Originally Posted by
ZenWorld
I understand why a lot of Fairmont Plats are upset, mainly those who qualified under the big short-cut route of Canada's Amex Plat Charge Card - they simply needed to charge 5 stays or 5 nights to reach Platinum.
That said, Fairmont Plats outside North America are hardly seen. And I am based in Asia, qualified via the hard route of 10 stays/30 nights, without a single short cut. And the number of Fairmonts in Europe/Asia/Australia is limited. (Yes, they are going big in China; but none in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, etc)
You make some fair points. While there are Plat members outside NA, I'd assume most at least travel to NA a few times a year.
And yeah, qualifying the "regular" way myself while living outside NA was a bit of a pain, but it was still doable since I travel to NA somewhat regularly.
Btw, I'm sure you know this, but just in case: Should you be short a few nights, you can earn FPC stay credit for stays at Swissotel stays.
Originally Posted by
ZenWorld
I could hardly requalify for Fairmont Plat (cos of footprint issues), and without shortcuts, count the number of stays/nights I needed to do, that is without breakfast, without lounge access, and of course Suite-less.
If I stay with SPG, Hilton, Hyatt, I get lounge access, breakfast all the time, and my Suite upgrade success with SPG is good enough that I can easily beat my 2 or 3 Suite certs with Fairmont yearly.
I'd somewhat disagree with this statement, but it obviously depends on your stay pattern (one night stays vs. longer stays etc.)
The ability to confirm a suite upgrade for up to 15 out of 30 nights is what keeps many Plats loyal. While some SPG Plats surely have a 50% upgrade success rate, the ability to confirm the upgrade at time of booking make a big difference IMO. If I couldn't confirm an upgrade to those (usually very nice) one-bedroom suites when it matters to me (e.g. when travelling with others) I wouldn't be nearly as loyal as I am.
The only competitive (and possibly superior) program when it comes to suite upgrades is Hyatt Diamond IMO.
Originally Posted by
ZenWorld
The current Fairmont Loyalty Program is too skewed to benefiting certain groups of people, and guests outside North America are hardly incentivized to be loyal to Fairmont. This limits Fairmont's expansion outside North America, in terms of loyalty Program.
I agree, FPC would have many fewer members if it didn't:
1) offer free Premier status to Fairmont Chase credit card holders
2) fast-track status to AC status pax
3) fast-track Plat status to Cdn Amex Plat cardholders (5 nights vs. 30 nights)
That being said, I'd still argue it's an excellent program for anyone who is based in / travels to NA, even if one has to qualify the regular way.