Employees traveling on federal business to many popular destinations will get smaller reimbursements for hotel expenses beginning Oct. 1.

Per diem rates for lodging will decline in 310 of the 378 areas where the General Services Administration sets rates higher than the standard rate, according to fiscal 2011 per diem rates released yesterday by the General Services Administration.

For example, federal employees traveling to Manhattan were reimbursed up to $318 per day on a hotel from April to June 2010. Between April and June next year, Manhattan lodging rates will plunge to $212 per day.

The standard lodging per diem rate — which covers hotels in about 2,600 counties in the continental United States — will increase from $70 to $77 per night, GSA said. The standard rate had not been re-evaluated since fiscal 2008.

Twenty-eight areas that had their own higher per diem rates in 2010 will fall under the standard rate in 2011. Fifty of the 378 nonstandard areas will see an increase in lodging rates, and 18 will see no change.

The current per diems for meals and incidental expenses — which range from $46 to $71 — will remain the same next year.

All new rates will take effect Oct. 1. A complete list is at gsa.gov/perdiem.

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