Hotel & Tourism Accounting in Thailand

Map the transactions before choosing the package

The first discussion should identify the systems, people and evidence behind each flow. Agree which records the business supplies, how often they are delivered and which exceptions require management approval. A clear transaction map is more useful than a package based only on the number of bank entries.

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Sales, collections and revenue cut-off

Maintain a booking deposit register showing the customer or booking reference, amount received, currency, expected service date, refund status and remaining balance. Revenue recognition and tax timing must each be assessed under the applicable rules; receiving cash and delivering the stay are not the same event. A cancellation, no-show or voucher extension should be supported by the contract and an approval, not by a manual adjustment with no explanation.

For Thai VAT, registration, tax invoices and return obligations must be reviewed separately from the management report. The Revenue Department VAT guidance and tax-invoice provisions provide the official starting points. Use the dedicated VAT guide for the wider filing workflow.

Costs, balances and operating controls

For a tour business, compare customer collections with supplier deposits and cancellation exposure by trip. For a hotel, separate recurring operating costs from refurbishments, equipment and long-term commitments. Build clear schedules for linen, amenities, maintenance, commissions, utilities and outsourced services. Prepaid expenses and security deposits need their own records. Comparing one month with another is useful only when seasonal costs and cut-off decisions are explained.

Payroll, responsibilities and approvals

Hospitality payroll may include shift patterns, overtime, service charges and seasonal teams. The operator should approve attendance and variable-pay inputs before payroll is processed. Keep the allocation policy for service charges with the payroll evidence and reconcile the amounts collected and distributed. For foreign employees, link the payroll and HR file with the relevant work-permit and immigration process rather than assuming a hotel booking or visitor status covers employment.

Connect this work with payroll administration and, where relevant, work-permit preparation. Payroll processing does not replace management approval or employment-law review.

A monthly close that management can use

At month-end, reconcile the property-management system or booking ledger to the general ledger, payment processors, OTA balances and bank accounts. Review customer deposits that have not been cleared after the stay, credit balances, outstanding guest accounts and disputed chargebacks. Compare supplier statements with the accounts payable ledger. Document cut-off decisions for stays or tours spanning two reporting periods and explain significant movements in the management pack.

The final handover should include the agreed financial statements, key reconciliations, an outstanding-items list and the status of relevant submissions and payments. Keep evidence of both filing and payment. Explain any estimates or unresolved records so the owner understands what can safely be concluded from the figures.

Reports and indicators worth discussing

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Define the calculation and comparison period before judging performance. Management reporting and cash-flow planning can be included in the agreed scope; it should not be assumed to come with every bookkeeping quotation.

An illustrative workflow

Illustrative planning scenario: a tour operator receives deposits for December departures in November, while paying accommodation suppliers before the trip. A booking-by-booking schedule links the advance receipts, supplier commitments and delivery dates. It helps the owner see cash obligations before treating the bank balance as available profit. This is a process example, not a completed Pimaccounting engagement.

Documents for an initial review

• PMS, OTA and booking-system exports, including cancelled reservations
• Deposit, voucher, refund and chargeback schedules
• Supplier agreements, tour itineraries and principal-versus-agent contract details
• Payroll inputs, service-charge policy and fixed-asset register
• Tax registrations, bank statements and prior closing schedules

Provide one representative month and identify known gaps rather than sending an unstructured archive first. If the business is changing providers, use the accountant handover guide. If several periods are incomplete, start with catch-up bookkeeping so historical work and ongoing monthly work can be priced separately.

Agree the scope, outputs and fee

A quotation should specify the entities and locations covered, source systems, transaction complexity, payroll population, reporting frequency, tax-return responsibilities and annual work. It should also state who collects missing evidence, what is excluded, how additional work is approved and who controls payments. Do not infer an audit, a licence review or unlimited historical corrections from the phrase “full accounting”.

Use the accounting package comparison to prepare the discussion. The document checklists and working-paper templates help organise the information before the engagement begins.

Frequently asked questions