A travel agency that specialises in commercial business and usually has little or no walk-in clientèle.

A property, usually located in a downtown or business district, that caters primarily to business clients. Also called a transient hotel.

Travel for business purposes, not for pleasure.

A complimentary or "comp" room is an occupied room for which the guest is not charged. A hotel may offer comp rooms to a group in ratio to the total number of rooms the group occupies. One comp room may be offered for every fifty rooms occupied, for example.

A ratio that shows the percentage of occupied rooms that are complementary and generate no revenue; calculated by dividing complimentary rooms for a period by total available rooms for the same period. Sometimes referred to simply as complimentary occupancy.

Compound Butter - Are mixtures of butter and supplementary ingredients. Primarily, they are used to enhance flavour in various dishes, in a fashion similar to a sauce.

Concierges - Person who assist guests by making restaurant reservations, arranging for transportation, getting tickets for theatre, sporting etc.

A hotel in which an investor takes title to a specific hotel room, which remains in the pool to be rented to transient guests whenever the investor is not using the room. The investor expects to receive again from the increase in the value of the hotel over time, as well as receive ongoing income from the rental of his or her room.

A pre-arranged travel program, usually for a group, that includes escort service. A sight-seeing program, such as a city tour, conducted by a guide. Also called an escorted tour.

A specialized hotel, usually accessible to major market areas but in less busy locations, that almost exclusively books conferences, executive meetings, and training seminars. A conference centre may provide extensive leisure facilities.

A code that provides a unique reference to a reservation record and assures the guest that the reservation record exists.

When Reservation is guaranteed with a Credit card, Deposit, Company / TA voucher etc. An oral or written statement by the supplier (a carrier, hotel, car rental company, etc.) that he or she has received and will honour a reservation. Oral confirmations have virtually no legal worth.

Two or more guest rooms with private connecting door permitting guests access between rooms without their having to go into the corridor.

Consistency - The degree of density, firmness or solidity of a mixture

Contamination - The transfer of bacteria from one food to another.