[JohnMcManus]

Earlier this year I booked 3 Accor hotels to benefit from their offer of 6000 extra points worth €120. Accor agree I made the bookings and stays in the correct periods but say they have no record of my registering for the offer though they admitted this could be their technical hitch. (I did the same offer last year so know the rules.)
All e-mails I send are ignored and phone calls are never followed up. At one stage they promised 4000 points as a goodwill gesture but that was never credited.
Accor policy seems to be to ignore customers until they give up.

2 users thanked author for this post.

LuganoPirate, MarcusGB

[capetonianm]

French customer ‘service’ I’m afraid.

When it all works it’s very good, when there’s a complaint, and if they can’t tick the right box, they go into ostrich mode.

[LuganoPirate]

I find the Accor loyalty programme one of the worst there is. I had top status and the only thing it gets me of any value is a welcome drink. Noting else, no room upgrade, zero, zilch!! The 10% off rooms is still often less value than using booking.com and as for a priority welcome, well that’s non-existent. Same welcome as to anyone else.

My status came through my shareholding, but even that has now been downgraded from platinum to gold, and the shares have been flat this last year or so and I’ll likely be selling them.

Even as a shareholder they don’t answer emails John, so I’m not at all surprised they don’t answer you. Perhaps look at other chains instead as I now do?

[IanFromHKG]

Interesting. The Memsahib is an Accor status holder and loves them, finds it incredibly easy to get rooms using points or combination points/cash, always has her status recognised…

Admittedly she tends to be staying in lower-end properties for one night as a stop-over, but she’s very happy

[JohnMcManus]

LuganoPirate
I do try to use Hilton and IHG but I go to Brazil a lot and Accor have lots of properties there, and Hilton and IHG have very few.
While Accor Loyalty scheme is rubbish, their hotels in Brazil are often very good value so I’ll probably end up giving them more business. My experience has been that Brazilian hotels are not great so I don’t want to pay high rates.

[LuganoPirate]

[quote quote=950558]LuganoPirate

I do try to use Hilton and IHG but I go to Brazil a lot and Accor have lots of properties there, and Hilton and IHG have very few.

While Accor Loyalty scheme is rubbish, their hotels in Brazil are often very good value so I’ll probably end up giving them more business. My experience has been that Brazilian hotels are not great so I don’t want to pay high rates.[/quote]

You have a point there, I use Novotel for one night stays when arriving late and leaving early next morning. They also have very good coverage in Africa and the hotels tend to be a notch or two up on the French ones.

Sofitel used to have its own loyalty scheme which was quite good, but sadly that went some years ago. I recently stayed in a Fairmont Hotel, received early check-in and late check out, and was upgraded to a junior suite. However I’d booked through Booking.com and did not realise they are now owned by Accor, so received some benefits as a regular guest, not as a (then) Platinum level member!

Ian, you’re right that the points are easy to use, as they convert to cash which can be deducted from the final invoice. That’s quite useful I admit, but apart from that personally I’ve received no real extra benefits

[MarcusGB]

Accor are now one of the largest hotel groups in The World, and continuing to expand with zones for working, play, and the ability to visit in any city, for just social or work, not just to stay!
They continue to expand, and many small hotels choose to be a “Brand ” eg Ibis, and use the now many platforms Accor has, for apartments, rooms, Business and leisure.
It is difficult to avoid them, and with so many levels of accommodation from absolute luxury to 2 star in most major cities, and top brands brought in such as Raffles, Fairmont, Swissotel.

Having said this, i totally agree that these “points promotions” are hopeless and hardly ever awarded. When you call even as a Platinum member, they are abrasive and resistive, even asking us for “The codes” for whatever promotion, when they are not actually ever shown to customers. Just absurd, useless to email as they quote rules and requirements,
and IF you use ANY points towards your booking, or to pay for extras, it invalidates the whole promotion. Even if your spend is paid in total, they will not apply!

However, when i check in at many brands Worldwide, i really have always received superb benefits at the Sofitels, Pullmans Ibis, but also recently Raffles where i was greeted by a row of the Managers, given a top suite, half a floor, and so many tailored small benefits.They are always superb, as long as you book through their Accor system. So i am sick of arguing or getting annoyed about their program, i just see it as benefits for when i am there in a branded hotel.
The French attitude prevails, but when you stay around The World, that Culture changes to reflect your location.

One aspect not everyone is aware of is to use the various cashback website in the UK. They all feature Accor, so if you sign up fro no charge, bring up Accor, then book, you can raise from 15%, to 5% cashback after your stay. Accor seem to delay these payments too, so it can be many months after, but you are in effect getting 15% off or back
This amount to me, represents £2,800 over a few years, which is you can take with enhanced benefits (say 10% added at an electrical retailer, coffee chain, or store), or as cash back to your bank account.

KLM and Accor now have matched a scheme to earn Miles with KLM and points with Accor when you fly or stay to the other Scheme. So it now has greater KLM AF benefits if you fly with them!

If we all did this, you are also getting 15% back, as well as “IF” you get yr points bonuses, or not.
It operates just as though you are booking direct with Accor, so your validity is the same. I highly recommend this to you all.
In that way, perhaps “We can beat their systems”, regardless?!!

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Mathias_K

[esselle]

Interesting LP. My experiences have been the opposite of yours.

I was Plat for many years and, no matter where in the world I stayed, I was upgraded on all but a small number of occasions, often got a little gift in the room, and routinely had requests for late checkout agreed to.

Perhaps I was lucky, or you were unlucky, but it’s not a good advert to have such extremes of service.

[MarcusGB]

Accor Club I am afraid continues now. Quite the opposite to hotels.
Today i had the same, missing over 12,000 points ie 220 Euros. This has a zero value these days so i shall spend what i have a get out.

Every time i have to call France they are combative, resistant, rude, and asking for internal code promotions.
We do not have access to these and they are not displayed on the promotions.

The only use out of this scheme is the benefits at a hotel when you stay, but i shall be reducing my stays in future.
Not one point has been credited in the last year. Their latest statements, are of Miles and Points with KLM when you fly and stay within the same trip to each scheme. Not much but something. They cannot even administer this correctly.
Pathetic!
They have the most atrocious customer service i have ever come across, and it gets worse!

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Jacob

[MichaelEdward]

I was a Swissotel loyalty member and since being acquired by Accor the programming has declined

[cwoodward]

I wanted to like Accor.

I gave them a good try for 3 years.

Ever time they underperformed at most levels.

A poor 3rd to most at best and I have moved on to hotels who always have staff on the ground that are competent and who can deliver.

[capetonianm]

I think Accor service are a bit like AF, good in the air, appalling on the ground.. Excellent in the hotels but lousy on admin and support.

We stayed in a Mercure near Edinburgh (for the Fringe) a couple of years ago. I had a minor fall which resulted in a sprained ankle and they went out of their way to ensure that we were comfortable and didn’t need any extra help, as soon as they saw us in the lobby in the morning they called a taxi, when we got back in the evening someone would ask if we’d enjoyed the day. Even the lower tier hotels of the brand (F1 and Ibis) do what they purport to do, clean, basic, and efficient.

[MarcusGB]

I agree, that it is at the hotels you gain some personal value, and loyalty shown back.
I stay worldwide with Accor and from Ibis, Novotel, Pullman, M Gallery, and Sofitel, now also Raffles, i have amazing welcomes and efforts made. Always upgrades, early late check ins, gifts and treats in the room, and welcome drink vouchers. Every effort seem to be made in my experiences.

Many small hotels or other Brands (many incorporated in Australia), are not so good, and most franchised hotels, can be worse.
Sofitel in Darling Harbour Sydney, is owned by 1 person, and the Brand leased!

But the Accor promotions are pointless, always paid ahead and never honoured, and CS remains awful, even using the so called “PLatinum line” that merely cuts through the normal queue in France!
Certainly they are in no way trained or dedicated to Platinum members, just arrogant argumentative and rude.
The hotels now inform you they can have no influence on any promotion or bonus points. They have to pay for adjustments and justify them to Accor with multiple evidences of stay.

The remaining Points and Miles link up with Accor / AF KLM still is not working properly, launched and still dysfunctional, on the Accor side.
AF KLM doe show the stays, reciprocally, Accor fail again.
It has as many of you have commented, got worse and worse these last 3 years.

It has just become an investment holding Company, to generate revenue, and customer relations has been ignored and worsened. They have sold off most properties and franchised out the brands.

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Jacob

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