Evolution of the uniform system of accounts for the lodging industry

Abstract

The UniformSystem of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI) was first written in 1926 and has been revised several times since then. Over the decades, the terminology used in this system has changed. For instance, the income statement was referred to as the profit and loss statement in early editions, and the cigar stand was listed as an operated department as part of the income statement through the sixth edition but not thereafter. This article recapitulates the evolution of the USALI since its inception by examining and comparing the contents of this system from the first through the tenth editions. As such, the USALI is better understood.