Originally Posted by
globaltrvl555
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.
I'm not sure you'll have much issue maintaining status in Accor (not that the status is worth much, and really, the Raffles program had very few benefits of status). All you really need is 5,400 Euros in annual spend to hit Le Club Platinum. If you're staying at a Raffles, you don't need very many nights. I'll hit that level in only 5 nights at the Fairmonts I stay at, so I expect you will easily do the same at a Raffles property. So, no you won't need to rack up points in other brands to maintain status. But, the real question is, do you really need the status? As much as Le Club benefits suck compared to the benefits provided by Fairmont President's Club, I would argue that the Raffles program really didn't provide that much.
Don't feel bad about going to other places! You need to do what's right for you. We all need to vote with our wallets. I also booked a couple of big stays last year at Four Seasons, where Fairmont and Raffles (and apparently Sofitel) were present, and was very happy with my stays. Just last week, my wife and I were in Paris for 6 nights, and instead of returning to the Raffles Le Royal Monceau, which had been our favourite in other trips, I picked a new hotel one street over, not affiliated with any major chain. No longer any need to hit a stay or night minimum as I had with Fairmont, as I know I'll re-qualify anyway, so feel a bit of freedom to go other places.