Originally Posted by
kyushuman
I was comped A/Club Platinum last December, based (I think ) on my redeeming 20K points from a $3K stay from 2 years ago. I only stay at Sofitels about 2x/year since.
I have an option to stay at some Sofitel or Pullman hotels on an upcoming stay, but I'm curious about treatment of Platinums--do you get an upgrade as a rule? Is it one-category, or more like Starwood's "best available room" upgrade?
Any other perks?
I have seen most of the Sofitel/A Club reviews here--not much good to say. But I'm wondering if anyone has experienced much in terms of Plat differences?
Thanks in advance!
The upgrade is one category most of the time, though it is offered consistently (I have been upgraded on every stay). SPG offers higher upgrades in theory, but in practice the upgrades are extremely variable (usually one category, which generally will provide a better view or some other minor benefit). My sense is that the categories at Sofitel at least are more meaningfully differentiated, so a one category upgrade, offered consistently, seems more valuable to me than an upgrade to a suite that only happens once or twice a year.
I also think the A Club amenity (usually fruit or chocolate plus welcome drink) is much better than the SPG equivalent (in the US 500 bonus points is the only worthwhile option for me).
Note that there are no A Club benefits other than points accrual and redemption at any Accor chains except Sofitel. Pullman and MGallery.
Overall I would say that if you care most about points accrual, stick with SPG. If you want in-hotel benefits, A-Club is better.