“How many people have the budget file, and which one is current?”
Budgeting is the hotel’s shared plan for the next period. Bring monthly department targets, occupancy and cost assumptions into one scenario. Track actuals through the year, keep new forecasts separate from the approved budget and see where you stand against profitability targets.
Finance · General management · Department heads
| Line | Actual | Budget | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms revenue | 5.10 | 4.82 | 4.71 |
| Food & beverage | 2.06 | 2.15 | 1.98 |
| Other revenue | 0.42 | 0.38 | 0.36 |
| Total revenue | 7.58 | 7.35 | 7.05 |
Rooms outperform budget; review the F&B variance separately.
Define the account tree, property and department scope, currency and budget period.
Plan monthly amounts and linked drivers; compare revisions in separate scenarios.
Review variances by department and complete the plan through the defined approval route.
Imagine revising occupancy for the summer months. Work on the assumption in a separate forecast, then compare the effect of configured revenue and cost drivers in the departmental P&L. Bring an updated outlook to management while preserving the approved budget.
If your department heads will not give up Excel, the reason is usually speed. So the entry grid was built for the keyboard: tab across month cells, spread a single figure over the year, apply a percentage uplift in bulk, undo what you just did. You keep the speed of a spreadsheet and lose the file sprawl.
Most revenue and cost lines hang off a few drivers: occupancy, ADR, covers, headcount. Define those drivers and the dependent lines calculate themselves. Move the occupancy assumption by two points and laundry cost, breakfast cost and housekeeping labour move with it — no line-by-line rework.
A budget starts with the department head, passes the division lead, is checked by finance and approved by the general manager. Every step is defined and every approval is recorded. An approved period locks; a retroactive change needs both authority and a stated reason.
Budgets, forecasts and scenarios on a single template. The same account tree from departmental budget up to consolidated P&L.
One report catalogue from a USALI-aligned P&L to departmental profitability, with drill-down all the way to the account.
Who can see what, who approves what — all explicit. Every change is kept in the audit trail.
Compare hotel results on a shared reporting structure and review performance by brand, region and ownership.
Plan room nights, rates and channel mix together, and see the assumptions behind your revenue target.
Combine actual balances with collection and payment dates to assess cash needs weeks ahead.
Let us walk you through it in 30 minutes — on your department structure, your chart of accounts and your numbers. Not a canned demo: your scenario.
