About the Preferred Hotel Program
The Preferred Hotel Program is mandatory for all lodging in Pennsylvania and 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 reduces the integrity of the program and puts the Commonwealth at a disadvantage in the next year's solicitation.
A preferred property must be booked if available within a reasonable distance of the work location. If no preferred hotels are available, the hotel selected must have a rate that is equal to the GSA maximum allowable rate If all hotels are above GSA in an area, contact the Commonwealth Office of Travel Operations (COTO) for assistance.
All reservations must be made using SAP Concur. 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 cannot be made in SAP Concur. Refer to the Agency Lodging Card page for more information.
Mandated at Check In for all Pennsylvania Hotels: REV-1220 Tax Exempt Form
Commonwealth travelers must present a completed REV-1220 tax exempt form (PDF) at check in to a hotel and pay 6% state occupancy tax and, if applicable, 1% additional tax in Philadelphia and Allegheny County. Here is a REV-1220 sample (PDF), illustrating the correct way to fill out the form.
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