OHIO Travel Policy: University Policy No. 41.121 - Reimbursement for Official Travel and Entertainment
OHIO has contracted with Christopherson Business Travel (CBT) for all of our travel needs. CBT's services can be accessed through Concur , via phone at 866.266.8806 or email at ohio@cbtravel.com .
Lodging
You may pay for hotels with your PCard, travel card or personal card. You will be required to provide a credit card upon check-in to cover incidentals.
Conference hotels can be booked outside of CBT and do not require an A&E Exception. Travelers should check with in Concur first to see if they may have better than conference rates. If you want to book your conference hotel through CBT, you can add a comment to your booking indicating the conference rate, and they will obtain that for you if it is still available. There will be an agent assist fee associated with this transaction.
All other hotels must be booked through CBT. When booking hotels, a pop-up will show terms and conditions. It is important to read these terms prior booking your hotel to check cancellation policies and pre-payment/deposit requirements.
Booking non-traditional lodging and transportation
University dorms (domestic and international) and any vendors on the pre-approved list may be booked directly with the establishment. Other non-traditional lodging, such as hostels, field stations, camp grounds, and owner rentals must be approved by your planning unit (CFAO or designee) utilizing the Lodging Safety Questionnaire prior to booking. This type of lodging will also need to be booked directly with the establishment once approval is received as they will not be available through CBT. An A&E exception is not required for these non-traditional lodging options.
Uber, Lyft and traditional taxi services have been pre-approved by Risk Management for transportation needs. You must be very careful when paying for Uber and Lyft with a University travel or PCard because these companies store card information.
Cancellation and change fees
Cancellation and change fees for airline tickets or charges for unused rooms or airline tickets are only allowable if there is a business purpose for the change or a medical emergency for the traveler or immediate family. (See Ohio policies 40.013, 40.030 and 40.029 for definitions of immediate family.)
Some examples of business purpose:
- You are needed back for an important meeting and must leave your conference early
- You are visiting recruits and one of your recruits has decided on another school
- Your son has been sent to the hospital
Examples of purposes that would require reimbursement:
- The conference is not that interesting
- You want to go home early for a family gathering
- You decided to fly out immediately after the conference though your original flight was booked to leave the next day