# Hotel module (HMS) – rooms, bookings and housekeeping

> Run a hotel, guest house or resort in SmartPOS Hub - rooms and rates, bookings, check-in and check-out, room board, housekeeping and reports.

Source: https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/hotel/  
Last updated: 2026-10-30  
Product: SmartPOS Hub (https://smartposhub.com)

The **Hotel Management (HMS)** module runs the rooms side of a hotel, resort or guest house: room types and rates, bookings, check-in and check-out, a live room board, housekeeping, guests and occupancy reports. Booking money goes through normal SmartPOS Hub payments, so guest ledgers, cash accounts and profit and loss stay complete.

> **How to turn it on**
> 1. **Plan:** Included in some plans. Check Settings › Package Subscription; if the card says Not in your plan, upgrade or contact support.
> 2. **Switch:** Settings › Business Settings › Modules › Industry modules › Hotel Management (HMS), then Update settings
> 3. **Permission:** Roles › Hotel Management (HMS): Hotel: view dashboard, create bookings, check guests in / out, and the other Hotel permissions
> - **Mobile app:** Hotel screen (room board, bookings, housekeeping) in the SmartPOS Business app

## What the module includes

All pages are under **Hotel (HMS)** in the sidebar.

| Menu item | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Dashboard** | Arrivals, departures, in-house guests, occupancy tonight, available rooms, revenue this month and outstanding balance, with **Check in** / **Check out** buttons |
| **Bookings** / **New booking** | Booking list with filters, and the booking form (several rooms, guest ID, extras, coupon) |
| **Calendar** | Rooms down the side, dates across; click an empty cell to book that room |
| **Room board** | Every room by floor with its live status; a **Front desk screen** mode |
| **Rooms** | Floors, room types (prices, photos, amenities) and rooms, with bulk add |
| **Rates & extras** | Seasonal rates, extras and coupons |
| **Housekeeping** | Room status board for cleaners |
| **Guests** | Customers who stayed, with nights and spend |
| **Reports** | Occupancy, ADR and RevPAR, revenue by room type and source, payments due, cancellations |
| **Policies & house rules** | Check-in/out times, pets, smoking, children, cancellation rules |
| **Settings** | Booking numbers, default times and tax, booking rules, housekeeping, terms |

## Before you start

- Create the business location that runs the hotel (**Settings › Business Locations**).
- Add a tax rate for room charges if you charge one (**Settings › Tax Rates**).

## First-time setup

1. Switch the module on: **Settings › Business Settings › Modules**, turn on **Hotel Management (HMS)**, and click **Update settings**.
2. Open **Hotel (HMS) › Settings**. On **General**, set the **Booking number prefix**, **Default check-in time**, **Default check-out time**, **Default tax** and the **Locations that run the hotel**. Check the **Booking rules**, **Housekeeping** and **Policies & terms** tabs, then click **Save**.
3. Open **Hotel (HMS) › Rooms**. Add your floors, then room types (base and weekend price, maximum adults and children, extra beds, amenities, photos), then the rooms themselves. Use bulk add for ranges such as 101–120.
4. Open **Rates & extras** to add seasonal prices, extras (breakfast, airport pickup) and coupons.
5. Fill in **Policies & house rules** so they print on confirmations.
6. Give your front-desk and housekeeping roles their Hotel permissions in **User Management › Roles**.

![Hotel settings General tab with booking number prefix, default check-in and check-out times, default tax and locations that run the hotel](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/hotel-settings.DdcgppZ9.png) (web app page: `/hms/settings`)
*Hotel settings. The Payment to confirm section below belongs to Booking payments.*

## Everyday use

### Take a booking

1. Click **New booking** (or click an empty cell on the **Calendar**).
2. Choose or quick-add the guest, enter arrival and departure, adults and children, and pick a room type and room. The price is worked out from base, weekend, seasonal and long-stay rates.
3. Add extras, a coupon or a discount, and save. Take a deposit with **Add payment** if needed.

![Room calendar showing rooms down the side, fourteen days across and booking bars coloured by status](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/hotel-calendar._SIVWDbb.png) (web app page: `/hms/calendar`)
*The room calendar. Bars are coloured by status: pending, confirmed, checked in, checked out, cancelled and no-show.*

### Check in and check out

- On the **Dashboard**, today's arrivals have a **Check in** button and today's departures a **Check out** button.
- Check-in records the guest's ID and can move the guest to another free room of the same type. The room becomes occupied.
- Check-out warns you about any balance due and offers **Add payment**. The room becomes dirty for housekeeping.
- A booking moves through **Pending → Confirmed → Checked in → Checked out**, or ends as **Cancelled** or **No-show** (with an optional fee).

![Hotel dashboard with arrivals, departures, occupancy and revenue cards and today's arrivals with Check in buttons](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/hotel-dashboard.Ka1zCTn7.png) (web app page: `/hms/dashboard`)
*The hotel dashboard is the front desk's start page.*

### Watch the rooms

The **Room board** shows every room by floor: vacant clean, inspected, vacant dirty, being cleaned, occupied (with nights left), arriving today, departing today, reserved and out of order. The counters at the top work as filters, and it refreshes itself.

![Room board with ground and first floor rooms showing occupied, arriving today, departing today and vacant clean tiles](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/hotel-room-board.NQ4Df233.png) (web app page: `/hms/room-board`)
*Click a room for details and actions. Front desk screen opens a full-screen version.*

## Settings explained

| Tab | Main options |
|---|---|
| **General** | Booking number prefix, default check-in and check-out times, default tax, locations that run the hotel |
| **Booking rules** | Child age limit, deposit % to confirm, default weekend days, same-day turnover, overbooking (off by default), blocking maintenance rooms |
| **Housekeeping** | Whether rooms become dirty automatically after check-out |
| **Policies & terms** | Cancellation policy and the terms printed on invoices and confirmations |

## Permissions

| On the Roles page | What it allows |
|---|---|
| **Hotel: view dashboard** | The hotel dashboard |
| **Hotel: view all bookings** / **Hotel: view own bookings only** | All bookings, or only bookings the user created |
| **Hotel: create bookings** | New bookings and quick-add guest |
| **Hotel: edit / re-price bookings** | Change and confirm bookings |
| **Hotel: cancel bookings & mark no-show** | Cancel and no-show |
| **Hotel: delete bookings** | Delete bookings |
| **Hotel: check guests in** / **Hotel: check guests out** | Check-in and check-out |
| **Hotel: add booking payments** / **edit** / **delete** | Payments on bookings |
| **Hotel: room calendar** | The room calendar |
| **Hotel: housekeeping (change room status)** | Housekeeping board and room status |
| **Hotel: manage rooms, room types & amenities** | Rooms setup |
| **Hotel: manage seasonal rates, extras & coupons** | Rates & extras |
| **Hotel: view reports** / **Hotel: settings** | Reports and settings |

A housekeeping role usually needs only **Hotel: housekeeping (change room status)**. Admins have every permission.

## In the SmartPOS Business app

The **Hotel** screen shows occupancy tonight, guests in house, arrivals and departures, and the room board by floor. Staff can open a room, create a booking, and housekeepers change room status from their phone.

![Hotel screen in the SmartPOS Business app with occupancy, arrivals and room tiles marked available, occupied, cleaning and dirty](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/hotel-board.BArW0OAz.png)
*The Hotel room board in the SmartPOS Business app.*

## Tips and mistakes to avoid

- Give every room a location; a booking can only use rooms of one location.
- Keep overbooking off unless you really want rooms to be bookable twice.
- Set an out-of-order "until" date for rooms under repair, so they become bookable again automatically.

## Related pages

  - [Booking payments](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/booking-payments/) — Ask guests to pay a deposit online before the stay is confirmed.
  - [Screens & displays](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/screens-and-displays/) — Show the room board on a front-desk screen.
  - [Restaurant](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/restaurant/) — Run the hotel restaurant from the same account.
  - [All modules](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/) — Every module and how to switch it on.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is the Hotel module for?

Hotels, resorts, guest houses, motels, serviced apartments and hostels that rent rooms by the night. It works next to your restaurant, shop or spa in the same SmartPOS Hub account.

### Can one booking include several rooms?

Yes. A booking can hold several rooms, as long as all of them belong to the same location.

### How do I charge a deposit?

Set Deposit % to confirm in Hotel settings, then take payments on the booking with Add payment. To ask online guests to pay before the stay is confirmed, use the Payment to confirm section, part of Booking payments.

### What happens to a room after check-out?

It becomes Dirty (or Available, depending on your housekeeping setting) so housekeeping knows to clean it. Change the status on the Housekeeping board or the Room board.

### Can I set weekend and seasonal prices?

Yes. Each room type has a base and weekend price. Under Rates & extras you add seasonal rates for date ranges, extras charged per stay, night or person, and coupons. Long-stay discounts are also available.

### Does hotel revenue appear in my profit and loss?

Yes. Booking revenue shows as its own row in the Profit / Loss Report, and payments appear in the guest's ledger like any other sale.

### Can housekeeping staff use a phone?

Yes. The SmartPOS Business app has a Hotel screen with the room board and a housekeeping view where staff change room status with one tap.

### What if the module is not in my plan?

Hotel pages show a message that the feature is not in your plan with a button to see plans. Upgrade from Settings › Package Subscription or contact support.