Preferred Hotel Program
The Preferred Hotel Program applies for all lodging in Pennsylvania. It is designed to reduce agencies' travel spending by maximizing the commonwealth's ability to contract at rates equal to or less than the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) allowance. Each year, hundreds of Pennsylvania hotels can submit a solicitation and generate more "room nights" in their geographical area in exchange for the commonwealth agreeing not to send business to these hotels' competitors. Every "out-of-policy" hotel booking in an area where a preferred hotel is available reduces the integrity of the program and puts the commonwealth at a disadvantage in the next year's solicitation.
As mandated by Commonwealth Travel Policy, a preferred property must be booked if available within a reasonable distance of the work location. If a preferred hotel is not available,
the hotel selected must have a rate that is equal to or less than the GSA maximum allowable rate for the area where the hotel is located. All reservations must be made using SAP Concur, the Commonwealth's online booking system.
Those without access to SAP Concur and/or travelers without an assigned SAP identification number must have their reservations made by an agency-assigned delegate.
If requesting use of the Agency Lodging Card, these reservations can not be made using SAP Concur. Refer to the
Agency Lodging Card page for more information.
Required at Check in:
REV-1220 Tax Exempt Form
In Pennsylvania, commonwealth travelers must present a completed REV-1220 tax exempt form (PDF) at check-in to a hotel. Commonwealth employees must pay the 6% state occupancy tax and, if applicable, the 1% additional tax applicable in Philadelphia or Allegheny county. Here is a REV-1220 sample (PDF), illustrating the correct way to fill out the form. REV-1220 Clarification from the Department of Revenue (PDF) states that Commonwealth employees traveling on Commonwealth business are exempt from hotel occupancy tax levied by Pennsylvania's local municipalities.