What is Purchase order (PO)?
A purchase order is the hotel's record of what it agreed to buy and at what price — the baseline every invoice should be checked against.
A purchase order (PO) is the document a hotel issues to a supplier to confirm what it’s buying, in what quantity, and at what agreed price. It’s the “what was ordered” in a 3-way check.
When an invoice arrives, the PO is the baseline: if the billed unit price is higher than the PO price, that’s supplier price drift worth reviewing. Atrium compares POs, receipts, and invoices inside hotel procurement software.
A PO also sets expectations before any money is committed: it captures the agreed quantity, price, and delivery terms, and it’s where approval and budget checks happen. Without one there’s no agreed baseline to hold the supplier to — every invoice becomes a judgment call, and invoice exceptions are far harder to catch.
Forward about 10 recent supplier invoices and Atrium returns a free Hotel Spend & Exception Report — what changed, what may be duplicated, and what needs review before payment.
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