Refunds and credit notes

Returns happen — wrong charge, cancelled stay after a deposit, deposit refund on early departure, dispute, OTA error. HotelBee splits this into two operations because they're different things: refund moves money, credit note adjusts the fiscal/accounting record. Most full reversals need both.

Refund vs credit note — when to use which

• Money was paid but no fiscal invoice yet — refund only. The payment is still in draft on the folio; remove it (or refund the matching amount) and you're done.
• Fiscal invoice issued + payment received → guest needs full reversal — issue a credit note for the invoice, then refund the payment.
• Fiscal invoice issued, partial reversal — issue a credit note for the difference, then refund the matching amount.
• Wrong fiscal invoice (wrong customer, wrong VAT) — credit note the wrong one, issue a new correct invoice. No money moves; just paperwork to keep the tax authority's records straight.

How to refund a payment

Open the reservation. In the Payments panel, find the payment to reverse. Two paths depending on how it was originally taken:

If paid through HotelBee Payments (Stripe)

Click the payment row, then Refund. Enter the amount (full or partial) and a reason. HotelBee sends the refund to Stripe, which credits the guest's original card. The refund typically appears on the guest's statement in 3–5 business days. The payment row on the folio shows a refund line underneath the original.

If paid on an external card terminal

Process the refund on your terminal first (most terminals have a Refund or Reverse button). Then in HotelBee, click the payment row and Add Refund — record the negative amount with the same method (Card) and reference the terminal's refund slip in the note. Two records exist now: the original payment and a matching refund line.

If paid cash

Take the cash from the drawer, hand it to the guest, then in HotelBee click the payment and Add Refund with the same Cash method. Get a manager signature on the refund slip if your property requires it.

If paid with an OTA virtual card

Refund through the OTA, not directly. The OTA issued the virtual card, took the guest's payment upstream, and tracks both. Cancel the booking in the OTA's extranet — they'll reverse the virtual card from their side. If the OTA has already paid you out, contact OTA support to claw the funds back.

How to issue a credit note

Credit notes apply to invoices that have already been finalized (and, in fiscal countries, sent to the tax authority). To issue one:

1. Open the invoice from the reservation's Invoices panel or from the global Invoices list.
2. Click Cancel invoice (full reversal) or Credit note (partial reversal — pick the lines to credit).
3. Enter a cancel reason ("Wrong customer details", "Stay cancelled", "VAT correction", etc.). Reasons feed the void/refund report.
4. Confirm. HotelBee generates the credit note, sends a cancel-side fiscal message (when fiscalization is active), and the invoice's status changes to Cancelled. The credit note PDF is downloadable and emailable like a regular invoice.

Fiscalization rules

In countries with mandatory e-fiscalization (Albania, Italy, etc.), every cancel-side document needs to reference the original fiscal record (IIC). HotelBee handles this automatically — your job is to make sure the fiscal device is online when you issue the credit note. If fiscalization fails:

• The credit note enters Pending Cancel state.
• The invoice still shows Cancelled in HotelBee.
• The Failed Fiscalizations module lists everything pending — re-trigger from there once the device is back online.

Where refunds and credit notes show up

• Reservation Payments panel — the payment row gets a refund line underneath; the cancelled invoice gets a Cancelled badge.
• Invoices list — filter by status to find every cancelled invoice and matching credit note.
• Transactions report — refunds appear as negative-amount rows; net day-by-day totals automatically.
• Night audit / Daily Revenue Journal — refunds and credit notes are line items in the daily close.

Best practices

• Reason every refund and credit note — your future self and your auditor will thank you.
• Refund to the original method when possible — guest's expectations match, chargeback risk drops, accounting is simpler.
• Match the credit note to the refund the same day — fiscal record and money movement on the same operating day keeps the books clean.
• Don't refund what you can't credit-note — if the invoice is finalized and you refund without a credit note, your tax-authority records will overstate revenue.