Originally Posted by dc3
Just becuase a hotel has a very high Government rate ABSOLUTELY doesn't mean that the Government will reimburse an employee at that rate. There are published maximums for reimbursement. Get a room for less and the Government pays the lower amount. Get a room for more and it comes out of your pocket, not the Government. Some hotels charge even more. PH Chiago Government rate os about $386.50, while the Government reimbursement is $138. It would take 3 employees sharing a room to not have to pay anything out of pocket for that hotel in Chicago!
If you want to see what the Government reimburses people take a look at:
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/con...Type=GSA_BASIC
Very true. TH and I both can share a room in DC and stay somewhere like the Park Hyatt, but in Chicago, its the HR for us.
Trust me, I'm okay with that.
I have had exemptions granted in DC when every hotel in town has been filled by conventions and the lowest rate I can get would be in gaithersburg or greenbelt and that is a scootch bit out of the way. You really have to plead for that exemption and the highest I have had to go is 40 bucks over the rate at about 189 a few years ago.
I know for a fact that places like the Manchester Hyatt will zero out their gov't rates - fed and state during things like the big geospatial conference in San Diego because they know all those rooms will sell out to the highest bidder. That is not cool.
lala