House account

A billing account in the PMS that is not attached to a guest stay.

Where a folio collects the charges for one reservation, a house account collects charges that belong to the property or to a third party: a company that has agreed to settle a bill, a long-running group master account, staff meals, complimentary items, or internal transfers between departments.

The practical use is anything that has to be posted somewhere but does not belong on a departing guest's bill. A drink signed for by a visiting supplier, a meal comped by the duty manager, a wedding organiser's running tab across several days.

Two things to watch. House accounts are where unexplained balances accumulate, because nothing forces them to close the way a check-out forces a folio to settle, so they need a named owner and a review schedule. And in a POS integrated with the PMS, the ability to post to a house account rather than a room is usually a staff permission, which is worth setting deliberately rather than leaving open.