starflyergold

As last year please post your mini review/experiences as Le Club Accorhotels silver/gold/platinum here. For full reviews please post in the existing thread or start a new one if the hotel does not show up in a search.

Goldorak

So I'm happy to start the 2016 reviews !

Name of the hotel: Pullman Cologne

- What is your Le Club status? Platinum

- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? yes

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive ?
Booked luxury room and was upgraded to junior suite.

- How are the rooms?
I would say that the rooms furnitures are maybe not exactly at the Pullman standards, as they are a bit dated. But it is still very acceptable and in good shape. The 1st room has a sofa and a desk and a large dressing room + separate toilets. The main room has the bed of course. The room had a direct view on the nearby illuminated Cologne cathedral. Very nice bathroom.

- What was good and what was bad?

Good:
- very good compliance with Le Club rules with a nice upgrade to a suite, drink voucher (I had a sparkling wine with it)
- Excellent staff
- Convenient underground parking lot (but a bit pricey)
- Pleasant bar & restaurant
- Central location

Bad:
As said before, furnitures a bit dated and "minimalist" but nothing really bad

- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? NA

- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks : See above

- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? yes

Goldorak

Name of the hotel: IBIS STYLE Saint Malo port

- What is your Le Club status? Platinum

- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? yes. This was my 1st stay in an Ibis style and I have been very pleasantly surprised. I'm not a big fan of Ibis in general (I am definitely more Sofitel and Pullman ), but I am completely boycotting the Mercure St Malo front de Mer due to repeated non acceptable platinum treatments , and so was looking for an alternative. Upper brands in Dinard (MGallery) were very expensive for the new year period, so decided to stick to St Malo (which was in any case much better for our needs). Unfortunately St Malo has only Ibis (all variants) and the Mercure I'm boycotting, so thought about giving a try to Ibis style. I choose the one at the port because was brand new (opened sometime during 2015).

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive ?
Booked standard room with double bed and got that (you don't expect an upgrade in that kind of hotel, but at least get the "best" one, and that's what they did (see below).

- How are the rooms?
They gave me a room for handicapped persons which was the largest of the floor, according on the evacuation map on the room door. The room was quite large, with storage place, a small table and an armchair. It was facing the old fortified part of the city (intra-muros). Simple but modern decoration, bright colors. You feel good immediately in. I don't know if they gave me this room on purpose, as a platinum recognition, or if it was just luck. The room had a little balcony with a small bistro table and 2 chairs, but it was not really possible to enjoy it at that season.

- What was good and what was bad?

Good: fresh and modern interiors, nice staff. Very pleasant breakfast room, good breakfast. Adjacent parking (but €9/night). If you travel with young children, the hotel is very child-friendly : plenty of games and toys are available in the lobby.

Bad:
Frankly nothing, but I will mention that I had to ask for the drink voucher (not spontaneously given). Also the location is not as good as for the sea-side Mercure or Ibis (Le Sillon neighborhood), but still OK

- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? NA

- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks: Voucher valid for one person, for soft drinks and beer.

- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? yes.

cwl

- Name of the hotel: Novotel Edinburgh Park

- What is your Le Club status? Platinum

- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Yes

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked superior room, received superior room. Hotel was showing as full.

- How are the rooms? Well maintained standard modern Novotel rooms. Bathroom has both wall mounted shower and rainfall shower.

- What was good and what was bad?

Good: Modern well maintained hotel on outskirts of Edinburgh offering easy access to central Edinburgh and Airport by tram stop 2 minutes walk away. At end of M8 motorway and Edinburgh southern bypass offering easy driving to other parts of Scotland.
Breakfast quality above standard Novotel offering.

Bad: Bar area small and crowded.

- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? N/A

- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks? Welcome drink voucher tucked into key card wallet good for any drink in bar or restaurant. No acknowledgement of status made at check in or anything offered. No welcome letter or amenity in room. Room did have bath robes and slippers provided, not sure if that was simply a feature of all rooms at this hotel or was an upgrade amenity, nothing mentioned by staff.

- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? Super sale rate £45 inc breakfast great value for money. Would stay again.

cwl

- Name of the hotel: Novotel Manchester West

- What is your Le Club status? Platinum

- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Satisfied

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Superior room - hotel only offers one room type.

- How are the rooms? Room clean, no wardrobe just a clothes rail, no fridge, no safe.

- What was good and what was bad?

Good: Clean basic accommodation.

Bad: Hotel is dated, 80's motel style.
Location convenient for motorway otherwise nothing special.

- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? N/A

- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks? Welcome drink provided. No welcome amenity

- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? At £40 inc breakfast good value for money. If convenient would stay again.

wkndtraveler

Name of the hotel: Hotel des Arts Saigon MGallery Collection

What is your Le Club status? Platinum

Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Unfortunately no.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked deluxe room and received sky executive deluxe room (I guess the only difference is location on a high floor and access to a lounge where the doors opens anyway as platinum).

How are the rooms?
Very nice. Combination of white walls and dark wooden floors gives fresh and comfortable atmosphere. Large windows have great views to city center. Bed was awesome and reminded Sofitel’s MyBed with its soft-like-a-cloud mattress and luxurious bed linens. Big flat-screen TV in front of the bed. Decent desk and armchair by the window. Other amenities include Nespresso machine, Aqua di Toscana bath amenities and two small bottles of water. Room still has a smell of new furniture. Not so big, though: about 30 sqm.

What was good and what was bad?

Good: Sleek room and views.

Bad: Hmm, where to begin…
- Platinum recognition on arrival: no thank you for the loyalty, room not prepared even if arrived after the official check in time, neither welcome letter nor welcome gift in room.
- Check in took forever. We were asked to sit down in the lounge but not offered any kind of drinks before we asked after waiting for about 15 minutes.
- Staff speaks very bad English and hardly understood simple questions. Also, they seemed to be scared of me. Every time I asked something they answered to my (Asian) partner and didn’t even look at me. It happened several times in different locations at the hotel and started to be rather annoying.
- TV in our room welcomed not me but my partner who isn’t even Le Club member. Just can’t understand how they managed to do that since I was the one who made the booking and I gave them our passports together with my platinum card. I don’t really mind about whose name is on the screen but it’s amateurish and made me think if they have put some information incorrectly to their system which might later on cause that I won’t get my points from the stay (I did but wrong amount).
- Went to the lounge at 5:55pm, five minutes before cocktail hours started, and asked for drinks. Were told to wait for five more minutes! Everything was prepared already, lounge empty and staff just standing, so again – unbelievable! Also, the cocktail hours ended strictly as scheduled, unlike in many other Accor hotels, such as Sofitel Saigon almost next door, where we have found the lounge staff being very flexible with the schedule.
- Water in roof top pool was disgustingly dirty (greenish, like in Halong Bay) and smelled sewer.
- We weren’t allowed to have breakfast at main restaurant but only in the lounge (most of the Accor hotels we have stayed at, platinum members have been able to choose to enjoy their breakfast either in the lounge or in the main restaurant, as we know here).
- It was a New Year and all restaurants at the hotel were fully booked. I asked the hotel by email already on November if there is any special program during our stay but never received any reply. So, we went down to the bar to eat – just to be told that they don't serve any food that night. Asked if we could order some food to bar from the room service menu since we didn’t feel like sitting inside our room during the New Year but answer was no. Just can’t understand their inflexibility. They made it almost impossible for us to eat at the hotel!
- After negotiating with a restaurant manager, she allowed us to order food from room service menu to be delivered to the lounge (this hasn't been any problem at any other Accor hotel but here even a restaurant manager had to call to someone before making a decision).
- It took several minutes to get warm water in shower. It's not only inconvenient but also a waste of water.
- Painfully slow Wi-Fi, in-room safe had low batteries.

Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge?
It’s stylish but very tiny, has only 20 seats or so. Really poor, limited selection of snacks during both afternoon tea and cocktail hours. In the afternoon they don’t have anything salty, just a small selection of petit four. During the cocktail hours, sushi, two different canapés and cheeses are served. Also the variety of international newspapers is pretty bad. They didn’t have The International New York Times, for example.

What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks?
Our room wasn’t obviously prepared for us even if arrived late as told before. No welcome letter, no welcome gift, nothing. I later went back to the lounge to ask what the VIP treatment for platinum members at this hotel means. The lady behind the desk didn’t understand my question so I asked her to give me Le Club brochure. I pointed VIP treatment. She asked if I didn’t receive toothbrush and shaving kit (I had also requested those). I started to be sweaty at this point but tried again and she finally got the point, made a phone call and after that a few delicacies such as macaroons, muffins and fruits were sent to our room.
Drink voucher were handed over and it was usable for soft drink, beer or house wine.
Didn’t need early check in or late check out and they weren’t listed on a lounge benefit list either so can’t comment on that.

Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return?
Won’t return unless they pay me. This hotel looks good and suit for normal holiday travelers but not Le Club top tier members. Price is similar than in Sofitel but the service isn't on par with the expectations I have for a five-star luxury hotel.

fransknorge

Name of the hotel: Novotel CDG

- What is your Le Club status? Gold

- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? yes

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive ?
Booked standard room and was upgraded to Executive

- How are the rooms?
As expected from a Novotel, good views of airplane actions.

- What was good and what was bad?

Good:
- very good compliance with Le Club rules with a nice upgrade to a suite, drink voucher
- Good staff
- Convenient underground parking lot (but a bit pricey)
- Great location for a night in CDG. Note there is an indoor corridor linking the hotel to the RER and CDGVal station.

Bad:
Nothing

- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? NA

- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks : Welcome drink given

- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? yes

fransknorge

Name of the hotel: Pullman Dubai Deira City Center

- What is your Le Club status? Gold

- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? yes

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive ?
Booked Superior room with King Size bed. No upgrade.

- How are the rooms?
They looked good, were clean and mine was spacious. Disapointment that shower was inside the bath tube.

- What was good and what was bad?

Good:

- Good staff
- Quite good restaurant. They made an effort to have themed arabic food and it was tasty. Better than the Hilton in Doha with bland western food only.
- The sports bar is OK for a drink or two before/after dinner but is a bit of a dive.

Bad:

- Not a full recognition of status: I got a welcome letter with a fruit plate and some chocolate but no welcome drink nor upgrade. I did get a late checkout though.
- The check-in and check-out were messy. The LCAH priority desk is used by everybody, also it might be due to the clientele not understanding the concept of queue and barging their way directly to the desk.

- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? NA

- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks :
- Welcome fruit plate and chocolate
- Newspaper delivered to the room every morning
- 2 free bottle of water every day

- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? For the right price I would.

wkndtraveler

Name of the hotel: Sofitel Plaza Hanoi

What is your Le Club status? Platinum

Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Very much so.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked luxury room with city view and received luxury club room with lake view (the upgrade was confirmed already before arriving by a guest relations manager when he contacted me by email and asked our estimated arrival time so that they can prepare the room for us).

How are the rooms?
Liked it. Had fresh flowers and amazing view to Westlake and Hanoi’s center. Large, luxurious bathroom with separate bathtub and walk-in shower. Amenities included Lanvin’s toiletries and bottled water that were both restocked twice a day (and they brought even more if needed). Free laundry for three items per day was useful.

What was good and what was bad?

Good:
- Personalized service: nothing was too much asked. For example, our bed was too firm to our liking so they made it softer by adding extra featherbed on top of everything.
- Active management: GM and GM2 could be seen in dinner and breakfast buffets checking that everything is good.
- Excellent dinner and breakfast buffets with decent price (they have the best croissants I have eaten outside France)
- Location: away from hustle and bustle yet not too far from city center. Taxi ride takes about 10 minutes to Sofitel Metropole and old quarter and cost only 2–3 euros.
- HUGE swimming pool for a hotel (water is warmed)

Bad:
- Price list for everything including even a room service menu(!), laundry bag, and telephone was very weird, like a joke
- Very dated spa except the pool (feels totally different hotel when entering that area)
- Lounge offerings are somewhat boring (but on the other hand, one can’t expect to get a full dinner buffet there)

Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge?
Large and comfortable lounge, even though not very luxurious (design is more like from a beach villa, I guess it’s a matter of taste). Food on offer doesn’t change much and is limited so ended up trying buffet dinner with oysters, scallops and prawns downsters (loved it), bar menu at lobby (one of the best burgers I have ever had!) and ordering a tasty margharita pizza from room service menu to be delivered to the lounge with freeflowing drinks. It works!

What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks?
- Platinum recognition was perfection: a guest relations agent escorted us from lobby to lounge to check in and was so thankful for my platinum status. At the lounge, a guest relations manager personally welcomed and shook hands with us. He was almost every morning and evening in the lounge and made sure all is good.
- A hand-written welcome card from GM2 was waiting for us in the room together with fresh flowers, macaroons, chocolates, mangos and some other fruites.
- Drink voucher was given at check-in, usable for selected wines, beers, cocktails and soft drinks at lobby bar or Summit lounge.

Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return?
Absolutely! I will certainly be back when returning to lovely Hanoi. Wonderful hotel with excellent platinum recognition and decent prices (Sofitel Plaza was more than three times cheaper than Sofitel Metropole during our travel). A very good example of a truly five-star hotel!

gilbertaue

Did you take up any of this with the GM Julie Bruley? Would be interesting to hear her comments to all the shortfalls.

Interesting career hers. She was Executive Assistant Manager at the Sofitel Metropole from 2013-2015 and then immediately a GM at this property. Quick rise.

wkndtraveler

Hi gilbertaue! I didn't but I emailed her today after the hotel credited wrong amount of points to my LCAH account from the stay. At the same time, I listed all that went wrong. I don't, however, expect much since I contacted her also after my booking back to August since one-one from the hotel's customer service didn't bother to answer my emails and so didn't she either got back to me personally. Just after two weeks, a customer service representative finally emailed me back. I'm a bit surprised how badly the place is managed if GM comes from Sofitel Metropole!

Goldorak

Your report was very interesting and indeed a shame to see this list of problems. I had several times that kind of "catastrophic" stays and usually when it starts bad, it often turns into a nightmare if the staff doesn't react promptly
Obviously, it's better to stick to the Sofitel or the Pullman in SGN.

starflyergold

- Name of the hotel: Pullman Jakarta Central Park

- What is your Le Club status? Plat

- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Very much so, excellent hotel and great service

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Deluxe > Executive Suite

- How are the rooms? Excellent, modern, stylish. Great connectivity

- What was good and what was bad?
Good: Friendly service.

Bad: My flight arrived 34 hours late, so I only got to spend 8 hours instead of two nights.

- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? Only popped in briefly to have a look, looks nice.

- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks?

Excellent welcome amenity (my FT friend gilbertaue may have had a helping hand )
- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? Absolutely

gilbertaue

Surprised she isn't more proactive, considering she is the one responding to TripAdvisor reviews.

Awesom Andy

They did the same with my recent visit in Mercure Bali Legian. Must be a new Accor thing.