Requesting government rate for vacation

[benbo]

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...

I have stayed on government rates a good 100 times in the past 7 years and can only remember a few times when I was not asked for at least my ID. Maybe it depends which hotel chain. I primarily stay in Holiday Inn and Hilton and am preferred guest at both so they know where I work. But they still ask for my ID.

 

[chaosiscash]

Yep, they have always asked for my ID. And we have been expressly told many times that we are not to use our govt. ID for travel (or anything else) unless its official travel.

 

[MechGuy]

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.

The gov't rates aren't always cheaper, its just set to whatever the GSA per diem is for that location. I've had many instances where the regular rates were cheaper than the going per diem rates (especially in FLA during the winter months!) so I went with the cheaper rates...then I had to laugh at my federal government companions who paid more by staying at the gov't rate because their travel system couldn't book the cheaper rate even if they wanted to.. brilliant!