Exciting News Announcement from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Dec 9, 2015, 7:39 pm
#46
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Quebec and Ontario, Canada
Programs: AC*E50, SPG/Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,917
"Exciting News Announcement from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts"
Well, I am not excited at all
Accor has some very good hotels (some Sofitel and M Gallery) but their program still have a long way to go to be as good as SPG or Hyatt, let alone FPC.
Well, I am not excited at all
Accor has some very good hotels (some Sofitel and M Gallery) but their program still have a long way to go to be as good as SPG or Hyatt, let alone FPC.
Dec 9, 2015, 7:43 pm
#47
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,005
Just made status in FPC for the first time this year. Hopefully I get my certs/upgrades for 2016 so I can enjoy it?...
Dec 9, 2015, 7:45 pm
#48
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Quebec and Ontario, Canada
Programs: AC*E50, SPG/Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,917
Dec 9, 2015, 8:27 pm
#49
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: SJC
Programs: IC Spire Amb, RC Plat, Shangri-La GC, and more.
Posts: 148
Ha! Got the Fairmont email this morning and *knew* there would be a great thread on FT when I came home. 
I'm not sure how so many are so certain this will be the demise of Fairmont and/or FPC. I'm not familiar with Accor, but acquisitions are not always what they seem. This could be a flip rather than an absorption - or Fairmont could be held as an independent subsidiary.
A couple of items I've observed:
The UK press doesn't seem to know Fairmont - Raffles is the brand most mentioned in the press.
This would end any Canadian (OMERS) ownership of the historic 'railway hotels'.
My thought:
While hoping for the best and fearing the worst - let's remember the role of individual property owners. The major properties likely have the right to depart the flag if they don't like what's going on. Great hotels will remain great hotels.
I'm not sure how so many are so certain this will be the demise of Fairmont and/or FPC. I'm not familiar with Accor, but acquisitions are not always what they seem. This could be a flip rather than an absorption - or Fairmont could be held as an independent subsidiary.
A couple of items I've observed:
The UK press doesn't seem to know Fairmont - Raffles is the brand most mentioned in the press.
This would end any Canadian (OMERS) ownership of the historic 'railway hotels'.
My thought:
While hoping for the best and fearing the worst - let's remember the role of individual property owners. The major properties likely have the right to depart the flag if they don't like what's going on. Great hotels will remain great hotels.
Dec 9, 2015, 9:12 pm
#50
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,731
A Quebec pension plan, through Ivanhoe Cambridge, also owns a number of the historic railway hotels, including the Chateau Frontenac and the Queen Elizabeth, and a portion of the Royal York.
Quite right. The sale of FRHI, which is really just a management company, won't affect the ownership of the individual properties. Of all of the hotels in the Fairmont, Swissotel and Raffles portfolio, only one is actually owned by FRHI.
Dec 9, 2015, 9:22 pm
#51
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Canada
Programs: A3*G, Fairmont Pl, Accor Pl, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Amex Platinum
Posts: 182
I've really enjoyed having my Amex Plat card the past 10 years, but I suspect that card is about to become much less valuable to me. While Amex has Accor Platinum as a benefit one of the main reasons I get this card is the ability to confirm suite upgrades with Fairmont in advance. I doubt this benefit will stay, which means I might consider giving up my Platinum card, which means good bye to some other perks too.
Dec 9, 2015, 9:27 pm
#52
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Canada
Programs: *G
Posts: 2,304
I've stayed with both Accor (mostly Ibis) and Fairmont, but the Fairmont President's Club is way ahead of Accor. In fact, after my last Accor stay, which their program would not recognize, I vowed to stop using them. So I saw this merger announcement with great regret. Vale Fairmont, and particularly the great old Canadian hotels.
Dec 9, 2015, 10:47 pm
#53
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,134
Dec 10, 2015, 12:54 am
#54
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA, IHG, Hyatt
Posts: 268
Not exciting news. I have a dreadful experience staying at Accor properties. Now thinking about cancelling my stay at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr Abu Dhabi next week.
Dec 10, 2015, 12:58 am
#55
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: FRA / YEG
Programs: AC Super Elite, Radisson Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 11,874
This is terrible news.
Even IHG would have been better than Accor, at least from a customer perspective. While Accor has some nice properties (mainly Sofitel), their loyalty program is rather mediocre.
Based on the number of members in each program I guess it is only a metter of time until the FPC program is discontinued.
RIP Fairmont.
Even IHG would have been better than Accor, at least from a customer perspective. While Accor has some nice properties (mainly Sofitel), their loyalty program is rather mediocre.
Based on the number of members in each program I guess it is only a metter of time until the FPC program is discontinued.
RIP Fairmont.
Dec 10, 2015, 4:49 am
#56
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: YWG
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,478
My Accor CS and front line interactions have been terrible to the point that I will stay in any place but an Accor affiliated facility; and the 'we don't care' when I have provided feedback is not a great harbinger of things to come...
Dec 10, 2015, 5:19 am
#57
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: Star Alliance G*, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium,
Posts: 3,585
easy problem to solve
- The Savoy (I am booked for next Feb);
- The Plaza (search now for available dates);
- Singapore (Raffles is nearby!)
- St. Andrew's (scenic side trip visiting Edinburgh).
Dec 10, 2015, 7:05 am
#58
Join Date: May 2010
Location: YYC
Programs: Aeroplan, FPC Platinum, SPG/Marriott Gold, Radisson Gold Elite, BW Diamond Select
Posts: 293
One of the key benefits we've enjoyed with Fairmont is guaranteed upgrades to suites, not hoping on a wing and a prayer that some front desk clerk will see fit to maybe give us one when we check in rather than just lie about availability. We have forged travel plans around several destinations in the world based on that benefit alone.
Dec 10, 2015, 7:08 am
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
One of the key benefits we've enjoyed with Fairmont is guaranteed upgrades to suites, not hoping on a wing and a prayer that some front desk clerk will see fit to maybe give us one when we check in rather than just lie about availability. We have forged travel plans around several destinations in the world based on that benefit alone.
Dec 10, 2015, 8:00 am
#60
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: SJC
Programs: IC Spire Amb, RC Plat, Shangri-La GC, and more.
Posts: 148
Well, not entirely, since OMERS are the present owners of the Banff Springs, Chateau Lake Louise and the Jasper Park Lodge (in addition to some other current Fairmont managed properties that weren't among the original railway hotels).
A Quebec pension plan, through Ivanhoe Cambridge, also owns a number of the historic railway hotels, including the Chateau Frontenac and the Queen Elizabeth, and a portion of the Royal York.
A Quebec pension plan, through Ivanhoe Cambridge, also owns a number of the historic railway hotels, including the Chateau Frontenac and the Queen Elizabeth, and a portion of the Royal York.
An aside on local hotel property ownership - in San Francisco, the Fairmont and Intercontinental Mark Hopkins across the street from one another share the same owners. But I wouldn't know that if I hadn't read it. On the other hand, the Ritz-Carlton property nearby has room furnishings that are nearly identical to those of the Fairmont - a shared supplier or designer? I'm not sure why they would want that. Some are the very same pieces in different shades. On a stay, I kept thinking I was as the Fairmont.