AP automation software for hospitality businesses: A complete guide

In hospitality, timely accounts payable (AP) execution is critical. Vendor payments, maintenance costs, and recurring invoices need to be processed fast—often by managers who are constantly in motion. Without a well-structured AP system, delays can affect guest experience, disrupt operations, and damage vendor relationships.

Hospitality businesses are increasingly turning to AP automation software to manage approvals across properties, track vendor payments in real time, and reduce the admin burden on on-site staff.

Here’s how modern AP automation software supports hospitality operations—and how Ramp’s AP automation solution is designed to support the complex AP and invoice processing.

The hidden cost of manual accounts payable in hospitality

Many hospitality businesses continue to rely on manual accounts payable processes—even while upgrading their guest-facing technologies. Paper invoices, handwritten checks, physical approvals, and manual data entry consume significant staff time, diverting attention from guest services and operational priorities.

Why AP in hospitality Is uniquely challenging

Hospitality businesses manage a wide variety of vendors, from food and beverage distributors to facilities maintenance providers, each with different payment terms and expectations. Timely payments are critical to ensure uninterrupted service. At the same time, property managers and GMs are rarely at their desks to approve invoices, slowing the process further.

When AP processes break down, the impact goes beyond finance:

These inefficiencies create real risk: late payments can delay food and supply deliveries, stall repairs, or degrade vendor relationships—each of which directly impacts the guest experience.

How AP automation supports hospitality operations

Improved efficiency and fewer errors

Hospitality businesses often process hundreds of invoices each month—from food and beverage orders to linen services, maintenance, and IT. Manually keying in invoice details or chasing down email approvals slows things down and introduces unnecessary risk. AP automation software removes much of that burden by digitizing invoice capture, streamlining approvals, and automating data entry—significantly reducing errors and accelerating processing times.

Lower operating costs

Eliminating paper invoices, physical document storage, and manual reconciliation not only improves accuracy—it cuts overhead. Teams spend less time on low-value tasks and more time on financial oversight, vendor negotiations, and spend forecasting.

Supports remote and multi-location teams

For hospitality groups with distributed properties or regional finance leads, cloud-based AP software enables remote access to invoice approvals and payment scheduling. That flexibility is essential when managers are constantly on the move or working irregular shifts.

Stronger supplier relationships

Vendors are essential partners in hospitality, and timely, accurate payments help maintain those relationships. Automation reduces the chance of missed or duplicate payments, which can improve supplier trust and open the door to better pricing or priority service.

Better cash flow control

Faster invoice approval cycles make it easier to take advantage of early payment discounts and avoid late fees. AP automation tools also offer better visibility into upcoming payments, allowing finance teams to schedule disbursements around occupancy trends, event cycles, or seasonal demand.

Why hospitality businesses need AP software designed for their business

Generic AP tools often assume centralized operations, predictable cash flow, and standardized vendor relationships. In hospitality, none of that holds true.

Hospitality finance teams need to handle:

• Varied invoice formats from large distributors and small local vendors
• Emergency repairs or urgent supply orders requiring immediate payment
• Seasonal cash flow changes tied to occupancy and events
• Multi-location structures that require both local autonomy and corporate control
• Compliance needs around alcohol, food safety, and vendor licensing

Ramp Bill Pay is designed to handle this variability, offering tools that map to the actual structure and pace of hospitality operations.

Ramp AP automation software and how it works for hospitality businesses

Ramp Bill Pay is Ramp’s accounts payable automation platform, designed to simplify each stage of the AP process—from capturing invoices and routing them for approval to issuing payments and syncing with your accounting systems. While Ramp is primarily recognized for its spend management and corporate card offerings, Ramp Bill Pay broadens the platform’s capabilities with tools such as OCR-enabled invoice capture, purchase order matching, flexible approval workflows, multi-method payment scheduling (ACH, checks, or cards), and direct integration with popular ERP platforms.

It’s designed for the pace and complexity of various businesses, including hospitality groups with multiple properties.

The system automates key AP processes that matter in hospitality, such as:

• Invoice ingestion: Digitizes invoices from email, mail, or supplier portals, reducing manual entry
• Automated coding: Suggests correct GL codes based on your rules—ensuring consistency across departments and locations
• Approval workflows: Routes invoices to the appropriate property managers or department leads, with reminders to prevent bottlenecks
• Payment execution: Processes payments via ACH, card, or check while maintaining control over timing and method

In practice, that means when a food supplier sends an invoice, Ramp captures the data, matches it against order records, and routes it to the location manager—who can approve it directly in one unified platform. Payments are scheduled automatically based on terms and cash flow needs. Ramp’s AP automation software also supports mobile approvals, location-level controls, and real-time spend tracking—ensuring that even distributed teams stay aligned on payments and policy.

Key features of Ramp’s AP automation software that hospitality companies should look for

Ramp’s AP automation software includes tools built to reduce the time and complexity of managing payables across multiple business types. This includes:

Automated invoice capture and data extraction

OCR technology extracts key invoice data—vendor name, line items, amounts, due dates—reducing the risk of errors from manual entry. For businesses processing dozens or hundreds of invoices weekly, this significantly lightens the load on AP staff.

Customizable approval workflows

Managing invoices across hotel locations, restaurant brands, or franchise units requires agile, tailored approval processes. Ramp Bill Pay’s customizable workflows let finance teams configure approvals by property, location, department, or vendor. For hospitality companies, this means that property managers can review and approve expenses quickly from their phones—keeping AP moving even when they’re away from their desks.

Centralized vendor onboarding and management

With a rotating roster of suppliers for food, maintenance, linens, and services, hospitality teams benefit from a unified vendor database. Ramp’s AP software consolidates all vendor records, including 1099 tax documents and onboarding verification, reducing duplicate entries and bolstering fraud prevention. This organizational clarity speeds up audits and enables quick updates during supplier transitions—crucial for multi-property groups managing dozens or hundreds of accounts.

Faster, more accurate payments

Ramp Bill Pay’s automated payment execution means approved invoices can be paid by ACH, virtual card, or check, based on vendor preferences. Payment timing controls make it easier for hospitality finance teams to avoid penalties and capture early-payment discounts, yielding savings that add up over high invoice volumes.

Integrations with leading accounting platforms

Ramp integrates with whichever accounting system your business uses—so you can reconcile your books without friction. We offer direct integrations with leading ERPs and accounting platforms like NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct, and Acumatica, enabling real-time sync of vendor bills, reimbursements, payments, and accounting fields. Select systems also support bi-directional sync for vendor bills and imported item receipts.

For platforms without native integrations, Ramp also provides Universal CSV (uCSV) exports that match your chart of accounts, tracking categories, and project codes for seamless reconciliation. Ramp also offers a robust API and trusted implementation partners to support custom integrations when needed.

Low pricing and processing fees

Ramp offers a free plan that lets you manage spend, automate vendor payments, and speed up your month-end close. For organizations with more advanced needs, Ramp Plus is available at $15 per user per month, and custom Enterprise plans are also available upon request. Plus, you can handle all domestic and global vendor payments on a single platform—by check, card, ACH, or international wire with zero fees\*.

Audit-ready documentation

Every transaction and approval is logged with a full audit trail. A centralized system ensures receipts, invoices, supporting contracts, and communication history are accessible—essential for quality audits, financial reviews, and vendor disputes.

Operational and financial impact of automating hospitality AP

Ramp’s accounts payable software replaces repetitive, manual AP tasks with automation—freeing up employee time and reducing costs across multiple locations. Finance and accounting teams no longer need to re-enter invoice data, chase down approvers, or manually schedule payments, allowing them to focus on higher-value activities.

Efficiency gains include:

• Time saved per invoice: Automation can save approximately 15–20 minutes per invoice, especially significant during peak seasons when invoice volume spikes
• Labor cost reduction: Customers report reducing their invoice processing costs by 60–80% compared to manual methods, through less manual labor and faster cycle times
• Error reduction: Ramp’s AI-powered data extraction and validation typically cut invoice processing errors, minimizing costly rework, duplicate payments, and delays

Ramp Bill Pay enables hospitality businesses to improve operational efficiency, reduce administrative burdens, and maintain service continuity—while ensuring robust controls and audit readiness throughout their portfolio of properties.

AP automation success stories from hospitality services

From faster month-end closes to fewer hours spent on reconciliation and approvals, these companies are using AP automation software to simplify accounts payable and free up time for higher-impact work.

How Adrift Hospitality reduced month-end close with Ramp Bill Pay

Adrift Hospitality’s AP process used to rely on a few credit card holders and manual reconciliation across properties—resulting in time-consuming coding, lost receipts, and fragmented oversight. Month-end close dragged on, and the finance team lacked confidence in the accuracy and completeness of their records.

With Ramp, Adrift replaced that patchwork system with automated coding, virtual cards for recurring expenses, and property-level visibility. GMs and managers now handle spend in real time, with automatic reminders and controls built in. Bill payments are tracked centrally, and finance no longer needs to manage petty cash or scramble to reassign vendor payments when employees leave.

The result: a faster, more organized close process, fewer hours spent on manual tasks, and a finance function better equipped to support growth.

“Not having to focus on things that take up a lot of time, like coding hundreds of transactions every month, allows our GMs to have time to review the financials on a monthly basis and dig into why or what they were spending their money on.” — Beck Blasko, COO at Adrift Hospitality

Why hospitality businesses automate AP with Ramp Bill Pay

Ramp’s AP automation software helps hospitality teams manage high transaction volumes, streamline location-level approvals, and eliminate manual invoice work across properties. With built-in controls and real-time visibility, it supports everything from vendor payments to recurring operating expenses—all in one system.

Get started with Ramp Bill Pay.

Explore how Ramp Bill Pay supports AP automation across teams, company sizes, and industries

*Same-day ACH payments and International payments may incur a fee unless you are using a Ramp Business Account. Ramp Bill Pay is available on our free plan with no software or transaction fees. Note that certain ERP integrations require a Ramp Plus account, which includes a monthly fee.