Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

Account Settlement Methods
The proper settlement of guest accounts is critical in ensuring that the hotel receives
proper payment for each guest charge. Basic methods used to settle guest accounts
depend on the type of payment: cash and check, payment card, direct bill, combined
settlement, and no-show billing. Let’s look at each of these alternatives.
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GUEST CHARGES, PAYMENT, AND CHECK-OUT
Cash and Check
Some guests prefer to pay their bills with cash, and some hotels accept checks. The
collection of cash for guest account settlement is generally straightforward and sim-
ple if FOMs have developed appropriate systems and procedures. The front desk
agent verifies the charges due, collects the proper amount of cash, enters the payment
in the PMS, and provides a receipt and copy of the folio to the guest.
Unfortunately, some guests knowingly or unknowingly pass counterfeit bills.
Suggestions about ways to detect counterfeit money are offered by the U.S. Secret
Service (www.secretservice.gov), the federal agency charged with policing counter-
feiters in the United States:
•
A suspect note should be compared with a genuine one of the same denomi-
nation and series. Look for differences, not similarities.
•
The portrait on a genuine bill appears lifelike and stands out distinctly from its
background. Counterfeit currency is usually lifeless and flat.
•
The sawtooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals on a genuine bill
are clear, distinct, and sharp, not uneven, unclear, or broken as on counterfeit seals.
•
Border lines on a genuine bill are clear and unbroken. On counterfeit bills the
lines in the outer margins and scroll work are frequently blurred and indistinct.
•
Genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style, are evenly spaced, and are
printed in the same color ink as the Treasury seal. On a counterfeit bill, the
serial numbers may be a different color or shade from the seal, and the num-
bers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned.
•
Genuine currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers (security threads) embed-
ded throughout. Counterfeit bills may have tiny red and blue lines printed on
the paper’s surface.
Equipment is available to detect counterfeit currency. Tabletop and portable
(handheld) units use both ultraviolet and incandescent light technology. When bills
are placed under these lights, printing and features of a genuine bill can be seen that
are invisible under conventional lighting. Other equipment scans bills to detect printed
text that cannot be seen without magnification. Front desk agents can use handheld
currency validator pens to mark currency. If the ink disappears, the bill is good; if the
bill it turns color, the bill is suspect.
Paper used for U.S. currency is almost impossible to duplicate because it really is
a cloth material. Recently these changes have been introduced to U.S. currency:
color-shifting inks that change color when tilted, and watermarks embedded in bills.
If these bills are held up to light, these features are visible.
The Secret Service also has suggestions about what to do if a counterfeit bill is
received:
•
Do not return it to the passer; delay him or her if possible.
•
Observe the passer’s description as well as that of any companions and, if appli-
cable, the license plate number of any vehicle.
•
Contact the local police department or U.S. Secret Service field office.
•
Write your initials and the date in the white border areas of the suspect note.
•
Limit handling of the note; carefully place the note in an envelope or other
protective covering.
•
Surrender the note only to a police officer or U.S Secret Service special agent.
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