curiousexplorer

Received today an email that from 22 March Ibis Business is changing a few things, among others a flat discount of 15% (instead of 5% for non-flex rates and 10% for flex rates).

Details here: https://all.accor.com/loyalty-progra...-ibis.en.shtml

What I don’t understand is if this is in reality an upgrade (a higher discount) or it’s actually a downgrade because now it doesn’t combine with the standard 10% Members Rate that everyone gets? It’s now written clearly that it cannot combine with the members rate. So in effect it might be a downgrade from 20% to 15% if booking flex rates, while for non-flex it remains at 15%. 🤔

UPDATE: After the changes became clear it's almost certainly a big downgrade for the cards. Smaller discounts, Silver instead of Gold, room guaranteed only if not used together with the discount, no more discount in the Ibis restaurants and breakfast. But higher overall price (in theory the same, in practice they had much smaller prices for various European countries, such as 60 EUR in Romania and 99 EUR in Switzerland - now it's 99 EUR for everyone). The only added benefit is access to the Premium Customer Line.

FLYGVA

At first, I thought it was clear. But after reading it again, I fear you are right and it is a downgrade, as indeed the t&c states, that is does not apply to member rates. It would be in line with eliminate the discount for f&b as it now only discounts bed and breakfast rates, but you did not if spending money in the hotel.

And the new card does not include the Gold Status any more - only for the remainig time of the current subcsription, but not for the renewal. In so far, I would say in general it is a downgrade.

bellerophontes

I agree it's mostly a downgrade, however the member discount is just 5% nowadays at many hotels.

And a question to those who have it: does the ibis Business card discount get applied to all hotel bookings? What about hotels that don't give a member rate discount e.g. The Plaza NY?

curiousexplorer

Hmm the Gold element would be a massive downgrade, down to the point of making the subscription almost useless for most. In the TC there is indeed no mention of Gold status, while in the promo page it is quite confusing. It is under “what remains the same”, but indeed it ends with “for the duration of your current subscription”. So it’s not clear if it refers to today’s subscription or if the message is that you keep your Gold status as long as you renew the card.

lkrt

Do note that 10 status nights are given in lieu of the Gold status. But indeed this is a downgrade, for me it’s been worth it because of the gold status but it’s been a bit too good to be true.

curiousexplorer

I do hope they will clarify soon if Gold is still in or it’s definitely out for the new card, but in case it’s out that means that there is an opportunity to buy a 2-year subscription of Ibis Business until 22 March, which would guarantee Gold for another 2 years. For now at least that is still possible.

In my case the Gold benefit is what kept me hooked to Accor and I prioritised Accor hotels for all my trips, but if it will be gone I’ll not renew and go back to being a free agent, I won’t try to pursue Gold and go through all the stress of collecting status nights / rushing for status. 🤷‍♂️

fifty_two

No , it doesnt work everywhere if i remember correctly , i think its limited to ibis brands (ibis , styles and budget) but even though there are exceptions . For instance in China this card doesnt work , and one colleague reported one failed attempt at sofitel and mgallery (not sure what was the reason)

Ok , so i checked and for me it seems they are merging the ibis card and b usiness Plus card into accor plus , if i get it correctly

These wont be separate products anymore but both will be under same umbrella , with two new options = ibis and voyager

Ibis limited to ibis brands
Voyager imited to some brands of each tier

This merger means in fact they had to align both products benefits to be on the same line , therefore removing (or severly limiting) what made ibis business card a good investment for some people = no guaranteed room availability for discounted rates , F&B discount only apply if food is pre-included in your booking , no gold status (but silver instead) and more free early/late check-in/out)

However in the T&C they also mention a bonus , depending on the suscription you have (after 10 nights for ibis and after 20 nights for voyager) , but no idea what this bonus will be

As you said we need to wait cause the wording used is not 100% clear , most likely until end of march 2023 when new product will be unveiled

The 10 night bonus means essentially you get silver instead of gold

bellerophontes

Thanks! I found a list of published exceptions ( https://all.accor.com/loyalty-progra...index.en.shtml ), does the discount rate work on the rest?

fifty_two

No , its not correct , what you found are the list of hotels not participating in the ALL program . It is completely different topic , we are talking about ibis business card

I think what you are looking for is this = https://ibis.accor.com/business/ibis...bis-cgv.en.pdf and if i am right , it just confirm what i knew and assumed , plus some additionnal restrictions .

For the new program , called All Plus Ibis , (which is a sub-part of all plus now) , it will be limited to ibis brands (same as before) = ibis , ibis budget and ibis styles.

well , it wont be a bad thing for you in the end , you will go to a hotel based on your requirements , not only due to the fact that hotel is ALL member of not

as much as i enjoy accor hotels , and hilton to a smaller extent , i spend lot of my times in properties not affiliated to any chains and they do the job 95% of the time at decent prices , despite all the issues going on in this industry

bellerophontes

Ok the Accor website: https://help.accor.com/s/article/wha...-business-card is confusing because it has two different exclusion lists. So the discount is only for ibis hotels?

fifty_two

The wording might be tricky , but read again carefully , ALL and ibis business are two separate things , the discount is only for ibis brands , while the benefits can be apply to ALL all brands (if available of course) .

"The card offers discounts and benefits in over 2,000 participating hotels across the world (outside of China)" then it refers to a pdf document with the non participating hotels of the ibis business

In the same page they mention that "***ALL benefits are only guaranteed in hotels participating to this same program. See the list of non-participating hotels" , and this is what probably tricked you

siw

I did a two year renewal of my ibis Business Card recently and have an expiry date of 28/2/2025. All my stays are in an ibis London hotel due to being the best location and lowest price for my needs and the independent hotels in the area look old and awful. I only book room only (don't need breakfast) and don't eat in the bar.

The benefits of the card for me was the automatic Gold status, extra 10% on refundable rates on top of the ALL member discount (or 5% on non-refundable rates), late check-out/early check-in and the room availability a few days before check-in.

Not sure yet but this looks like a reduction in benefits, or should I say in PR speak it is 'increased 'enhancements'. Since auto Gold status is going to be removed and 10 Status Nights are given, that is 20 nights per year to maintain Gold for the following year. The biggest issue for me, looks to be the discount not being added to the ALL member discount (e.g. 10% + 10% on refundable rates).

Will be checking-in at my usual ibis in London in a few hours so will ask a few questions at reception.

Chris Blunt

The email I got said the card is "evolving", which to me says they know themselves that it's not an enhancement. If it was, they'd have put a much more positive spin on it. I'm not sure that I'll be renewing when my subscription next expires. I'm not even sure that my Gold status would be extended if I renewed before March 22 2023.

johnirvine

For some ALL customers, the substitution of 10 nights credit for a complimentary Gold Card will actually be beneficial. In my case, the Ibis Business Card costs €60 (including VAT) in Cyprus and the discounts I obtain from Ibis stays more than cover the subscription cost. This year, I will probably stay 50 nights in ALL hotels so an extra 10 free nights will take me to Platinum whereas under the current conditions I would stay Gold.

davidcamp6

Same role out date as the changes to the Ibis card

-" The highest fixed discount all year round (based on the best public rate of the day) for your room plus a second room: 20% off at ten Luxury and Premium brands, 15% off at nine Midscale and Economy brands, now including ibis budget.
- Your guaranteed room availability becomes two days rather than three days before the date of your arrival, even if the hotel is full(not available in conjunction with your discount).
- We offer you a bonus of 20 Status Nights to help you reach the next ALL status level faster.
- You will have direct phone access to premium Customer Service."