[slt2021]

Imagine company gives $100/night allowance for hotel, but we can make thought experiment and say that allowance is $0 (and $100/night is included in salary instead).

That makes travel allowance a part of your paycheck, and all expected travel expense is loaded upfront in your salary.

then it becomes up to you - whether you go to luxury hotel for a business trip, or a medium range. Company becomes indifferent to your choices, and it becomes your choice how much to spend.

what would you choose this time?

same for business class tickets

[brailsafe]

It's also not a good comparison because if you're truly an employee, you pay tax on that money, whereas the company saves tax on that company expense. The answer of your previous hypothetical would totally depend on _all_ the circumstances. Do I personally control the reward system for having gone to the conference? Do I need day to day consistency? What are my available options in the area and how do those help or hinder my ability to succeed? How much does the company, employed or otherwise, stand to make from my performing this task?

The only situation in which it'd actually be obviously excessive is when the choice would be considered truly opulent and wildly expensive given all of the circumstances.

A 3 star to a 4 or 5 star is probably not so clear if all options are available.

If I was tasked with going somewhere on behalf of a company that I don't control, then I'd pick a place that would likely start at a cost of around $3-400 USD per night with no exceptional circumstances prevailing. All hotels basically suck, that range would let me not be concerned about where I'm staying, and do well the next day if I needed to.

[pempem]

This is how per diem used to work.

Amazingly corporations decided budgeting it out would save them money. Even a 500/night hotel cap is better than the difference going in the employees pocket from the corporation vantage point.

Why are so many people so intent on assuming malicious intent on behalf of individuals and positive intent on behalf of organizations. Corporations have exactly one mandate: make as much money as possible. You are a line item, a cost. They will always squeeze you because it is the nature of the organization.

[paulcole]

I would make a different choice because it’s a totally different situation. If a company wants me spending $100/night on hotels then give me $100/night. Don’t say, “Spend our money as if you were spending your own money” and then be upset when I do that.

[8n4vidtmkvmk]

company i work for just gives us the prices. choose the location and they tell you how much you can spend on flight on hotel based on current rates. very easy. but we have access to a lot of data.. probably not so easy for other companies to price map the world. but they could probably at least give specific examples. ritz Carlton no, but something nicer than motel 6... maybe take the median price for hotels within x mile radius and add 10% or whatever, let the employee work it out and if some excessive expense shows up it shouldn't be too hard to work it out by hand to see if they were being unreasonable