Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

Guarantee (banquet)
Contractual agreement about the number of meals to be provided at
a banquet. A guarantee must be made several days in advance of the event; at that time,
the banquet host agrees to pay for the larger of the actual number of guests served or the
number of guests guaranteed.
Guest (hotel)
Person who rents a guestroom for a short time period with no intention of
becoming a permanent resident. Also called a transient guest.
Guest history
Record maintained in the PMS that details information about a guest’s
previous hotel stay or stays. A useful guest history includes information related to guest
name, address, previous dates of stays, room preferences, room rates paid, form of payment,
and any other information judged important by the FOM and recordable in the PMS.
Guest ledger
Set of accounts used to record charges to and payments from a hotel’s regis-
tered guests. Sometimes called the front office ledger or rooms ledger.
Half-day rate
Special rate that typically includes 1- to 4-hour use (but not overnight use)
of a room.
Hard key
Usually a metal key that is not remade each time it is issued. The potential for
unscrupulous duplication of such keys makes their use for guestrooms unacceptable in
nearly all cases.