Originally Posted by
SeamusSA
The general rule is that federal rates are available to federal employees, sometimes (but not always) to federal contractors
when traveling on official business. They are not for use in personal travel. Technically speaking, when a federal employee adds personal days onto business travel the hotel could deny the government rate for the personal days but that rarely happens, IME. They would have to see official travel orders to determine which nights were federal and which were personal, and few actually ask to see orders. [Especially in heavy business markets, published weekend rates may actually be lower than the government rate.]
Properties are not required to offer these rates, nor to align the rates they list as government with the applicable per diem allowance. There is a federal program -
www.fedrooms.com - in which some hotels participate where they agree to provide lodging at a rate equal to the federal per diem, but do not guarantee availability.
Rates described as State or other non-federal governmental units have similar guidelines.
In practice, especially during low occupancy times, the request to provide government ID may not happen.
You've done enough damage by posting wildly inaccurate information here. As stated by other posters, here is Marriott's OFFICIAL policy:
At most Marriott hotels the government rate is available to eligible guests regardless of whether they are traveling on business or pleasure. However, some hotels may only make the government per diem rate available to guests traveling on official business. Please check the hotel’s rate description for details. If the rate description states that the rate is only for guests traveling on official government business, please be prepared to present travel orders when checking in.
So please go back and edit your post to make it consistent with the information above. BTW, I use Marriott's government rates all the time for leisure stays. I have yet to find even one hotel that makes the government rate valid only for stays on official government business. If I ever do, of course, I won't be staying there on a leisure trip.