The General Services Administration yesterday released 2006 per diem rates for government travel, increasing to $99 from $91 the standard daily allowance for lodging, meals and incidental expenses. The rates are effective for travel beginning Oct. 1.
In the 10 lodging markets where the government books the most rooms, the standard hotel per diem average jumped from $114.90 to $120.90. Of those markets, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Antonio all witnessed a decrease, while Washington D.C., Denver, Atlanta and Boston went up.
Perennially pricey New York City continued to boast the highest hotel per diem, and-based on a blend of seasonal averages-hit $202, up from this year's $190.50.
GSA this year revised its approach for calculating federal per diem lodging rates in an attempt to better reflect more current and comprehensive travel data. GSA's per diem rates are based on average daily rate data from a wider cross-section of hotels and from more recent rate information than was used in previous years
(BTN, Aug. 15).