Originally Posted by
stargold
In my experience, large chain hotels (not just Accor) generally have a cut-off time, typically at around 2-3am (but varies from hotel by hotel), beyond which they will deem any non-arrivals as being no-shows. I understand that this is as a result of a nightly reconciliation for the back-end systems which finalises the list of guests who actually stayed on that night. This would be the same whether it was a pay at the hotel booking, a prepaid and non-refundable booking, or a points booking. The only way to avoid the same hassle that OP experienced is to notify the hotel in advance, so that they take steps in advance not to mark you as a no-show.
I hope the OP gets the points back for the cancelled booking. For the benefit of the others, bear this in mind for any very late arrivals, whether planned or unplanned (e.g. flight disruption).
This was my one-time experience, as well. On a road trip from Chicago to the south I was planning to leave after work and spend the night in Paducah, KY, at a Hampton Inn. Due to work circumstances I didn't get on the road until 8pm, arriving at the hotel about 2am. Fortunately, they were just starting said nightly audit and I was able to check in without any problems -- but 10 minutes later would have been more of a hassle.