Rooming list: what it is, how to make one, and a free template

A rooming list is the document you send to the hotel showing who sleeps in which room: each guest's full name, the room type (single, double, twin, triple), who shares with whom, arrival and departure dates and any special requests. The hotel uses it to assign rooms before the group arrives and to check everyone in without a long line at the front desk. Below you'll find what it must include, how to build it step by step, and a free Excel template to download.

What a rooming list is (and why it matters)

When you block rooms for a group, the hotel knows how many rooms it is holding, but not who will be in each one. The rooming list fills that gap. With it, the hotel can:

• assign the right rooms (double, twin, triple) before the group arrives;
• prepare keys and registration cards in advance;
• tell the kitchen about dietary needs and housekeeping about cribs or extra beds;
• bill correctly, because it knows who is in a single room and who is sharing.

For you, it is the record of what was agreed. If a couple arrives and finds two separate beds, the hotel's first question will be: "What did the rooming list say?"

What every rooming list should include

Add passport or ID numbers only if the hotel asks for them. It is common for international stays.

Room type codes

Hotels and tour operators use short codes. Put a legend in the spreadsheet itself so nobody on your team gets them wrong.

Watch out: some hotels use "DBL" for any room for two and confirm the bed type later. When in doubt, spell it out in the notes column: "one bed" or "two beds".

How to make a rooming list, step by step

1. Ask for the room type at booking

The biggest mistake is asking "who are you sharing with?" a week before departure. Ask when people book:

• whether they want a single, double/twin or triple room;
• who they will share with (full name);
• whether they prefer one bed or two.

This also solves pricing: single rooms usually carry an extra charge (the single supplement), so you collect the right amount from the start, whether the traveler pays a deposit and the balance later or pays in full.

2. Check it against your room block

Compare what travelers asked for with what you blocked. If the hotel is holding 10 twins and 2 singles but 4 people asked for a single, you need to negotiate more rooms or offer another option before you finalize the list.

3. One row per guest, grouped by room

Use one row per guest and the same room number for people sharing. The same format then works for singles, doubles and quads, and you can filter and count rooms easily.

4. Review names, children and special requests

Before sending, check:

• names match the passport or ID (no nicknames or initials);
• children's ages, since many rates depend on age;
• who needs accessibility, a low floor or rooms close together;
• dietary needs, if meals are included.

5. Send it by the contract deadline

The deadline is usually in your group contract (the cut-off date). After that, the hotel may release rooms that don't have names. Send it by email with the group name and dates in the subject line, and ask the hotel to confirm receipt.

6. Keep track of versions

Cancellations, roommate swaps, last-minute additions: the list will change. Every time it does, update the date and version number in the header and tell the hotel exactly what changed. Sending "updated list attached" forces the hotel to compare line by line.

Free rooming list template

We prepared a ready-to-use spreadsheet with a group header, a room type legend, a notes column and sample rows (delete them before sending). It opens in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.

Here is what a filled-in list looks like (illustrative example with fictional names):

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

• Mixing up DBL and TWN. Two friends in one bed, or a couple in separate beds, means a complaint in the first minute of the trip. Ask for the bed preference at booking.
• Names that don't match the ID. "Mike" on the list and "Michael J." on the passport slows down check-in. Copy the name from the document.
• Forgetting guests with different dates. Anyone arriving early or staying longer needs their own dates, or the hotel will charge for or release the wrong room.
• No version control. With three files called "rooming list FINAL", nobody knows which one counts.
• Email threads and group chats as the source of truth. Agreeing on roommates across emails, texts and WhatsApp messages and then copying it all into a spreadsheet is where errors creep in. Keep the answers in one place.

What about bus, flight and tour lists?

The same logic applies to the other lists on a trip: bus seats, flight passenger lists, dinner tables, tour groups and transfers. They all answer the same question: who goes where. Once your rooms are organized per traveler, the other lists become much easier.

Be careful with personal data

A rooming list contains personal data and sometimes sensitive information (health, accessibility, diet). Data protection laws apply in most countries, including the GDPR if you work with European hotels or travelers. Send the hotel only what it needs, avoid sharing the list in group chats, and delete old copies after the trip.

How to build your rooming list in PaxWays

If the spreadsheet is becoming a chore, PaxWays keeps your rooming list connected to the trip's bookings:

• Lists per trip: besides rooms, you can create flight, bus, train, meal, tour, transfer and ferry lists.
• Rooms with capacity: each room has a name, how many people fit, and optionally the price package it belongs to (for example, double or single).
• Travelers from your bookings: assign people who have already booked, search by name or email, filter by package and hide rooms that are already full.
• Data collected upfront: questions at checkout or in post-booking forms (such as date of birth or preferences), which can be shown as columns in the list.
• Notes per room and per list, plus CSV export to send to the hotel.
• Multiple departure dates: each departure can have its own lists, and the group leader can see them in the leader portal.

See PaxWays trip operations (page in Portuguese) or book a demo to see a rooming list built from real bookings.