Travel Update 16-03

As you know, pursuant to State travel policy, employees traveling on State business must request the lowest available lodging rate when making hotel reservations. In that regard, if the State of Illinois rate is not available at the time of travel, employees must contact at least three hotels listed in the Preferred Hotel listing in the Travel Guide for State of Illinois Employees - or, in the case of Springfield and Chicago, five hotels listed in the Preferred Hotel listing - and accept the lowest available rate.

It has come to our attention that several hotels in Illinois (including in Springfield) continue to allow smoking in a certain number of their rooms. We understand that it may not be desirable for employees to stay in a room where smoking is allowed. Thus, effective February 1, 2016, an employee traveling on State business need not stay in a hotel room where smoking is allowed, even when the employee, having followed the above-described procedure, has learned that the lowest-priced room at any of the hotels he or she has contacted is a smoking room. In the event that the lowest-priced available room at those hotels is a smoking room, the employee will have been deemed to have complied with all applicable travel rules and policies if he or she chooses the lowest-priced available non-smoking room.

As the appointed Travel Coordinator for your agency, it is your responsibility to disseminate this information to all appropriate personnel within your agency. If you have any questions please contact Kelley Wells, State Travel Coordinator, at (217) 782-4705, or by email at Kelley.Wells@illinois.gov.