FY 2011 Highlights (GSA)

U.S. General Services Administration ^ | 8/31/2010 | GSA

[fruser1]

... The nation’s economic downturn has affected per diem lodging rates in many localities. Overall, the majority of locations saw a decrease or no change in per diem lodging rates.

... For FY 2011, ADR data clearly indicates the lodging industry has been deeply affected by the economic downturn. There will be a decrease of 5.73 percent of the estimated lodging costs as compared to FY 2010 (the decrease in per diem costs overall is 3.85 percent when factoring in M&IE costs). The M&IE tiers remain the same, with the next review scheduled for FY 2012. ... With the increase in the standard CONUS lodging rate, several areas that had previously been non-standard areas are now receiving the standard rate of $77 maximum for lodging and $46 for M&IE.

[fruser1]

Early sign of deflation? Even though the "standard" rate went up, the decrease in the "non-standard" rates(more expensive areas) more than made up for it.