The first edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Hotels was published in 1926 by the Hotel Association of New York City. It represented the first successful organized effort to establish a uniform responsibility accounting system for the lodging industry and one of the first such efforts in any industry.

Today we are on the 12th Revised Edition, effective January 1, 2026, of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI). The resulting standardization established by the Uniform System permits internal and external users of financial statements to compare the financial position and operational performance of a particular property with similar types of properties in the lodging industry. Because the USALI is referenced in many industry contracts and documents, there is a need for interested parties to understand the format and terminology as outlined in the 12th Revised Edition.

The information set forth in this Uniform System is based on a consensus of hotel owners, asset managers, hospitality management companies, brand franchising organizations, independent properties, owner-operated hotels, consultants, benchmark reporting firms, academia, and certified public accountants, and is intended to be consistent with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).