Who this is for: night auditors, front desk managers, and controllers at independent hotels, hotel groups, motels, resorts, B&Bs, parks, and hostels who reconcile the day's revenue and payments overnight. (All seven property types apply.)
A night audit reconciles every room sale, tax charge, and payment collected during the day. This free template gives you three ready-to-use formats for different reconciliation needs. Each one includes a filled-in example so you see exactly how the math should work. Property-type notes cover hotels, motels, resorts, B&Bs, parks, and hostels.
What's Included in This Template
- Date
- Rooms Occupied
- Rooms Vacant
- Out of Order Rooms
- Complimentary Rooms
- Room Revenue Posted
- Tax Posted
- Total Revenue Posted
- Cash Collected
- Credit Card Collected
- Direct Bill Collected
- Total Collected
- Auditor Name
- Rate Variance
- Open Folio Balances
- Over/Short Amount
- No-Show Charges Posted
- Cancellation Charges Posted
- Outlet Revenue and Payments by Department
Which Night Audit Report Template Do You Need?
| Template | Use For | Key Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Night Audit Report | A single property reconciling room revenue each night | Rooms Occupied, Room Revenue Posted, Total Collected |
| Full Night Audit with Variance Report | Properties that track rate variance and open balances daily | Rate Variance, Open Folio Balances, Over/Short Amount |
| Multi-Outlet Night Audit | Properties reconciling more than just room revenue | Outlet, Revenue Posted, Payments Collected, Variance |
Template 1: Standard Night Audit Report
Use this format for a single property reconciling room revenue nightly.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| Rooms Occupied | [Number] |
| Rooms Vacant | [Number] |
| Out of Order Rooms | [Number] |
| Complimentary Rooms | [Number] |
| Room Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Tax Posted | [$Amount] |
| Total Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Cash Collected | [$Amount] |
| Credit Card Collected | [$Amount] |
| Direct Bill Collected | [$Amount] |
| Total Collected | [$Amount] |
| Auditor Name | [Name] |
Template 2: Full Night Audit with Variance Report
Add these fields when rate variance and open balances need nightly tracking.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| Rooms Occupied | [Number] |
| Rooms Vacant | [Number] |
| Out of Order Rooms | [Number] |
| Complimentary Rooms | [Number] |
| Room Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Tax Posted | [$Amount] |
| Total Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Rate Variance | [Rooms sold below/above rack rate, with reason] |
| Open Folio Balances | [$Amount] |
| Over/Short Amount | [$Amount] |
| No-Show Charges Posted | [$Amount] |
| Cancellation Charges Posted | [$Amount] |
| Cash Collected | [$Amount] |
| Credit Card Collected | [$Amount] |
| Direct Bill Collected | [$Amount] |
| Total Collected | [$Amount] |
| Auditor Name | [Name] |
Template 3: Multi-Outlet Night Audit
Use this grid when a property reconciles more than room revenue nightly.
| Outlet | Revenue Posted | Payments Collected | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Desk | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Restaurant | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Bar | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Spa | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Total | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
Example: Completed Standard Night Audit Report
Here is a filled-in Standard Night Audit Report. It covers one night at a mid-size hotel.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | March 14, 2026 |
| Rooms Occupied | 82 |
| Rooms Vacant | 35 |
| Out of Order Rooms | 2 |
| Complimentary Rooms | 1 |
| Room Revenue Posted | $11,890.00 |
| Tax Posted | $1,307.90 |
| Total Revenue Posted | $13,197.90 |
| Cash Collected | $2,450.00 |
| Credit Card Collected | $9,847.90 |
| Direct Bill Collected | $900.00 |
| Total Collected | $13,197.90 |
| Auditor Name | Maria Torres |
When Should You Run a Night Audit?
Run the night audit nightly, right before the new business day starts.
- Run it at the same cutoff time nightly so revenue lands on the right date.
- Run it earlier when a late group departure needs revenue posted before midnight.
- Run it later only when outlet charges still need posting first.
- Check that every folio for the day is closed or transferred.
- Check that credit card batches have settled before running totals.
- Check room counts against housekeeping before locking occupied and vacant figures.
What Happens When a Night Audit Goes Wrong
- Revenue reports overstate the day when a comp room isn't logged as complimentary.
- Finance can't trace a shortage when the over/short amount isn't recorded nightly.
- Guests get double-billed when a cancellation charge posts twice by mistake.
- Group billing disputes drag on when rate variance reasons go unrecorded.
- Multi-outlet totals miss the bank deposit when the bar's cash isn't counted separately.
- Small discrepancies snowball into large ones when a shortage isn't flagged the same night.
Night Audit Report Templates by Property Type
All seven property types run some version of a nightly reconciliation. Independent hotels use the templates above exactly as written.
Hotel Group Night Audit
Hotel groups add one field so finance ties each night to a property.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Property Name & Location | [Property Name, City/State] |
| Date | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| Rooms Occupied | [Number] |
| Rooms Vacant | [Number] |
| Out of Order Rooms | [Number] |
| Complimentary Rooms | [Number] |
| Room Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Tax Posted | [$Amount] |
| Total Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Cash Collected | [$Amount] |
| Credit Card Collected | [$Amount] |
| Direct Bill Collected | [$Amount] |
| Total Collected | [$Amount] |
| Auditor Name | [Name] |
Motel Night Audit
Motels skip complimentary tracking and outlet detail to keep the audit quick.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| Rooms Occupied | [Number] |
| Rooms Vacant | [Number] |
| Room Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Tax Posted | [$Amount] |
| Total Collected | [$Amount] |
Resort Night Audit
Resorts usually reconcile restaurant, spa, and activity revenue alongside rooms nightly.
| Outlet | Revenue Posted | Payments Collected | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Desk | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Restaurant | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Bar | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Spa | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Activities | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
| Total | [$Amount] | [$Amount] | [$Amount] |
Bed & Breakfast Night Audit
B&Bs use a simplified version since scale rarely justifies detailed tracking.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| Rooms Occupied | [Number] |
| Room Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Total Collected | [$Amount] |
| Innkeeper Name | [Name] |
Park (RV & Campground) Night Audit
Parks track sites since guests reserve sites instead of hotel rooms.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| Sites Occupied | [Number] |
| Sites Vacant | [Number] |
| Site Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Tax Posted | [$Amount] |
| Total Collected | [$Amount] |
Hostel Night Audit
Hostels track beds instead of rooms since inventory is sold by the bed.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| Beds Occupied | [Number] |
| Beds Vacant | [Number] |
| Bed Revenue Posted | [$Amount] |
| Tax Posted | [$Amount] |
| Total Collected | [$Amount] |
An unreconciled night creates problems that grow over time. Discrepancies compound night after night until the source becomes unclear. Disputes get harder to trace back once several days pass. A completed night audit keeps every number accountable.
How roommaster Fits In
roommaster Payments reconciles card payments automatically against the folio each night. This saves 4 to 6 hours of staff time per week on manual matching. roommaster PMS runs on 99.95% guaranteed uptime, so audits never wait on an outage. Both integrate directly, so revenue, tax, and payment totals stay connected without manual re-entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a night audit report?
Summarizes room revenue, tax, and payments collected during one business day. Confirms the numbers match before the day closes.
2. What does a night auditor actually reconcile?
Matches room revenue and tax against cash, credit card, and direct bill payments collected. Flags any mismatch immediately.
3. What is a rate variance in a night audit?
Flags a room sold below or above the standard rack rate. Records the reason for finance review.
4. How should an over or short amount be handled?
Logs the discrepancy the same night it happens. Investigates the cause before it compounds into a bigger gap.
5. Does every property need a formal night audit?
Requires some form of nightly reconciliation at every property type. Small B&Bs often use a simplified, informal version instead.
