Originally Posted by
Allvest
I found out today that even the lousy 1000 aeroplan points they award per stay don't apply to rates such as CAA or Fairmont Saver rates. It cost them maybe 5 bucks to award those points. What is the deal with any loyalty reward systems that get so convoluted and cheap that it pits road warriors against corporate accountants? Heck, does that mean I get double points when I book a full rate?
AFAIK buying 1k points costs Fairmont $10-$15, but still youīre right: The stinginess regarding earning miles isnīt too impressive and even if my rate earned miles, I often had to follow up to get them credited.
Originally Posted by
Allvest
FPC has a few nicks and dents which are very weird. Such as no gold lounge access for Platinums, no bfast benefit for Platinums, but they give you a free pair of Adidas when you arrive, and drive you around in an X5.
If I didn't have Platinum through Amex, I would not (and never did) bother trying to qualify for their non-benefits. ....
I agree that FPC is a somewhat "unique" program. From a positioning standpoint theyīre mostly somewhere inbetween SPG/Hilton/Hyatt/IHG/Marriott (which mostly cater to business travellers and have a point-based system) and Ritz Carlton/Four Seasons (which donīt - or until recently didnīt - have a real loyalty program), FPC is more about "value-added" amenities rather than earning free nights.
I think one factor one has to take into account is that itīs comparably easy to qualify for PFC Plat (10 stays or even only 5 nights with the AMEX Plat5 promo), thereīs no other major chain that offers substantial benefits after 10 stays.
One major incentive of the FPC Plat program is the ability to confirm suite upgrades at time of booking, afaik only Hyatt Diamond and IC RA (though it depends on the property) offers this benefit. If FPC took away this benefit, Iīd like take my business elsewhere.
The other aspect I really like is that pretty much any rate can be upgraded and all rates count for status,