Lifetime status
 

Hi,

with all of the changes coming next year, it looks that le club is getting less customer oriented. How about giving us something in exchange?

Amy, could you enquiry HQ about life status? It works pretty well at Marriott loyalty program. I think it is about time to change something with Le Club

Cheers,

Jacek

I certainly wouldn't say that the coming changes means "less customer oriented". It means just give status to customers who really bring money to the company. If you have status only thanks to promo points, do you think you really merit the status and the associated perks ? I understand it is nice to have but you have to consider things on the company perspective. And with the lower thresholds, I believe all the "real" gold and plat will be able to requalify as per the new scheme if their travel pattern remain the same with Accor.
As I said in the dedicated thread, I think this change is completely logical and was expected sooner or later.
This being said, I'm among the ones who also vote for a lifetime platinum membership. :)

Goldorak, I think the point the OP tried to make is since it will be "harder" to quality as Gold and Platinum, what additional benefit Accor is giving? I guess there is no real tangible benefit been thrown to Gold and Platinum with the new program right?

My wish list is still guarantee free breakfast in the lounge or in restaurant when there is no lounge present. I doubt this will cost a lot to the hotel as they have to run breakfast buffet in the restaurant anyway.

I don't see anything customer oriented. Customer losses. I am a customer and I am looking from the customer perspective, not from the hotel chain perspective, why would I? Sorry.

Accor is getting better and better with their program but still there is a long way to convince people to stay with them.

I have stayed like 50 nights in the year while platinum. I will simply stop staying at accor if I dont get platinum renewal and drop to gold.

If you stay 50 nights a year you most likely will stay Platinum based on your expenses only. Unless you are staying in Ibis or alike which means platinum has no real advantages anyways.

Personally, and I have said that before, a lifetime status would be more than appropriate. 2018 sees the 10th anniversary of Le Club so those who maintained 10 years Platinum status would certainly deserve some acknowledgement for their loyalty.

And the years with Sofitel privilege gold status should count as well (like when AF/KL introduced Flying Blue : the years at the top status of the previous AF and KL programs counted for the lifetime platinum status in FB ;) )

Well, Accor isn't ging to give us something based on whether they (or we) think we deserve it. For it to make sense to both Accor and us, lifetime status would have to be sufficiently attainable and desirable to motivate us to choose Accor properties on occasions where our travel plans might make it easier not to do so. Implemented properly, it would also give people a reason to carry on choosing Accor in the later part of the year: even though they've already stayed enough to renew their annual status, they could now carry on accumulating nights towards lifetime status.

I'd expect Accor to implement this at some point, probably in a similar way to Starwood (250 nights and five years earned Gold status, not necessarily consecutive, for lifetime Gold; 500 nights and 10 years earned Platinum for lifetime Platinum). The sooner the better!

Lifetime status has to be the worst business for any hotel chain or airline - anybody savvy enough to earn it will immediately focus on earning a status with another chain once getting it, while still reaping the benefits every now and then.

I do see the benefit to the chain for having us re-qualify every year, and I'd rather they gave us the little help with that that they did. I also totally do not appreciate all the complicating factors to formerly the most straightforward programme out there, both in terms of different point scales and the need to qualify in a calendar year (what sense does it make rather than drive Nov/Dec bookings???)

I disagree with that. Experience with airlines FFP proposing such a status doesn't show that and in any case, the cost for the hotel chain (or the airline) is minimal so no risk.

In such cases, I think that person might have just switched to another program earlier, losing revenue for the group. And to be honest, I don't mind letting someone earn lifetime status. If they keep coming back, they would probably earn status in their own rights. If they don't come back often, then the cost of providing the lifetime status is minimal since they aren't here to use the benefits. Either way, I will definitely thank them for spending so much money with me that they wouldn't have spent if they switched to another program earlier.

Agree, I would say that lifetime status is something that has paid for itself in the preceding x number of years and is not something that is counted as cost for the following years.

As I see it, the changes are less customer orientated. I am a customer and use Accor whenever I can. However, now that bonus points do not count towards status, it will be much harder for me to keep Platinum. I do not see any enhancements for me in the changes, just Accor saving money by making it harder for customers to gain higher status and the benefits which come from this. Consequently, I will likely give more business to Hilton. So changes to the Accor loyalty program will make me less loyal.

CT

As a Plat, I still see the top tier too "crowded". With higher end properties coming in, the $ spent will increase. Only by thinning out the top now, will they be able to offer better benefits to Plats.
I foresee that by Jan 2017 a new program will be launched that offers better benefits at gold/Plat levels - and to "get a feel" everyone will get to keep their status till end 2017.
But if you can't achieve those points without having the $ spent, then top tier may not be achievable. But who knows, the current Plat may become a tweaked gold and the Plat benefits may build on what they have now.
I'm looking forward to the changes and will stay loyal.

I found the number of Club Accorhotels members on http://www.accorhotels-group.com

in 2013:
Club Accorhotels members (2013) : 14 million
Classic 86%
Silver 10 %
Gold 2,5 %
Platinium : 1,5 % (= 210 000)

in 2014 :
Club Accorhotels members (2014) : 20 million
Classic 78 %
Silver 16 %
Gold 4 %
Platinium : 2 % (= 400 000)

twice more platinium in one year !

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