Originally Posted by boyddr
What are the rules for qualifying for the government rate? Is it simply being a government employee, or does one have to be traveling on official orders? It's not really clear when trying to reserve a room online.
I travel on State business all the time. I am asked for my gov't ID nearly every time BECAUSE we are required to use a tax exempt form (California needs to save every single dime we can, trust me) to exempt us from having to pay taxes. Nearly 80% of the hotels I stay in accept my tax exempt form.
Many, many times, the federal rate is lower! This urks us big time because the hotels know what our per diem is and price the rate accordingly. For example, I can't get a State rate in SF Hilton for under $140! Argh....because they know the State per diem in that county is $140. Meanwhile, the Federal per diem is lower in that county so they can get in much cheaper.
We NEVER book a rate that says Federal because it will state State Rate if that rate includes State! Trust me...we've called on this many times and have been burned too.
If a hotel asks for "working orders," they are definitely refering to Federal employees. State employees do not have "working orders."
They make a copy of my ID every time I'm at a hotel. That is fine with me, I am not supposed to hide the fact that I am a State government worker (have no idea why the other poster would object to them making a copy of his state/federal ID, if he was in fact a state/federal worker--that is the price of being a public servant...ESPECIALLY if he/she is benefiting from that particular rate. That would be like booking a AAA rate and refusing to give them the AAA number! What is THAT all about?).
Anyway...that is my experience. Now, if I am not traveling on state business, I will definitely NOT use the tax exempt form and then I am rarely asked for my ID, but I always have it and am more than HAPPY to provide it...I am using that rate so of course they can take a copy of my state ID! But like the poster said, there are usually so many better rates than state anyway so that is rarely an issue when I am not on state business.
Dawn