---
title: What Is a Hotel Night Audit? Steps and Checklist
description: What a hotel night audit is, who does it and the steps: check arrivals and no-shows, post room charges, balance the tills, run the reports, roll the date.
url: https://www.tivuzo.com/guides/what-is-a-night-audit/
updated: 2026-11-03
---

Guide · 8 min read

# What is a hotel night audit?

What the night audit is for, the steps in order, the reports to keep and the mistakes that cost hotels money.
By the Tivuzo team · Updated 3 November 2026

**Short answer:**
A hotel night audit is the daily close of the front office. Usually done late at night by the night auditor or night manager, it checks that every arrival and departure is right, posts the night's room charges to guest folios, handles no-shows, balances the tills and payments for the day, runs the daily reports (occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, revenue) and moves the hotel's business date to the next day.

## Why it matters

Hotels sell nights, and a night only becomes revenue when it is posted. The night audit makes sure every occupied room is charged once and only once, that mistakes from the day are caught while the people who made them are still around, and that the owner has the day's numbers before breakfast. Skipping it is how hotels end up with guests who leave without paying for a night, or folios that disagree with the accounts.

## The steps

- **Check arrivals**Every expected arrival is either checked in, cancelled or a no-show. Chase the ones still pending.
- **Check departures**Every guest due out is checked out, or extended. Late departures are noted.
- **Review in-house folios**Rates are right, company and agent billing is set, deposits are recorded, nothing unusual is waiting.
- **Handle no-shows**Mark them and apply your policy: charge the first night, keep the deposit, or release the booking.
- **Post room and meal charges**Each in-house folio gets tonight's room and meal plan charges at tonight's rate.
- **Balance the day's money**Cash, card, mobile money and charge-to-room totals from the front desk and outlets agree with what was counted.
- **Run the reports**Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, room revenue, arrivals and departures for tomorrow, guest ledger balance.
- **Roll the date**Move the business date to tomorrow so new postings land on the right day.

## The reports to keep

| Report | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Daily manager's report | Rooms sold, occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, revenue by department. |
| Guest ledger | Balances on in-house folios: who owes what tonight. |
| Arrivals and departures | Tomorrow's movements for reception and housekeeping. |
| No-shows and cancellations | Bookings lost today and any charges applied. |
| Payments by method | Cash, card, mobile money and charge to room for the day. |

For what the KPIs mean, read [occupancy, ADR and RevPAR explained](https://www.tivuzo.com/guides/occupancy-adr-revpar/).

## Common mistakes

- Posting room charges twice because the date was not rolled
- Rolling the date with arrivals still pending, which hides no-shows
- Balancing the front desk but not the restaurant and bar
- Correcting posted charges by editing instead of adjusting
- Running it at different times each night

## At a small property

Guest houses rarely have a night auditor. The receptionist or owner can do the same close at the end of the evening in ten minutes, as long as the software makes it one screen: check, post, read the numbers, roll the date.

## In Tivuzo

The [Tivuzo night audit](https://www.tivuzo.com/features/night-audit-and-reports/) lists arrivals and departures still open, flags no-shows, posts room and meal charges to every in-house folio, records occupancy, ADR, RevPAR and room revenue, and moves the business date forward. Restaurant and bar tills are closed with counts by payment method. See also [guest folios and billing](https://www.tivuzo.com/features/guest-folios-and-billing/).

## Night audit questions

### Who does the night audit in a hotel?

A night auditor or night manager in larger hotels; the evening receptionist or the owner at smaller properties.

### What time is the night audit done?

Usually after midnight and before the morning shift, once the restaurant and bar have closed. Choose a time and keep to it.

### What is the business date in a hotel?

The hotel's accounting day. It changes when the night audit is run, not at midnight, so late bar bills land on the right day.

### Can the night audit be automated?

The posting and the reports can be; the checks of arrivals, departures and money still need a person.