Yul_voyager

My guess is that hey may offer a last bunch of Premier / Plat certificates next year for those who qualified this year but they will be the last ones. And I would assume staring January 1, 2017 all nights will count for Le Club status and earn Accor points. And then it will be FPC's farewell. You will then have to spend 10,000$ to get a free 500$ room (maybe a bit less with status & promos but definitely not something like Plat5). And probably no suite upgrade anymore.

AMRivlin

I totally agree with one caveat, seeing as the new CEO of Accor Luxury is an exFRHI guy, I think they will carry over status into Le Club for 1 year.

What will most likely end under Le Club beginning Jan 2017:

• The 113 LS status waterfall
• Certificates of any kind
• Fairmont Chase Benefits
• Annual Moment Benefit
• Birthday Desert (given at some locations, if they know it is your birthday)
• Decent welcome amenities

See conjecture wiki for 2017 Le Club.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/accor...2017-a-11.html

Altaflyer

Having nearly Requalified for Platinum status I expect that the advertised benefits I have qualified for will be delivered!

gilbertaue

Should any of you feel inclined to register for Le Club Accor, and have a UK or Ireland address, here is a sign up link which will also give you 1000 bonus points.

painintheuk

I have to admit that I get my Plat status via my Amex card, so way fewer stays than normal. I actually count this as a very significant portion of the $value of my Amex plat and probably makes me a really low earner for Fairmont. I was planning to get my 5-10 nights at Fairmont this fall after not traveling as much in the last year, but I think I may pass unless there is some good news in the next month or so before I head out again. There are some nice Hiltons and Conrads where I am going, but I really liked the Fairmont plat benefits and treatment!

What are others in a similar situation (low nights but qualifying via Altitude or Amex status) planning to do?

Dr. PITUK

nmenaker

yes, I can't imagine that for 2017 AT LEAST they will continue to honor the program as expected. Status, call center, upgrades, certificates, 113 (wink wink ;-) etc.,

but for 2018, I'm preparing for the worst.

Frankly since getting the 113 LTP, I've spent SO MUCH MORE MONEY AT FAIRMONTS THAN EVER BEFORE, so they would really lose revenue 10-15K a year if they changed it for me. Im pretty sure that is true for many in that group.

As well, the probably do need to maintain some form of LTP for the people who own the residences, or people who paid the serious 10,000$ to rent the presidential suite at Fairmont San Francisco, so something is certainly going to be for THOSE people, why not all people?

We'll see, but I'm still planning for a visit to the VJZ Hamburg, and another bday on the big island, and another Banff next May and fully expect to have suite upgrades and hospitality.

ptownca

113 LTP ?

mrstraveler

Does this mean Fairmont certificates can be used at AccorHotels?

MikeBOS

I've been Platinum in Accor for many years, and for a while also was Platinum in FPC. I also have Lifetime Platinum in SPG.

Comparing the programs, Accor has a few benefits that FPC doesn't have:

- Space available upgrades on check in. With Accor, as long as I ask, I get these upgrades nearly 100% of the time. Usually just one category, but there is no arguing or lying as there often is with SPG.

- 2 drink welcome amenity. I like this much better than the random stuff that gets left in the room with FPC, because it has real value. Usually the coupons are good for any 2 drinks at the bar or restaurant, sometimes with restrictions on what you can order, but more often not. At many hotels this benefit is worth $40-50 because there is no assumption of a tip with the coupons.

- No caps or cliffs on point accrual. FPC doles out free nights very parsimoniously; in many cases you will end up getting no free night credit for a stay if you don't make it to the next cliff. With Accor you get a known amount of credit for each stay.

Personally I think both programs are sub-par relative to most of the US chains. SPG is nominally much better with more generous value to the points awarded, free breakfast as an option, and theoretical upgrades to suites. That said, the upgrade benefit with SPG is very inconsistently handled from hotel to hotel, and most of the time ends up being the same or worse than Accor.

Just something to think about for those concerned about a potential transition.

Yul_voyager

Certainly not. They are even not accepted at Swissotel or Raffles...

newdaybegin

Is this confirm? because if we can't use Fairmont certificate at AccorHotels then what is this merge is about? I also in the same boat i try to use the certificate but there is no option on Fairmont website for me to do that

Jasper2009

Fairmont will keep is own loyalty program for the time being. I'd expect some (limited) cross-brand benefits within the next few months. When FPC will be "integrated" (eliminated) is something we don't know yet (presumably Feb. 2017 or Feb. 2018).

Many FPC customers expect the better benefits FPC has to offer to disappear (along with an erosion of service standards), so Accor will have to make a major effort to convince Fairmont customers otherwise if it doesn't want to lose that customer base.

MikeBOS

I'd take the service at the average Sofitel over the service at the average Fairmont any day. In my experience, the higher end Accor chains (Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, even Novotel at times) have service comparable to or better than most Fairmonts.

I also think the benefits can be argued either way. It is not clear that one program is better than the other (both are bad relative to most US hotel programs).

yerffej201

Accor top tier Plat gives club lounge access. I wonder if with the merge, they'll get access to Gold Floor at Fairmont properties too?

Admiral Ackbar

Plat in both and, no, it cannot be argued either way. Especially on the upgrade front (which is what matters more to me):FPC is crystal clear and I have been upgraded to some phenomenal suites, Accor is muddled (often have to fight for it and do your own investigation before hand) and inconsistent.