Most owners of select-service hotels do not need a full-time controller on payroll. What they need is the output of one: clean monthly books, USALI-compliant statements, reconciled balance sheets, and someone who can answer “how did we do?” without a week of spreadsheet archaeology. That’s the gap a controller engagement fills: interim, to cover a vacancy until you hire, or fractional, as an ongoing part-time role.
The job, in plain terms
- Runs the monthly close: journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and review.
- Produces your financial statements on a dependable cadence, in USALI format.
- Oversees accounts payable and general ledger discipline so nothing quietly drifts.
- Translates the results (STR context, franchise charges, departmental movement) into plain English for ownership.
- Stands between you and the questions from brands, lenders, and partners.
If a management company runs your hotels, the role shifts to oversight: reviewing their statements, questioning variances, and making sure the numbers hold up.
When owners typically need one
- A controller or bookkeeper just left, and the close cannot wait for a hire.
- The first or second hotel just opened, and the books have outgrown the owner’s spare time.
- Financials are chronically late, and decisions are being made on stale numbers.
- A refinance, sale, or brand review is coming and the records need to be impeccable.
What good looks like
A good interim engagement is boring in the best way: statements arrive on schedule, every balance sheet account is reconciled, unusual variances come with an explanation before you ask, and your franchise invoices get read instead of just paid. You get controller-grade financial reporting on a clearly scoped monthly engagement, without a salary, benefits, or a hiring search.
If your hotels are between controllers, or have never really had one, that is precisely the work we do. The consultation is a conversation, not a commitment.