AIBU - upgrading room on company paid trip?

[AIACF]

I have some time in a hotel coming up which work will pay for. AIBU to ask the hotel to allow me to pay a separate fee to upgrade the room so my husband and kids can come and we can spend evenings together? I'm not sure what company policy is and don't want to raise it as it probably seems grabby!?

Is it the done thing or not?

That would be fine and normal at my company. Well people often take partners, not seen children going but don't think they would care

Yeah same!

Looked into travel and expenses policy, there is nothing stated either way. I may ask someone but a little nervous to!

So upgrading the room is bizarre but booking another room is not? The company does not bear the extra cost so it means nothing to them.

To me, yes.

Booking another room keeps work and family separate, that's all. I don't think the company should be propping up OP DH and DC for a night away. If he wants to have a break with his kids then he should bear the full cost of it.

I'd just ask someone in HR / finance - if you have to submit the hotel invoice or similar for expenses they might have a preference 😊

My company would be fine with this. PPs say theirs wouldn't. So best just to ask.

And don't be nervous, this is totally normal. At least where i work.

Not sure why everyone is harping on that it's so bizarre. It's not that bizarre. My work would be absolutely cool with this. I also just tagged along with my husband to one of his work trips to Cardiff with our baby. I'd never been before and I hung out with baby during the day and we met up once he'd finished work. I think my husb just rang the hotel and paid extra for breakfast for me and they put up a travel cot in the room.

I did something similar on a trip to London recently. My friend came and paid for her own train and then my work paid for the hotel and my train. I tend to travel the night before for early courses so we did the theatre on the evening and some sightseeing after the half day course was finished. My work was absolutely fine with it as I was on my own and attended the course. It's normal at my work for time around the event to be your own.

Again, fine at my work. No issue.

It would be a reasonable ask at my work. Not dissimilar to the very common practice of staying on for the weekend after an event has finished, bringing your spouse and picking up the bill for the extra hotel nights.

Yes you're getting a good deal, but as long as the company suffers no detriment whatsoever, you wouldn't have been expected to be working/work socialising in the evening, and it's preapproved by your manager then there's no harm in asking.

Absolutely fine to do in my place of work. Husband regularly comes with me and we often add on an extra night (obviously at our expense). I'd ask HR, I find it "bizarre" that so many people think it's a strange request, it's not as if you're taking your kids into a conference with you or charging their room service to the company.

My company is fine with this as long as it does not cost them any extra. I was once sent to a 5 day trip overseas while I was still breastfeeding. Dh and dc came along and we got an apartment instead of a hotel room (same cost). All done with managers knowledge and approval. More recently I have just contacted the hotels separately after work has booked and prepaid my accommodation to arrange dh to stay. I pay any extra charges myself at that point.

My employer's policy is if you upgrade, you pay the difference. I approve the expenses for our staff.

I wouldn’t ask personally, it doesn’t sit right with me. If you want your family there and no other colleagues are going then book an extra room.
I know my accountant wouldn’t be on board as to why I was paying for a family room when I only needed to send one employee to a conference. I don’t know whether that would be considered a benefit in kind rather than an expense. It’s all good and well you saying you’d pay to upgrade but I expect the invoices would say family room and number of occupants.

Quite common in organisations where I have worked.

You have to be there and so business pays for that. You pay any excess for a larger room/breakfast if they're having it etc. It wouldn't have caused any issue in the evening unless for some reason there was an expectation of being together eg a formal dinner. Otherwise it's your own time even if you're working in the day and you can spend it how you like in the evenings.

Nope. I purposesly arrange visits to our other office at the other end of the country so I get a night away. In a hotel. On my own 😆

How is it keeping work and family separate when she will spend her evenings with family anyway or are you suggesting she sleeps alone while her family sleep in another room to “keep work separate”? But it’s fine from work from home with family around?

Completely fine in my public sector job. We've even had a girlfriend join a delegate conference in Russia once.

It would depend on the trip as often you’re expected to socialise in the evening.
the cost and time out of trips is balanced by increased teamworking as those who go together socialise together or you develop increased links with other companies at the event through networking in the evening. So as a line manager I wouldn’t want you to miss out on evening meals as they’re part of the trip.

if you genuinely have trips where you’d be sitting in your hotel room on your own all evening then fine - do it (talk to line manager first to let them know).

If you’re genuinely not missing anything I wouldn’t care who you’re sharing a room with as long as the cost to the company is the same and you’re safe, happy and getting enough sleep.

My companies travel policy allows upgrades at the travellers own expense, see what your travel policy says and take it from there

Just seen your next post, if nothing in travel policy then just ask your line manager how you go about upgrading your room and covering the cost expense.

I would personally be upfront and ask.
In an (unlikely) event an emergency were to happen, it is better to have been transparent.

My dp is going to a desirable city next week with work, abroad Mon to Fri.

It's somewhere I'd love to explore but he is expected to be 'working' from breakfast with his team through to corporate dinner and schmoozing til late, then catching up with emails until the early hours. Not exactly fun for me.

Ask HR if you are at all concerned but I have worked in finance at companies with substantial T&E spend and honestly, all most people are ever concerned with is how much is being spent.