To help guests understand more about the rental of rooms and house from inns, resorts and vacation rentals this glossary is provided for reference. It is not comprehensive but serves as a primary for terms guests may encounter in renting and utilizing lodging. Not all terms apply to Sunspots.

Advance Lodging Reservation
A Booking for a set period of time in the future such as renting a lodging property for a week or weekend. Advance Lodging Reservations require the owner or manager to keep the property available for the guest's exclusive use on the dates booked. In return, Advance Lodging Reservations are only cancelable in accordance with the owner or manager's terms and conditions. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Advance Payment
Payment by the renter to the owner equaling a portion of the total rental amount. The advance payment is applied to the total rent cost. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

After Hours
Managers and Owners provide service during long hours, but most are not open 24 hours a day. Calls, assistance and other services provided outside of normal business hours are referred to as after hours. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

After Hours Fees
Charges to Guests or Owners for services provided after hours. Essential services such as loss of water, power or heat are usually provided free of charge. After hours calls for non-essential services usually bear a fee. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

AHMA - American Hotel & Motel Association
A trade association that offers benefits and services to hospitality properties and suppliers. It propose legislation affecting hotels, sponsors seminars and group study programs, conducts research, and publishes Lodging magazine. (Origin: AHMA.org - Link: AHMA.org)

Amenities
The features and benefits associated with a property such as furniture, equipment, furnishings, resort priviledges and so forth. Amenities widely between types of accomodations such as hotels, motels, cabins, bed and breakfasts; and also between one unit and another. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Amenity Fee
A certain amount paid to an owner or property complex above and beyond the rental rate that allows the renter access to certain amenities (golf, tennis, beach chairs etc.) (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Arrival Date
The date at which a guest arrives or is allowed to arrive and use a property. In lodging this also usually includes a time before which the guest is not allowed access. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Attractions
General all-inclusive term travel industry marketers use to refer to products that have visitor appeal, like museums, historic sites, performing arts institutions, preservation districts, theme parks, entertainment and national sites. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Availability Calendar
An online calendar which can be updated to allow renters see the dates open for a certain property (Room, Suite or Home). See also: Common Calendar (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Back to Back
When one booking immediately follows another booking without a day between them, that is referred to as a back to back. In that case, cleaning must be done between when one guest checks out and the next checks in. (Origin: Redstone Systems)

Beach Front Accommodations
Buildings or rooms and living units in a building which is along side a body of water and generally with a reasonably level geographically between the building and the water. Generally means there are no other buildings between the building and the water. Is more specific than Ocean Front Accommodations which may not be on a beach. See also: Ocean Front Accommodations (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Beach View
When guests can see a beach (Salt or Fresh Water) from some area of the property, not necessarily from all ares of the property. May include Full, Partial or Peekaboo Views. See also: View, City View, Mountain View, Resort View, Water View (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Bed & Breakfast
A small inn or lodge that provides a room and a breakfast. Often a B&B is in a residential home setting and/or a historic building converted to a quaint lodging facility. B&B's are not Vacation Rentals. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Bed Codes
Short-hand code that allows guests to instantly see the number and sizes of beds in a lodging property. Rather than a description, or a totaling, each bed is represented by a Letter symbol. For example: QQKTTL means a home has two queens, one king, two twin beds and a sleeper sofat.

The codes are as follows:

K = King
Q = Queen
F = Full
T = Twin
C = Futon Couch
M = Mattress
A = Air Mattress
L = Sleeper
S = Sofa
D = Day Bed (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Bed Tax
City or county tax added to the price of a lodging facility. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Blue Ribbon Inspection
A lodging unit that has been inspected and meets the standards of the Vacation Rental Industry Association (VRIA). Designated as "Blue Ribbon" and "Inspected Vacation Rental (IVR)" These include rules for outfitting, cleanliness, maintenance and truthful advertising, The terms Blue Ribbon and IVR are trademarks owned by the Vacation Rental Industry Association. See also: IVR, Inspected Vacation Rental, VVR, Vertified Vacation Rental (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Booking Fee
An additional charge assessed by owners and managers for completing paperwork, handling credit cards, arranging housekeeping and coordinating a lodging property rental. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Cancellation Policy
The terms and basis on which a lodging property owner or manager will or will not accept cancellations. Also dependent on the terms on which the guest booked the property. Usually stated as a number o days prior to first date of occupancy on which a guest may request a cancellation. Fees may apply to cancellations or cancellations may be denied altogether. See also: "Guarantee Reservation" and "Advance Loding Reservation" (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

Carpet Cleaning
Usually performed periodically by a vendor using specialized steam or other equipment to clean wall-to-wall carpeting. (Origin: Vacation Rental Association)

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