JamesStep@ wrote:
> > when I was booked into a hotel for my
> > retirement seminar the allowance for dinner
> > was $18. The cheapest entree on the restaurant
> > dinner menu was $32
>
> Yikes!
>
> One common misconception about per diem is that it's supposed to be
> enough to pay the entire bill. Actually many companies state that it's
> only intended to cover the DIFFERENCE in cost between eating at home
> vs eating in a restaurant. But even so, your per diem clearly wasn't
> enough in that situation!
As I mentioned, it depends on where you are staying and the nature of your
business. I had no problem finding meals locally for well under the meal
allowances. When we were allowed $9 for lunch I knew lots of places where
I could get a great lunch for a lot less. At that time. we were allowed
$18 for dinner and we had very well for a lot less. But when they book
you into a hotel in a strange city and it is too much hassle to go and
look for a place, you are often at the mercy of the hotel restaurant.
Just before I retired, they came out with a new scheme. They got us all
American Express Cards that we were supposed to use for hotels and meals.
We had to apply for the cards personally, so the statements were sent to
us and we had to pay them out of our pockets. I never did figure out who
got the kickback on that deal. Most of us figured that if we were
personally responsible for paying the bills there was no reason that we
could not use Visa or Mastercard.
Hotel Bill 
