Hotel Industry Acronyms & Terminology Guide
The hotel industry loves acronyms. Some are useful. Some are legacy leftovers. Some only exist to make decks sound smarter than they are.
This is a curated glossary of hotel, revenue, distribution, and tech terms you’re most likely to hear in meetings, vendor pitches, and industry conversations. It’s not exhaustive. It’s practical. Bookmark it.
Core Performance & Revenue Metrics
ADRAverage Daily Rate. Average room revenue earned per occupied room.
OCCOccupancy. Percentage of available rooms sold.
RevPARRevenue per Available Room.
GOPGross Operating Profit.
GOPPARGross Operating Profit per Available Room.
TRevPARTotal Revenue per Available Room, including rooms and non-room revenue.
RevPORRevenue per Occupied Room.
CPORCost per Occupied Room.
LOS / ALOSLength of Stay / Average Length of Stay.
BARBest Available Rate. Lowest public rate for a given date.
PaceBooking activity compared to a prior period.
PickupNew bookings added over a defined time window.
MPI / ARI / RGIPerformance indexes versus competitive set.
Distribution, Sales & Hotel Tech
PMSProperty Management System. Runs daily hotel operations.
CRSCentral Reservation System. Manages rates, inventory, and distribution.
CRMCustomer Relationship Management system.
RMSRevenue Management System.
GDSGlobal Distribution System (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport).
OTAOnline Travel Agency.
Channel ManagerSynchronizes rates and availability across channels.
Booking EngineDirect booking tool on a hotel website.
MetasearchRate comparison platforms like Google Hotels and Trivago.
APIApplication Programming Interface.
LLMLarge Language Model powering tools like ChatGPT and Claude.
MCPModel Context Protocol. Allows AI to access live system data.
Net RateRate provided to intermediaries before commission.
Gross RateRate shown to the guest including commission.
Rate ParitySame rate across all distribution channels.
Stop SellRestriction preventing sales via specific channels.
LRALast Room Availability requirement.
Group, Sales & Events
BEOBanquet Event Order.
CSMConference Services Manager.
DOSMDirector of Sales and Marketing.
MICEMeetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions.
SMERFSocial, Military, Educational, Religious, Fraternal groups.
RFPRequest for Proposal.
NRBNegotiated Rate Business.
FITFree Independent Traveler.
PAXNumber of people associated with a booking or event.
OTBOn the Books. Confirmed future business.
Hotel Operations & Front Office
FOH / BOHFront of House / Back of House.
MODManager on Duty.
OOO / OOSOut of Order / Out of Service.
DNDDo Not Disturb.
No-ShowGuest fails to arrive.
Walk-InGuest without a reservation.
FolioGuest bill.
Night AuditEnd-of-day reconciliation.
House CountNumber of guests currently in-house.
StayoverGuest remaining for another night.
Ownership, Finance & Corporate
P&LProfit and Loss statement.
EBITDAEarnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization.
EBITDAREBITDA plus rent.
ROIReturn on Investment.
CapExCapital Expenditures.
OpExOperating Expenses.
FF&EFurniture, Fixtures, and Equipment.
REITReal Estate Investment Trust.
Asset LightOwnership model focused on management or franchise.
Hawaiʻi-Specific Hotel & Tourism Terms
HTAHawaiʻi Tourism Authority.
HVCBHawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau.
DBEDTDepartment of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
DLNRDepartment of Land and Natural Resources.
TATTransient Accommodations Tax.
GETGeneral Excise Tax.
OTATOʻahu Transient Accommodations Tax.
AirliftAirline seat capacity to Hawaiʻi.
Neighbor IslandsAll islands other than Oʻahu.
Mauka / MakaiToward the mountains / toward the ocean.
AhupuaʻaTraditional land division.
KuleanaResponsibility or obligation.
ʻĀinaLand, with cultural meaning beyond property.
This glossary is a living resource and will evolve as the industry does.
