Federal per-diem climbs again: $113 a night for CONUS

The GSA has made its move. The standard CONUS lodging allowance, the base rate that caps spending for millions of corporate and government room nights across the United States, rises from $110 to $113 for fiscal 2027. That 2.7% breaks the previous cycle, when the figure stayed frozen. According to the analysis published by Hospitality Net, the seven-year run now sits at 18% growth on the standard rate.

The real story is in the markets that break the pattern. New York City tops 100% cumulative growth over that same stretch, and it is not the only place where the rate has detached from the average. For anyone running a corporate account or a government segment, that gap between base allowance and real city rate is exactly where the sale is won.

My read is blunt. The flat year was a pause, not a ceiling. With room costs climbing in nearly every urban market, a 2.7% bump gives breathing room to the hotel selling at government rate, even if it still trails real hotel inflation. A revenue manager with federal accounts should review the mix: take more per-diem nights in the low season and protect rate in the high season. For chains with inventory near administrative hubs, this cycle is a window to sign contracts that would not pencil out last year.