How Do You Define a Hotel Receipt?

Anyone working in hotels is familiar with hotel receipts. Their personnel creates these documents in the first place to provide every guest with a copy. First of all, a general receipt refers to any document acknowledging complete transactions. This itemized sheet contains the critical transaction details—payment amount, item description, date of purchase, you name it. When it comes to a hotel receipt, it is the receipt specifically for hotel transactions. Indeed, this form contains evidence if guests completed his or her payment for the room accommodation. The same goes for other services that were availed during their stay. And as a protocol, the staff must present a valid receipt when a guest checks out.

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According to eMarketer.com, 68% of individuals prefer printed receipts, whereas 19% are okay with digital receipts. On the other hand, 8% would rather not get any receipt at all.

Meanwhile, another survey stated that the worldwide market size of the hotel industry was approximately $570 billion in 2017.

Furthermore, Statista added that the average revenue per available room (RevPAR) in US hotels was around $17.93 per month.

A Quick Visit to the History of Receipts

Why is a receipt necessary for hotels or, in general, you might ask? Why don’t we look back into how useful it was from the olden times and even until today. Did you know that the absence of a receipt used to have the death penalty? Shockingly, it was true during ancient times; that is if one has not paid his or her taxes. Have you ever heard of Alulu? He received one of the oldest receipts ever by paying for five sheep, four grass-eating kids, and a lamb. The receipt was still some sort of clay with a 1×1 and a half-inch in thickness. Making receipts also traces back into the invention of writing. In 3200 BCE, Samaria formed similar writing using symbols. That way, they kept track of the many products they offered for the temple, especially to Egypt. By Ramses II’s reign, papyrus receipts became a thing. Purchases ranged from a lot of things like cattle, makeup, beer, grain, and so much more.

Move forward to the invention of banking, particularly from late medieval Italy; receipts were still highly recognized. By this period, depositing money is universal. And besides giving a bank deposit slip, that’s right; people receive a receipt too. Fast forward to Gutenberg’s popular printing press. Numerous receipts boomed the market as well. Such pre-printed forms only need to be filled out for convenience, and it can be found almost anywhere from merchants, farmers, bankers, and more. Back to the modern age, paper receipts became less common since many businesses are now sending e-receipts. However, an eMarketer report reminds us that 68% of people still demand printable receipts. Only 19% like digital receipts and 8% prefer not getting receipts at all. Thus, printed receipts are still relevant nowadays.

Hotel Receipts: Why Are They Important?

Aside from a printable receipt’s relevance, a bunch of reasons is made regarding how vital a receipt is, particularly for the hotel industry. Keep in mind that a hotel receipt is more than a dry or small piece of paper. If ever a guest complains of paying about something he or she did not ask for, then showcasing this form to the designated hotel personnel is required for compliance or proof. More so, does a client want to be compensated by a company to cover hotel expenses? Of course, that business would require an expense report, with the receipt as evidence, to get paid. For security purposes, all parties should keep their copies of hotel receipts in case certain information written there is needed at some point.

Checking in to the Elements of a Hotel Receipt

What does an acceptable hotel receipt consist of? Expect some elements inside, and these aspects are things that must be present in any hotel receipt template. With its parts missing, there is no point in depending on that receipt for long, especially if that specific part you need to show for proof is absent. Other people may refer that document as fake without the essential elements present to it. Without further ado, check in to these hotel receipt elements:

Guest Information: Hotels must always recognize who checks in and checks out the hotel. Therefore, the receipt should have the full name and other contact details of the guest for identification purposes. To deal with the guest details of a hotel receipt, point out the significant information of customers and their whole stay in the hotel. Aside from their name, this part also recognizes the room number and the dates of arrival and departure.Item Description: Yes, the guest info recognizes how many days the customer stayed in the hotel. However, what other orders did that person make while staying for a couple of days? Did that client order food from the hotel’s restaurant menu? Or perhaps, paid for drinks, gym membership, an extended stay, hotel reservation fee, and other miscellaneous fees? Also, make sure to write down descriptions of these items, so it is understandable.Payment Details: After item descriptions are the payment information or invoice. These two often go hand in hand, so it is easy to match both the amount and description of purchases. A common example is how many times an amount needs to be paid. The same thing applies to items bought in more quantities since the price increases there too. Moreover, will it be paid through cash, credit card, online bank transfer, or another method? Indicate on the sheet what the payment method is.Name of Cashier: Lastly, it is essential to identify whoever issues the receipt. Otherwise, anyone might make up details from the document. Why is a cashier name useful? Its purpose is for identifying who to refer to in case a guest has questions about the receipt. With that name present, contacting the cashier for any query will no longer be a hassle.

How to Make a Standard Hotel Receipt

Did you that the global market size of the hotel industry reached around $570 billion back in 2017? That is, according to Statista. Additionally, their research survey confirmed that the average RevPAR among American hotels is approximately $17.93 monthly. Behind this industry, a lot of hotel receipts also come to play during transactions. In ensuring a smooth transaction, it is smart to create effective and efficient receipts for this. How do you manage that? Just follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Decide the Preferred Format

As a hotel owner, one of the major decisions to finalize is what the final hotel receipt format is. Finalizing is needed to observe uniform sheets rather than making outputs with different formats. Otherwise, people would be confused about which format is legitimate or not. Do you prefer giving out printable copies or send an email with digital versions? Also, have you checked and downloaded some of our templates yet? Expect a lot of options to choose from with formats you can tweak.

Step 2: Lay Out the Common Hotel Business Info

Take a peek at sample receipts, including a rental receipt. Business details are part of the form too. For hotel receipts, this information contains the hotel name, address, contact number, website info, and social media links. However, do not just enumerate it since a sense of layout is beneficial. Designing a receipt is an expected step while making one anyway. Incorporate the official hotel logo perhaps and other designs or details that help identify your business.

Step 3: Give Space to Insert the Elements

Can you still recall the elements of a hotel receipt discussed earlier? Good! From guest information down to the name of the cashier, those must be incorporated into the form. By this, leave some space to input every detail of those elements. As you do not expect the same payment amount and other information for every guest, this is why putting some space is essential. Only give out uniform labels and details to the business info since those no longer have to be changed for every transaction.

Step 4: Organize with Tables, Rows, and Columns

Some receipts are too long and wordy because of dismal organization. Hence, establish ways to keep things well-arranged and more organized, like adding tables and charts instead of putting everything in complete sentences. With tables, information is divided into groups to achieve an itemized or categorical document. What’s more? The decision is up to you regarding how many rows and columns to add. What matters most is that everything presented is understandable and that there is no need to print numerous papers just for a single receipt.

Step 5: Beautify the Form Too

Who says there is no room for creativity here? In fact, keeping receipts creative can boost the reputation of that hotel. Be sure to balance professionalism too because the art side is just a bonus. The main point of this receipt is to inform or give acknowledgment to the recorded transactions. Last but not least, add spaces for signatures and look out for possible mistakes. Think you have everything covered now? Great—you are more than ready to create one.

FAQs

What are the other names for a hotel receipt?

Many names refer to a hotel receipt. Examples include hotel invoice, foil, bill, and statement. Just be careful with the terms used as there are slight differences to what they mean too. Nonetheless, there are similarities to what they all contain.

How do I make a fake hotel bill?

Simply use a hotel bill or receipt template, and make up names for the hotel, client, and the rest of its information. But please use hotel names that are under 2 to 3 stars since it is obviously fake in using big names. Also, add the appropriate contact details since there must be numbers used to make it more legitimate.

How can I get a receipt from a hotel?

The simplest answer is to be a guest at the hotel. While booking as a guest, provide your name, contacts, and other required details. Such customers obtain their receipts upon checking out. If not, then do not hesitate to reach out to the cashier. Never forget that it is your right to have a copy of the receipt.

Can I use the invoice as the receipt?

While the two terms are almost the same, avoid forgetting the fact that an invoice is never a receipt. What makes them different is that the invoice is issued before giving any payment since it is for requesting particular services. On another note, receipts are provided once payment is finished because it is a proof of purchase.

Are you still bothering to ignore that printed paper next time? Of course not, after you have just learned the importance and what contains inside a hotel receipt. Nevertheless, there are different ways to get receipts nowadays with e-receipts on the rise. But according to Bloomberg, “Paper sales receipts won’t die, even as the world rushes to digital.” Anyone can copy and paste information through electronic receipts. Yet, what makes paper forms more reliable for hotel receipts? It is the part where guests and cashiers can write their signatures in the document.