dbuckho

Will be visiting Australia for 17 days this July/August. Between an overnight at the Brisbane airport (2 Accor hotels at the terminal), a visit to Uluru (an Accor monopoly), and a few other stays booked so far looks like I will be getting familiar with ALL. Now just trying to decide whether I commit the rest of the trip – mainly our city stays -- to Accor properties vs. my normal US affiliations (Hilton/Marriott/IHG/Hyatt). Any advice on maximizing my ALLness is appreciated!

I joined AccorPlus and put the Stay Plus night to use for one of our Uluru nights – already covered the membership cost and then some. Also signed up for the AccorPlus Fast Track – so either via that or spend will probably reach Gold. That status and any points earned from this trip will most likely be put to use on a December trip to Europe.

For the past few years, we have been seeking out 2 BR / 2 BA hotel rooms (or connecting rooms) as my wife prefers her own bathroom space away from our kids. Here in the US that can be hard to find at a decent cost in a prime downtown locations, or we must go a little out of the way for an extended stay with 2 BR / 2 Baths (i.e. Homewood/Staybridge/Residence Inn). So, I am a little overwhelmed by all the choices from Accor – i.e. The Sebel, Mantra, etc. – plus all the properties that offer 50% off a second connecting room. Really impressive and wish we had more of those brands here.

I think I understand that from all the apartment type offerings, The Sebel seems to be the higher end of the lot, and the one that will earn the most points. But still not 100% sure where to place them relative to my normal US brands – i.e. where does the lower end of “Premium” Accor fall compared to a Homewood Suites for example?

Here is what is booked so far or what I am considering. Any advice relative to these or other ways to maximize my stays is appreciated.

• Brisbane Airport (1 night) -- Pullman Brisbane Airport -- 50% off second room
• Uluru (2 nights) -- Desert Gardens Novatel -- No 50% off second room available, but used Stay Plus night.
• Sydney (4 nights) – trying to decide between The Sebel Quay West Suites or the Pullman Quay Grand which also has a couple 2 BR / 2 Bath options. Pullman is about $1000 USD more, but the view seems pretty killer. I could also get family inter-connecting rooms at the Hilton for an even better price (about $600 USD less than The Sebel) including breakfast for everyone and my Diamond benefits – but sort of have a nice view in my mind vs. just being in the middle of the CBD.
• Leura (1 night) – Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains -- I have some Fairmont gift cards leftover and was hoping to use here – but seems like this is just a Fairmont in title only – really an MGallery property. They said they could not run the gift cards. But they have a nice family suite for us.
• Bowral (1 night) – The Sebel -- For this I booked via Qantas hotels as I transferred in enough points to them for my 4 J class awards to make Points Club Plus, so had a $100 AUD voucher to use. When I contacted the hotel they said they could add my ALL # to the booking since it was Qantas, but no idea how a 3rd party reservation effects earning?
• Canberra (3 nights) – Was thinking about The Sebel but we will have a car and seems like it does not have parking. Perhaps the.Peppers Gallery? Also considering the Hyatt. But really have no idea where we should stay
• Brisbane (5 nights) – deciding between The Sebel or a few of the Mantra properties, but same here that I really have no idea where I should stay. We will also be doing day trips north and south for 2 of the days so parking is needed.

I have another $25 voucher from joining Club Jestar which paid for itself with 2 intra-Australia flights, though seems my AccorPlus discount will be better on any remaining reservations vs. trying to use that small voucher.

What else should I be asking about ALL? Maybe any restaurants I should keep an eye out for to use the AccorPlus restaurant benefit?

On a side note, must give some recognition to the Accor website team on how easy it was to use the Stay Plus night. The ability to use it as part of a longer stay and with additional rooms being booked on same reservation, to easily toggle on/off pricing with and without it – far easier to use than all my other free nights from Hilton/Marriott/IHG.

Mwenenzi

That's a lot of travelling in 17 days. Too many nights in Brisbane. OOL not far from BNE. From above you have booked all flights. Sydney- Blue Mountains - Bowral - Canberra by car?
No need to stick with Accor if another chain has hotels more like what you need.
Canberra in July can be brisk.

dbuckho

The itinerary is front-loaded to visit Uluru. But not too bad after that. There was a lot of debate in our house about whether it was worth the extra 6 hours flying for Uluru but ultimately decision was yes, especially since it seems like a good time of year to go. BNE - AYQ and AYQ - SYD are booked as there was only one flight option on our days and flights were on sale.

SYD - CBR is a 3 day / 2 night road trip. Have found many things of interest and should not be too much driving. But CBR - BNE flight is not booked yet and hotels are refundable in case we change our mind.

When I visited BNE area before I split my time between the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, and visited Brisbane proper as a day trip from OOL. We have the option to split our 5 days in that area 3-2, and could even fly CBR to either OOL or MCY. But despite all the hopping around on this trip I usually try and minimize the check ins and outs - so thought we might just stay one place in Brisbane and do a couple days trips north and south.

I am looking around and will be keeping an eye out for any deals with my usual loyalties (I.e. there are some 4th night free offers in SYD through end of June - some may be extended out when April gets here) - but so far the ALL properties seem to have the best mix of space and price for our needs.

To answer my own question earlier - The Sebel Bowral emailed back and said Qantas actually uses the Expedia channel, so they were mistaken and cannot add my number to that booking. But voucher value > points earned value, so no problem.

markis10

Couple of thoughts:

1. Pullman at Brisbane Airport - expensive and nothing in the area but a car park. Your call but downtown is a 20min taxi/Uber.
2. Quay West Sydney is an older hotel but a solid product with great views and well suited for a family, Hilton rooms are very small and I loathe the hotel as a diamond member.
3. Sebel Canberra does have a outdoor public car park a block away, maybe 5-10 minutes walk, the Hyatt is nice, Mecure as well, both originally having been designed as accomodation for government employees
4. Brisbane Accomodation - Sebel is old but solid, Sofitel was a former Sheraton and is in the classic Sheraton layout with suites at each end, but well positioned on top of central station. While checking in and checking our is a hassle, traffic is also a hassle and suggest staying on the coasts. Noosa has Peppers/Sofitel and Sebel all good, Maroochydore Sebel is excellent for the beach etc, while Breakfree Alexandria is a good family destination with good parking and great nearby food options. Maroochydore/Alexandria Headlands is mid sunny coast so a better base for trips to Australia Zoo and the Hinterland.
Gold Coast options are poor in many cases, the Sofitel/Mecure and Novotel are all reflags from other chains and old. Peppers at Kingscliff is great but at the bottom of the coast. Manta Towers on Chevron is well located, with parking, good views and in the heart of surfers.

dbuckho

Pullman BNE Airport -- we are arriving around 6 PM and flying out at 8:30 AM the next day -- hence wanting to just stay at the airport. The 1/2 off second room makes it not too bad cost-wise.

Sydney - holding a reservation at the Quay West Suites. As of now does not make sense to use points for a Sydney stay vs. the paid rates - not great redemption value on the Hilton/Marriott/IHG side -- that said 4 x nights in Sydney for a 2 BR / 2 Bath still adds up, so will be keeping an eye out for a better deal (i.e. Shangri-La has a 4th night free through end of June - perhaps that gets extended). But also there are good reviews of The Sebel rooms post refurbishment so if we end up here, think it will be very nice.

Canberra - ending up booking Peppers Gallery -- they have a 3 bedroom option that looks pretty nice.

Brisbane - still debating, but if we end up staying one place for 5 nights, the Johnson Art Series looks like it might work well as a base.

sycokid

I would agree with Markis about Breakfree Alexandra Headlands . We spent 2 nights there last weekend in a 3 bed 2 bathroom double level apartment for $630 . Bargain indeed and only a short stroll into either Mooloolaba or Maroochydore
Johnson good too with a 50 metre lap pool if yous like that sort of thing

3544quebec

If you decide to go more down market I can give you some great insights on Ibis Budget properties!

RJ77

Did you end up staying at Sebel Quay West? Do share your experience.

dbuckho

Still planning to stay there in a few weeks - will report back.

Qantas cancelled my inbound flight to BNE and the rebooked flight was too close to our Uluru connection, so we ended up changing as follows:

- Ended up with 2 nights to start in Brisbane - opted for the W in town vs. staying at the airport - so no more Pullman BNE.
- Still staying at The Sebel Quay West but much better rate - either due to revised dates or just their price came down .
- Decided to visit Blue Mountains as a day trip - so no longer going to the Fairmont - added a 5th night at The Sebel Quay West
- Since our time in/around Brisbane is now split, decided to stay our last 3 nights at the Mantra Sirocco Mooloolaba.

When I had to rebook my Uluru hotel dates, Accor was not showing any availability on their site so I had to book the new nights directly with the Ayers Rock Resort (though they say they have added my Accor number to the reservations). That meant not using the Stay Plus night there, but the rates were lower than my original ones through Accor so it was about the same total. Ended up using the Stay Plus night as part of my booking at the Mantra Sirocco - getting about the same $400+ value there that I was on the original Uluru free night.

markis10

Enjoy the W, the breakfast is awesome at Three Blue Ducks https://www.threeblueducks.com/wp-co...WINTER-216.pdf There are also some great eateries up the escalator at the front of the hotel.
Mantra Properties often have early closing reception hours, in this case 8PM, and if you enjoy seafood the Mooloolaba spit offers great fresh cooked seafood straight from the trawlers.

CHCflyer

Note you get Qantas points for all Accor stays
Accor probably have the best footprint in the area, especially after buying up Mantra Group.
You can burn those Accor points in a points and cash room purchase, or use them to pay for meals.

tom tulpe

Also, the 50% off second room is just that - a second room at half price. It is not necessarily a connected room.

dbuckho

At The Sebel Quay West right now. Overall very happy with it - perfect place for our family of four.

First off, the view cannot be beat (attaching pictures). The location is perfect for a tourist. Service has been great so far. We booked a Deluxe Two King Bedroom Harbour View. When we checked in, asked if they could change the king in the second room into two singles. There was someone from housekeeping in our room making the change before we even got to the room. Staff have been very responsive to a few other requests as well.

Room was advertised as newly refurbished and it feels like it. Nothing fancy but everything is clean and seems relatively new. Making use of the washer/dryer tonight. If I were going to knock anything, the two bathrooms are a little on the small side, which is odd since the two bedroom overall feels large (we have a very long hallway and the dining/living room with the view is spacious -- the two bedroom feels like a lot of space overall). It is also missing a proper coffee maker - just has a water heater and Nescafe - but was able to use my free drink coupons for coffee at the Quartier restaurant. But those are very minor and really just posting for comprehensiveness. As I type this I am staring at the Opera House and see the Four Seasons next door to us, which would have been 2x or more what I am paying for 2 bedrooms here -- feel like The Sebel with the same view and location is a steal comparatively and very happy with my choice.

We also ate at Quartier the first night and had a nice meal with good service (and was even better using my AccorPlus benefit).

markis10

You won’t get coffee makers (a filter style) in any Australian rooms, standard is the jug with instant coffee and if your lucky a Nespresso machine

dbuckho

A Nespresso machine fits my definition of a proper coffee maker. But as you said most places just had the jug and instant coffee. Only the W Brisbane and Peppers Gallery Canberra had Nespresso machines.