Requesting government rate for vacation

[engineergurl]

okay Jersey Mikes has badge day?

 

[bigray76]

^^^You have a Jersey Mike's by you? The original is about 6 miles from my office.

 

[Slugger926]

One should always request Govt. rates if you either pay taxes or vote. (Remember, sales tax is a tax.) "We the People" is part of the Govt.

 

[engineergurl]

^^^You have a Jersey Mike's by you? The original is about 6 miles from my office.

dude, Jersey Mike's rocks, so much better then the $5 footlong.

 

[csb]

Man this thread was hard to find...

Any new opinions on using the government rate (showing ID) for personal travel? It could save me $40 on a hotel stay, but I'm not sure I feel so great about it.

 

[benbo]

Man this thread was hard to find...
Any new opinions on using the government rate (showing ID) for personal travel? It could save me $40 on a hotel stay, but I'm not sure I feel so great about it.

Not sure this is the same as my earlier opinion-

If this is a hotel policy, and they don't care if it is work related I would say why not? (assuming there is no explicit policy about it at work either.)

If either the hotel or the job had some policy forbidding it, I would probably not try. But that is just me, and I mainly wouldn't try because I'm terribly paranoid about getting caught doing something wrong.

 

[MechGuy]

I will admit I have stayed at a hotel at the gov't rate when not on official travel. I don't think there is anything wrong with it. It's not cheating the government in any way, nor the hotel. It's just a discounted rate. I have had times where I was on official gov't travel and tried to stay at the gov't rate and was told no for various reasons... sometimes they just run out of gov't rate rooms (only a certain amount of rooms in the hotel are allocated at that rate), one time I didn't have official orders with me (this only happened one time!) and the hotel wouldn't give me the rate.

But most of the time the hotels don't even flinch.

I've had some cases where the regular rates are less than the gov't rate, so even when I was traveling on official business I stayed at the regular rate because it was cheaper. So it works both ways.

Save $40, go for it. I don't see an ethical problem.

 

[jeb6294]

I don't know that I've ever seen any kind of guidance from the Gov't concerning this. IIRC, all the required "training" we have to do for travel is more concerned with how you use your Gov't credit card. Besides, I always figured that was a hotel policy (I have found plenty of hotels that will not honor Gov't per diem rates) so it is up to them to verify whether it is Gov't travel or not. During my trip to Key West for dive training we stayed in a townhouse at Truman Annex for a week and I was required to take a copy of my travel orders to the office at check-in for them to make a copy. Only time that's ever happened.

In a related note, I'm just happy we can keep our frequent flier/stay points from Gov't travel now. Years ago when I was in Jax you were not allowed to keep any air miles or hotel points. The theory was that the Gov't was paying so they should get any miles/points despite the fact that they would never be able to cash them in.

 

[jeb6294]

I tried to find something on the GSA website and found this under the FAQ...

"Hotels are not required to honor the government's per diem rates. It is a business decision. Additionally, they may or may not extend the rate to other individuals such as government contractors."

That sounds to me like it is all up to the hotel.

 

[Guest]

Man this thread was hard to find...
Any new opinions on using the government rate (showing ID) for personal travel? It could save me $40 on a hotel stay, but I'm not sure I feel so great about it.

The only thing I would add to this discussion ...

When I worked for the State of Florida, we had a Tax Exempt ID - we could use that for goods or services purchased within the state. I don't think requesting an alternate (govt) rate for a hotel stay is unethical but if you were not paying the taxes on it per the Tax Exempt ID, I think that DOES cross the line.

FWIW - I usually ended up getting BETTER rates in Florida than govt rate by just saying asking for a better rate since it was work related.

JR

 

[Dleg]

I think as a basic legal principal, it's never a good idea to misrepresent in any way - as in misprepresenting your status as traveling on government business, when you're actually not. Nothing would probably ever come of it, but say you get a hotel manager with anti-government sentiments to begin with (nah, we don't know anybody like that around here?) and he sees you with your spouse and kids in your bikini every day, obviously not working - well, it could end up being trouble for you, and can always be blown out of proportion.

I wouldn't do it, or, at the very least, I would be totally upfront in my request - "I am a government employee on vacation, and was wondering if your rate applies to me in this case - I am not on business". If the hotel gives you the rate then, you should be in the clear (but why would they?)

 

[csb]

I booked the best available rate. I'm pretty sure I'd just panic the whole time, since it will be totally obvious I'm on vacation and Holiday Inn makes it pretty clear on their website that it's for official business. It's all good.

 

[jeb6294]

The only thing I would add to this discussion ...
When I worked for the State of Florida, we had a Tax Exempt ID - we could use that for goods or services purchased within the state. I don't think requesting an alternate (govt) rate for a hotel stay is unethical but if you were not paying the taxes on it per the Tax Exempt ID, I think that DOES cross the line.

FWIW - I usually ended up getting BETTER rates in Florida than govt rate by just saying asking for a better rate since it was work related.

JR

Gov't employees (USACE employees anyway) now pay tax for stuff, at least they do for hotels and plane tickets. We pay the tax and then just have to put it in our travel reimbursement as a separate line item. Apparently they decided it was easier to just do it that way than have us fight with the front desk every time we stay somewhere...besides it's taxes so they're basically just paying themselves anyways.

 

[Fluvial]

and kids in your bikini every day,

If my kids are in my bikini every day, I've got more problems than just using a government rate.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

:GotPics:

The only time I ever got government rate for anything was when I did some work in central and western NY for NYSDOT. I rocked out the Quality Inn in Falconer. Also stayed on Uncle Sam rates somewhere in Corning (saw the glass works while there!) I'm in private consulting so it typically isn't even a consideration.

 

[IlPadrino]

I think as a basic legal principal, it's never a good idea to misrepresent in any way - as in misprepresenting your status as traveling on government business, when you're actually not.

I see this from a different side... as I wrote originally. I'd ask "Can I have the government rate?" the same way I'd ask "Can I have a senior citizen's discount?" Clearly I'm not a senior citizen so it's up the the desk clerk to give me a break or not. If he asks me "Are you 65?" or "Are you on government travel?" I'd say "no, but I'd appreciate any price break you can give me".

I see this as no different than asking the airline ticket counter if I can get a pass into the Red Carpet Lounge.

 

[TranspoVA]

Government rates are marketing gimmicks...they are not official...and used by hotels to lure people to stay there...I dont see anything unethical at all

 

[z06dustin]

Personally I'm just surprised that the gov't rates are less than the free market rates that anyone else can get. Whatever happened to price gouging Uncle Sam?

I would think that if the rooms are taxed (when I worked for a coop, our rooms were untaxed because we were non-profit.... don't know if the same holds to gov't) that it's not unethical. Maybe at worst a little shady.

 

[benbo]

Government rates are marketing gimmicks...they are not official...and used by hotels to lure people to stay there...I dont see anything unethical at all

They may be marketing gimmicks, but some hotels have asked to see letters from my employer on gvt letterhead, stating that I was there for work, in order to use them. So I assume that at least at those hotels they have an actual policy.

In a case like that would you suggest forging the letter because it is just a "marketing gimmick?"

 

[TranspoVA]

No I definitely would not forge anything to save a few bucks on a hotel room. I have a used governments rates many many times as a gov. employee and as a contractor and have never been asked for any ID...