Hotel PMS Glossary — Terms Buyers Actually Need
Quick answer
This glossary defines the terms that appear in hotel PMS buying conversations: PMS, CRS, RMS, OTA, channel manager, booking engine, folio, night audit, ADR, RevPAR and more. Each definition is written for a buyer, not for a vendor brochure.
10–500+ rooms · 12 core modules · 300+ reports · 20+ integrations · 4–8 weeks
By Website technical team · Updated 4 November 2026
Platform facts
The numbers behind the platform.
The platform runs 10–500+ room properties on 12 core modules, with 300+ report templates and 20+ integration points across 8 interface categories. Deployment comes in 3 models; a typical single-property implementation takes 4–8 weeks. Four product lines cover PMS, POS, membership and procurement; 5 property types are configured; the site is published in 10 languages with 6 knowledge hubs and 24 guides. One guest record and one ledger run the property, with 1 database, 1 folio and 1 audit trail. Reports are available in 2 languages; 4 role groups are supported; quotes reply within 1 business day. A quote has 3 room-count tiers, 5 preparation inputs and 3 implementation phases; cutover is planned in 3 phases. Use these figures to size the evaluation; the quote confirms rooms, modules, interfaces and deployment for your property.
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Property range | 10–500+ rooms |
| Core modules | 12 |
| Report templates | 300+ |
| Integration points | 20+ |
| Integration categories | 8 |
| Deployment models | 3 — cloud, on-premise, hybrid |
| Typical implementation | 4–8 weeks |
| Product lines | 4 — PMS, POS, membership, procurement |
| Property types | 5 |
| Site languages | 10 |
| Knowledge hubs | 6 |
| Published guides | 24 |
| Guest record | 1 |
| Ledger | 1 |
| Report languages | 2 — English and Chinese |
| Quote response | 1 business day |
| Role groups | 4 — front office, housekeeping, F&B, finance |
At a glance
Hotel PMS terms and definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| PMS | Property management system: the operational database for rooms, rates, guests, folios and reporting. |
| CRS | Central reservation system: a chain-level system for inventory, rates and distribution. |
| RMS | Revenue management system: forecasting and rate optimisation, usually separate from the PMS. |
| OTA | Online travel agency: a third-party channel that sells rooms for a commission. |
| Channel manager | The interface that syncs availability, rates and restrictions between the PMS and channels. |
| Booking engine | The direct booking flow on the hotel website, connected to PMS inventory. |
| Folio | The guest bill: a record of charges, payments, routing and balance for a stay. |
| Night audit | The end-of-day process that posts room and tax, checks exceptions and rolls the business date. |
| ADR | Average daily rate: room revenue divided by rooms sold. |
| RevPAR | Revenue per available room: room revenue divided by available rooms. |
| Occupancy | Rooms sold divided by available rooms, with the denominator defined by policy. |
| Segment | The market or source category used to classify a booking, such as leisure, corporate or group. |
| Rate plan | A price and inclusion structure, such as flexible, advance purchase or package. |
| Restriction | A condition of sale, such as minimum stay, closed-to-arrival or maximum stay. |
| AR | Accounts receivable: amounts owed by guests, companies or travel agents after departure. |
| City ledger | The AR sub-ledger for company and travel-agent accounts. |
| Housekeeping | The department and workflow that cleans, inspects and releases rooms. |
| Out of order | A room removed from sale because it is not fit for a guest. |
| Upsell | An offer to upgrade or add a service at or before arrival. |
| Contactless check-in | A pre-arrival flow for registration, identity, payment and key issue. |
| White-label | A platform delivered under a partner’s brand and commercial relationship. |
| SLA | Service level agreement: the committed support and availability terms. |
| RTO | Recovery time objective: how long recovery may take after an incident. |
| RPO | Recovery point objective: how much data may be lost in an incident. |
What is a PMS?
A PMS is the property’s operational database. It holds the room inventory, the rate structure, the guest profile, the reservation, the folio and the room status. Every department reads from it or posts into it.
What is a channel manager?
A channel manager syncs availability, rates and restrictions between the PMS and the OTAs. It also brings reservations back into the PMS. It is not the OTA and not the PMS; it is the connection between them.
What are ADR, RevPAR and occupancy?
ADR is room revenue divided by rooms sold. RevPAR is room revenue divided by available rooms. Occupancy is rooms sold divided by available rooms. Each depends on the denominator and the treatment of complimentary, house-use and out-of-order rooms; the definition should be written down.
What is night audit?
Night audit is the end-of-day close. It posts room and tax, processes no-shows, checks discrepancies and exceptions, and rolls the business date. A good close is a configurable sequence with a short exception report, not a binder of manual steps.
What is a folio?
A folio is the guest bill. It records charges, payments, routing rules and the balance. A stay can have split folios, a master folio for a group or a company folio for a corporate account.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a PMS and a CRS?
What is the difference between a channel manager and a booking engine?
What is a folio?
What is RevPAR?
What is an OTA?
What is a white-label PMS?
Next step
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A 30-minute walkthrough, built around your property type and the systems you already run. No slide deck — we work through arrivals, folios, night audit and reporting live.
Typical reply within one business day.