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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aibu to think work should pay for hotels?

39 replies

Lochnessgiraffe · 08/04/2022 08:25

I have to go up to the office for work approx once a month. I know I'm very lucky to not need to go up more often.
If its a day thing I'll travel up the night before and stay in a Premier Inn. It takes me 4 hours to get to work. So I'm OK to pay for it myself.
Now we had an away day last month where we all had to stay if needed at a particular hotel. All fine I offered to book it myself but it had already been organised. If I'd booked it myself it would have been £90. Them booking it cost me £150 for the same room.
Now I'll get the money back on expenses this month so it ok. But they paid for some people outright which was frustrating.
My aibu. We have a 3 day training this month so everyone needs to stay at least 2 nights. Again I've been told they'll book the room but I'm concerned if it's £150 again that means I need to come up with £450 just for the hotel plus dinner out.
Should I push for them paying it upfront or just suck it up and claim it back? I think they should pay.

OP posts:

LIZS · 08/04/2022 08:30

Why are they not getting a corporate rate (or does the room rate include a share of the conference cost). If it is a work event work should pay but presumably it is your choice to commute four hours and stay over near the office on those occasions.

Haus1234 · 08/04/2022 08:30

They are paying, via expenses. If they are paying directly for others then you can of course ask but having to pay and then claim expenses is very normal.

PAFMO · 08/04/2022 08:33

You said you've been told they will book. So let them.
They are also paying.
The first room didn't cost you anything.
The bit about Premier Inn is irrelevant.

darlingdodo · 08/04/2022 08:36

It seems a bit odd that work book it but you pay for it. Surely they book and pay via corporate agent, or pay themselves when they booked. Think it's strange the hotel actually allowed them to book but expect 3rd party to pay - not how it usually works.

stuntbubbles · 08/04/2022 08:39

That is a bit shit. My company is terrible in many ways (let me count them!), but they are good at saying “Let us know if you can’t pay this upfront to be expensed later, and we’ll arrange it”. Mind you they also pay terribly so know full well the juniors can’t fund certain expenses, so swings and roundabouts.

JurasicPerks · 08/04/2022 08:42

They are paying? Just not directly.
When this was me, I used to have a second credit card that was just used for work stuff. It made putting in expenses easy, so long as you kept all the receipts, and if I submitted things promptly on my return, had the money before the credit card bill needed paying.
Flights were paid for, but everything else needed putting through expenses.

Teeturtle · 08/04/2022 08:48

I have always done a lot of business travel with work for various different companies. At all of them as far as I can recall, if anyone does more than the occasional night of business travel they are provided with a corporate Amex to pay for it. If somebody quite rarely travels in business, then whilst the hotel is booked via company systems and at company rates, it still needs to be paid for at the hotel and in this case the employee would pay and expense later.

So I don’t think there is anything unusual about this arrangement, but if it is happening regularly, I think it would be reasonable for you to discuss another arrangement, such as the corporate Amex.

C8H10N4O2 · 08/04/2022 08:50

If you are electing to stop over when going to spend a day in your designated office base you pay. What is your official work place?

If you are staying somewhere at the requirement of your employer for training or work purposes they should pay hotel/bills/travel incurred.

Dimondsareforever · 08/04/2022 08:54

Seems strange. If they are booking you should pay. If they ask you to book, you need to claim on expenses. Yes I get that’s a pain, so really you should get a credit card for these things if you don’t have the cash.

But v strange they booked it, am asking you for the money, for them to return that to you? Or have I mis read?

Original poster

Lochnessgiraffe · 08/04/2022 08:56

Thanks for the responses. I know I'll get the money back it just around £500 is quite a chunk of money in one go. Maybe I'll look at getting a credit card for this specifically.

OP posts:

NoSquirrels · 08/04/2022 09:00

@Lochnessgiraffe

Thanks for the responses. I know I'll get the money back it just around £500 is quite a chunk of money in one go. Maybe I'll look at getting a credit card for this specifically.

Get a cashback one! Might as well make some money off them!

Marblessolveeverything · 08/04/2022 09:01

I think this practice is the norm to be honest. I did get a 0% card specifically for this purpose - easier to keep an eye on the costs/payments.

BarbaraofSeville · 08/04/2022 09:23

Definitely get a credit card. Makes life so much easier and unless you're unlucky with the timings and they're slow payers, you'll have the money before the bill is due.

rookiemere · 08/04/2022 09:33

They are paying for it so your title is misleading, it's just they are paying in arrears.
Get a cc - my free Amex one means I build up BA points, and generally I don't pay until around 45 days after the expense was incurred depending on when in the month that was. Your expenses should have been repaid long before then.
But it is annoying. Our company had moved back to paying for your hotel and flights up front themselves which is a lot easier.

PatientlyWaiting21 · 08/04/2022 09:52

I’ve done a lot of corporate travelling and never had to pay upfront, and I never would!

theemmadilemma · 08/04/2022 09:55

@PatientlyWaiting21

I’ve done a lot of corporate travelling and never had to pay upfront, and I never would!

You're very fortunate.

I've done a ton, and while flights were booked and paid for by the company, hotels, taxi's, meals needed to paid for and claimed back, it's very standard.

BarbaraofSeville · 08/04/2022 09:59

@PatientlyWaiting21

I’ve done a lot of corporate travelling and never had to pay upfront, and I never would!

But it doesn't work like that everywhere and most people in professional jobs just pay on a credit card and reclaim the cost.

If you can't do that for whatever reason, employers will usually book for you, but usually paying on a card and reclaiming along with other expenses is less faffy from the employees point of view.

starfishmummy · 08/04/2022 10:01

I don't understand why the employer doesn't pay directly if they are makng the booking. My former employer did this - they paid for the room and breakfast, and we paid for any extras that weren't covered (laundry, other meals, room service etc). For our other meals we claimed a fixed sum back - afterwards, but we could get an advance of up to 75% of the total (which also included travel costs) if needed.

TellMeItIsntTrue · 08/04/2022 10:12

Also never have to pay upfront and also never would.
I work for a large company tho so we get a corporate rate so I’d only need to claim if I choose not to eat meals at the hotel.
But I guess this depends on your company?

TotallyTS · 08/04/2022 10:40

I wouldn't be willing to pay up front for any more than my meals tbh. I would expect hotels and travel to be booked for me. I just don't have the cash to do that.

One employer told me to use my credit card and seemed shocked I didn't have one.

darlingdodo · 08/04/2022 13:15

Also, hotels usually require payment, or at least a card to cover payment, upfront, so you would think the company booking and paying would be the most sensible way to go.

TheRealBoswell · 08/04/2022 13:29

All fine I offered to book it myself but it had already been organised. If I'd booked it myself it would have been £90. Them booking it cost me £150 for the same room.

This part from the OP’s first post stands out to me. Fair enough, they will cover your expenses afterwards, but I can understand it can be frustrating pay it out of pocket when you could have gotten a cheaper rate if you just booked it by yourself. I’m confused as to why the company doesn’t get a corporate rate, it doesn’t make sense for it to be more costly if they booked it for you.

Original poster

Lochnessgiraffe · 08/04/2022 13:37

I could understand that either. I though corporate rate would be cheaper.

OP posts:

Brefugee · 08/04/2022 13:43

I thought that you meant your work expect you to fully fund your own hotel, not claim on expenses. Am i right in thinking the ones you organise for yourself are also claimed back (the first one-nighters you mentioned)?

i think the only issue for me here, since you can claim on expenses, is how you pay and how quickly you get the payment back from them. With us, we have to use our credit card, and claim on expenses. The deal is that the money will be on your account before your credit card invoice is booked off your own account. That's fine usually unless they reject your expenses claim for something and even then it's quick to sort out.

I have never worked for a company where business travel is part of the job (in fact, even where it isn't a regular part of the job) where the hotel bills are covered by the company directly. Unless it was a really big amount, then they usually paid you an amount upfront.

Indicatrice · 08/04/2022 13:48

Your work seems to have a very inefficient way to deal with expenses.

A corporate credit card is the way to go.

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