Accor ALL reveals new Platinum, Diamond status perks

I hope they improve their website while they're at it...

Platinum Accor member here; not excited by anything they announce while the benefits are so inconsistent across properties and while the website basically is disfunctional 25% of the time.

Time to change to another loyalty scheme. The near doubling of requirements for diamond status pushes this out of reach for me...

With this group there is always the detail, exemptions here and there, properties not participating in certain things, been there done that, I will stick with IHG and Hilton.

So to earn 26000 status points requires a minimum spend of €10,400. However, given you don't earn points on taxes (which are typically 10-25%) or redeemed points, the typical spend is more likely to be €12-13k (about $20k). You earn half the status points for stays at Ibis which means you would need to spend €25k (about $40k) to earn Diamond if staying solely at Ibis.

How is this going to tie with Accor plus? I hate the current disconnect between Accor plus and Le Club

I have achieved and retained Platinum by volume (100 nights plus) each year. I never quite reached 14k status points annually. Has the 60 night stay option gone? Will Diamond have a night trigger as well as a spend trigger? (I'm certainly not pretty or 5-star enough for Black)

This seems to be a good set of initiatives to me...hoping Diamond and / or Black equates to IHGs Royal Ambassador level which was great for me while it lasted! As mentioned above though...please fix the website issues!!!

They say they aren't going to devalue the lower status tiers but now Platinum is no longer top which means Platnium is now more like Gold. The suite upgrades are not enough for me to spend double, and unless they actually enforce a breakfast benefit for Platnium and above, its not going to be an improvement

I am an Accor Platinum - 14k Status points (around 9k AUD spend needed) and Hilton Diamond (12,000 USD spend needed per year). The Accor Platinum status had free brekkie only in Apac and not throughout the globe. Furthermore, They do not have a lifetime status to accrue all the Status points you accrue. Sadly, Hilton is not very strong in Australia ...(crappy Doubletree Melbourne). My gut feeling is they are saying they won't reduce the perks of the existing membership which I think is a lie. Marriott did the same. They don't want their loyal customers to jump ship.

Another Platinum Accor member here; I too am interested in how ALL will work with AccorPlus. One good thing that might be consistent is the 25% rebate for their "best price guarantee". its called "price promise" for AccorPlus and provides 1 free night; however they make it so difficult to claim (can't blame them its so generous) that they find the smallest thing to exclude your claim. So GBRGB is right, the devil will be in the detail.

The website is clunky, dysfunctional, illogical and ssslllooowww...

The Website did not work on Apple until 2 years ago & is still bad. The customer service & attitude from Le Club is poor. As many have commented- much better choices/ treatment from other more professional brands.

Have been Accor Plat for three years. I find the program to be excellent and well supported across the whole Asia Pac region. 25% member discount is appealing and a strong message to third party websites. (Hello from QT Perth.... haha)

I had an email offer of buy 1 room get one half price in the UK. I tried and tried to book Brandon Hall hotel on line and could not get the offer. So I booked expecting the discount to come at the last screen. So I emailed Accor Club to be told it was not available at that hotel! Then I had to cancel the booking as it was too expensive. So we went to Holiday Inn.

I'l have enough points so far this year by the end of week for Diamond, be interested to see if a Black membership comes my way. Last year was just under 68,000 status points and this year will probably be similar.

After the last “loyalty” programme update I’ve all but ditched Accor. I was one night away from Platinum prior to that change, but overnight I dropped tiers so fast I got whiplash!

Hilton, Shangri La are great when Diamond.

Rubbish program for a rubbish hotel chain. Half of their properties don't even participate in the loyalty scheme - WTF???

I felt let down when I was with Accor Plus and of a decent status with Accor. Found that benefits and perks were inconsistent and too hard to redeem. I still have loyalty with them but it is a second to Bonvoy Marriott. Bonvoy seem to want your loyalty and keep upgrading or promoting the benefits when staying there. Looking forward to Gold with Bonvoy this year.

Not much of an enticing incentive program. Hilton Honors any day over Accor's program.

I hold Lifetime Titanium Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy (959 total nights, including stays at Starwood properties).

Yes, their website is weird on an apple computer (safari) I have informed them, but not much has changed...still weird results. Puts me off.

I’m struggling to see any merit in reaching for Diamond. Platinum gets breakfast anyway (and not limited to weekends), and ALL Gold can be purchased for €99.

Unless I was building status from work trips I don’t really see the benefit of these hotel loyalty schemes. Allot of the time with aggressive online deals (booking directly via hotel online) you can get a suite for not much more than a regular room.

So let me get this right, for a spend of at least €10,400 (not including taxes and redeemed points) you will reach Diamond. Throw in a few nights at an Ibis (where you need to spend double), stay in cities where the tax rate is 10-20%, and redeem several thousand Le Club points and you will easily be spending between $20-25k to reach this threshold, even though the benefits of Diamond are seemingly negligible.

The revamp fails for three reasons:

Firstly, the spend requirements are too high which is a problem because if you aren’t staying at Accor’s most expensive hotels then you have no chance of actually meeting the threshold. Some people might argue that’s the point, but the reality is that the majority of Accor’s portfolio aren’t in a price bracket where this kind of spend is realistic, even if you have the budget. Take for example the So Sofitel in Bangkok (one of Accor’s flagship properties). Assuming the rate is $160 (ex taxes) you could stay 100 nights and you would still be short of diamond. Alternatively, you could stay 365 nights at a $100 a night Ibis and this wouldn’t even get you diamond. You could also stay 100 nights at the Ibis Blackfriars London (typically $300 a night) and you wouldn't even go close to reaching Diamond (for a $30k spend you wouldn't even get breakfast, the only benefit would be a welcome drink and an early/late check out if you are lucky). That is pathetic.

The second issue is the benefits. They just aren’t good enough. Upgrades are lousy (Sofitel is the worst for this – they put a coffee machine in a room and call it an upgrade, or they give you a room with a view). The breakfast issue is a real doozy especially compared to Hilton. Late check-in and check-out is fantastic but not guaranteed and the other benefits aren't particularly meaningful.

Thirdly, the loyalty experience is too inconsistent. It’s better in Australia and Asia, but you just never know what you will get.

The cynic in me says that the new Diamond status is a way for Accor to devalue Platinum over the medium to long term.

Personally, the suite upgrades aren’t very enticing (a nice to have but not particularly meaningful) and I wonder how Accor’s systems will cope with this enhancement – especially given that they weren’t able to do something as simple as include the complimentary breakfast at the time of booking for Platinums staying in the Asia Pacific (something that caused me issues at several hotels where staff were unaware of this benefit).

The best thing about Accor Le Club is that I was able to status match to Hilton Diamond. I stopped being loyal to Accor at the end of last year and have switched to Hilton who are miles ahead of Accor when it comes to loyalty.

David, I think you are being very generous by describing the benefits as ‘far from overwhelming’. They are pathetic. A more apt name for the program would be Accor ‘Some’ or Accor ‘Nothing’.

As a Platinum member I already get complimentary breakfast & suite upgrades on most occasions so there’s no new benefit???

Some great comments here, esp Alex. I am not an Accor fan and was distraught when they bought Fairmont. My experiences have not been good - hotels dont always know about the website offers - and don't try and get help from customer service! IHG and Hilton are far better at recognising loyalty. Having retired, my spend has plunged but I still find that even with a blue card I am welcomed at Hilton. A recent Accor hotel stay seemed to relish in my poor blue card status even pointing out that there was no priority check in and I could get 10% off only on certain restaurant offers.

Have had platinum now for 2 years and have enough points for diamond. Being from Australia and preferring travel in Asia Pacific I have always had a wonderful experience with my membership. Accor Plus helps with the 50%discount for restaurants (15%) for drinks in Asia. Just stayed at the Fairmont Sanur in Bali and thought it one of the best hotels in Bali. Booked an ocean front standard size room and upgraded to a suite (155 sq.mtrs) with its own spa room and massages included. I stayed at the Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi recently and could not have been treated better. Drinking French champagne in the lounge, 50% off in choice of 6 fabulous restaurants and only booking a standard room. We will have booked 106 nights this year and every stay has been exemplary. Could not be happier with Accor and looking forward to the diamond.