6 Hotels & Lodging tax and accounting engagements in full — what the client came to us with, what we did, and what it was worth. Each one is specific to hotels & lodging work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $131,000 Reversed — Coffee Shop Group, Toronto
Client: A coffee shop group · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$131,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A coffee shop group in Toronto, Ontario had been reassessed for $131,000 and had 10 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on a previous accountant with no experience of this sector.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and reviewed every sector-specific deduction against the current rules and claimed the ones that had been missed.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $131,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 2 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $16,500 Penalty Avoided — Bar and Live-Music Venue, Hamilton
Client: A bar and live-music venue · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$16,500
Turnaround11 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A bar and live-music venue in Hamilton, Ontario came to us 11 weeks before its filing deadline with seasonal revenue reported without matching the costs that produced it. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $16,500 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We reassigned the asset classes on the CCA schedule and corrected the opening balances, prioritising the items that actually gated the filing and deferring everything that did not.
The result
The return was filed on time and complete. The $16,500 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 9 Weeks To 8 Days — Craft Brewery with a, Regina
Client: A craft brewery with a taproom · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before9 weeks
Close time after8 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a craft brewery with a taproom in Regina, Saskatchewan was built on industry-specific reporting obligations nobody had flagged. The year-end had taken 9 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We documented the positions to the standard the CRA applies to this sector specifically and moved the reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the year-end stopped being a rebuild.
The result
The file reconciles. Month-end closes in 8 days instead of 9 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 4 · Cash and remittance control
$149,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Fine-Dining Restaurant, Kelowna
Client: A fine-dining restaurant · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$149,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
A fine-dining restaurant in Kelowna, British Columbia was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. Equipment and asset classes assigned by guesswork rather than the CCA schedule explained most of the gap.
What we did
We rebuilt the chart of accounts around how a hotels & lodging business actually earns and spends and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$149,000 was released back into working capital. Remittances have been on time every period since, and the forecast shows the tax outflow before it lands.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $68,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Two-Location Bistro, Edmonton
Client: A two-location bistro · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$68,000
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a two-location bistro in Edmonton, Alberta — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. A chart of accounts that told the owner nothing about hotels & lodging margin had never been reviewed.
What we did
We aligned the reporting calendar with the sector’s own seasonal cycle rather than a generic year-end, and ran the numbers across both the corporate and personal returns so the saving was real rather than deferred into someone else's hands.
The result
$68,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Case Study 6 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $15,000 Freed — Food Truck Operator, London
A food truck operator in London, Ontario was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and sector deductions claimed on a general-business basis rather than the hotels & lodging rules already in the file.
What we did
We reviewed every sector-specific deduction against the current rules and claimed the ones that had been missed and put monthly reporting in place so the owner could see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $15,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Figures describe representative engagements of this type; outcomes depend on your own facts. Client names and identifying details are omitted for confidentiality.
