AP automation software for hospitality businesses: A complete guide

In hospitality, you need to pay vendors fast. Vendor payments, maintenance costs, and recurring invoices pile up quickly, and they're usually handled by managers who are already juggling ten other things. When payments get delayed, it creates real problems. A late linen service payment means no clean sheets. A missed maintenance invoice means broken equipment stays broken.

More hospitality businesses now use AP automation software to handle approvals across multiple properties, track vendor payments in real time, and take the admin work off their on-site teams.

Here's how AP automation actually works in hospitality, and where Ramp Bill Pay fits in.

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 eat up hours of staff time. That means less attention on guest services and day-to-day operations.

What makes hospitality AP harder than other industries

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:

When late payments delay food and supply deliveries, stall repairs, or degrade vendor relationships—each of these directly impacts your guests' experience.

What AP automation actually fixes in hospitality

No more manual invoice entry

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. It digitizes invoice capture, routes approvals automatically, and eliminates manual data entry.

Automation cuts your AP costs

Eliminating paper invoices, physical document storage, and manual reconciliation cuts overhead. Some hospitality groups report their AP teams spend 50-70% less time on invoice processing after automation.

That time gets redirected to higher-value work like vendor negotiations, spend analysis, and forecasting.

Remote approvals of invoices

For hospitality groups with distributed properties or regional finance leads, cloud-based AP software means approvers can review invoices from anywhere. A regional manager can approve a vendor payment from their phone between property visits, instead of waiting until they're back at a desk.

That flexibility matters when your team works irregular shifts or travels constantly.

Timely vendor payments

Vendors are critical partners in hospitality. A late payment to your linen supplier might mean delayed deliveries during peak season. A duplicate payment creates reconciliation headaches for both sides.

Automation reduces those mistakes. Timely, accurate payments build trust and can open the door to better pricing or priority service when you need it most.

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 give you better visibility into what's coming due.

That means you can time payments around your occupancy patterns. If you know a slow week is coming, you can schedule non-urgent payments for after your next event weekend when cash flow improves.

Why most AP software doesn't work for hotels and restaurants

Most AP tools are built for companies with steady cash flow, one central office, and the same vendors every month. If you're running a hotel, restaurant, or resort, you already know that's not how your business works.

Your finance team is juggling:

• 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

Software built for hospitality needs to handle this variability without forcing you to work around it. That means flexible approval workflows for urgent purchases, payment methods that work for both your national suppliers and the local produce vendor, and visibility across locations without losing site-level control.

How Ramp Bill Pay handles AP across multiple properties

Ramp Bill Pay automates your AP process, from capturing invoices to issuing payments and syncing with your accounting system.

The platform includes OCR-enabled invoice capture, purchase order matching, flexible approval workflows, and multi-method payment scheduling (ACH, checks, or cards). It integrates directly with popular ERP platforms, so your data stays in sync.

If you're managing multiple hotel properties or restaurant locations, it handles the complexity without requiring separate systems for each site.

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.

When a food supplier sends an invoice, Ramp captures the data and matches it against order records. It routes the invoice to your location manager, who can approve it directly in the platform. Payments get scheduled automatically based on terms and cash flow needs.

Ramp Bill Pay also supports mobile approvals, location-level controls, and real-time spend tracking. That means distributed teams stay aligned on payments and policy, even across multiple properties. Here's a breakdown of a few of Ramp's AP features.

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 Bill Pay 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. Ramp offer direct integrations 200+ applications, including connections 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.

AI agents for accounts payable

Ramp is also introducing AI agents for AP—autonomous systems built into Ramp that go beyond workflow automation. These agents understand invoice context and take action on behalf of your team. They code line items based on historical data, flag potential fraud, suggest the appropriate approver, and submit card payments when applicable.

How much time and money automation actually saves

Ramp Bill Pay 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.

For hospitality businesses managing multiple properties, this means fewer late payments, cleaner books, and a finance team that can actually focus on strategy instead of chasing down invoices.

What changed when hospitality companies automated AP

Here's what actually changed when hospitality companies automated their AP process. These aren't just time savings—they're examples of finance teams getting out of manual reconciliation and into work that actually moves the business forward.

How Adrift Hospitality reduced month-end close with AP automation

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 Ramp Bill Pay makes sense for your hospitality business

If you're managing payments across multiple properties, you know the drill: invoices pile up, approvals get stuck waiting for the right manager, and your team spends hours entering the same vendor details over and over.

Ramp Bill Pay handles the repetitive parts. It routes approvals to the right location manager automatically, stores vendor information so you don't re-enter it, and gives you a single view of what's been paid and what's pending across all your properties. You can set spending controls by location, and your accounting team can see everything in real time.

If you're already using software for AP, Ramp might simplify things. If you're still doing this manually, it's worth looking at.

Get started with Ramp Bill Pay.

*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.