Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

ROADMAP 2
Objective 3
Review fundamental
requirements to check
out and settle accounts
of departing guests.
Managing the 
Check-Out Process
Objective 1
Describe basic
accounting information
necessary to accurately
determine guest charges
due at check-out.
Accounting for
Guest Charges
Objective 2
Explain policies and
procedures needed to
establish and monitor
guest credit limits.
Managing Guest
Credit
Objective 4
Discuss considerations
important when
managing late and
express check-outs,
unpaid accounts, and
issues relating to room
damages, group
allowances, and
complaints made
after check-out.
Check-Out
Challenges
517

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GUEST CHARGES, PAYMENT, AND CHECK-OUT
amount. When the process of approval of the payment card goes smoothly, little
attention is paid to it. When it does not, difficulties can arise. Figure 10 details 
the procedures to be followed when a hotel’s MSP declines an authorization for a
payment card. When a payment card is authorized for a preestablished amount in a
noninterfaced system, the front desk agent should record the authorization number
in the hotel’s PMS. In an interfaced system, the number is automatically recorded in
the PMS.
Sometimes guests use alternative methods to establish credit. Direct bill accounts,
prepaid deposits, cash prepayment of estimated charges, and deposits of cash at check-in
can all establish a guest’s creditworthiness and credit limit. The FOM’s two most impor-
tant activities in managing credit limits are to establish and to monitor credit limits.