Hospitality
CPAs fluent in USALI, RevPAR, and F&B accounting
Hotels, resorts, and hospitality groups need accountants who speak USALI (the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry), understand departmental P&Ls, and can model RevPAR, ADR, and GOPPAR alongside food and beverage prime cost.
What the specialist does
What a hospitality specialist actually handles
- USALI-compliant departmental P&L (rooms, F&B, banquets, spa, parking)
- RevPAR, ADR, GOPPAR, and flow-through reporting
- Franchise fee, royalty, and brand compliance accounting
- Occupancy tax, lodging tax, and tourism assessment filings
- Multi-property consolidations and management company billings
Common tax issues
Tax issues this specialist handles every year
Generic firms miss most of these. A specialist surfaces them in planning conversations, not on the next IRS notice.
Cost segregation studies
Hotels routinely produce $1M+ in present-value tax savings by accelerating depreciation on FF&E and land improvements.
Occupancy and lodging taxes
Each jurisdiction has its own rate, registration, and OTA passthrough rules. Audits are common.
Tip and service-charge taxation
Automatic service charges are wages, not tips — different FICA, overtime, and reporting treatment.
Section 199A QBI for hospitality LLCs
Hospitality businesses are NOT specified service trades — full QBI deduction available subject to W-2 limits.
PIP and brand-mandated renovation capitalization
Property improvement plans must be capitalized vs expensed correctly to avoid IRS pickup.
Bookkeeping requirements
- Departmental revenue and expense allocation per USALI
- Night-audit reconciliation to PMS and POS
- Manager / management-fee accruals
- FF&E reserve tracking and capital reserve compliance
- OTA commissions, credit card chargebacks, and resort fees
Payroll issues
- Tipped and non-tipped wage tiers across departments
- Banquet service charge allocation and reporting
- Union housekeeping and F&B labor contracts
- Multi-property crew transfers and state withholding
- ACA reporting for properties >50 FTE
Software used
The tools a real specialist works in
Pricing ranges
What you should expect to pay
Real market ranges from active engagements. Fees scale with complexity, location, and firm size.
Select-service / single property
$2,000–$5,500/mo
USALI bookkeeping, payroll journal, monthly close, owner package.
Full-service / multi-property
$5,500–$18,000/mo
Departmental P&L, consolidations, management agreements, lender reporting.
Cost segregation study
$8,000–$30,000
Engineering-based study; ROI typically 8–15x first year.
Reviewed / audited financials
$15,000–$80,000
Required by franchisors, lenders, and many ownership groups.
Featured professionals
Hospitality accountants — vetted pros accepting new clients
Verified specialists appear here as profiles are claimed and reviewed in United States.
Questions to ask
- How many hotel and hospitality clients do you serve?
- Do you produce USALI-compliant departmental statements?
- Have you completed cost segregation studies for hotels in our state?
- How do you handle OTA commissions and resort fee accounting?
- Can you support our brand audits and PIP compliance?
Red flags
- !Doesn't know what USALI is
- !Treats service charges as tips on payroll
- !No cost-seg experience or won't quantify potential savings
- !Hasn't worked with Opera, Mews, or any major PMS
- !Files lodging tax late or in the wrong jurisdiction
Local provider links
Related directories and pages
Find a hospitality CPA
Browse vetted hospitality professionals, compare credentials and pricing, and start a conversation in minutes.
FAQ
About hospitality accountants
What's USALI?+
The Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry — the standard chart of accounts and reporting format for hotels worldwide, now in its 11th revised edition.
Do small B&Bs need a hospitality-specialized CPA?+
Once you have more than a few rooms, occupancy tax filings and cost-seg opportunities usually justify a hospitality-savvy CPA. Under that, a strong small-business CPA is fine.
How much can a cost segregation study save?+
Typical hotels see $50,000–$500,000+ in first-year tax savings depending on basis and acquisition or construction year.
Take the next step
Find an industry-specialist CPA
Free matching
Get 3 free CPA quotes
Tell us what you need. Up to 3 verified CPAs reply within 1 business day. No fees, no pressure.
Request 3 quotesSide-by-side
Compare CPAs
Stack verified pros next to each other on pricing, specialties, and experience before you reach out.
Compare CPAsFree PDF
2026 CPA Pricing Guide
Real fee benchmarks for tax prep, bookkeeping, payroll, and advisory — by service and business type.
Download free guideRelated industry accounting services
Advisor-grade guides
Downloadable ebooks & templates
CPA-ready playbooks and templates you can use today — instant downloads, no signup required.
The Small Business Tax & Profit Playbook
A CPA-ready guide to deductions, quarterly taxes, S-Corp strategy, owner pay, cash flow, and year-round tax planning.
Business Tax Deduction Checklist
A CPA-curated checklist of 80+ business deductions most owners miss — organized by category so you can sweep it before filing.
The Definitive Bookkeeping Cleanup & Recovery Guide
The CPA's step-by-step playbook for diagnosing messy books, reconstructing missing history, and restoring a clean, audit-ready ledger.
The Freelancer Tax Guide
The practical tax playbook for freelancers, contractors, and solo creatives — deductions, quarterly estimates, and self-employment strategies.
The Year-End Tax Planning Guide
The CPA's December playbook — practical strategies to reduce your tax bill before the year closes.
The Premium Bookkeeping Template Pack
Automated dashboards, multi-account reconciliations, and CPA-ready reporting workbooks for serious owners and bookkeepers.
Tax & Bookkeeping Resource Library
Our complete advisor-grade collection — every premium asset an owner needs to run clean books, lower taxes, and recover messy ledgers, in one bundle.