I've had problems booking a "Dream Stay" offer and am reporting the details (and successful resolution) as they may be helpful to others.
In an email dated 17 November, Accor announced their newest "Dream Stay" offers for LCAH members. The email highlighted offers for Montreal and Chicago and linked to a web page (
here) that also shows offers for Cartagena and Rio.
I tried to book the Sofitel Chicago offer (details
here), which I also reported in the hotel thread (
here).
Step one: called the number shown on the Accor offer page (1-877 418 4463 -- the offer cannot be booked online). The agent couldn't see the offer (28,000 LCAH points for four nights in a suite plus a bunch of goodies) and tried to persuade us that booking without the offer would be a great deal (66,000 points for the room only).
Step two, after waiting a day to give Accor a chance to load the promotion properly: called the 1-877 number again. This time the agent was far more inclined to help but still couldn't find the offer. After consulting with a supervisor he advised us to call the hotel.
Step three: spoke at length with a very helpful reservations specialist at the property. He wasn't able to book the offer, however. He tried hard. He did further research and called back, then said we should leave it with him over the weekend. He would follow up with central reservations and get back to us. He kept his word and in an email on Monday wrote that the rate should now be bookable via the 1-877 number.
Step four: called the 1-877 number again and got a helpful agent (in Rabat, Morocco -- possibly the same man we had spoken to at step two) who, once again, couldn't book the rate. He spoke to a supervisor and asked us to call a UK number (+44 191 335 0630) that would get us connected to the Bangalore call centre which, he assured us, would be able to make the booking.
Step five was a 70+ minute call with an extremely helpful and resourceful agent in Bangalore. He searched several different corners of the Accor reservations systems and various Accor websites, tracked down the offer code, made several phone calls and finally made the booking (which was then confirmed by email and can be viewed online). At the moment the booking is showing with a dollar amount but I've been assured that the hotel will deduct points and update the booking in due course.
On one level this is the kind of Accor story that won't surprise anyone here: not being able to do something that ought to be straightforward and not having a Platinum line that would take ownership of the problem. On the other hand, though, there was a real willingness on the part of three of the people we dealt with to resolve a problem that was not of their making -- including a superstar performance from the Bangalore call centre agent (who is probably one of Accor's least well-paid representatives).