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How to Review a Conference Bill
Reviewing the bill from a conference is considered to be a tedious as well as a time-consuming procedure. Because of that, some meeting planners simply pay the bill without reviewing it which may lead to significant financial losses for the organization. Others spend a lot of hours trying to understand the bill which can result in loss of valuable time.

What follows below are some steps you need take to ensure that the process of reviewing the bill will turn out to be quite simple:

1. Pre-Planning Stage
  • Deposit amounts and payment due dates should be put in writing with the hotel

  • Make sure you send the credit application to the hotel on a timely basis and contact the accounting department to confirm direct-billing approval. If applicable, turn in the tax-exempt certificate to the facility.

  • Let the hotel know of the people who are allowed to charge items to the master account, along with any restrictions or limitations. Be sure the hotel has clear instructions about the charges to the master account, such as room and tax, food, audio-visual, telecommunications, electrical, and business centre.

  • A simple way to speed up the process of reviewing the bill later is to have multiple master accounts. This way, you can separate your bills in advance without having to sort them out later. For example, in case you have various sponsored functions you can establish a master account for each one of these functions. Don’t forget to let the hotel know of the existence of multiple master accounts.

  • You need to confirm with the hotel that all charges to the master account should have backup, including copies of invoices, banquet event orders and signed checks

  • You should discuss with the conventions services manager and the accounts receivable contact about how the master account should be organized. You can show some examples of previous bills or mock-ups.

  • Provide a final list of people along with the rooms they have been assigned to, such as complimentary rooms, staff rooms, and suites. Make sure you specify how and where they should be charged (e.g. to which master account).

  • Banquet event orders and resume should be reviewed to make sure there aren’t any charges you are not aware of or haven’t agreed upon. Also, inform the hotel that you need to review the master account before departure.
2. On-Site
  • All checks should be reviewed and signed daily. On each check, you should write notes that will help you later such as event description, number of attendees, confirmation of guarantee, confirmation of the amount, special coding, and master account to be billed. Don’t forget to keep copies of all signed checks together.

  • Review the master account daily

  • Always write down any changes to the rooming list, audio-visual equipment, etc.

  • The bill should be reviewed at the end of the meeting but should not be signed until it is examined very thoroughly back at the office

  • If there are disputes or complaints make sure you resolve them before you leave the property while they are still fresh in your mind. Try to reach a solution that favours the people that have been inconvenienced by the problem.
3. After the Conference
  • Get all backup material from the hotel and use them along with the signed check to confirm that the final bill is correct

  • Verify authorization of all charges to the master account

  • Make sure that all the rooms you are charged for are in your block and you are only charged for the authorized number of nights for each guest

  • Finally review all credits, deposits, complimentary rooms, and tax-exemption

  • If there are mistakes in the final bill, you need to address them in writing including the items you dispute and the reasons. Enclose a check for the things you don’t dispute as well as a statement that guarantees payment of the disputed items within 30 days if the hotel justifies them with proper backup.
4. Troubleshooting
  • You need to be prepared that even if you take all the above steps, there is a possibility that the bill will arrive in no semblance of order. In that case, you should call the convention services manager and the accounts receivable contact and discuss the situation with them.

  • If they cannot come up with a solution then you need to return the master account to the hotel to redo. As soon as the dispute is resolved, send the property a check to avoid getting a reputation for not paying your bills on time and loose direct-billing privileges in the future.

  • Take stock of the whole review process from the pre-planning stage to troubleshooting and decide on future improvements
Keep in mind that you should not pay any rental charges if these were not identified in your contract. Also, don’t assume you need to pay tax on attrition or cancellation fees because some places don’t consider these “sales” and they don’t tax them. Never pre-pay your entire estimated bill and remember to ask for a discount on departure as opposed to payment within 30 days. Finally, depending on the amount of your master account or the overall value of your meeting, ask them if your group gets certain benefits such as mileage credits, hotel points, or any other bonuses.
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