HorecaHire
A Hotel Accounts Payable Executive helps ensure supplier invoices are genuine, correctly recorded, matched against evidence and routed for authorized payment. Hotels buy kitchen ingredients, guest supplies, engineering parts, linen, utilities and outsourced services, so a good AP process must account for both material deliveries and service acceptance. This original HoReCaHire Hotel Accounts Payable Executive job description includes an employer-ready vacancy, three-way invoice matching example, interview scenarios and a hiring assessment for Indian hospitality businesses.
Hotel Accounts Payable Executive job description
Role: Accounts Payable Executive / Hotel AP Associate. Property: [hotel and city]. Department: Finance & Accounts. Reports to: [Accounts Manager / Financial Controller]. Terms: [real salary band, shift and approved benefits]. Systems: [actual ERP, accounting software and approved PMS reporting interfaces].
Position summary: We seek a detail-focused professional to review vendor invoices, identify document mismatches, track payable due dates, coordinate tax information with authorized specialists and support accurate, secure payment preparation. The candidate should be able to reconcile amounts without inventing receipts or approving their own high-risk exceptions.
12 Accounts Payable Executive duties and responsibilities
- Receive invoices from authorized channels and confirm vendor identity and invoice references.
- Check the invoice against the correct purchase order, receiving record or documented service acceptance.
- Validate product quantities, units, agreed prices and approved extra charges.
- Identify duplicate invoice numbers, repeated billings and unexplained credits.
- Coordinate supplier statements and requests for missing proof with the purchasing or receiving team.
- Maintain a clear record of outstanding invoices, holds, due dates and approvals.
- Verify legitimate supplier payment instructions through a secure process, especially when banking details change.
- Refer GST, TDS, withholding, expense recognition and legal issues to suitably qualified finance/tax personnel.
- Prepare payment batches only within authorized system controls and delegated authority.
- Coordinate with operations on returns, damaged supplies, incomplete deliveries and disputed services.
- Protect supplier banking data, hotel finances and employee information from unauthorized sharing.
- Support finance month-end reconciliation and explain verified changes in accounts payable.
What is three-way invoice matching?
Three-way matching compares an authorized purchase order (PO), a goods-received note (GRN) or equivalent accepted-delivery record, and the supplier invoice. NetSuite’s accounting guidance describes this process as a common way to validate invoices before payment; it is not a mandate to force every service invoice into a goods-receipt record that does not apply.
| Document | Question to answer | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | What was approved to buy, at what price and on what terms? | Purchasing / approved budget owner |
| Goods received note | What quantities were physically received and accepted? | Authorized receiving/stores employee |
| Supplier invoice | What does the supplier request payment for? | AP validates; not proof of receipt |
| Service completion certificate | For contracted services, what actual work was approved? | Qualified department/service owner |
| Payment authorization | Who may release money under controls? | Approved finance signatory |
Worked AP reconciliation: 100 ordered, 95 received
Suppose the hotel orders 100 identical accepted units at ₹250 each, before any relevant taxes or freight. The PO total for goods is ₹25,000. The authorized receiver records only 95 accepted units, and the vendor sends an invoice for 100 units at ₹250. The accepted goods value is 95 × ₹250 = ₹23,750; the unresolved quantity is 5 units, representing ₹1,250 before any agreed adjustments. AP should record the mismatch, clarify partial-delivery billing/credit terms and seek the authorized decision; it must not rewrite the GRN to 100 to match the invoice.
AP invoice exception register: copy-ready format
| Field | Sample entry / instruction |
|---|---|
| Invoice ID and date | [Supplier’s real invoice reference] |
| Supplier verification | [Approved vendor ID, validated contacts] |
| PO/service approval | [Correct source approval reference] |
| Received/accepted value | [Verified GRN or service report amount] |
| Invoiced value | [Actual invoice amount and tax components] |
| Mismatch type | [Short quantity, duplicate, price, tax or missing proof] |
| Disputed amount | [Reconciled and justified—not guessed] |
| Status | [Hold / approved / supplier correction pending] |
| Responsible reviewer | [Purchasing, stores, AP or tax specialist] |
| Next action and deadline | [Actual contact and follow-up date] |
Daily hotel AP operating checklist
- Check invoices arrived in approved mailboxes or vendor portals, not unsolicited personal chats.
- Identify duplicates against actual ERP invoice numbers, dates and supplier IDs.
- Validate PO and acceptance evidence using the right period and unit.
- Check missing approvals and authorized changes without backdating.
- Review actual payment terms and due dates for eligible invoices.
- Separate uncertain tax treatment for competent accountant review.
- Use independently confirmed bank details before a change is applied.
- Escalate urgent disputed utilities or contractor services with relevant operational owners.
- Keep payment execution separate from appropriate verification and approval controls.
- Handover held invoices with a factual reason and named next action.
Accounts Payable Executive interview questions
A vendor invoices 100 units but only 95 are accepted. What next?
Reconcile PO, actual GRN and invoice, identify the ₹1,250 fictional difference, and seek approved credit or clarification. The invoice alone is not evidence that 100 acceptable units arrived.
A supplier emails new bank details five minutes before payment. What should you do?
Follow the hotel’s independent supplier verification and change-approval process. Do not rely solely on the message received or call a new phone number provided in that same message.
A chef signs that a repair was completed, but the service report is unclear. Can you pay?
Request the required authorized service acceptance, correct contract terms and finance review. A delivery-note template is not suitable for every service contract.
An employee asks you to skip invoice approvals to beat the due date. What next?
Escalate the urgency to authorized finance management and preserve the audit trail. Don’t create a fabricated approval.
What if an invoice is approved but appears twice in a payment run?
Stop and check the underlying invoice/payment references before release, documenting the duplicate risk and authorized correction.
Original 100-point AP hiring scorecard
| Competency | Points | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| PO, GRN and invoice matching | 30 | Resolve a sample accepted-quantity difference |
| Numeracy and accurate units | 25 | Calculate net difference without hiding taxes |
| Control and fraud awareness | 20 | Bank-details change and duplicate invoice scenario |
| Systems and reporting discipline | 15 | Complete an exception log |
| Cross-department communication | 10 | Draft a factual supplier follow-up |
First-month action plan
| Week | Task | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learn systems, vendor register and authority matrix | Verified access and supervised invoice review |
| 2 | Reconcile a realistic selection of goods and service invoices | Documented matches and unresolved exceptions |
| 3 | Study payment calendar, supplier statements and tax referrals | Correct hold/payment status records |
| 4 | Review recurring AP delays with purchasing and stores | Prioritized process improvements |
Hotel AP Executive salary and career
The role may suit candidates with relevant commerce, bookkeeping or practical accounts training, depending on the hotel’s needs. Hotels should disclose actual gross pay, location, working hours and skill requirements; no nationwide salary estimate is reliable enough for every property. With competence, progression may include AP Supervisor, Accounts Manager or wider hotel finance roles. Tax, statutory or payment-signing authority depends on genuine qualification and company delegation.
Related HoReCaHire careers and operating resources
See Hotel General Manager duties, Restaurant Manager operations, F&B management, hospitality interview questions and employer job posting.
FAQs
Is accounts payable the same as accounts receivable?
No. AP concerns money the business owes authorized suppliers; AR concerns genuine outstanding amounts due to the business from customers.
Do all invoices need a three-way match?
Not necessarily. A service invoice, utility bill or non-PO expense may require a different documented control according to the actual company’s policies.
Can AP employees change the supplier’s bank account independently?
Banking-detail changes should follow an independently verified and properly authorized workflow, not one individual’s unreviewed action.
Research basis: Oracle NetSuite’s three-way matching guide. The invoice numbers, rupee examples, interview questions and templates are original HoReCaHire teaching material, not statutory accounting guidance or audited hotel records. Tax and payment rules require professional review.
