[PAMPASBULL]

I’ve never had a problem getting points to post funilly enough. I think the way of redeeming points via the voucher system is stupid. Forcing one to pay the highest rates is not the way to reward their best customers.
I mainly use the Novotel chain which I find adequate for my needs.Most of my stays have been very good although three of my worst ones happened to be in the UK. The front desk staff were just not up to standard…no greeting or smiles and theNovotel LHR they were plain rude. I also had a horrendous experience at the Ibis Carlisle.
Compared to the likes of the HI and HIX where I have always found the staff to be consistently good the Accor brand especially in the UK fall well short…..as does their loyalty programme.

[NTarrant]

Pampasbull – you can change your points for airline miles, that was probably the only good thing when they changed from Favorite Guest to A-Club.

I have stayed at many sites Ibis and Novotel in the UK and would agree that the service level does leave a lot to be desired at times. I used to stay at the Novotel Nottingham on an almost fortnightly basis and the service got better but I think that was mainly due to the staff knowing me.

A member of staff once told me that they have a program in France for sending over trainees to the UK to improve their English as well as their chosen direction in the hotel trade. Sadly with one or two exceptions these were the ones that used to let the side down.

[LuganoPirate]

Have to agree it’s not the best of loyalty Programmes. In fairness my stays have all been credited, and quite promptly. Also my car rentals at Europcar give me 20% off and points.

I think the voucher system is a bit cumbersome, but at least you can download them and print them rather than wait to receive them in the post as with the old club system. I usually book the cheapest rate by paying advance so cannot use them to pay the room, but can use the vouchers for the extras, which is something you cannot do with other loyalty Programmes

Being a share holder I’m at Platinum level but have yet to understand what benefits I get. My last say in Geneva Internet was included and my previous one in Rotterdam I had to pay for access. I thought it was free but the check-in girl told me everyone has to pay.

There is no special check-in desk. No recognition of status and I’ve never been upgraded. Since the benefits are so poor, I make no special effort to stay with Accor and my favourite hotel group remains Leading Hotels. The only good news is the share price has doubled (including a spinoff of a subsidiary) so they must be doing something right!

[MarcusUK]

I have had the platinum Accor card since the new program, a perk as an old scheme Sofitel member.
Each year after, i renewed it either with 25,000 points or the 60 nights stay.
Booking through the Accor website, helps to get the perks and better recognition when you arrive for sure, and the rates differ by a maximum of 5% from others.
I have used Sofitel’s in Budapest, Lisbon, The Mercure (old Sofitel – The Convent) in Amsterdam, The new one in Dubai, Novotels in HKG, Phuket (wonderful beach southern tip).
I have used several Ibis hotels, but again fostering a relationship with the staff ensures whatever they can do is always done.
Each time i was given a room upgrade, or one of the best rooms in the hotel. At Sofitels, Exec floor and lounge access.
In Amsterdam at The Convent MGallery hotel, the same great Dutch Loft room, each time i stay, allocated in advance.
Gifts, wine, chocolates, fresh fruit platters, and other treats for each stay.
I have a good relationship with several of my regular European hotels, and this counts in business or leisure as much as a card, so foster them side by side.
I always buy into a mid range room at Sofitels, to get the best facility and room upgrade so fair to both sides.
MGallery hotels also make a huge effort, but Ibis have little extra to offer, but appear to try to give you the best rooms.

I agree the vouchers are a bit cumbersome, but booking an advance rate, which would not normally include breakfast, you can use these for this and any dining or bar services and even city tax in Amsterdam. At 40Euros each this is easy to use the odd one.
Exchange to mileage is not great and buying the miles from say KLM, is cheaper than trading them in with A-Club vouchers, in the Euro 40 each, and x 2 for 2,000 KLM miles.

Wholly agree that the Platinum offers little difference from Gold, but again it is Sofitels and MGallery’s, Mercure, that offer the most when you arrive, Novotel and Ibis are restricted more in the program.

For me, the benefits of Hotel programs like so many that have changed eg Hilton, earn you few points now, certainly fewer nights, so any perks you mainly get are as you arrive, and yr room, and some nice touches.
The vouchers for A-Club are at least tangible, and usable, and there instantly when you want them.
Using them on line would be a great step forwards, as they have unique codes the hotel uses into the booking system.

Many hotel groups are less personalised, and there are many Gold or Platinum cardholders, (Eg Hilton, Starwood etc…). The plastic makes a difference to them, where the returning guest and they knowing you in a smaller more selective group at Accor, is what makes the difference.

I am pretty happy with the perks, and benefits do come to fruition, but again it depends on your being known and a good relationship with the hotel as much, as a regular guest by face and name, not just a card.
The Accor brand covers every star of hotel within its program and Company, and is one of the most useful to me, and they have the business from me as my main choice in the Regions i am travelling in.

Perhaps a bit of a review by A-Club of the program, suggestions, ideas, would make some differences we would all like to see.
Could BT invite them to do this, even via the BT website?

[stevescoots]

I am gold with several schemes, not the Accor one tho. Of the best I have found is the IHG ambassador one. With the exception of the inter at park lane I have always been given the full perks, more often than not when travelling with collegues who are not PC the hotels also give them the upgrades and perks that I recieve, the latest last week in Chicago

As I said apart from some terrible service at Park lane never had a problem with Inter. I was in the same nite as the Bafta’s and I guess i just didnt look movie star enough. room wasnt ready at 2pm, despite valet parking (50 quid a night) they didnt take my bags from the car. when the room was ready the bags were not taken up. i was refused entry to the bar because of a “private function” and they refused my allowed late checkout. I wrote to the manager twice with no reply, ended up writing to Inter in the US who responded with an apology immedeatly. they also said the london manager would be in touch but he never did

[starflyer]

MarcusUK

Regarding your suggestion for a review, you will find that there is a pretty active discussion and a poll on the future of the programme in the Accor forum on FlyerTalk

[MarcusUK]

I will take a look, thanks.
They surveyed us all recently, so maybe changes in the making…

[ajogdeo2000]

ACCOR HAS LEARNT NOTHING AND CONTINUE TO BEG FOR YOUR MONEY… THEY EARN MORE MONEY OUT OF CANCELLATION THAN BY OFFERING ANY RESONABLE SERVICE… READ OTHER FORUMS SUCH AS TRIP ADVISORS AND AGODA FOR THE PATHETIC COMPANY POLICY OF ACCOR GROUP…

CHEAP , PATHETIC CANCELLATION POLICY HOTEL”

Sirs,

I had originally booked my hotel stay at IBIS Novena in Singapore for 25th August. Due to some unavoidable reason I had to change my meeting schedule. I requested the hotel website to change my booking dates to new dates of meeting. For several days I received no reply from their online portal. Finally I cancelled this booking online and booked a new reservation with IBIS Bugis for revised dates.

It was then that I received an e-mail from hotel about cancellation policy and that the complete charges shall be debited to my account. It is rather shameful that the company of such reputation resorts to such cheap policies to earn money.

1) By refusing to cancel my reservation or change the dates within a resonable time, and charging me the complete charges for that particular day even when I am not staying in the hotel implied that on that perticular day thishotel will not receive any guests who shall occupy the said room and the room shall remain vacant causing loss of revenue to the hotel?

I hope this forum will highlight this cheap and rotten behavior of this company.

Aditya Jogdeo

[theSteef]

A-club is a real joke to me. I have to send several mails before they credit any missing points. Points gained by special offers aren’t added automaticly at all, I always have to send them a reminder and a copy of the invoice.

Next to that, the “lowest price guarantee” is a real joke. Last time I wanted to stay 2 nights in st. Ermin’s in London. Via accor: €409, via Hotels.com: €365, So I enquired how to apply for the 10% extra discount befor booking. They told me I should simply book the room and fill in a form within 24 hours after booking. My deal was non-refundable, so I made sure the conditions were the same.
I got no respons after a week, so I sent them a reminder…. no response. Then I dialed customer “service” in France and they said it could take up to the date of arrival before they handle my claim… if the room wouldn’t appear on hotels.com for €365… they might reject my claim.

I sent them another reminder the day after my checkout. The answer was:
> Upon checking, I confirm that the e-mail you sent was not found. However, after checking your booking, it appears that the Best price guarantee is not applicable as a specific condition appears in your booking. Indeed, the following condition is specific to Accor and would not appear in another booking:
> “Hot deals restrictions.
> Client must provide credit card details to qualify for this offer.”

So, they claim that accor forces me to pay by creditcard, while hotels.com doesn’t… yeah right…

I filed a claim at my creditcard company and they credited my €70,–
Hopefully the will debit this from Accor.

[MarcusUK]

Ao, if Accor were due to review their scheme, anything in the pipeline?

I shall retain my Platinum card again for 2012, and hope they do create something innovative for the level.
I always get the best rooms and upgrades, and whenever promotions of points have not been made, i ask the hotel to process them manually, which has never been a problem.

Sofitel is an equisite brand, and i have stayed in Manilla, Budapest, Sydney, Amsterdam,Dubai, Lisbon. Novotels are also great city hotels, and the new Ibis model refreshing.
the redemptions for the points are poor, Airline mileage levels quite high for well earned points.
They need to create your e-vouchers to be redeemed in advance for benefits, not post stay. Most good deals are pre-payable, then these become useless unless you pay your extras with them.

i hope they add some motivation into something new and more refreshing in 2012…?

[PatJordan]

Accor is the worst hotel brand I have ever had the misfortune to use.

Status match…forget it.

Focussed response to customer complaints….forget it.

I speak as an Elite member of Hilton, Marriott, Intercontinental Hotels, Radission and Best Western Hotels.

Reading the posts on this thread, it seems I am not alone. Seems Accor are the Ryanair of hotels!

Pat

p.s. I invite any Accor executive reading this thread to correct my statements.

[MartynSinclair]

Can someone explain the relationship between the hotel owners and the management company.

When for example Accor is compared to Ryan Air, do the individual hotel owners have any say in the running of a hotel/establishment or is it a case of the owners appointing a management company who then take responsibilty for everything to do with the running and performance of a particular hotel, which would presumably be against a budget.

Four Seasons for example in Asia for example, are the management company running the hotel and owners the same entity?

[TominScotland]

Interesting question, Martyn, but difficult to generalise. In most management contract agreements, the hotel operating company (usually through its brand) runs the show and the owners take a back seat. However, there is an increasing trend for owners to get involved with things like senior management appointments in the hotels. From an operational, brand integrity and certainly a frequent stayer programme point of view (the focus of this strand), the owners should have no say at all.

Four Seasons, almost certainly, are the operators and not the owners of their brand properties in Asia – ownership can be private, local government or institutional, depending on where the property is.

[Binman62]

Not sure I would say the hotels Ryan air of t he hotel industry, after all you do get blinds and you don’t pay to check in. I like the brand but the loyalty scheme stinks. There is never, in my experience, any recognition and customer service at a club does not exist. My most recent stay in august was comfortable and I would return but Accor properties are not my first choice due to the loyalty scheme.

[RichHI1]

Tried Sofitel 2-3 times a number of years ag and was far from impresssed. I was booked inot an Accor in Netherlands but walked out as it was so filthy. So never looked back. My instinctive feeling is that if you look for a nation with Hotel skills it would be the Swiss, I would associate fine food and wine with France but not really service which is what hotels are about.

[Author]

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