Hospitality

What Is Considered Hospitality?

Hospitality expenses are costs incurred in connection with official University business that involve hosting guests or employees.

Hospitality event types may include, but are not limited to:

• Meetings and conferences
• Training sessions and workshops
• Recruitment activities
• Donor or alumni engagement
• Official recognition or award events
• Hosting snacks and beverages for your department

Hospitality types may include, but are not limited to:

• Meals or refreshments
• Awards or prizes
• Promotional or branded items
• Gift cards
• Activities

All hospitality expenses must have a clear business purpose and demonstrate a direct benefit to the University.

1. Hospitality Justification Form

All hospitality expenses must include a completed Hospitality Justification Form.

• CSUBUY P2P purchases require use of a Hospitality requisition with an attached quote.
• CSUBUY eMarketplace purchases require the Hospitality Justification PDF to be attached to the order.
• Travel Cards and Reimbursements require a Hospitality Justification Request to be linked to the expense report. See Hospitality Guides for instructions.
• ProCards purchases require a Hospitality Justification Request be printed to PDF and attached to ProCard statement. See Hospitality Guides for instructions.

2. Gift Cards – Additional Campus Procedures

Gift cards and gift certificates ("Gift Cards") may only be purchased for specifically identified recipients. The name and affiliation of each recipient must be documented as part of the purchase and distribution process.

Controller pre-approval is required for:

• Any Gift Card with a value of $100 or more.
• Multiple Gift Cards with a combined value of $1,000 or more, regardless of the individual value of each card.

For detailed requirements, purchasing procedures, and documentation instructions, please refer to the Gift Card and Gift Certificate website.

Gift cards are subject to the merchant restrictions and allowable limits outlined below.

3. Maximum Per-Person Rates

Unless otherwise approved by the CFO or designee, the following maximum rates apply per attendee:

4. Procurement and Payment Procedures

Hospitality expenses must be processed through one of the following approved methods:

• CSUBUY (Hospitality Requisition Form), or
• ProCard and/or Travel Cards reconciled through Concur.
• Reimbursement through Concur.

The Hospitality Justification Form is required for all hospitality transactions.

For payment card transactions and reimbursements, the completed Hospitality Justification Request Form must be attached to the expense report in Concur; as a .PDF file for ProCard and as a Request for all other expense reports. See Hospitality Guides for instructions.

For CSUBUY requisitions, a Hospitality requisition must be used for all hospitality purchases except punch-out purchases. For punch-out purchases, the Hospitality Justification Punch-out Form must be attached to the punch-out requisition.

Departments should refer to the Hospitality Payment Matrix for detailed guidance on appropriate payment methods, documentation requirements, and approval thresholds.

5. Hospitality Payment Matrix

updated: 9/29/2026

* Hospitality Justification form is being built in Concur, can be used for Travel Card, ProCard, or reimbursements

6. List of Attendee Clarification

• Name and affiliation required, except for large groups where the names of attendees are unknown, such as open houses, receptions, and out-reach events, a description of the group is sufficient.
• The cost of the meal per attendee, if applicable. Food and beverage will be calculated as follows (use the formula as a template to show the details):

  # of attendees X meal cost per person* = Total cost of meals
  # of attendees X alcoholic beverages cost per person* = Total cost of alcohol

• For large groups as stated above an estimated cost of the meal per attendee (based on estimated number of attendees) is sufficient.

*Refer to Maximum Per Person Rates section above

7. Review and Approval Requirements

Requests for payment of gifts, awards, or promotional items valued at $600 or more provided to non-employees must be reviewed in advance:

• By the University Controller or designee if paid from state funds; or
• By the Auxiliary financial administrator if paid from Auxiliary funds.

For non-travel hospitality, a single expense report may be used to reconcile up to one quarter (maximum of three months) of transactions, as follows:

• Q1: July – September
• Q2: October – December
• Q3: January – March
• Q4: April – June

8. Student Alcohol Restriction Clarification

Under no circumstances are students permitted to purchase or host alcoholic beverages.

9. Community Relations and Fundraising Events

Colleges, departments and programs interested in hosting a fundraising event on behalf of Cal Poly must comply with CSU Policy No. 15701.00 "Fundraising Events" and consult with University Development and Alumni Engagement (UDAE) before marketing a fundraising event. Please see the University Development SharePoint site for more information.

10. Planning Tips and Best Practices

• Consider alternatives to gift cards (e.g., Cal Poly–branded items), as gift cards are considered cash
• Keep costs reasonable and aligned with the event's business purpose
• Plan ahead for required approvals
• Retain all supporting documentation

Early planning helps avoid processing delays and ensures compliance with CSU and campus policies.