Understanding Staff Roles and Permissions
Last updated: November 2025
Learn about different staff roles in InnGO and what permissions each role has. Set up your team correctly to ensure smooth hotel operations.
Overview of Staff Roles
InnGO provides several pre-defined roles, each with appropriate permissions:
- Owner - Complete control of everything
- Manager - Almost full access, manages daily operations
- Receptionist - Handles bookings and guest services
- Housekeeping - Manages room cleanliness and maintenance
- Restaurant Staff - Handles food orders and service
- Accountant - Views financial reports
- Custom Role - Define specific permissions
Owner Role (That's You!)
Full Access Includes:
- ✓ All booking operations (create, edit, delete, view)
- ✓ Room management (add, edit, delete rooms)
- ✓ Price settings and adjustments
- ✓ Staff management (add, edit, remove staff)
- ✓ Financial reports and analytics
- ✓ Subscription and billing management
- ✓ Hotel settings and configuration
- ✓ API keys and integrations
- ✓ Delete hotel account
⚠️ Security Note: Only owner account can access subscription billing and payment methods. This protects your financial information.
Manager Role
Purpose
For your trusted hotel manager who handles daily operations when you're not around.
Can Do:
- ✓ Create and manage all bookings
- ✓ Check guests in and out
- ✓ Process payments and refunds
- ✓ Add and edit rooms
- ✓ Change room prices
- ✓ View all financial reports
- ✓ Add staff members (below manager level)
- ✓ Edit housekeeping and receptionist accounts
- ✓ Manage restaurant orders
- ✓ Export data and reports
Cannot Do:
- ✗ Change subscription plan
- ✗ Access billing information
- ✗ Delete hotel account
- ✗ Remove owner access
- ✗ Add other manager-level users
💡 Best For: General managers, assistant managers, or trusted family members helping run the hotel.
Receptionist Role
Purpose
For front desk staff who interact with guests and handle bookings.
Can Do:
- ✓ Create new bookings
- ✓ Edit existing bookings (dates, guest info)
- ✓ Process check-ins
- ✓ Process checkouts
- ✓ Record payments
- ✓ View all bookings
- ✓ Search guest information
- ✓ Update booking status
- ✓ Add notes to bookings
- ✓ View room availability
- ✓ Print receipts and invoices
Cannot Do:
- ✗ Delete bookings (can only cancel)
- ✗ Add or edit rooms
- ✗ Change room prices
- ✗ Manage staff accounts
- ✗ View detailed financial reports
- ✗ Access hotel settings
💡 Best For: Front desk staff, reservation agents, guest services personnel.
Housekeeping Role
Purpose
For cleaning staff to update room status and track cleaning tasks.
Can Do:
- ✓ View room status (occupied, vacant, cleaning)
- ✓ Mark rooms as "Cleaning"
- ✓ Mark rooms as "Clean" or "Available"
- ✓ Mark rooms as "Maintenance Needed"
- ✓ View today's checkouts
- ✓ View expected check-ins (to prepare rooms)
- ✓ Add notes to room status
- ✓ View cleaning priority list
Cannot Do:
- ✗ View guest personal information
- ✗ See payment details
- ✗ Create or edit bookings
- ✗ Check guests in or out
- ✗ Access financial reports
💡 Best For: Housekeeping staff, cleaning supervisors, maintenance personnel.
Nigerian Context
Many Nigerian hotels have housekeeping staff with limited tech experience. InnGO's simple interface allows them to easily update room status with just a few taps.
Restaurant Staff Role
Purpose
For managing hotel restaurant, bar, or room service orders.
Can Do:
- ✓ View and manage restaurant orders
- ✓ Create new food/drink orders
- ✓ Update order status (preparing, served, paid)
- ✓ Record payments for meals
- ✓ View menu items and prices
- ✓ Add special requests to orders
- ✓ Generate daily sales reports
Cannot Do:
- ✗ Access guest booking information
- ✗ Manage rooms
- ✗ View overall hotel financials
- ✗ Check guests in or out
📝 Note: Restaurant features require Starter plan or higher. Track orders, manage inventory, and boost revenue!
Accountant Role
Purpose
For financial staff who need to see revenue but shouldn't modify bookings.
Can Do:
- ✓ View all financial reports
- ✓ See revenue by date range
- ✓ View payment records
- ✓ Export financial data to CSV
- ✓ See occupancy rates
- ✓ View booking statistics
- ✓ Access revenue breakdown by room type
Cannot Do:
- ✗ Create or edit bookings
- ✗ Process check-ins or checkouts
- ✗ Record new payments
- ✗ Manage rooms or staff
- ✗ Change prices
💡 Best For: Accountants, bookkeepers, financial auditors, external consultants.
Custom Role
Create a role with specific permissions for unique situations:
- Part-time staff with limited access
- Security personnel who need to see guest list only
- Event coordinators managing group bookings
- Consultants needing read-only access
How to Create Custom Role
- Add new staff member
- Select "Custom Role"
- Check specific permissions to grant
- Save and staff gets only those capabilities
Permission Matrix
| Feature |
Owner |
Manager |
Receptionist |
Housekeeping |
Accountant |
| Create Bookings |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Edit Bookings |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Delete Bookings |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Process Check-in/out |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Record Payments |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Manage Rooms |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Update Room Status |
✓ |
✓ |
Limited |
✓ |
✗ |
| Change Prices |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
✗ |
| View Financial Reports |
✓ |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
✓ |
| Manage Staff |
✓ |
Limited |
✗ |
✗ |
✗ |
| Subscription/Billing |
✓ |
✗ |
✗ |
✗ |
✗ |
Choosing the Right Role
Questions to Ask
- Does this person handle money? → Receptionist or Manager
- Do they only clean rooms? → Housekeeping
- Do they need to see financial data? → Manager or Accountant
- Will they manage other staff? → Manager
- Do they only serve food? → Restaurant Staff
💡 Principle of Least Privilege: Give staff only the permissions they need for their job. This protects your data and reduces errors.
Changing Staff Roles
As staff grow or responsibilities change:
- Go to Settings → Staff Management
- Click on staff member
- Click Edit
- Change role from dropdown
- Permissions update automatically
- Staff sees new access next time they log in
Common Role Changes
- Promotion: Receptionist → Manager
- Cross-training: Housekeeping → Receptionist
- Reduced access: Manager → Accountant (if leaving but helping with books)
Security Best Practices
- ✓ Assign roles based on actual job duties
- ✓ Don't give everyone Manager access "just in case"
- ✓ Review staff roles quarterly
- ✓ Remove access immediately when staff leave
- ✓ Don't share login credentials between staff
- ✓ Use strong passwords for all accounts
- ✓ Monitor staff activity logs (Professional Plan)
- ✓ Train staff on data privacy
Common Scenarios
Scenario 1: Night Receptionist
Role: Receptionist
Why: Can handle late check-ins, create bookings, but can't change prices or access full financials unsupervised at night.
Scenario 2: Housekeeping Supervisor
Role: Custom Role with Housekeeping + limited Booking view
Why: Needs to see upcoming checkouts and check-ins to plan cleaning, but doesn't need guest payment info.
Scenario 3: Family Member Helping Part-Time
Role: Manager
Why: Trusted family, handles everything when you're away, but still shouldn't access billing.
Scenario 4: External Accountant
Role: Accountant
Why: Needs to see revenue for tax filing, but shouldn't be able to create bookings or modify data.
Need More Help?
For staff role assistance:
- Email: support@inngo.com
- Live chat in dashboard
- Visit Help Center