As a Member of the Raffles Ambassador program, I received automatic Platinum status with Le Club loyalty program in Accor. Raffles Ambassador program was developed as an invite-only loyalty program (and to my knowledge a quite selective one). I noticed that the expiry date on my Platinum status is slated for 2019- doesn't this defeat the purpose of having the original invite-only program for Raffles? No offense, but my main driver to be loyal to the brand was to stay with Raffles when traveling to destinations where their flag flew (which wasn't many). How are Raffles loyalists supposed to maintain status within the brand? If I'm traveling to cities like Dubai, Singapore, Seychelles in the future, I'll choose brands like Four Seasons/ Ritz Carlton where my loyalty can be rewarded. The great part about Raffles Ambassador was that they understood their limitations being a smaller brand- am I expected to stay at a Fairmont in cities like Boston/ DC/ Barcelona ect. or a Sofitel/ Novotel to rack up points so that I can keep status for when I travel to cities that have a Raffles? Sorry, but Raffles is on a completely different level than any other brand within the Accor portfolio (with the exception of a select few Fairmont properties like the Peace Hotel, Savoy, and Plaza) and thus the program for Raffles should have remained separate. A shame- my wife and I always enjoyed doing our long holidays at Raffles properties due to the attention to detail/ service/ and beautiful properties- but once I lose my status next year (since I won't be staying in any other Accor branded hotels except for the few listed above) Looks like I'm back to splitting my time between Four Seasons/ Ritz Carlton (brands that understand loyalty). Very disappointed with this transition.