Expense Accounts & the Travel Industry

It started with a muffin. The lowly baked good, a staple of business breakfasts, became an unlikely symbol of government overindulgence when a government audit released in the fall of 2011 claimed the Justice Department had spent $4,200 for 250 muffins at $16 a pop during a training conference at the Capital Hilton. 

Almost a year later, Washington, D.C. area hotels say they have lost millions of dollars as federal agencies slash meeting-related budgets and cancel travel plans. The U.S. government has cut more than $600 million in conference expenses in the past six months, as probes of extravagant spending keep coming.

Extend this expense account spending scrutiny to all meeting and convention travel and you’ll discover billions of dollars spent on lodging, food, beverage and ancillary costs. 

Why all of the lavish expenses? It's because these folks are spending the corporate or public dollar. 

Trust me when it comes out of their pocket the tastes are really toned down!