Expenses during a business visit

[slicksilver]

I'm not sure how it works in the United States hence the question.

An American consultant is visiting a business of ours in India for a week or so and like with other consultants we assume responsibility for hotel and conveyance expenses. Lunch and Dinner will be with us and we assume responsibility for the same too. This is the first time we are using the services of a consultant from outside the country.

Do you need to offer anything more or is this standard? We as a family do not drink alcohol (reasons are immaterial here now) and hence rarely hit the bars. Kinda concerned about this as alcohol in star hotels can get really expensive sometimes as much as twice the cost of the daily room rate!

BTW we aren't a big company. Revenue for the year was about three quarters of a million dollars.

Any inputs would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Hacp]

I'm not sure how it works in the United States hence the question.

An American consultant is visiting a business of ours in India for a week or so and like with other consultants we assume responsibility for hotel and conveyance expenses. Lunch and Dinner will be with us and we assume responsibility for the same too. This is the first time we are using the services of a consultant from outside the country.

Do you need to offer anything more or is this standard? We as a family do not drink alcohol (reasons are immaterial here now) and hence rarely hit the bars. Kinda concerned about this as alcohol in star hotels can get really expensive sometimes as much as twice the cost of the daily room rate!

BTW we aren't a big company. Revenue for the year was about three quarters of a million dollars.

Any inputs would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Three quarters of a million rupees? Thats kinda low for revenue.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Any drinks with the meal are on you. Drinks outside of a meal are on the consultant. Or, you can just come out and tell him alcohol is on his dime. He's a consultant not a father in law.

 

[kranky]

Establish guidelines and inform the consultant. But it's a little late now.

It's normal to reimburse for hotel and meals. Not typical to pay for anything consumed outside of mealtime.

 

[Rumpltzer]

Establish guidelines and inform the consultant. But it's a little late now.

It's normal to reimburse for hotel and meals. Not typical to pay for anything consumed outside of mealtime.

Yeah, what he said.


Reminds me of a roommate I had in grad school. He came out to visit a grad department and they were paying for his travel and hotel during the visit. He added some extra expense to the hotel bill in the form of "adult pay-per-view" and the dean of his department had to inform him that he'd need to cover that portion of the bill.

The OP might want to let the consultant know that this sort of thing won't be covered by his company.

 

[Corporate Thug]

I work for a small law firm that probably pulls in 2.5 - 3 mil in revenue per year. We only cover hotel and meals.

 

[RedCOMET]

I work for a small law firm that probably pulls in 2.5 - 3 mil in revenue per year. We only cover hotel and meals.

My former employer would cover for hotel room and transportation ( ie rental car, taxis) if we had the right documentation. Food/drink was normally a per diem expense for every day of the trip.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Three quarters of a million rupees? Thats kinda low for revenue.

of course the village idiot would be the first to post!!

 

[slicksilver]

Three quarters of a million rupees? Thats kinda low for revenue.

Where did you read rupees?

 

[slicksilver]

Thank you all. What I'll do is probably deduct any additional expenses from the final payment. That sounds like a better idea as it might hurt the work flow.

 

[mfenn]

Thank you all. What I'll do is probably deduct any additional expenses from the final payment. That sounds like a better idea as it might hurt the work flow.

Be very careful to be upfront about this course of action. If you just tack charges on after the fact, the consultant will likely be extremely pissed and view you as cheap.

I know that my employer (state university) legally cannot pay for alcohol under any circumstances. We're always up front about this restriction to anyone we're entertaining (interview candidates, consultants, etc.) and it's never been a problem.

Moral of the story: Make sure it is very clear in advance!

 

[IronWing]

Just make it clear to the consultant that your company will not pay for alcohol. It is fairly common that American businesses won't pay for alcohol under any circumstances so this should not be a surprise to the consultant. None of the places I've worked would pay for alcohol.

 

[Leros]

From what I've seen, you would pay for his:
travel
hotel
food (limits of something like $15 breakfast, $20 lunch, $30 dinner, no alcohol)

 

[slicksilver]

Thanks all. Appreciate the advice and all points noted.

 

[guyver01]

It is standard practice to provide american consultants some... "entertainment" ... if you get my drift.

a nice 18-19 year old... virgin preferrably.

anything less would be considered an insult to the guest.

please.

do the needful?

 

[Hacp]

It is standard practice to provide american consultants some... "entertainment" ... if you get my drift.

a nice 18-19 year old... virgin preferrably.

anything less would be considered an insult to the guest.

please.

do the needful?