What is Fed Rooms The official Government-sponsored lodging

What is Fed. Rooms®? The official Government-sponsored lodging program allowing agencies to ensure: ØHotels are within per diem and policy compliant Ø Hotels in the right places and at the best value Ø Agency travel budget dollars go further

Benefits of Fed. Rooms® • • Rates always at or below per diem May cancel by 4 pm or later on arrival day = no penalty No deposits to reserve rooms = no travel advances No hidden cost or penalties No charge for early check-out Now over 11, 000 hotels in high demand locations All major chains represented including Marriott Travelers earn awards points on every room night

More Fed. Rooms® Benefits • Hotels are FEMA-compliant (fire-safe hotels), as mandated in the FTR. • CONUS Fed. Rooms properties comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). • Most properties offer amenities such as free breakfast, business center, internet, etc.

Won’t The ‘Government’ Rate Do? Ø Fed. Rooms® rates are negotiated specifically for federal government travelers. Ø Government rates are set by each hotel and may have undisclosed fees and cancellation policies that add up to a higher lodging cost.

Fed. Rooms® Rates Ø Fed. Rooms® rates are always at or below the per diem rate. Ø Most cities have an abundance of hotel rooms and discount them heavily. This translates to saving in your travel budget to use for other trips!

More Hotels…. More Locations Ø The new Fed. Rooms® contract has more than doubled the number of available properties to well over 11, 000. Ø Most of the new properties are in locations requested by Federal travelers.

What’s New? v Long-term Lodging: Stays of 30 days and longer. v Group and Meeting Planning: Meeting planning services. (Both available on Fed. Rooms. com)

Is Fed. Rooms® a mandatory program? Ø The FTR requires travelers to give first consideration to Fed. Rooms® properties and; Ø Provide an approved justification if one is not used.

Six Approved Justifications for Non-Use 1. No Fed. Rooms® properties close to TDY location 2. No vacancies at available Fed. Rooms® properties 3. Lower-cost, negotiated rates in place 4. Mission reasons per trip, such as investigative personnel, security, etc. 5. Conference attendance – pre-arranged lodging 6. OCONUS not in a major city.

The FTR states you must use Gov. Trip or the TMC unless: Ø Conference attendance with negotiated rates Ø Travel to remote locations Ø Complex travel (group travel, many locations, some foreign travel, etc. ) Note: Personal preference is not an FTR exception.

Where In The World Are They? • Using Gov. Trip or the TMC offers an advantage in a contingency situation, because your agency has access to reports to know where your travelers are during TDY.

Fed. Rooms® in Gov. Trip • Fed. Rooms® is on the ‘Government Preferred’ Lodging tab. No justification is needed as all hotels participate in Fed. Rooms®. • The ‘Other Lodging’ tab shows non-Fed. Rooms ® properties, and justifications are needed.

Always Ask For The Fed. Rooms® Rate! ü Save money for your office ü A great room at a great price ü Amenities ü Earn frequent stay points ü Compliance with the regulations

Fed. Rooms® Awareness Campaign Ø ARC has partnered with GSA on a Fed. Rooms® awareness campaign to share the benefits of the program. Ø GSA sends monthly emails to the agency travel contact to distribute to travelers, and there are three surveys for the next 12 months. Ø Most of you have already agreed to participate with us. There is still time if you would like to help increase awareness among your travelers. Ø Contact Travel Services for more information.

Lodging where you need it, when you need it!