Originally Posted by
escape4
Well if you are Diamond there is no reason to book Fairmont Gold, we have just been handed something for free so there is no "premium" to speak of. Whether it's very valuable or moderately valuable, is what we are debating.
Personally I do not think Shangri-La lounges are better than Fairmont lounges. S-L is an Asia-heavy hotel chain and particularly mainland China, so to be fair I would compare S-L lounges in China to Fairmont lounges in China as well. Unfortunately my sample size is small but Fairmont Chengdu's lounge was better than S-L lounges. If I am not mistaken S-L gives lounge access to mid tier elites so it should not be surprising for their lounges to be inferior to Fairmont which was pay-for-access for all until days ago. I am not saying this is what you did, but if one was to conclude that S-L lounges are better than Fairmont because they compared S-L lounges in China to Fairmont lounges in Canada, then I would say it's an unfair comparison which has to do with geography rather than brand.
As long as Four Seasons remain outside big hotel chains and as long as they stay without a loyalty program, they will continue to have an immaterial number of stays from me. I trust that their lounges are better than Fairmont but you will nonetheless not see me there, unlike Ritz Carlton lounges. For reasons that go beyond lounges.
There are still times when I would book a Fairmont Gold suite, but I'd agree they are now greatly reduced, given the free access.
First, I see the "fine print" says 2 adults and 2 children get access. I've already reached out to one of my regular hotels, asking what would happen if I book a non-Gold Two Bedroom Suite? I would certainly have more than 2 adults in the suite, and possibly up to 6 people total. Or, what about rooms with 2 Queen beds, where it's probably common for people to have more than 2 adults in a room. I'm hoping the policy will be interpreted as allowing whatever number of guests are legally accommodated in the room type booked by the Diamond member, rather than a set number of people in all situations.
Second, there are sometimes when the Gold level rooms and suites are just better... maybe they're finished nicer, maybe they're larger in general. In those situations, I'll probably still book Gold. At many hotels, their signature suites are all part of Fairmont Gold anyway, and if I want one of those, I'm still going to be paying for Gold.
But I really wish this was in effect last summer. I had a stay at the Banff Springs, and booked a Two Bedroom Gold Suite. The BSH has a few signature suites, which are not part of Fairmont Gold. I really wanted their Majestic Two Bedroom Suite, which at the time, was priced identical to the Two Bedroom Gold Suite. I offered to pay extra, but they said the Majestic Suite simply cannot have Gold access. The Majestic Suite was finished to a much higher level, and included Willow Stream Spa access, breakfast in the main restaurant or IRD, but not Gold lounge. My wife outvoted me (in our democracy, there are only two votes, but her vote breaks the tie!), and said she really wanted the Gold Lounge. Under this new Diamond benefit, my problem would be solved!
As for Four Seasons, they're probably my second-most visited chain. I have no problem with the lack of a loyalty program. They just treat all guests like they're Diamond members, and I'm good with that.