A duplicate vendor payment does not need to look like an obvious accounting error. Two payments can occur in different periods, use slightly different invoice references and still satisfy the same underlying obligation twice.
How duplicates happen
Invoice-number variation, vendor-name variation, re-entry, emergency manual payments, timing differences and payment-method changes can all create duplicate-payment risk.
Why a ledger can be enough to begin
A structured AP ledger or check register often includes vendor, invoice reference, invoice amount, payment amount, payment date and separate check or ACH references. Exact matching catches obvious cases. Controlled fuzzy matching can surface variants.
Exclusions are as important as findings
Voids, reversals, correcting entries, recurring legitimate purchases and split payments should not become recovery cases merely because they share an amount or similar reference.
Recovery is a vendor process
Once the duplicate is proven, the hotel may receive a refund or credit. A managed recovery process should track that outcome through confirmation instead of closing the case when the first email is sent.
Learn more about hotel AP duplicate payment recovery.