accor [Adv+ - Should I join?]

[starskie]

I am looking at becoming a member of the Accor Advantage Club, I would be interested in anyone opinions whether good or bad.

 

[proskyneo]

I am looking at becoming a member of the Accor Advantage Club, I would be interested in anyone opinions whether good or bad.

Hi starskie and welcome to AFF,

I'm sure many of us on this board would say that is a pretty subjective topic as it would really depend on what you want to get out of the Advantage Plus membership (or any membership anywhere).

Personally, I love it. I just finished a 2-day stay at the Mercure Sydney today and used my membership for cheaper rates (20% off I think) and 50% off breakfast yesterday morning.

If you know you are going to stay somewhere far in advance then you can also take advantage of the free award night but you have to book fairly far in advance for many of the nicer hotels. This is probably the main reason why people get membership with Advantage Plus - I know that's the reason why I joined. But people get bummed out when they try to book their free night at Sofitel Melbourne the week before they want to stay.. it's not going to happen =) (probably)

I booked one night at the Sofitel in Gold Coast using a free night and that's worth at least $150 already so a significant benefit already!

If you eat out at hotel restaurants a lot with someone else (a partner?) then this could also be a good investment as you get 50% off at Accor restaurants.

Finally, there's A|Club. You get in at silver level which means 50% more A|Club points but it depends on what you're going to do with those points, I personally don't have enough points to do anything with A|Club, but I know there are others here that have exchanged them for vouchers or you can always transfer them to QFF!

You do have to beware not to expect too much from hotels as they will happily give you the discounted rates and meals, but probably won't treat you any different at the hotel.

So my opinion is: Good for me - because I use it to get cheap rates when I need to book a hotel and I expect to make a solid return on my investment by doing so.

 

[disy]

Thought I'd add my personal comments. Depends where you would like to stay. We have always made good use of the complimentary night by planning ahead. We are going to Hanoi next April and by using the complimentary night certificate, it just about covers the cost of membership. The dining benefits are an added bonus.
It always pays to ring and see if they have any special offers going. Particularly if you can do this through an existing member.
Hope this helps.
Di

 

[munitalP]

In my 2 years of being a A+ member, I would say NO

Except for a few discounted meals (food only), the savings were minimal if any.

When I abandoned the Accor A+, I mucked about with the PC rewards and Rydges. One day, I became Rydges Platinum and the benefits outweigh lots of other programmes. Obviously if you don't like the Rydges hotel chain, this wont suit you, but the Platinum card is 50% off meals and drinks + other purchases excluding internet.

FWIW, except for your free night (which you earn by staying at Rydges), the A+ card has as many features as the entry level Rydges card which is free!

My 50% off worth


munitalP

 

[markis10]

I am not a big fan of Accor, so I have the Priority Privilege membership for Holiday Inns/Crowne Plazas and Intercontinental, and unlike AClub they allow you to accrue points everywhere (the two sofitels in SE QLD do not participate). Prior to the loss of the Sheratons in Brisbane and Melbourne I had a similar card for SPG for similar reasons.

I suppose it all depends on your intended usage, the PP membership costs $285, however I have managed to get around 15 free nights out of it this year, the buy one get one free offers allow me to stay in great rooms at reasonable rates, and the points accrued come in handy, its not hard to earn 5000 pts a night with PC and that is a free night at some hotels, like it was at the Crowne PLaza in Adelaide last week

I find the dining benefits also good, I often have breakfast meetings where $19 covers both meals, and the odd dinner for two under $100 including drinks, but given I do 100 nights away a year, my savings are going to be greater than the traveler with less frequent stays. The fact kids eat for free at most properties makes for a very cheap meal when I use the card for the family stays.

Have a look at where you might be going, what hotels are there and what savings are on offer, and whether it ties you into a hotel that does not accrue points, which have some value, at the end of the day only you can say if it is worth it!

 

[bossreggie]

Hi Starskie. Welcome.

I have been an Adv+ member for many years and I certainly do benefit from the card. I stay at Sofitel a lot and it is my preferred chain. I would say I get my membership fee back 10 times over in savings each year. I transfer all my points from AClub to QFF each year. The 50% off meals is a bonus. I am AClub Platinum now and I do receive extra benefits with each stay.

If the free night is no biggie maybe a supplementary card membership would be better for you. ($190 per year)

Shaun

 

[serfty]

I was an advantage+ member for many years. But in the end decided it was not for me. See here:

• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...n-flybuys-accor-advantage-5256.html#post62027
• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...sion/advantage-any-good-these-days-15994.html

However, for it to be cost effective I believe you need to be staying at Accor properties who participate in the program at least 10 times per year or be staying at "high End" properties like Sofitels.