Configuring Hotel Settings
Customize hotel booking policies to guide travelers toward compliant, cost-effective stays. These controls help enforce standards while allowing flexibility where it makes sense.
Where to find Expensify Travel
Tap the green ➕ Create button at the bottom of your screen, then choose Book travel.
If you don’t see Book travel, ask a Workspace Admin to enable Expensify Travel on the workspace.
Configuring Hotel settings
To configure your hotel booking policy:
- Open Expensify Travel.
- Go to Program > Policies.
- Select an existing policy or click Add new to create one.
- Expand the Hotel tab.
Note: Any setting with a chain link icon (🔗) that is not crossed out is inherited from a parent policy. To customize it, click the icon and unlock it from the parent.
Restrict bookings by
Set specific keywords that will restrict hotel bookings if matched in the rate description.
- Useful for excluding specific phrases like “non-refundable” or “prepaid.”
Hotel rate conditions not allowed to be booked
Block specific rate types from being available to travelers.
- Options include:
- Non-refundable
- Prepaid
- Requires deposit
- Pay at property
You can also add a custom message explaining the restriction to travelers during the booking process.
Add Property type
Configure hotel restrictions by property type.
Configure the following settings:
-
Property types to restrict – Properties matching these types will be marked out-of-policy.
Note: Select from property types including Apartment, Castle, Health Spa, and Boatel. -
Restricted properties can have their own Out of Policy action – Choose how to handle bookings that violate this restriction.
Note: This allows you to set different approval requirements for specific property types. -
Tier exception – Allow preferred properties to bypass type restrictions.
*Note: To set preferred hotels, go to Program > Company > Supplier > Supplier Management.
Only consider cheapest rate as in-policy
Flags the lowest-priced rate at each hotel as in policy.
- All other rates for that property will be out of policy.
Maximum price
Set a global nightly price cap for hotel stays.
- Customize rates further by city or country/region.
- Choose whether the limit includes taxes and fees.
Booking window
Define how many days before check-in a booking becomes out of policy. - Example: If set to 5 days, any booking made less than 5 days in advance is flagged as out of policy.
Cancellation policy
Determine what refund options you want travelers to book:
- Any (allow all)
- Fully refundable rooms only
- Partially or fully refundable rooms only
Experience
Set minimum and maximum star ratings to define acceptable hotel experiences.
- Helps maintain booking quality while controlling costs.
Nightly median rate
Configure parameters to calculate the median hotel rate based on the traveler’s search results. The median rate represents the midpoint price where half the hotels cost more and half cost less.
To configure:
- Search radius – The radius (in miles) around a traveler’s search location used to calculate the median.
- Rating range (number of stars) – Minimum and maximum star ratings considered when calculating the median.
Note: This feature is informational only. It does not determine in-policy or out-of-policy status, but helps travelers understand the context of their options.
Out of policy reason codes
Enable travelers to create or select a reason when selecting an out-of-policy hotel.
- Click Manage Reason Codes to create, edit, or delete available reason options.
FAQ
Does the “cheapest rate” rule consider taxes and fees?
It depends on your configuration under the Maximum price setting — you can choose whether to include taxes and fees when evaluating the cheapest rate.
Can we use reason codes to track exceptions?
Yes. Reason codes help you understand booking behaviors and justify policy exceptions for reporting or compliance purposes. When viewing policy violations in the Analytics > Company reports < Compliance section, you can see data on reason usage as well.
