milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,570
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
Mar 18, 2015 4:10:31 GMT
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Post by milocat on Oct 4, 2022 22:57:10 GMT
They aren't getting their money back, stay in it. Except I'd talk to your boss because even if they called to cancel and couldn't get the money back the hotel probably will let the go to someone else.
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Post by peano on Oct 4, 2022 23:17:30 GMT
Not ethical unless OK'd by superior. That the room is nonrefundable is immaterial.
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Post by tommygirl on Oct 4, 2022 23:19:06 GMT
I like the way both you and your boss handled it!
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
Posts: 4,826
Jun 25, 2014 23:21:30 GMT
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Post by scrapngranny on Oct 4, 2022 23:21:53 GMT
I would let higher up the food chain what my plans were, otherwise I wouldn’t use the room.
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Post by buddysmom on Oct 4, 2022 23:31:31 GMT
Companies just seem to have a "bottomless pit" when it comes to expense accounts--especially for the bigwigs.
Back about ten years ago, we had to go to another state about 500 miles away. The flight was $800! No problem. It was a relatively podunk city so that's why it cost more. The flight back was cancelled, had to stay another night, eating, drinking, etc. Company paid. They didn't care (and we were far from bigwigs)-was like a night out with the girls and didn't have to drive since the hotel was in the airport. Yet they nickel and dime you over other things...
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Post by epeanymous on Oct 4, 2022 23:31:59 GMT
To me this is straightforward: what would happen if you told the company what you were doing? Whatever is the answer is your answer.
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 4, 2022 23:32:13 GMT
I would ask, but it seems silly not to.
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 4, 2022 23:34:13 GMT
Good lord, the question sure made me glad I no longer work at a bureaucratic nightmare of a company like many of you seem to 🤣 As I said in the very first sentence of the OP, this was already a resolved situation. I told my boss that the customer canceled but I was still going to make the drive since I'd made personal plans. I then said the room wasn't refundable and I'd booked with my corporate card, but would try to change to my personal card when I was there - and who should I contact if I couldn't switch cards onsite and needed to reimburse the company? She laughed at me. "If it's non-refundable and you're still going there, use the room. You don't have to pay for it, we're paying the same whether it's empty or you're in it." Your boss is a person of uncommon good sense
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Post by malibou on Oct 4, 2022 23:43:49 GMT
I haven't read any responses.
If I remember correctly, you work for a somewhat small start up. I would run by your boss offering to pay for it if they were okay with you doing a work from "home" thing.
My guess is they would be okay with it and since it is nonrefundable not ask you to reimburse them.
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Post by quinlove on Oct 5, 2022 0:45:08 GMT
If it was me, I would have had this conversation in writing. Either email or by text. Just in case. That way you have verification.
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Post by cmpeter on Oct 5, 2022 1:27:42 GMT
Before reading your "resolution", I would have also said it's fine as long as your boss or company policy said it's OK. But, I am pretty sure the hotel would let you switch the card they charge and I would feel obligated to do that.
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Post by Zee on Oct 5, 2022 1:29:39 GMT
The responses I've seen are not about working for a bureaucratic nightmare company but more about keeping things above-board and transparent.
My DH travels all the time and he is one of the bosses. He would still run it by HIS boss.
I obviously never travel for work but if I did, I would run it by the boss too.
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Post by Bridget in MD on Oct 5, 2022 1:44:39 GMT
What if you had gotten up there and THEN the customer had cancelled? To me it's sort of the same thing, and I would have no problem staying BUT I would have checked with my company just in case...
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tracylynn
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,899
Jun 26, 2014 22:49:09 GMT
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Post by tracylynn on Oct 5, 2022 2:47:58 GMT
Some of the answers are interesting.
The one who mentioned getting charged back a portion of the airfare for staying extra days in particular. Our company would never do that. They fly you out there, they fly you home.
Now, if you are adding in an extra leg. Yes, of course, you pay for that.
In this hotel situation, I would likely say something in passing to my manager, but it would not be a big deal at all. The answer would be more in line with the OPs respsonse.
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Post by catmom on Oct 5, 2022 4:08:03 GMT
Ethical as long as it doesn’t violate SOP or any procurement policies, but disclosure is needed for transparency. In other words I’d tell my boss and she’d say sure whatever.
I did have a sort of similar experience when I had to travel for work a few days before Christmas. The flight to my home province was the same price as the flight to where I live currently, so I asked if I could use my return flight to visit my family for Christmas and it was not a problem.
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Post by dewryce on Oct 5, 2022 4:52:06 GMT
Ooh. That's a tough one! I say if you let the company know, you're fine. There's something shady about staying there on the company's dime if you're not there on their behalf. I agree. I’d just ask the company and go with whatever they say. If they say no then I’d make sure and reimburse them.
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Post by melanell on Oct 5, 2022 9:48:42 GMT
I told my boss that the customer canceled but I was still going to make the drive since I'd made personal plans. I then said the room wasn't refundable and I'd booked with my corporate card, but would try to change to my personal card when I was there - and who should I contact if I couldn't switch cards onsite and needed to reimburse the company? She laughed at me. "If it's non-refundable and you're still going there, use the room. You don't have to pay for it, we're paying the same whether it's empty or you're in it." I'm glad it worked out for you to not have to pay for the room, and I like the way you handled it. I would not be comfortable actually asking to be allowed to use the room for free, so the way you handled it is a way of still letting them know you'll still be making the trip & allowing them the chance to offer the room to you, while also avoiding putting them on the spot by asking them to give you free lodging while on a (now) personal trip.
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Post by gramasue on Oct 5, 2022 12:34:18 GMT
Excellent resolution. You were honest, your boss was gracious. Everyone's happy.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 5, 2022 12:55:11 GMT
I’m glad it worked out the way it did. Personally I don’t see a problem with using the room since the money was already spent and can’t be refunded, you are able to work from there regardless, so it really makes no difference to the company in the end. I would also run it past my boss to make sure there wasn’t an issue, like you did.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Oct 5, 2022 13:58:17 GMT
I don’t think it is unethical. But k would probably let the employer know, if for no other reason than making sure they didn’t cancel the room. Sometimes hotels make exceptions but Even if they had to pay for it they could call and tel the hotel nobody would be using the room.
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Post by auntkelly on Oct 5, 2022 14:39:53 GMT
While I don’t think it would be unethical to use the hotel room, it’s not something I would do. I would book another room and pay for it myself. I like to keep business and personal expenses completely seperate, as much as possible.
In most companies, management can change at any point. If the new management was reviewing past business expenses for whatever reason, I wouldn’t want to have to explain why I stayed in that hotel room, even though it was ok’d by the old boss. The new management might have a completely different attitude about business expenses than the current boss.
ETA If I were the boss, I wouldn’t okay the employee staying in the room unless I knew for sure the IRS would still deem the hotel room a legitimate business expense even though an employee used it for non business purposes. I know it’s a million to one shot that the IRS would discover the employee used the room for non business purposes, but I am a rules follower when it comes to business.
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Post by agengr2004 on Oct 5, 2022 18:01:08 GMT
At my employer, that would be a no. We have to be out on "travel" when we go somewhere for work, so even though the room would be nonrefundable the room would be cancelled when my travel was cancelled.
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Oct 5, 2022 18:20:39 GMT
I would get written permission, if allowed to use the already paid for room. That way you have proof and are protected in the future.
All it takes is one disgruntled staff member to put a "they used the company paid for room for personal use" spin on things and suddenly you are now at fault, and your job could be compromised. Verbal permission is not proof. In writing(email) is proof.
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Post by 50offscrapper on Oct 7, 2022 9:13:20 GMT
Will you have to fill out an expense report? If so, how are you accounting for the room on the expense report. This is where things get dicey.
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Post by fruitysuet on Oct 7, 2022 10:26:37 GMT
Great update and it falls in line with what I would have done and likely what my own boss would have said.
Saying that, our company books the hotels centrally and usually using the flex rate which allows cancellation of the booking with full refund up to 1pm on the day of arrival.
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