GROUP TRAVEL
If you are managing a meeting or event where 10 or more people will be staying at the same hotel during the same time for commonwealth business, it makes sense to negotiate with a hotel to set aside a block of rooms for your participants. Follow the instructions for
organizing a group stay to book a block of rooms. Remember that when you book lodging for 10 or more, you must use the agency’s lodging card. Visit our
Booking a Hotel/Lodging page for instructions and additional details.
CONFERENCE HOTELS
Not all conferences are booked at government rates. When attending a conference or event that has a pre-arranged block of rooms, it’s still important to ensure that you pay the lowest possible cost. If the conference is held at a preferred hotel, check the online booking system to ensure that the conference rate is at or below Pennsylvania’s preferred rate.
If the conference rate is higher, reserve your room through our online booking system instead of using the conference procedure. If the conference rate is lower, book your room via the conference procedure and note the lower cost as justification on your expense report.
If the conference hotel is not a preferred property and is charging a higher rate than our preferred hotels, ask yourself, “Is it imperative for my job function to stay at this hotel?” If it’s not, please stay at any nearby preferred hotel. If so, note the reason as justification on your expense report.