For me, it is exciting news, although not as exciting as I'd expect. Good to hear Accor is playing the merger game, more coverage is always better, and coverage is the primary reason I stay with Accor (if you are not only travelling to the world's major metropoles, you will appreciate Accor having an ibis for you at some truly obscure locations otherwise not served by major hotel chains).
That said, the extra coverage they gain is not that massive. In Europe (where most of my travels are) perhaps only Swissotel Tallinn opens a new market for them, which is a very welcome development. Otherwise, it's mostly West-Coast USA and Canada and the South American Swissotels that really add coverage. Oh, and the Swissotel Osaka.
More worryingly, some properties are actual doubles with Accor's current upscale hotels, most striking being the Swissotel Berlin right in front the relatively-new Sofitel Berlin Kurfuerstendamm. So I wonder how Accor is going to handle those and if some dearly-acquired properties are going to be dropped.
I also expect the Swissotel brand to be dropped and hope for some of the properties to undergo thorough renovation before joining Sofitel or Pullman. Of course their rewards programme was generous given their scant coverage, it requires a lot of dedication (or repetitive travel patterns) to accrue even 20 nights at the chain.
I hope for LeClub to integrate new properties soon for the sole sake of me having delayed leisure trips to Tallinn and Osaka for lack of relevant-points-earning properties there
