Hotel software glossary: key SunPMS terms
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Short definitions of the words used throughout the SunPMS manual. Terms are grouped so you can read one section at a time. Where a term has its own screen, the chapter is given.
Accounts, groups and properties
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SunAuth account | Your login (username, e-mail, mobile, password) at the portal. One account can open every SunTatva app. |
| Group (group property) | The business that owns one or more hotels. It has its own database. Shown as a "group" card on the landing page. |
| Property | One hotel (or, in SunPOS, one restaurant). Properties belong to a group. The timezone is chosen when the property is created and cannot be changed afterwards. |
| Owner / main user | The person who signed up and created the group. Has every privilege, can create properties, accept terms and buy licences. Also called group property main user. |
| Desk user | A staff member created inside SunPMS with a role such as Desk User (front desk). Sees only what the role allows. |
| Role and privilege | A role (Owner, Administrator, Manager, Desk User, House Keeper, Custom) is a set of privileges. A privilege allows one action or screen. See Roles and access and chapter 03. |
| Licence | What a property has bought: a plan with a room limit, features and add-ons. Unlicensed features are hidden. |
| IP whitelist | A list of IP addresses from which restricted staff may open the property. |
Time and the working day
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Calendar date | The real date on the wall. |
| PMS date (business date) | The hotel's working date, shown in the footer as PMS Date. It changes only when the night audit is run, not at midnight. A check-in at 1 a.m. before the audit still belongs to the previous PMS date. |
| Night audit | The end-of-day process that handles no-shows and cancellations, closes the day and advances the PMS date (chapter 11). |
| Shift | A period of work for one desk user with an opening cash balance and a closing count. Shown only when the Shift feature is on. A user must start a shift before working and end it on sign-out. |
| Property timezone | The timezone of the hotel; all times in the PMS use it. |
Rooms and rates
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Building / floor | Physical structure used to group rooms (chapter 02). |
| Room type | A category of rooms (for example Deluxe King) with its capacity, amenities and base rate. |
| Room | One physical room with a number, belonging to a room type. |
| Room status | Whether a room is vacant, occupied, clean, dirty and so on (chapter 10). |
| DNR (do not rent) | A room taken out of sale for a period, for example for maintenance. It reduces available rooms. |
| Non-rental room | A room never sold to guests, such as a store or an office. |
| Rate type | A named rate plan (for example Rack Rate, Corporate, Breakfast Included) with its own prices and rules (chapter 03 and 12). |
| Rate type binding | Links a rate type to room types so the rate can be sold for them. |
| Extra bed | An additional bed in a room, usually with an extra charge. |
| Tax slab / tax | A tax with percentage rules that may depend on the room price (slabs). Tax configuration decides which charges each tax applies to (chapter 02). |
| Other charge | Anything billed besides the room: minibar, laundry, breakfast. Grouped into other charge categories. |
Reservations and guests
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Reservation | A booking for one or more rooms for a date range, identified by a folio / confirmation number. |
| Walk-in | A guest without a prior booking who checks in directly. |
| Check-in / check-out | Marking the guest as arrived (room becomes occupied) and as departed (folio settled, room becomes dirty). |
| Group reservation / group block | A booking of many rooms for one party; a block holds rooms for the group before names are known. |
| Folio | The guest's bill: every room charge, tax, other charge and payment. A reservation can have several folios when split. |
| Guest ledger / in-house guest | The list of guests currently staying and what they owe. |
| No-show | A guest who held a booking but did not arrive. Handled at night audit, normally with a no-show charge. |
| Cancellation | A booking cancelled before arrival, possibly with a charge under the policy. |
| Late checkout | A departure after the standard check-out time, often charged. |
| Room move | Moving an in-house guest to another room. |
| Guest portal | The public pages where guests check in online and make requests (chapter 09). |
Sales and channels
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sales & Channel | Where a booking came from (walk-in, website, OTA, corporate, travel agent); older documents call it a business source. Shown on folios, receipts and in reports. |
| OTA | Online travel agency such as Booking.com or Expedia. |
| CRS | Central reservation system that distributes your rooms to many channels. |
| Channel manager | Software that keeps rates and availability the same across OTAs and the PMS. In SunPMS this is the Sync part of the product (chapter 16). |
Performance numbers
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Occupancy | Rooms sold divided by rooms available, as a percentage. |
| ADR (average daily rate) | Room revenue divided by rooms sold. |
| RevPAR | Room revenue divided by rooms available. Equals occupancy multiplied by ADR. |
Other
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Master | A list set up once and chosen from later (room types, payment types, rate types). Also called a configuration. |
| FAS | Financial accounting system interface that exports postings to accounting software. |
| SunPOS property | A restaurant or bar in the SunPOS app. Never called an outlet. |
| Bell | The header button (one bell for guest items and alerts) that opens the notification popup, for example a restaurant charge posted to a room. See Notifications bell. |
| Team chat | The built-in messenger: direct chats, groups and channels between staff. Needs the licence Team Chat. |
| Channel | A standing chat room whose members follow a rule (everyone, a role or a privilege). |
| Linked apps | The SunParking car park or SunPOS restaurant that a property is linked to. With Cross-app Chat, staff can message people there. |
| Support ticket | A request raised from the Support button in the status bar. |
Tips and FAQ
- Q: Why does the PMS date differ from today's date? A: The night audit has not been run yet. The PMS date moves forward only when you run it.
- Q: Can I change the timezone later? A: No. It is fixed when the property is created. Create a new property if it was wrong and no data was entered.
- Q: What is the difference between the owner and an administrator? A: The owner is the SunAuth account that created the group; only the owner can create properties, accept the terms and buy licences. An administrator is a PMS role inside one property.