Who this is for: night auditors and front desk staff running the overnight shift at independent hotels, hotel groups, motels, resorts, bed and breakfasts, parks, and hostels who need to close out the business day accurately before the system rolls over.
A night audit checklist walks the overnight shift through four phases: pre-audit preparations, financial reconciliation, room status verification, and rollover and reporting. Working through it in order keeps the day's charges, payments, and room counts accurate before the new business date opens.
What Is Included in This Checklist
- Shift handover review, including pending tasks and VIP arrivals
- Cash drawer count and safe drop process
- Arrival and departure verification, plus no-show processing
- Room status cross-check against housekeeping reports
- Room charge, tax, and late-charge posting
- Rate override and folio adjustment review
- Payment reconciliation and credit card batch closing
- Daily revenue and occupancy report generation
- Variance logging for morning management review
- Business date rollover confirmation
The Night Audit Checklist
Work through each step in order. Do not roll the business date forward until every step above it is confirmed complete.
| Step | Task |
|---|
| 1 | Take handover notes from the evening shift, including pending tasks and VIP arrivals |
| 2 | Count and log the cash drawer; process safe drops |
| 3 | Verify all arrivals are checked in and all departures are checked out |
| 4 | Process no-shows and apply no-show fees per policy, updating guest status to no-show |
| 5 | Cross-reference PMS room status with housekeeping reports and correct discrepancies |
| 6 | Post room charges and taxes for all occupied rooms |
| 7 | Post remaining late charges (F&B, spa, room service, parking) |
| 8 | Review manually adjusted folios and rate overrides for authorization |
| 9 | Reconcile all payments (cash, credit card, direct billing) |
| 10 | Run credit card batch closing and settlement |
| 11 | Confirm room status counts (occupied, vacant, out-of-order) match housekeeping |
| 12 | Generate the daily revenue and occupancy report |
| 13 | Log any material variances or discrepancies for morning management review |
| 14 | Roll the business date forward and confirm the rollover completed cleanly |
How Do You Run a Night Audit?
Work the checklist in order, front to back, and do not roll the date until every reconciliation step above it is confirmed.
- Start with handover notes so nothing from the evening shift gets missed.
- Confirm arrivals, departures, and no-shows before touching financials, since room status drives what gets billed.
- Post all charges, including late F&B or spa charges, before reconciling payments against them.
- Reconcile cash and card totals against the shift's transactions, then run the batch close.
- Generate and review the revenue and occupancy report before rolling the date.
- Log discrepancies instead of adjusting them yourself; flag them for the morning manager to review.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Rolling the business date before all late charges are posted, which pushes them into the wrong day's report
- Skipping the room status cross-check against housekeeping, which causes phantom occupied or vacant rooms
- Adjusting a discrepancy directly instead of logging it for management review
- Running the credit card batch close before all payments for the day are posted
- Not counting the cash drawer at the start of the shift, making it impossible to trace a shortage later
Example
A night auditor starts the shift with $400 in the drawer and two pending arrivals from the evening. Both guests check in, one no-show is processed and charged a one-night fee, and housekeeping confirms three rooms show occupied in the PMS but vacant on the floor. The auditor corrects the discrepancy, posts a $32 room service charge to Room 214, reconciles $1,240 in card payments against the day's postings, runs the batch close, generates the revenue report, and rolls the date forward once everything ties out.
Night Audit Checklists by Property Type
Every property type roommaster serves runs some version of a nightly close-out, and the four phases stay the same everywhere. What changes is which systems get checked and which charge types apply. Independent Hotels use the checklist above as-is. The other six are below.
Hotel Groups Night Audit
Runs the same reconciliation per property, then adds a group-level summary so management can review variances across every property in one place the next morning.
| Step | Task |
|---|
| 1 | Take handover notes from the evening shift, including VIP arrivals and open owner or GM flags across properties |
| 2 | Count and log the cash drawer for each property in the group; process safe drops |
| 3 | Verify all arrivals are checked in and all departures are checked out at each property |
| 4 | Process no-shows and apply no-show fees per each property's policy (policies may differ across the group) |
| 5 | Cross-reference PMS room status with housekeeping reports for every property |
| 6 | Post room charges, taxes, and packages for all in-house guests, property by property |
| 7 | Post remaining late charges (F&B, spa, parking) for the day |
| 8 | Review manually adjusted folios and rate overrides for authorization at each property |
| 9 | Reconcile all payments (cash, card, direct billing) per property |
| 10 | Run credit card batch closing and settlement for each property's merchant account |
| 11 | Confirm room status counts (occupied, vacant, out-of-order) match housekeeping at each property |
| 12 | Generate the daily revenue and occupancy report for each property |
| 13 | Roll the business date forward for each property and confirm the rollover completed cleanly |
| 14 | Compile a group-level summary flagging variances for morning review by group management |
| 15 | Prepare and post the morning handover summarizing key totals, exceptions, and pending items for finance and the incoming shift |
Motel Night Audit
Keeps the process lean for single-building properties, checking room status against the physical key log where a separate housekeeping system is not in use.
| Step | Task |
|---|
| 1 | Take handover notes from the evening shift, including any walk-in issues or maintenance flags |
| 2 | Count and log the cash drawer; process a safe drop if applicable |
| 3 | Verify all arrivals are checked in and all departures are checked out |
| 4 | Process no-shows and apply no-show fees per policy |
| 5 | Verify room status against the physical key and lock log, since many motels do not run a separate housekeeping system |
| 6 | Post room charges and taxes for all occupied rooms |
| 7 | Reconcile cash and card payments taken during the shift |
| 8 | Run credit card batch closing and settlement |
| 9 | Generate the daily occupancy and revenue report |
| 10 | Roll the business date forward and confirm the rollover completed cleanly |
| 11 | Leave a written handover note for the morning shift covering totals, variances, and anything unresolved |
Resort Night Audit
Adds resort fees, package and amenity charges, and reconciliation across every outlet, since a resort's revenue comes from F&B, spa, and activities in addition to rooms.
| Step | Task |
|---|
| 1 | Take handover notes from the evening shift, including VIP arrivals and any activity or excursion issues |
| 2 | Count and log the cash drawer; process a safe drop |
| 3 | Verify all arrivals are checked in and all departures are checked out |
| 4 | Process no-shows and apply no-show fees per policy |
| 5 | Cross-reference PMS room status with housekeeping reports |
| 6 | Post room charges, resort fees, and package or amenity charges (spa, activities, excursions) for all in-house guests |
| 7 | Post remaining late charges from F&B outlets, the spa, and activity desks |
| 8 | Review manually adjusted folios and rate overrides for authorization |
| 9 | Reconcile payments across all outlets (front desk, restaurants, spa, activities), not just room charges |
| 10 | Run credit card batch closing and settlement across all point-of-sale outlets |
| 11 | Confirm room status counts (occupied, vacant, out-of-order) match housekeeping |
| 12 | Generate the daily revenue report broken out by department (rooms, F&B, spa, activities) |
| 13 | Roll the business date forward and confirm the rollover completed cleanly |
| 14 | Prepare the morning handover summarizing department-level totals and exceptions for finance and the incoming shift |
Bed & Breakfast Night Audit
Scaled down for a smaller cash box and guest count, and tracks whether breakfast is included in the posted rate.
| Step | Task |
|---|
| 1 | Review the day's arrivals and departures against the guest book or PMS |
| 2 | Count and log the cash box |
| 3 | Confirm all guests checked in are accounted for and departed guests are checked out |
| 4 | Process any no-shows per policy |
| 5 | Post room or suite charges, including whether breakfast was included in the rate |
| 6 | Post any extra charges (late checkout, extra guest, add-on breakfast) |
| 7 | Reconcile cash and card payments taken during the day |
| 8 | Run card settlement if a card terminal or online payment processor is used |
| 9 | Confirm room or suite status for the next day's arrivals |
| 10 | Roll the business date forward and note anything the morning innkeeper needs to know |
Parks (RV & Campground) Night Audit
Replaces room status with site status, checked against the camp host's physical site log, and adds utility and hookup fees to the charges posted.
| Step | Task |
|---|
| 1 | Take handover notes from the evening shift, including any site or hookup issues flagged by guests |
| 2 | Count and log the cash drawer; process a safe drop |
| 3 | Verify all site arrivals are checked in and all site departures are checked out |
| 4 | Process no-shows and apply no-show fees per policy |
| 5 | Cross-reference PMS site status (occupied, vacant, out-of-service) with the camp host's physical site log |
| 6 | Post site charges, utility and hookup fees, and taxes for all occupied sites |
| 7 | Post remaining late charges (firewood, camp store, extended stay fees) |
| 8 | Review manually adjusted folios and rate overrides for authorization |
| 9 | Reconcile cash and card payments taken during the shift |
| 10 | Run credit card batch closing and settlement |
| 11 | Confirm site status counts match the camp host's log |
| 12 | Generate the daily occupancy and revenue report by site type (RV hookup, tent, cabin) |
| 13 | Roll the business date forward and confirm the rollover completed cleanly |
| 14 | Leave a written handover note for the morning camp host covering totals, variances, and anything unresolved |
Hostel Night Audit
Tracks beds and dorms booked instead of rooms, and adds charges specific to hostels like linen or locker rental.
| Step | Task |
|---|
| 1 | Take handover notes from the evening shift, including any dorm disturbances or maintenance flags |
| 2 | Count and log the cash drawer; process a safe drop |
| 3 | Verify all bed arrivals are checked in and all bed departures are checked out |
| 4 | Process no-shows and apply no-show fees per policy |
| 5 | Cross-reference PMS bed status with housekeeping, tracking beds booked rather than rooms |
| 6 | Post bed charges and taxes for all occupied beds, private rooms, and dorms |
| 7 | Post any late charges (linen rental, locker rental, late checkout) |
| 8 | Review manually adjusted folios and rate overrides for authorization |
| 9 | Reconcile cash and card payments taken during the shift |
| 10 | Run credit card batch closing and settlement |
| 11 | Confirm bed and dorm occupancy counts match housekeeping |
| 12 | Generate the daily occupancy and revenue report by bed or dorm and private room |
| 13 | Roll the business date forward and confirm the rollover completed cleanly |
| 14 | Prepare the morning handover summarizing totals and exceptions for the incoming shift |
Bottom Line
A consistent night audit checklist keeps revenue accurate and catches discrepancies before they compound into the next day. If your team is still reconciling charges, payments, and room status by hand across separate systems every night, roommaster posts charges, tracks room status, and generates the daily revenue report from one PMS, so the audit is mostly confirmation, not manual entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the main steps in a night audit?
Pre-audit checks (handover, cash count, arrivals and departures), financial reconciliation (posting charges, reconciling payments, batch close), room status verification, and rollover and reporting.
2. What are common night audit errors?
Rolling the date before late charges are posted, skipping the room status cross-check, and adjusting discrepancies directly instead of logging them for review.
3. How long should a night audit take?
It depends on occupancy and how many manual charges need posting, but most properties complete it within one to two hours during the overnight shift.
4. Can a night audit checklist be used in Excel?
Yes. Build a spreadsheet with the steps in the table above and work it the same way in Google Sheets or Excel.
5. What happens if the room count does not match after a night audit?
Log the discrepancy with the room number and details, then flag it for the manager on duty to resolve in the morning rather than adjusting it yourself.
