Government Per Diem Rates for Hotels

Government Per Diem Rates for Hotels

Routespring allows organizations to enable Government Per Diem Rates as part of their hotel travel policy settings. This feature ensures that hotel bookings comply with official per diem allowances set by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

What Are Government Per Diem Rates?

Government Per Diem Rates are the maximum daily lodging rates (excluding taxes) published by the GSA for different U.S. locations and travel dates. These rates are used by U.S. government employees and can also be applied by organizations to control lodging costs.

How It Works in Routespring

When Government Per Diem Rates are enabled in your travel policy:

  • Routespring automatically checks the GSA per diem hotel rate for the destination city and travel dates.

  • The nightly cap is set to the official GSA lodging rate (plus applicable taxes).

  • Any hotel rate that meets or falls below the GSA rate will be considered within policy.

  • This setting overrides all other hotel rate limits (e.g., absolute price limit, relative price limit, or maximum class allowance) when per diem rates are available.

How to Enable Government Per Diem Rates


  1. Navigate to the Company Dashboard > Policies.

  2. Select the policy you want to update.

  3. Click on the Hotels tab.

  4. Locate the option Use Government Per Diem Rates.

  5. Switch the toggle On to activate.

  6. Click Save Changes to apply the setting.

Once enabled, this setting will automatically apply the GSA hotel per diem caps for applicable destinations.

When to Use This Setting

  • For organizations with government contracts or reimbursement rules tied to GSA rates.

  • For cost control in locations where GSA rates are lower than typical market prices.

  • When traveling to destinations where government-negotiated rates are easily available.

Things to Keep in Mind

  • If a GSA rate is not available for a specific city or date, Routespring will revert to your standard hotel policy limits.

  • This setting applies only to hotel bookings. Airfare and car rentals are not impacted by GSA rates.

  • Travelers should still review amenities, cancellation policies, and booking terms to ensure the selected hotel meets trip requirements.