DoD Preferred Commercial Lodging 101 Ms. Lori Leffler DTMO Hospitality Management Branch Chief March 5, 2018 Department of Defense
Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) DTMO is the single focal point for commercial travel within the Department of Defense Has central oversight for commercial travel management, travel policy & implementation, travel card program management, customer support & training, functional oversight of the Defense Travel System (DTS) and station and housing allowances program management Partners across the government and private sector to maintain an in-depth perspective of the travel industry and determine the best practices and standards for DoD travel 2
Defense Travel System (DTS) DoD s fully integrated, automated, end-to-end travel management system Enables travelers to create authorizations (TDY travel orders), book reservations, receive approvals, generate travel vouchers, and receive a reimbursement that can be split between their bank accounts and the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) vendor Travelers are required to make reservations via DTS If DTS is unavailable, travelers are required to make reservations through their Travel Management Center (TMC) 3
Why the ILPP and DoD Preferred? Defense Travel Management Office The Integrated Lodging Program Pilot (ILPP) was launched in June 2015 to determine the best approach for providing quality government (DoD) and commercial lodging with the goal of achieving reduced rates, better services, and greater safety and security for the traveler The Program is supported by the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 113-291) and authorizes the Secretary of Defense to institute a lodging program to provide adequate government and commercial lodging AND required both DoD civilian employees and Service members to stay in government, privatized, or DoD Preferred commercial lodging while on official travel The ILPP integrates the ability to book government (DoD Lodging) and privatized (Public-Private Venture) lodging properties through DTS as well as incorporate strategically sourced commercial lodging (DoD Preferred) at pilot locations 4
Guiding Principles for DoD Preferred Defense Travel Management Office Traveler First Initiative travel is about people; we are renting a temporary place to live Set quality standards, reflect customer priorities, make adjustments to satisfy Put eyes on properties use all networks Companionate compliance communicate, navigate, provide accommodations, measure Build the program right and they will come pilot approach Service After Sale build a program that comes with a warranty Fire & forget works well for a weapon system but not for a people system Direct 360 stakeholder input do not insulate with surrogate intermediary Pin Point Sourcing work data to atomic level, then mold into actionable business intell Know the market and traveler needs, detailed analysis, link data points; GTTC, DTS, TMC Objective competitive selection criteria, seek out opportunities, apply lessons learned Move market through diligence, not demands: communications, metrics, training, rates, system, Measure, Fix, Reflect count it with intellectual honesty Select KPI and apply: customer s view, efficiency, program and system adoption Count all costs/avoidance; rates, amenities, fees, ROI, overhead, system Actions Yield Trust, Trust Yields Authority title 5 forbids directed use of lodging 914 authority temporary expiring 2019, must prove that travelers are better off in the program than out Must have infrastructure to guide travelers through rules with edit flags and off ramps Integrated implementation gains trust of: travelers, Congress, OMB, unions, industry, Services 5
Program Evolution Program Launch (June 2015) Added JTR policy Integrated DoD lodging Strategically sourced 8 DoD Preferred Pilot sites with 53 properties Expanded Sites (January 2016) Added 6 new DoD Preferred Pilot sites increasing to a total of 95 properties Future Long term travel: 30-179 nights (31-180 days) Group travel Added Privatized Lodging (March 2016) Expanded Pilot sites to include military installations with adequate Privatized facilities Expanded Sites (July 2016) Added 5 new DoD Preferred pilot sites bringing the new total number of properties to 126 Expanded Sites (January 2017) 32 DoD Preferred Pilot sites with a new total of 187 properties Expanded Sites (January 2018) Now 52 DoD Preferred Pilot sites with a total of 258 properties 6
How the ILPP Works DTMO partners with GSA/FedRooms to negotiate commercial lodging in select locations (pilot sites) for rates below per diem To be selected to participate in the program, hotels must meet specific quality, safety and security and financial protection standards Pilot sites are identified in locations where room night demand exceeds the lodging capacity at the military installation Hotels accepted as a DoD Preferred property must extend rates to any DoD traveler on official travel that requests a DoD Preferred rate Reservations for DoD Preferred hotels are made through DTS or by contacting a Travel Management Company Travelers to Pilot Sites are required to utilize participating DoD Preferred hotels when DoD lodging is not available 7
DoD Preferred Property Selection Annual solicitation distributed by FedRooms via Lanyon Ensure Lanyon information is updated and accurate Properties with inaccurate information are shared with NAM Planned update by April 2019 CY Solicitation release in August/September After release of FY2019 per diems Based on quality and value FEMA approved Distance from government facility Industry rating (minimum 2 diamonds) Input from Services Input from National Account Managers Traveler reviews 8
Property Selection Methodology Rate offered and distance to the facility are key factors followed by traveler convenience and amenities Food service available, free breakfast, fitness center, coffee maker, refrigerator, microwave, hair dryer, on-site laundry, dry cleaning Other factors considered LRA, AAA Diamond rating, current volume in immediate area, traveler reviews Rate minimum of 10% below per diem (round down) Properties are scored based on selection criteria Site visits and intelligence from Services, Force Protection and local installation personnel 9
Property Requirements Valid FEMA code Hotel name on the FEMA National List must match the exterior signage at the property Minimum 2 Crown NTM (Northstar Travel Media) rating or equivalent AAA Diamond rating 24 hour security each day through video monitoring of the property or 24/7 on-site personnel who have been trained in security protocols in case of emergency Cancellation policy 4:00 pm (or later) day of arrival with no early check-out fees Well-lit hallways, parking lots, and public spaces Deadbolts, safety chains, and door viewers Non-smoking rooms offered 10
Property Requirements (continued) Fire evacuation plan No minimum stay requirements, day of week restrictions, or deposits No service, resort or destination fees unless the traveler requests and uses these services DoD Preferred rate a minimum of 10% below per diem Accepted DoD Preferred rates loaded in the GDS must be at or below published BAR, published government and other public rates available for federal government travelers on official business DoD Preferred properties are required to offer the DoD Preferred rate if contacted directly, including walk-ins 11
Defense Travel Management Office Property Requirements (continued) Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Virginia Graeme-Baker Act (pool suction entrapment avoidance) Compliance with walk policy secure comparable room at a DoD Preferred property, provide transportation, and pay one night difference between original and new room cost If a DoD Preferred property is not available, the hotel must agree to secure a comparable room at a non-participating FEMA-approved property, provide transportation and pay for one night (room & tax) 12
Defense Travel Management Office Property Requirements (continued) Accept SmartPay 2 TravelCard (VISA)/SmartPay 3 Load rates in both Sabre and Worldspan Report feedback received from DoD Preferred travelers; report walked travelers Report and pay the 2.75% participation fee on every consumed room night Submit monthly data reports due by the 20th of each month Check-In Date, Check-Out Date, Total Amount, Rate Paid, Parking Fee Paid, Internet Access Fee Paid, Confirmation Number, Method of Payment, Method of Reservation, Sabre GDS Code 13
What s in it for You? Travelers reimbursement is limited to what the government would have paid for travel to a Pilot Site If they book outside the program, they pay the difference out of pocket Directed travel to a specified number of hotels equates to a higher volume of DoD travelers DoD Preferred hotels appear as a priority in DTS We encourage local installations to arrange their group bookings at DoD Preferred hotels 14
How DTS Works Authorizations for Temporary Duty Travel automatically route travelers to the lodging reservation module in DTS Travelers are directed to the appropriate type of lodging based on travel location and supporting policy Lodging displays in a single page view with a hierarchical format Categories are displayed one at a time 1. Govt - DoD (TDY location is an installation) 2. Govt - Privatized (PPV, only some CONUS Army locations) 3. Commercial - DoD Preferred (Only at pilot locations) 4. Alternative Options 15
How DTS Works (continued) Popup messages, pre-audits, and limited reimbursement when available directed lodging (DoD Preferred) is declined Alternative Options are only displayed if DoD Preferred has no availability or is declined (reimbursement is limited) Displays FedRooms hotels and then FEMA approved hotels, both in rate range order, lowest to highest 16
How DTS Works DoD Preferred Lodging The DoD Preferred booking section will display only available DoD Preferred commercial lodging Rate loaded in the DoD Preferred rate code must be the equal to or lower than the negotiated rate, other government rates or best available Will only display accepted properties (no squatters ) Properties are displayed according to rate range, lowest to highest Types of travel not included in DoD Preferred Non-pilot sites Long Term Travel (30 nights/31 days or more) Groups International (OCONUS) 17
ILPP Resources Defense Travel Management Office www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/lodging.cfm 18
Resources for Download Defense Travel Management Office 19
Join Us! Arbors Room 1:00 2:30pm: Government Managed Lodging Programs Part 1 DoD Preferred 2:30 3:30pm: Government Managed Lodging Programs Part 2 FedRooms 20