Overview

When a guest makes a payment — whether at check-in, during their stay, or at check-out — you record it on the booking’s folio. This keeps a running tally of what has been charged versus what has been paid, so you always know the outstanding balance.

Vesta supports payments in multiple currencies. If a guest pays in a currency different from your property’s base currency, the system automatically converts the amount using your configured exchange rates. This is especially useful for properties that serve international travelers who may prefer to pay in their home currency.

Recording a Payment

1. Open the booking detail page
2. Go to the Folio tab
3. Click Record Payment
4. Fill in the payment details:
   • Payment Method — how the guest is paying:
     • Credit Card
     • Debit Card
     • Cash
     • Bank Transfer
     • Other
   • Amount — the amount the guest is handing over (in the payment currency)
   • Currency — the currency the guest is paying in. Defaults to your property’s base currency, but you can select any currency from your accepted currencies list
   • Payment Date and Time — when the payment was received. Defaults to now, but you can back-date if needed (e.g., recording a bank transfer that arrived yesterday)
   • Transaction ID (optional) — a reference number from the card terminal or payment processor, useful for reconciliation
   • Notes (optional) — any additional details, such as “Guest paid remaining balance at checkout” or “Deposit for incidentals”
5. Click Record

The payment appears immediately on the folio and the balance updates.

:::tip For check-out, review the full folio balance before recording the final payment. This ensures you collect the exact amount owed, including any last-minute charges like minibar or late check-out fees. :::

Multi-Currency Payments

If your property accepts multiple currencies, the system handles the conversion automatically.

How it works:

1. The guest pays in their preferred currency (e.g., 30,000 HUF)
2. You select that currency from the dropdown
3. The system applies the exchange rate you configured in Settings > Currencies
4. The converted amount in your base currency is used for the balance calculation

Example:

Your property’s base currency is EUR. A guest pays in Hungarian Forint:

The folio shows both the original amount (30,000 HUF) and the converted amount (75.00 EUR) for clarity.

:::warning Exchange rates are captured at the moment you record the payment. If you update your exchange rates later, it does not change any payments that were already recorded. This protects your accounting from retroactive rate fluctuations. :::

Understanding the Folio Balance

The balance on a booking’s folio is always calculated in your property’s base currency:

Balance due = Total charges - Total completed payments (in base currency)

Key points about the balance:

• Only completed payments count. If a payment has a pending or failed status, it does not reduce the balance.
• Multi-currency payments are converted. Each payment’s “amount in base currency” value is used, not the original foreign currency amount.
• A zero balance means the guest has paid in full.
• A negative balance means the guest has overpaid — you may need to issue a refund.

:::info The balance is always expressed in your property’s base currency, even if the guest paid in a different currency. This gives you a single consistent view of what is owed. :::

Payment Statuses

Payments in Vesta can have the following statuses:

• Completed — the payment was received successfully. This is the status used when staff record a payment.
• Pending / Failed / Refunded — statuses that may appear for future gateway integrations or imported records.

Only completed payments reduce the folio balance. Pending and failed payments are tracked for your records but do not affect what the guest owes.

Practical Tips

• Record payments promptly. Do not wait until check-out to enter all payments. Recording them as they happen gives you an accurate real-time balance.
• Use the Transaction ID field. When a guest pays by card, entering the terminal reference number makes it much easier to match payments during end-of-day reconciliation.
• Check the balance before check-out. Open the folio, verify all charges are present (especially last-night minibar), and confirm the balance before processing the final payment.

Related Articles

• Adding Charges to a Booking — how charges appear on the folio
• Managing Currencies — set up accepted currencies and exchange rates
• Checking Out a Guest — completing the stay and settling the bill
• Managing Products — the product catalog that drives most charges

:::permissions

• payments:view — view payment history on a booking’s folio
• payments:create — record new payments
• payments:edit — update payment notes and reference numbers
• payments:delete — void/delete payments :::