same steps (night audit, ID, sources). Maintain under Workflows → SOP & checklists.
Spice level (menu)
Heat guide on a menu item: Not spicy / Mild / Medium / Hot. Shown as a tag on guest QR so diners can choose without calling staff.
T
Trial Balance
List of GL balances used to prove total debits equal total credits before statements or FY closing.
Tax Deducted at Source
Tax withheld before payment in some Indian settlements. Record gross/TDS/net under Finance → TDS tracking; apply to the folio so the balance clears without treating TDS as drawer cash.
Advance / booking token
Initial banquet payment recorded under Advances & settlement (type advance/token) before confirming the function.
U
Universal Account Number
EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund) member ID. Store on Employees with PF details; payroll here does not auto-deduct PF.
Not yet on the guest folio
Billable lines still only on the restaurant ticket. Room charges / order screen show unposted ₹ — clear before night audit and morning departures.
Unified Payments Interface
Instant bank payment method widely used at Indian hotel desks (PhonePe, GPay, etc.).
Unique Transaction Reference
Bank payment reference for an NEFT/RTGS/IMPS credit — paste it on remittance reconciliation, advances, and vendor payments.
V
Vegetarian / Non-vegetarian
India menu convention. Tick Vegetarian (and Vegan if applicable) on Menu items so QR shows a Veg badge; leave unticked for non-veg.
Very Important Person (guest)
Tagged high-value or repeat guest needing recognition notes (floor, amenities, quiet wing).
Cancel a line (or ticket) with reason
Removes a line from the billable ticket and records a void reason for audit (e.g. “guest changed mind”, “wrong item”). Cannot void a line already posted to folio — reverse/adjust on the folio instead. Cancel order voids the whole ticket the same way.
W
Weighted Average Cost
Common inventory valuation method: average cost of stock after each GRN, used for stock value ₹.
See these terms on the live desk
Sign in to Help Academy — the same abbreviations appear beside every topic, with your Read → Studied → Completed score.