escape4

In some of my previous posts about specific hotels, I mentioned how and why it was possibly my last stay at Fairmont XXX due to the loss of Fairmont President’s Club. I have kept an open mind about Le Club recently because after all I will get free Plat status for 18 months starting in a few days, so why not? I have enough nights with other hotel chains to keep status in 2019 so I can stay with Le Club in the second half of this year without putting my status with other chains in jeopardy. It’s now or never to try Accor; I am genuinely considering Accor options for future stays and I have nothing to lose. But the more I read about it, the more I start to think maybe Accor is not for me. With Hyatt I get guaranteed suites 4 stays per year, 7 nights per stay, so 28 nights. And in other stays I get a suite more often than not and I am treated well. With Starwood I have good success with suite upgrades, now Marriott increases my potential properties. The Ambassador service is second to none and my Ambassador goes above and beyond to make my stays smooth and maximizes my odds of suite upgrades on the stays that matter the most. Whenever there is a mishap somewhere, she fixes the problem to my satisfaction. Hilton is not the best program but I get my share of suite upgrades and in some locations the Hilton choices are decent. With frequent Hilton points promos, I get a good return. Fairmont / Accor? Well in some markets with limited competition I will return for sure, for example Fairmont Jasper, Sofitel Krabi, etc. There are others. But in most locations, after doing limited homework, I fail to see the Accor value proposition so far. For example, in Bangkok, Sofitel So is a great hotel, but the price is not cheap, they are fussy about suite upgrades, now they introduced less than customer friendly happy hour times while at the same time some Starwood/Marriott hotels increased happy hour to 3-4 hours, leaving Sofitel So in the dust. There are lots of other considerations, but I just note a few here. Why would I stay there when my alternatives are good? I often reach similar conclusions in other cities so as much as I would like to try Accor hotels, many times I cannot find a logical rationale to book there. That means in the future I will stay at a handful of Fairmont/Accor hotels where it makes sense even after 2019 when I might not have Plat status anymore, and I will continue to rely on hotel reviews here on FT. I will consider those properties because of the properties themselves, not because of Le Club or because of status.

Which brings me to another important point. I see a lot of negative comments by many FTers here in the Accor thread. Bad IT, bad customer service, hotels not following guidelines, welcome amenity not respected, need to twist arms for room upgrades, etc. Why would I want to subject myself to that if I don’t need to? Yet some of you guys are regulars and continue to be regulars. Why? Please do not interpret my question as being sarcastic. Everybody votes with their feet and have a reason for doing so. Most (all?) people here are not stupid. I just want to know why you make the choices you make, and see if those conclusions can apply to me or not. We are all here to help each other. I can be helped as much when someone recommends FOR something as when someone recommends AGAINST something. The qualitative nature of comments in Accor threads I have seen confirms my reluctance to embrace the program, yet I have some question marks because some of you stay loyal to Accor, in a seemingly contradictory behavior to my uninformed eye. If someone says they have status with Accor because they stay mostly in 10 cities where Accor is the name of the game there, and other chains are bad, then I fully understand the choice. But if I stay in cities with many choices from many hotel chains, in what ways can Accor be attractive over Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood, and Hilton? From what I read, I can mostly forget about suite upgrades with Accor if I book the cheapest rooms. Lounge access yes, but many Accor properties don’t even have a lounge, while many competitors do. With credit cards, the total value of points earned and redemption values seem higher at other chains than Accor. Customer service seems better at other chains. Etc.

This thread is not intended to be a bashing of Accor. I am interested in informative and objective comments to refine my thought process, to the extent that it might be biased at the moment so I need to fix it. It can only be beneficial to open my eyes.

tris06

Simply put , Asia Pacific, Oceania and Europe. This would be reason enough to put many of your stays In Accor. Also the first 2 regions Accor is equal to all the other brands on recognition and loyalty benefits.

Europe it is of course very dominant but does Have some issues with loyalty and that is down to the fact loyalty is probably more stronger factor In the US, So it is partially a culture thing. I mean I stayed at an IHG hotel at NewYork JFK last week. I only stayed there and was Lowest rung member but She Still said thankyou for your loyalty. I Dont think that Would happen In Accor hotels. And to be honest I was not loyal to IHG So it was no Meaning to me. Of course I Would expect it from Accor considering I will choose them first and on their highest rung.

1flyer

Essential full quote above!

kaizen7

wkndtraveler

I remain loyal to Accor because of a few obvious reasons which are:
1) I like many Accor hotels, especially Sofitel that offer very good amenities for every guest, even for those who aren't returning customers: the best hotel bed Sofitel My Bed, Hermes products, luxurious ambient – all at reasonable price.
2) Possibility to collect and use bonus points, i.e. saving money.
3) Excellent coverage of hotels in Europe and Asia.
4) Decent loyalty benefits. The bad thing is just that one need to beg for those way too often. But once I get them, I'm happy camper.

Nick Art

1flyer

Another sensible full post quote!

markis10

tris06

I know You are feeling pain right Now As I read a few people wish they could enjoy the last day before the 2nd of July at their hotel chain but seriously that hotel wont change. It is likely the hotel will go above and beyond what the program expects if it has been an Excellent hotel In the past. Accor won't let things slip As they Have tried to bring a more consistent experience.They do need to keep working on it. Hopefully the free breakfast will roll out world wide In the near future. As others said if after You tried the Same hotels In the new program and feel it is not for You then okay. We are In a constructive forum here and we Hope we are helping Accor with feeback As Well As informing members So In the long term our overall experiences improve. The hotels fear me when I come around . I have no shame to expect my benefits Because it is promised and openly mention to them I do communicate with members and Accor about hotel treatment.

gilbertaue

And that's exactly the point. Yes, why should we, who should automatically get benefits, beg and 'hammer' hotels when they are not forthcoming.

My reason is that often there are property owners or grey haired GMs who feel otherwise.

And that's where I make myself heard. Like tris06 and some of our others members here, we have a big * next to our profiles in the AccorHotels ACDC guest management system. - and properties take note.

I regularly stay in the same properties, and I book well priced standard rooms - and I get upgraded to suites almost every time (unless they are full).
I establish relationships with hotel GMs and many are now friends. I sometimes go out of my way to stay in a certain properties due to the recognition and relationships build over time. And that is not limited to Sofitel or Pullman brands.

​​​​Certainly there are problems with the website, but when there are I have my contact at Accor+ who sorts things out.
There may be a rogue property here and there. And I make myself heard - and sometimes give them a second chance to Improve. In many cases the good relationships I have is with properties I had issues with in the beginning.
​​​​

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starflyergold

Here are my 2 Euro cents: Yes Accor has deficiencies, many of them extensively discussed here. IT and consistency of loyalty experience probably the two biggest ones. BUT the grass is always greener on the other side. I used to be Hilton Diamond and by no stretch of the imagination are (North) American companies necessarily any better, poor run down so called 5* properties, lounges which exude the feel of train station waiting rooms, poor customer service (twice my personal data has been compromised, weeks of dealing with other problems). Accor has some stunning properties and the further East you go, the better it gets, including Le Club perks (free Platinum breakfast for example). The Le Club programme in itself is one of the simplest around: no black out dates, most rates are available for redemption, at all room categories. The sheer choice of hotels makes it attractive for me. I do not always need some la de da fancy hotel (for work or pleasure) so more often than not there is a hotel available. I had great stays at Mercure hotels (I rarely go below this) and at top range Sofitels. What counts for me is the upgrade and early/late check out regime and on that in most cases Accor delivers. I do not need some free sneakers or suite certs as I seem to be getting upgraded to one in most case (at 4/5* hotels once you book the category below it).

What I do like is that Accor are willing to listen. They are aware of their shortcomings, and they have improved, but as anybody who has ever worked in large organisation can tell you, changing organisational culture is a long term project. All in all Le Club serves my needs well.

Goldorak

ContinentalVoyager7

I agree with this, I don't always stay Luxury Hotels and usually range between Mercure to Sofitel with the exception of Ibis if I am on a quick stop over or etc. With regards to FRHI, they only own Luxury Hotels and no doubt they are excellent at their trade. But Accor is more of a "Cover all corners" company which has Economy Scale brands such as Ibis to Mid-Scale brands like Novotel and Luxury Scale brands like Sofitel. Thus, this offers me the opportunity to choose where I want to stay given my budget and benefit from the different tiers of service and rewards. It's not a great Loyalty programme, but its good enough for me to enjoy with the slight complaints here and there.


gilbertaue is totally right especially with then highlighted portion. Accor is not perfect and most of the time, when I encounter problems with the hotel, I try to understand what is the cause of the problem. Most of the time it has to do with the Owners or Upper Management. I personally believe the hospitality professionals working in this industry ain't here to make our lives suffer and most of the time are the ones suffering under management due to the strict rules they implement. That is something I agree Accor has to improvement on, being straight forwards to the Owners and Management that they are in the Hospitality industry. Guest are your revenues sources, treat them good and you will earn more in the long run.

Furthermore, most of the time I usually go back to the same hotel I stayed at previously as I know the staff there and they know me. In fact, I have even changed hotels and destinations of my travel of vacation just to visit the destination and stay at their hotel as I have made personal friends with some of them. I truly believe the bad properties are just bad apples from the tree. There will still be many other good apples around!

In the long run, I believe Accor is trying to improve and I have seen first hand one of their internal quality satisfaction standard surveys they have been implementing to ensure service throughout the brand is standardized. Additionally, I feel that lately in these few years, Accor has been listen to their guest more and trying to improve company wide. With the addition of FRHI joining Accor on July 2nd, one can hope the management of FRHI which now joins Accor ranks will help shape and share their tactics and experiences to help Accor become better at their Loyalty programme and perhaps, their almost "incomprehensible" IT team

Nick Art

Yes I do feel pain losing the FPC, and tbh, the FPC was a big factor in why I enjoyed Farimonts so much. Because the program was flawless together with an amazing stay. It was exactly that I did not have to fight for my perks that made me love the program so much. It was simple stupid and just worked which with the complexity of other programs around is not granted anymore today. I just fear that the Le Club is the same in terms of complexity, rules and glitches and other things that will just make me wast unnecessary time and effort in trying to fix which just brings so much frustration.
An example: I called Fairmont today and the phone was promptly answered without waiting time, my request was taken care of in a matter of five minutes.
Yet on the Le Club Accor line I was waiting for 10 minutes for somebody to pick up the phone when I finally gave up.

I think this is one of my other biggest fears regarding the Accor take over. It's just that I do not want to stay at anything below a Fairmont and I fear that just as with the Fairmont Presidents Club being replaced with le Club, mediocricy will take over. I was hoping they would lift their standards to Fairmont levels, but as with the integration of the FPC in Le Club, I just don't feel that is the case.
Tris mentioned above that Accor tries to bring a more consistent experience, but I fear that exactly because Accor has such a wide range of quality in their hotels, this will result in my Fairmont experience actually deteriorating.

I sure do hope so. But as I know from a friend there has been Mass Exodus at the Fairmont HQ in Canada and not only there.

But as they say: Hope dies last, so I will give it a chance and make my decision based on the future stays I have planned.

markis10