Hotel General Accountant

The Study at University City is currently seeking a Hotel General Accountant, who will be responsible for the following financial accounting duties for hotel and food & beverage operations: processing, billing, and collecting accounts receivables, processing purchase orders and accounts payables (including cutting checks), completing the daily income Audit, and performing general cashiering (including daily deposits), posting journal entries, and preparing some general ledger account reconciliation and analysis. They support the hotel Controller and Study Hotels accounting team, ensuring compliance with hotel policies and procedures and providing guidance and feedback to the night audit and department teams to ensure proper revenue and expense reporting. This position is akin to an ‘Accounting Clerk’ or ‘Staff Accountant’.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Accounts Receivable / Guest Inquires:

1. Each day, monitor the Guest Ledger open guest, group master, and house accounts to ensure they are correct and are billed or cleared in a timely manner. Collaborate with department teams to ensure that all charges are captured and correctly posted. Provide feedback on posting/routing issues to team leaders and provide guidance and training as needed.
2. Ensure that City Ledger receivable balances are accurate, properly supported, and billed in a timely manner (This requires reviewing group resume billing instructions against group master account charges). Collaborate with department teams to investigate issues and post billing adjustments if necessary.
3. Monitor Expedia Collect guest stays to ensure they are correctly captured and submitted to Expedia via prepared template.
4. Perform credit inquiries on direct bill applications pending approval and ensure properly completed and approved university and government purchase orders are on file for all relevant accounts prior to their arrival/function date.
5. Investigate and respond to all customer receivable billing inquiries.
6. Accurately process and apply payments received in a timely manner.
7. Prepare month-end accounts receivable aging analysis and delinquency status reports.
8. Assist Sales Department with group and catering billings, as needed.
9. Manage Tax exemption certification forms, ensuring each tax-exempt qualifying guest/group has appropriate tax-exempt documentation on file and that tax has been appropriately charged or omitted.

Travel Agency & 3 rd OTA Reservation Receivable Billing Validation and Submittal

1. In coordination with sales and revenue management, verify Travel Agent or Booking Agent Request for commission against guest/group stays and commissionable rates.
2. Verify Expedia and online travel agent bookings against PMS systems to ensure routing and billing accuracy. Bill Expedia and online travel agents in a timely manner.

Purchasing & Accounts Payables

1. Ensure that there is a properly coded and pre-approved purchase order for qualifying purchases, reporting any issues to the Controller.
2. Ensure invoices, expense reports, and other similar obligations are received, approved, correctly entered, and paid in a timely manner per policy. Review the accounts payables aging report for obligations that are due.
3. Review/reconcile vendor and credit card billing statements weekly. Investigate and resolve past due statement balances and vendor inquiries in a timely manner.
4. Prepare and process vendor check or ACH payments.
5. Ensure required regulatory documents (e.g., 1099, legal permits, etc.) and proof of liability insurance are received and on file for each qualifying vendor prior to the hotel engaging them.

Income Audit

1. Audit the daily income journal to ensure its accuracy and completeness, ensuring it balances each day (includes income, cash, cash equivalents, credit cards, receivables, taxes, etc.). Make adjustments/corrections if necessary. This includes verifying the income journal to source hotel/property management, F&B point-of-sale system, and other relevant reports for accuracy.
2. Prepare the Daily Income Journal Revenue Report and prepare any ad hoc analysis and reports.
3. Review front desk manual postings, adjustments, and cash paid outs/refunds. Review food & beverage complimentary checks, refunds, no-sales, and other relevant checks for accuracy, completeness, and compliance.
4. Maintain tax exempt backup.
5. Create and manage Guest Ledger house accounts for promotional/barter & trade, package, and in-house use, ensuring charges are accurately captured and posted and surfacing any issues to the Controller.
6. Prepare monthly gift card ledger and other reconciliations and analysis as required.

General Cashier

1. Reconcile cash/checks dropped daily and prepare bank deposits for armored car pickup. Document and track all cash overages/shortages and discrepancies observed.
2. Provide operating cashiers change needed to sustain guest service standards.
3. Prepare change orders for Controllers approval and ensure they are picked up and received in a timely manner.
4. Issue house banks to operating cashiers and managers. Independently audit house banks monthly. Document and track all cash overages/shortages observed.
5. Issue petty cash to cashiers and managers as required by policy. Reconcile petty cash at least monthly, submitting it to the Controller for approval and reimbursement.

Additional Duties/Expectations

1. Respond to non-sufficient fund checks and credit card disputes in a timely manner using banking/merchant portals.
2. Train department personnel if necessary.
3. Perform any other accounting duties, analyses, and reconciliations as required and assist Controller as needed.
4. Ensure adherence to all systems and control procedures as set forth in the policy and procedures manual.

Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty to expectations. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience:
High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required. Working towards or possessing an associate or bachelor’s degree in financial accounting (or related field) is preferred. Note, experience demonstrating sound, practical, hands-on financial accounting experience in hotels/restaurants will be considered in lieu of associate or bachelor's degree.
Knowledge of GAAP and USALI is preferred.
Systems experience: Proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Planner, OneNote, etc.) is required with preference given to those who have used one or many of the following systems: Hotel management systems (Infor HMS), food & beverage point-of-sale systems (Aloha or Toast), financial accounting system (M3), procurement-to-pay systems (Birchstreet), ProfitSword financial reporting & analysis system.
About Us
The Study at University City, operating under the Study Hotels brand, is a vibrant boutique hotel designed around the needs of university academia, researchers, and travelers that is nestled in the heart of University City in Philadelphia, near the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. The hotel features 212 signature studies and suites, a café bookstore, the Co-Op Restaurant & Bar, and 7,000 square feet of versatile, inviting meeting space, all designed for purposeful guest discovery, connection, and interaction. Guest rooms and public spaces are designed with a bright, uplifting palette, reflective of contemporary residential living.
Study Hotels is a drug-free workplace. Pre-employment drug test and background check required. Please note:

• Only local candidates need to apply; no relocation provided.
• No third-party hiring agencies.
• This is a work on-site position only; no remote/virtual options available.

Eligible full-time team members are offered a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid time off and paid holidays. Team members are eligible to participate in our 401(k) plan and Employee Assistance Program.
Study Hotels is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, disability, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.