Our Ref:         FOI-3293-1920

Thank you for your request received on 28 January 2020 asking for information about TfL spend on hotels.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.

All expenditure within the organisation is carefully assessed to ensure it is essential to providing a safe, efficient, extensive and reliable transport network, including expenses incurred by employees who often are called upon to travel out of the capital on business and attend conferences and other out of hours business related activities.

Our staff are responsible for operating a world class transport network transporting millions of people around the capital each day. As a result of running a transport network on this scale, our staff sometimes have to travel across the UK, Europe, and the world to meet with suppliers as well as learning from and offering our expertise on running such a huge network to other world leading cities. Hotel accommodation bookings must be approved in advance by a Band 5 manager or director who is accountable for the cost centre to which the costs are to be charged and must only be arranged where it is clearly necessary as a result of employee business activities on behalf of TfL.

The net expenditure for the years requested plus current year is below. Please note that it is highly likely that the figures will also include expenditure that does not relate to hotel accommodation. Please also be aware that this information relates to expenditure prior to any reimbursement from third parties such as event/conference organisers that may have occurred at a later date. For instance this is likely to include different types of hotel expenditure such as meals or meeting facility costs. Please also note that the lower figure for 2017/18 reflects a reimbursement to Transport for London (TfL) of all expenses incurred by TfL staff seconded to work for Crossrail Ltd. This reimbursement included costs associated with – but not limited to – hotels.
,
Year Amount £s
2015/16  447,821.13
2016/17 378,493.46
2017/18  301,332.85
2018/19  479,307.12
2019/20 (year to date) 438,108.58

If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]