B
BARGAIN SITE:
This is a website where you can get discounts on travel events, such as tickets for shows and tour opportunities.
BANQUET:
Dinner for numerous people that is generally ceremonial in nature
BANQUET CAPTAIN:
The party at food functions who presides over the banquet service.
BASE FEE:
A monthly fee agreed upon by hotel management, typically two to four percent of monthly gross revenues of the hotel, to be earned by the hotel operator
BED & BREAKFAST:
A small, typically local establishmentThey are often run by an innkeeper and offer a home-away-from home feel for visitors.
BED TAX:
An added price to a hotel room imposed by the city or country based on where the hotel is located.
BELOW THE LINE PROMOTION:
Free printed promotional items, such as brochures and direct mail, set to build a relationship with the consumer.
BENCHMARKING:
A method of comparing a hotel against competitors. Subjects of comparing could include product/service, room rate, or quality
BEO: Acronym for banquet event order
BEST AVAILABLE RATE (BAR):
A pricing system used by hotels to define a rate based on the demand and occupancy of a room
BKG: Acronym for booking
BLOCKED: Hotel rooms reserved without a deposit
BOOKING FORM:
A document which tour purchasers must complete which gives the operator full particulars about who is buying the tour It states exactly what is being purchased, and must be signed as acknowledgment that the clause has been read and understood
BOOKING:
A successful sale in the tourism industry.
BOUTIQUE HOTELS:
Smaller luxury hotels that separate themselves from large competitors by their service and product offering
BULK FARE:
A reduced fare usually for professional tour operators or travel agents for purchases of a large number of tickets
CANCELLATION POLICY:
Setting terms and conditions that can encourage your customers to make a commitment when they book tours or activities
CAPACITY MANAGEMENT:
A process that seeks to ensure that their organizations operate at optimum capacity whilst maintaining customer satisfaction levels
CARRIER:
A transportation company such as an airline, motor coach, cruise line, or railroad which carries passengers
CARRYING CAPACITY:
The amount of visitor activity that a site or destination can sustain
CASH FLOW:
Money available to meet the company ’ s daily operating expenses, as opposed to equity, accounts receivable, or other credits not immediately accessible.
CHD:
It is nothing more than an abbreviation for Children used in a rooming list. It means kids are staying in a room.
COMMISSION:
A percentage of your incomes that an agent will charge tour operators to send customers. A common practice in the tourism industry is to pay from 10% and up to 30% commission to resellers
C
CONCIERGE:
A hotel employee whose job is to assist guests by booking tours, making theatre and restaurant reservations, etc
COMPLIMENTARY ROOM:
A guest room for which no charge is made Complimentary rooms with a tour group are usually occupied by the tour manager or driver
COMPUTER RESERVATION SYSTEMS (CRS):
System used for inventory management by airlines, hotels and other facilities CRSs can allow direct access through terminals for intermediaries to check availability, make reservations and print tickets.
CONFIRMED RESERVATION:
An oral or written agreement by a supplier that he has received and will honor a reservation.
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST:
At a minimum, a beverage (coffee, tea or milk) and rolls or toast Fruit juice is often added
CONTINENTAL PLAN (CP):
A hotel rate which includes a continental breakfast with the overnight room stay
CUSTOMER SUPPORT:
A network that allows a customer to get the help they need, when they need it and in the medium that they require Most popular customer support options include phone and online support.
CXL:
Abbreviation for "cancel" often used in rooming lists
DAY RATE:
A reduced rate granted for the use of a guest room during the daytime, not overnight occupancy
DAY VISITORS:
Visitors who arrive and leave the same day.
DATABASE:
A collection of organized data These can include a collection of tables, queries, reports, views and other elements
DBL:
Abbreviation that refers to a double room, in which 2 adults stay and can be accompanied by up to two minors in the same room
DEPOSIT POLICY:
A specified amount or a percentage of the total bill due on a specified date prior to arrival
DEPOSIT:
An advance payment required to obtain confirmed space.
DESTINATION:
The place to which someone is going An area, region or a place visited by tourists.
DESTINATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY (DMC):
Business that specializes in promoting the specific area where they operate from.
D
DESTINATION MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION (DMO):
Non-for-profit association or governmental organization designed to promote a destination
DOMESTIC TOURISM: Travel within the country of residence
DOUBLE-OCCUPANCY RATE:
The price per person for a room to be shared with another person.
DOUBLE-ROOM RATE:
The full price of a room for two people (twice the double-occupancy rate).
DOWNGRADE:
To move to a lesser level of accommodations or a lower class of service
ENCRYPTED PAYMENTS:
A form of payment security solution to help protect online transaction processing.
ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING:
Inspection of a tourism organization to assess the environmental impact of its activities
EUROPEAN PLAN (EP):
A type of rate that consists of the price of the room only, no included meals
EVENT ORGANIZER:
A person who is trained and qualified to organize a particular event for a community, company or hotel property
EXCURSION:
Journey where the traveler returns to the original point of departure.
E
FAM TOUR:
An abbreviation for familiarization tour which is often a complimentary travel to acquaint them with a specific destination or attraction
FLAT RATE:
A specific room rate for a group agreed upon by the hotel/group in advance
FOLIO:
An itemized record of a guest’s charges and credits, maintained in the front office till departure, and can be referred to as guest bill
FORECAST:
An analysis that renders revenue expectations for an upcoming period
FREE INDEPENDENT TRAVELER (FIT): A person or a couple that is not traveling with a group
FRONT OFFICE:
The main functions of which are the control of guest rooms, providing keys, keeping guest accounts and providing information to other departments.
FULL HOUSE: A hotel with all guest rooms occupied
FULL BOARD (FB):
Plan that includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch and evening meal
F
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (GDS):
a computer reservation system that allows a travel company to manage its reservations while at the same time communicate with its customers. GDS are used by travel agent to access flight, accommodations, care rental, tours and activities
GROUND OPERATOR:
A company or individual providing such services as hotel, sightseeing, transfers, and all other related services for groups See receptive operator
GROUP TOUR: A pre-arranged, pre-paid travel program for a group usually including all components
GROUP RATE: A special discounted rate given to groups. It could be a negotiated rate for a hotel, convention, trade show, meeting or tour
GUARANTEED TOUR: A tour guaranteed to operate.
GUEST ACCOUNT: An itemized record of a guest’s charges and credits
GUIDE: A professional that is accompanying a tour that's qualified to conduct tours of specific localities or attractions
G
HALF BOARD (HB): Plan that includes accommodation, breakfast and evening meal (doesn't include lunch)
HALF PENSION (HP): Similar to a half-board, however secondary meal is dinner.
HIGH SEASON: Also known as peak season A specific time of year when demand is strong to a specific destination. The higher demand often leads to higher prices charged
HOTEL: A popular accommodation choice made by travelers across the globe Hotels typically offer one-room accommodations but many also have upgrades to suites available They are often larger places to stay that offer more amenities such as pools, gyms and restaurants.
HOSTEL:
Known as an inexpensive place to stay while traveling abroad, hostels are often geared toward the young crowd. Many people bunk with other people that they do not know in order to keep the costs down
HOUSE COUNT: The total guest occupancy of a hotel at any given moment.
H
IIMPROMPTU TRAVEL:
No arrangements booked in country of destination prior to travel
INBOUND TOUR OPERATOR (ITO):
An inbound tour operator is specialized in providing tours to overseas travelers visiting a destination, by operating the tour through established partnerships with local suppliers.
INBOUND TOURISM:
The traffic of international tourists spending foreign money contributing to the export economy.
INCENTIVE TOUR:
A trip offered as a prize, particularly to stimulate the productivity of employees or sales agents
INCLUSIVE TOUR:
A type of tour that includes a variety of features for a single rate eg airfare, accommodation, activities
INVOICE:
An invoice, bill or tab is a document issued by an agent to a tour operator
ITINERARY:
The travel schedule provided by a travel agent or tour operator for the client A itinerary spells out all details, including flight numbers, departure times, and similar data, as well as describing planned activities
JOINT FARE:
This is a fee that is charged to a traveler who will be taking a flight that utilizes more than one airline The joint fare is the cost for the entire flight
KEYCARD:
The keycard is often electronic, allowing them to swipe it like a credit card in order to gain access to the room. Travelers are advised to keep their keycards in a safe and secure location while they enjoy the local activities.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR (KPI):
A quantifiable measure of performance over time for a specific objective. KPIs provide targets for teams to shoot for, milestones to gauge progress, and insights that help people across the organization make better decisions
J
K
LAST ROOM AVAILABILITY (LRA):
A combination of negotiated and group rates that allow agents to book a hotel’s last available room at a contracted rate
LEISURE TRAVEL:
Travel that is done for pleasure rather than for business. Most people who are taking leisure travel tips will want to book several different tours and excursions during their trip in order to enjoy the sights, sounds and flavor of the area they are traveling to
LENGTH OF STAY (LOS):
Total nights that a guest spends with a hotel
LOAD FACTOR:
Average number of seats occupied
LOW SEASON:
Synonymous to off-peak A less popular time to visit a particular destination, often in the bad-weather months. Rates are often cheaper during the low season
LUXURY TRAVEL EXPERIENCE:
Luxury travel experiences comprise of exclusive and elite opportunities that go beyond the standard experience that is expected on a tour or activity.
L
MANIFEST:
Final official listing of all passengers and/or cargo aboard a transportation vehicle or vessel
MARKET ORIENTED PRICING:
A method of pricing that benchmarks prices against competitors when deciding on price
MARKET SEGMENT:
A way to identify customers and divide them into groups with different needs
MARKET SHARE:
A percentage of business within a market category
MARKUP:
The process by which a rack rate is increased in order to accommodate for an increased interest in accommodation during a certain period of time when demand is typically higher.
MASTER ACCOUNT:
The guest account for a particular group or function that will be paid by the sponsoring organization.
METRICS:
A way of measuring a certain amount of activity and results
MICE: Industry acronym for Meetings, incentives, Conference, & Exhibitions.
M
NET RATE:
The minimum amount that tour suppliers can sell a tourism product for and still make a profit
NET WHOLESALE RATE:
A rate usually slightly lower than the wholesale rate, applicable to groups when components are specifically mentioned in a tour brochure. The rate is marked up by wholesale sellers to cover tour costs
NO SHOW (NS):
A guest or customer with confirmed reservations who fails to arrive and does not cancel their reservation
NO-FRILLS:
A low-cost scheduled travel package based on minimising operator service and costs, which are passed to the consumer as a low price
N
OCCUPANCY:
A measurement used to determine the percentage of availability for a given period
OCCUPANCY FORECAST:
A prediction of occupancy for a set period that helps hotels define their business goals Usually communicated as a number of rooms or percentage of total rooms available.
OFF-PEAK:
A period in which a hotel or attraction is not in its busiest season
ON-DEMAND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
Transportation services, such as taxis that do not have regular schedules
ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM:
A reservation software that allows clients to book online directly with your company.
ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCY (OTA):
An online travel agency can be utilized by a traveler in order to book everything they need for their trip in one place.
ONLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM:
A system that allows a customer to make a reservation online and receive an immediate confirmation.
O
OUTBOUND TOURISM:
Residents traveling to an international destination
OUTBOUND OPERATOR:
A company which takes groups from a given city or country to another city or county
OUTBOUND TOUR:
Any tour that takes groups outside a given city or country, opposite of inbound
OVERBOOKING:
Accepting reservations for more space than is available.
OVERRIDE:
A commission over and above the normal base commission percentage.
PASSENGER MANIFEST:
A list of customers that are participating to your tour Ideally printable and mobile friendly
PACKAGE TOUR:
A combination of several travel components provided by different suppliers, which are sold to the consumer as a single product
PASSPORT:
Government document permitting a citizen to leave and re-enter the country
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
The options that a business makes available to its customers in order for them to make a payment
PAX:
Travel industry abbreviation for ' passengers. ' Often used as a count of the number of individuals or persons
PEAK SEASON:
Season or set of dates where occupancy for a hotel is at its highest.
PERISHABILITY:
The characteristic of being perishable In tourism the term is used to describe, for example, a particular hotel room on a specific night or a particular seat on a specific flight: they cannot be 'stored' and sold later, so they are perishable
P
POINT-OF-SALE (POS) SYSTEM:
This is a system where a computer replaces a cash register It records transactions, accepts credit and debit card data, tracks inventory and records employee hours
PORT OF ENTRY:
Point at which persons enter a country where customs and immigration services exist
PPPN: Industry acronym for per person, per night
PRPN: Industry acronym for per room, per night
PROFIT:
The excess of revenue over expenses, if expenses exceed revenues in a given period the organisation will make a loss
PROFITS PER AVAILABLE ROOM (PROPAR): A metric that calculates net revenue per available room Also known as Net RevPAR.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS):
This is a software for the operations of hospitality accommodations and commercial residential rental properties. PMS provides a centralized computer system to organize, schedule and perform the day-to-day functions and transactions involved in accommodations businesses.
PRIVATE RATE: An exclusive rate available to all agents
PREFERRED RATE:
An exclusive rate available to agents, tour operators have a preferred relationship with
QUARANTINE:
A period or place of isolation in which people that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed.
QUARANTINE-FREE TRAVEL:
Quarantine-free travel refers to the ability to travel interstate or internationally without needing to quarantine or isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic
QUALIFIED RATE:
A rate that is only offered based on qualifications such as a corporate rate or promotional package
QUOTE:
The price approximation that a business might provide to a future traveler so they can budget for the services they want when they reach their destination
QUALITY:
The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of a product fulfils customer requirements
Q
R
RACK RATE:
It's the regular published rate of a hotel or other travel service
REPEAT TRANSACTIONS:
A repeat payment allows you to process another transaction using the details of a customer that is already on your account
RESPONSIBILITY CLAUSE:
That section of a brochure that spells out the conditions under which a tour is sold
REVENUE MANAGEMENT:
A management approach to optimising revenue, often based on managing revenues around capacity and timing, for different market segments or from different sources of funding.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP):
Document containing the services and requirements for an event that is sent to hotels to solicit a bid
REVPAR:
Revenue per available room calculated on the number of rooms available to sell in a hotel
ROOM SERVICE:
Food or beverages served in a guest’s room.
ROOMING LIST:
The names of a group that are organized by room, indicating who is rooming with whom.
SALES:
Revenue from ordinary activities
SAME DAY VISITOR:
Also referred as an excursionist. A visitor without an overnight stay, meaning that the arrival and departure occurs in the same calendar day.
SEASONALITY:
A phenomenon created by either tourism supply or demand (or both) changing according to the time of the year.
SERVICE CHARGE:
A specified percentage of a hotel’s daily rate (usually 10% or 15 %) charged to the guest, who in return is relieved of the responsibility for tipping.
SERVICE:
Non-physical, intangible attributes that management controls, including friendliness, efficiency, attitude, professionalism, and responsiveness.
SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING (SEM):
A marketing tactic which use paid services so that interested clients and customers can reach a business quicker and easier than ever before
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO):
A tactic which incorporates highly-targeted keywords into website content to make it more visible in search engine results
S
SECURITY DEPOSIT:
A refundable amount that covers any damages to the room or property
SGL:
Refers to a single room, only one adult can be in this room. It's an abbreviation used commonly on the rooming list
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT:
An extra charge assessed to a tour purchased for single accommodations It is an additional sum of money that a hotel charges for one person to stay in a room meant for two people
STAKEHOLDER:
Any person, group or organization with an interest in, or who may be affected by, the activities of another organization
TARIFF:
Rate quoted and published by a travel industry supplier
TARGET MARKET:
The group of customers who will be the specific focus of a company ’ s marketing efforts.
TOUR BASING FARE:
A reduced-rate excursion fare available only to those who buy prepaid tours or packages.
TOUR DEPARTURE:
The date of the start by any individual or group of a tour program, also used in referral to the entire operation of that single tour.
TOUR LEADER (TL):
The tour company staff member or independent contractor who conducts the tour
TOURISM ORGANIZATION:
An organization which helps travelers plan trips while at the same time promoting businesses in a particular area
TOUR OPERATOR:
A person or company who operates a tour for travelers who are visiting TOUR: Any pre-arranged journey to one or more destinations.
T
TOUR VOUCHERS:
Documents issued by tour operators to be exchanged for tour components, also called coupons
TOURISM:
The term for the movement of people to destinations away from their place of residence for any reason other than following an occupation for a period of 24 hours or more.
TOURIST:
One travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes
TPL:
Refers to a triple room where 3 adults stay in the same room and can be accompanied by up to one minor.
TRANSIT VISA:
Visa allowing the holder to stop over in a country to make a travel connection or brief visit.
TRAVEL GUIDE:
A guide that offers insight to the various things to do in a particular location. They often highlight tours, hotels, restaurants, activities and other local areas that should be visited
TRAVEL AGENT/AGENCY:
A person or firm qualified to arrange for all travel components
TRANSIT:
Process of changing planes without going through security and/or customs
UNRESTRICTED FARE:
A fee that an airline will charge for a flight without any discounts associated with it This is considered the base price of the flight and is used for comparison when discounts are applied to the final cost
UNRESTRICTED RATE:
This is the term that businesses in the tourism industry use to describe their base price Essentially, the unrestricted rate is the fee for a service without any discounts associated with it. This is sometimes also referred to as the rack rate
UPGRADE:
To move to a better accommodation or class of service.
U
VAT:
Acronym for value-added tax, a tax system which adds a fixed percentage of taxation on products and services at each step of production or service delivery.
VERY IMPORTANT PERSON (VIP):
Individual who should receive special or elevated treatment based on their role or relationship to an event.
VISA WAIVER:
A program to eliminate the visa requirement for selected countries
VISA:
A stamp of approval recorded in a passport to enter a country for a specific purpose In Israel, only select countries have to tramit a visa prior to visiting the country, otherwise, the visa is a small blue paper that is given to tourists when they arrive.
VISITORS INFORMATION CENTRE:
A spot in most tourist destinations that provides information to visitors and answers their questions. You can typically find brochures as well as other service information here
VOUCHER:
A voucher is a bond of the redeemable transaction type which is of equivalent value of the advertised tour price
V
WAITING LIST:
A list that allows you to capture demand from interested guests even when your listing is fully booked This means that if you have a lastminute opening due to a cancellation, you can turn to whoever is next in line on your waitlist to fill the spot
WALK: Moving guests to a nearby hotel when overbooking occurs.
WAIVER:
A document used as risk management technique where the responsibility for the risk is transferred to the participant through a signed contract and voluntary acceptance of the perceived risk
WHOLESALER: A third-party organization that sells hotel rooms such as sites, distribution channels, extranets, or merchants
WORLD HERITAGE SITE:
A site designated by UNESCO as being of special historical, cultural or natural importance.
W
YIELD MANAGEMENT:
Yield management is a complex science used by accommodation and airlines for decades. In short, it is increasing or decreasing the price based on demand
Y
Although some hotel terms may be recognizable, others can now be added to your business vocabulary Refer to this hotel terms dictionary to make sure your lingo means the same while talking with business partners
© Gabriela Alessandra Enriquez Monroy
