How does Accor treat you as an Elite guest?

[jase05]

Property: Century Old Town Prague MGallery
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: Executive King
Room upgraded/type: Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!! Upgrade to the superb Kafka Suite
Rate: Flex members rate inclusing breakfast $403 p/n (Kafka suite was $1372 p/n)
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes
Early check in/late out: Offered late but not required
Welcome drink: Yes, 4x vouchers for use at bar
Welcome gift: Bottle of wine, fruit, chocolates and some cool postcards initially but more later.

Had a few spare days between family functions in UK so we shot over to Prague for a few days.
Absolute gem of a hotel in a fantastic part of the old town with only a few minutes walk to many of the sights and some great restaurants.
Booked the Executive room but about a week out from our visit we were notified that they had upgraded to their best room, the Kafka Suite.
The hotel was a former office building for the Workers Accident Insurance institute and Franz Kafka worked in the building and penned some of his famous work there. It’s been converted into a stunning hotel and the Kafka suite pays homage to Franz Kafka and has photos and portraits from his time.
The staff were simply amazing and treated us like royalty from the moment we arrived and they were keen to chat and learn about our travels and gave us maps with hand written notes and recommendations in Czech for restaurants and sights of interest The room was fantastic, rather large bedroom with writing desk and decent bathroom and then a lounge area with sofa, dining area and decent sized windows with views out to the road and building on the old town.
Received 4x vouchers for use at the bar but we ended up having a few drinks there over the course as the wine selection was pretty good.
The room had two complimentary mini bars with soft drinks and beers a the welcome gift consisted initially of a bottle of bubble, some fruit and chocolates and a few pretty nice postcards. About an hour or so after we checked in we had a knock at the door and the staff gave us a plate of wonderful desserts made fresh by the chef. One was like a coffee eclair and the other like a cream puff and both were superb. They also personally made a cake for us in the shape of a dog and coated in amazing chocolate.
Breakfast was a good spread of dishes and had a fresh egg station that made anything on request and yes Champagne and beer was available!
Who can say no to Mimosa’s at 6am
On checkout we were given some nice Prague fridge magnets and a pretty nice Prague beer mag as a thank you.
Really great stay and will definitely return as Prague is one of our favourites and we have been numerous times
I gave the staff a huge plaudit to Accor management
A few pics of the hotel interior

 

[jase05]

Our “Kafka Suite”

 

[austgap]

Property: Pullman Melbourne City Centre
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: Superior Room
Room upgraded/type: Premium Executive Room
Rate: $249/pn
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes - à la carte in the Club floor
Early check in/late out: Not required
Welcome drink: No, didn't ask for one when I noticed on the second day
Welcome gift: Choice of bottle wine at check-in (staff then proceeded to ask if I wanted to take it up, I declined as it was white - thinking ice bucket etc, room temp wine was deposited not long after getting into the room) & box of slices.

Prefer over the Movenpick but not as good as Pullman on the Park. Canape hour was very busy, yet breakfast was always quiet - service just very slow on both occasions.

 

[jase05]

Property: Mercure Chur City West
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: Superior Corner room, mountain view
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Deluxe room, mountain view
Rate: Flex members rate
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes
Early check in/late out: Offered late but not required
Welcome drink: Yes, anything from large fridge at reception, chose 2x large German beers
Welcome gift: Tiny gift of a few small chocolates, pretty poor IMO

Just needed a bed for the night after travelling on the Bernina Express and had to be up early to catch another train. Room was decent enough and bed was comfy. Had great views over the city and surrounding mountains. Room had personal sauna which was an added bonus. Didn’t use any of the hotels facilities as we arrived in the evening and left very early next day but the hotel is connected to a shopping centre and there are a few restaurants nearby aswell as the standard fast food outlets if you are into that. Hotel restaurant was closed that evening so we were directed to another restaurant around the corner which was decent enough. Only about 10 minutes by taxi from Chur station so not a bad location

 

[jase05]

Property: Pullman Paris Roissy CDG
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: Classic Room
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Deluxe room
Rate: Flex members rate
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes
Early check in/late out: Offered late but not required
Welcome drink: Yes, 2x vouchers for use at bar
Welcome gift: 4x beers and small chocolate platter

This is our go to hotel at CDG and once again another decent stay. Location is great and we arrived from Geneva in the evening and were flying out to Dubai the next day. Rooms are run of the mill stuff but comfortable and decent views of the airport. Had a couple of drinks at the bar and breakfast is a pretty good spread especially the pastries. Coffee was pretty average though.
Was a little hungry but the restaurant menu didn’t look great so we popped next door to the Ibis which has a great setup in clouding a Starbucks and a couple of restaurants including Pia that does pretty good pizzas
As much as I despise CDG we do tend to end up there a bit for some reason so I dare say we will be back at the Pullman again

 

[k_sheep]

Couple of one night stays in Melbourne as my usual accommodating friend was in PER (so rude!)

Property: Larwill studio
Status: Accor Plus Gold
Room booked: Base, $171
Room upgraded/type: Nope
Free internet: Yes
Early check in/late out: Not asked or offered
Welcome drink: Yes; restaurant was closed by the time I checked in, she said I could have a drink from the minibar (beer or softies only) or coffee in the morning.
Welcome gift: Nope
Funky place; had a great selection of drinks in the room (there were complimentary blood orange sodas x2 in the fridge - delicious) including 4 nespresso pods (none decaf, woo!) and 4 types of tea. Microwave in the room (unusual!). Shub (shudder). Single power points beside the bed had the lamps plugged in but there was a usb in the clock. Amazingly located for me as was going to a workshop at the kids hospital. Easy access to 59 tram.

Property: Mantra airport
Status: Accor Plus Gold
Room booked: Base, $180 ish.
Room upgraded/type: Maybe? Corner room.
Free internet: Yes
Early check in/late out: Not asked or offered
Welcome drink: Yes
Welcome gift: Yes, 3x mini slices from Springhill farm
No shub (woo!). 2x power points both sides of bed. Took the 59 tram - can connect to the 478 or 479 bus to get here but it was nice weather so I walked (not recommended .... very industrial, nothing to see).

 

[jase05]

Property: Fairmont Ajman
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: Deluxe Sea view King
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Junior Suite
Rate: Advance saver rate
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes, had the All inclusive package
Early check in/late out: Offered but not required
Welcome drink: Yes, 2x vouchers for use anywhere at property
Welcome gift: Fruit platter and chocolate dates.

Absolutely fantastic stay at this beach resort. Staff were absolutely amazing throughout and made the stay really enjoyable. Located only a short drive from DXB the resort is set on its own private beach and in a quiet location. Got a nice upgrade to a Junior suite with a nice balcony overlooking the resort. Room was great with all necessities and a comfortable bed. Resort had a nice beach area and despite it being coolish weather the water was fine and the sand was clean. Nice pool with a good pool bar with amazing staff that made great coughtails and ensured drinks were full at all times. We went for the all inclusive package, breakfast and lunch were buffets in the main restaut and had a really good spread of food covering several differant regions such as Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern, French. Great selection of desserts too. Dinner was also included or if you get sick of buffets you can eat at one of the other restaurants and in lieu of the buffet you got credits to spend. We ate at the Italian restaurant one night which was good and the Turkish restaurant on another which was excellent. included in the package was several beers and wines aswell as a decent collection of coughtails and spirits. These were available from 10am to midnight in any of the restaurants, bars, beach, pool etc.
We were there during Ramadan but the hotel operated as per normal but the did have a good Iftar venue setup on premises that went to the wee hours of the morning and did great food. Had a really great, relaxing time and will definitely return

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Property: Q Station Hotel Sydney Harbour National Park
Status: Accor Plus Platinum
Room booked: Q Room - External Private Bathroom
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Heritage Harbourside Room
Rate: $179.10/night
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes (see below).
Early check in/late out: Not required
Welcome drink: Yes, 2x vouchers for use at restaurant
Welcome gift: Box of cakes

Decided to try something a bit off the grid to kick off the 1 year anniversary with my partner and stay at the Q Station which is located at the former Quarantine Station near Manly. Ended up arriving a bit late on account of me being stuck at the Uni (what else is new?). The hotel is modelled after the quarantine station settlers to Australia had to stay in for some time after getting off the boat. There is some history and some bushwalks also (albeit we didn't have time for that). The hotel also features a cafe, restaurant and bar. The restaurant accepts the Accor+ discount but only on the prix fixe menu (i.e. if you're buying a-la carte no discount). There is a shuttle that will take you from Manly Wharf over to the hotel, and also from the hotel entrance to your cabin (although that bit is certainly walkable).

The room itself is decent. Not particularly fancy but certainly a cut above what you would find at an ibis. There is a desk area, a bed, a small living room and bathroom. There are various types of rooms available from small cabins to townhouses like the one I was at.

Outside my room there was a balcony with a nice view:

Breakfast consists of a buffet a purpose built building for breakfasts. Since I was Accor+Platinum it was free, although I did have to tell reception at what time I planned on having breakfast as seating was limited:


Would I stay here again? Absolutely. Especially if I had more time to explore the surroundings.

-RooFlyer88

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Property: Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour
Status: Accor Plus Platinum
Room booked: Superior Room, 1 King Bed
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Darling harbour view
Rate: Member's Stay Plus Benefit, Room Only (Accor+ Free Night)
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes
Early check in/late out: 2 PM Late Check out
Welcome drink: Yes, 2x vouchers used at lounge
Welcome gift: Bottle of wine, anniversary cake, bottles of water

Booked this hotel way back on April 24, 2023. At the time, I had just renewed my Accor+ membership and wanted to use my Stay Plus benefit at a hotel I deemed would have the best bang for buck, which upon consulting this forum was the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour. I booked the night to coincide with the 1 year anniversary with my partner which I mentioned when Sofitel called me a few days before to inquire if there was anything they could do, which obviously they obliged:



For those concerned, this hotel offered a shub free experience in the bathroom with there being a separate tub. Interestingly the toilet and shower were their own stalls in the bathroom. Otherwise the hotel has the usual ammeniteis you would find at a Sofitel: slippers, robe, Nespresso machine and a good quality desk to get on the horn with LATAM and sort out flight details.



Check in was smooth, when arriving at the hotel, I simply caught the lift and took it up to the Club Millesime level. After gathering my details (and offering a glass of champagne), everything was sorted and we were ready to head up to our room.

In terms of facilities, this hotel has it all (or at least has a lot of it): good quality gym, a pool (with bar) that faces the harbour.



The lounge was another impressive bit of the Soitel (if you enjoy lounges as much as I do, or as my partner refers to it as, a food casino). Like other Sofitels the lounge offers breakfasts in the morning from 6:30 AM to 11 AM on weekends and 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM on weekdays. The breakfast consisted of both a buffet and an a-la carte menu - the best of both worlds. There were also light snacks offered during the day including an afternoon tea from 3 to 5 and a pre-dinner snacks and canapes between 5:30 to 7:30 PM. What is interesting about this sofitel (unlike the Sofitel Melbourne I stayed at) was it had a much larger selection of buffet items which made the high tea and canapes more appealing.


The hotel also features a restaurant, which we enjoyed for dinner that evening. This hotel accepts the 50% Accor+ discount when 2 people are dining:

One piece of advice if you are staying in the Darling Harbour area at an Accor hotel (be it the Sofitel, ibis or Novotel), stay on a Saturday night. There's fireworks going from 9 PM:



Would I stay here again? Absolutely, if the price is right. At $600 a night it is out of my budget. But if it was a free night or closer to the $200 range, I'd bite. As an aside, I generally recommend folks consider using their free nights at hotels like the Sofitel (particularly if you've got Platinum status that gets you lounge access irrespective of room you've booked). Since you'll get a way better quality room and service than had you booked at a Fairmont or Novotel. The challenge of course is these free rooms get snapped up quick, so you'll certainly want to book months in advance.

-RooFlyer88

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Property: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Status: Accor Plus Platinum
Room booked: Superior Room, 1 King Bed
Room upgraded/type: No
Rate: Accor+ Extend Summer Promotion - 20% off - $239.40/night
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes
Early check in/late out: 2 PM Late Check out
Welcome drink: Yes, 2x vouchers used at lounge for take away coffee
Welcome gift: Bottle of wine

Decided to make a last minute booking at the Sofitel during the Easter long weekend and noticed that there was a generous cashback offer from Accor too. Ended up booking the Sofitel Wentworth as Darling Harbour harbour was an extra $100/night and although I did enjoy the hotel, I did not enjoy it that much and heard that the Wentworth has recently completed rennovation of the rooms.

Arrived at the hotel at 1:30 PM and looked for the Club Millesime reception for check in. Aparently lounge is closed (more on that in a moment) and so normal check in had to be done. No room was available when we arrived so they took our bags and told us they'd send an SMS once the room is ready. Sure enough around 2:30 PM I receive a text that the room is ready, head back to the hotel get the keys and head up to the room:




Room seemed to come from this century but did seem a bit basic (i.e. I've stayed at Mercure hotels in Queensland that were similarly appointed). The bathroom was also fairly basic including the much dreaded shub:



Upon looking at the welcome flyer in the room, it would seem that rennovations are still underway and that the hotel is slated to be fully rennovated (including its own lounge) in late 2024:

Speaking of the lounge, it is temporary located in the restaurant area (Soiree bar) in the lobby. So certainly not the most private or exclusive area, and no views to speak of. However, they do continue the Sofitel tradition of providing afternoon tea and evening crepes. The afternoon tea consisted of a high tea tray consisting of hot buns, finger sandwiches, and cakes. There was also a small buffet area serving a decent selection of finger food:

The gym at the hotel was closed so we were given the option of using either the Virgin Active on Bligh street from 05:30 to 21:00 Monday - Thursday, Friday from 05:30 to 20:00 or the Virgin Active Pitt Street from 09:00 to 17:00 on Saturdays and 10:00 to 16:00 on Sundays. Notwithstanding what some may think of Virgin Active, this was a downgrade for me since I like the convenience of not being tied down to a gym's schedule to get some exercise in and appreciate the privacy a hotel gym offers over a health club.

In terms of breakfast, this was offered in the breakfast lounge as they call it (i.e. no lounge option). A ballroom with a large number of seating options. The breakfast was buffet style with some options you wouldn't ordinarily find at an ibis or Mercure. There was also the option to have the chef make you some options off the menu (I think omlettes were one such example):

Would I stay here again? Certainy not at this price! Given it was a holiday and I wanted to try something new I didn't mind spending a little extra for the Sofitel experience. However, it hasn't really hit the mark when it comes to what you expect staying at a Sofitel in terms of ammenities, room quality and service. The staff are trying their best, but the state of the hotel right now, it's hard for them to deliver the service customers expect. What I do look forward to is staying here next year once all the rennovations have been completed and hopefully everything is up to scratch. But as it stands now, I probably wouldn't stay here unless the rate was in the $100-$150 level as there are Accor hotels in that range that offer a better location (i.e. ibis Sydney Darling Harbour) or more ammenities.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Daver6]

Property: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Status: Accor Plus Platinum
Room booked: Superior Room, 1 King Bed
Room upgraded/type: No
Rate: Accor+ Extend Summer Promotion - 20% off - $239.40/night
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes
Early check in/late out: 2 PM Late Check out
Welcome drink: Yes, 2x vouchers used at lounge for take away coffee
Welcome gift: Bottle of wine

Decided to make a last minute booking at the Sofitel during the Easter long weekend and noticed that there was a generous cashback offer from Accor too. Ended up booking the Sofitel Wentworth as Darling Harbour harbour was an extra $100/night and although I did enjoy the hotel, I did not enjoy it that much and heard that the Wentworth has recently completed rennovation of the rooms.

Arrived at the hotel at 1:30 PM and looked for the Club Millesime reception for check in. Aparently lounge is closed (more on that in a moment) and so normal check in had to be done. No room was available when we arrived so they took our bags and told us they'd send an SMS once the room is ready. Sure enough around 2:30 PM I receive a text that the room is ready, head back to the hotel get the keys and head up to the room:

View attachment 382962
View attachment 382963View attachment 382964

Room seemed to come from this century but did seem a bit basic (i.e. I've stayed at Mercure hotels in Queensland that were similarly appointed). The bathroom was also fairly basic including the much dreaded shub:
View attachment 382965
View attachment 382966

Upon looking at the welcome flyer in the room, it would seem that rennovations are still underway and that the hotel is slated to be fully rennovated (including its own lounge) in late 2024:View attachment 382967

Speaking of the lounge, it is temporary located in the restaurant area (Soiree bar) in the lobby. So certainly not the most private or exclusive area, and no views to speak of. However, they do continue the Sofitel tradition of providing afternoon tea and evening crepes. The afternoon tea consisted of a high tea tray consisting of hot buns, finger sandwiches, and cakes. There was also a small buffet area serving a decent selection of finger food:View attachment 382968

The gym at the hotel was closed so we were given the option of using either the Virgin Active on Bligh street from 05:30 to 21:00 Monday - Thursday, Friday from 05:30 to 20:00 or the Virgin Active Pitt Street from 09:00 to 17:00 on Saturdays and 10:00 to 16:00 on Sundays. Notwithstanding what some may think of Virgin Active, this was a downgrade for me since I like the convenience of not being tied down to a gym's schedule to get some exercise in and appreciate the privacy a hotel gym offers over a health club.

In terms of breakfast, this was offered in the breakfast lounge as they call it (i.e. no lounge option). A ballroom with a large number of seating options. The breakfast was buffet style with some options you wouldn't ordinarily find at an ibis or Mercure. There was also the option to have the chef make you some options off the menu (I think omlettes were one such example):View attachment 382969

Would I stay here again? Certainy not at this price! Given it was a holiday and I wanted to try something new I didn't mind spending a little extra for the Sofitel experience. However, it hasn't really hit the mark when it comes to what you expect staying at a Sofitel in terms of ammenities, room quality and service. The staff are trying their best, but the state of the hotel right now, it's hard for them to deliver the service customers expect. What I do look forward to is staying here next year once all the rennovations have been completed and hopefully everything is up to scratch. But as it stands now, I probably wouldn't stay here unless the rate was in the $100-$150 level as there are Accor hotels in that range that offer a better location (i.e. ibis Sydney Darling Harbour) or more ammenities.

-RooFlyer88

When I was there last year there was no gym. They gave access to some gym across the road that was super dark and had quite limited hours on the weekend. Virgin Active sounds like a step up.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

When I was there last year there was no gym. They gave access to some gym across the road that was super dark and had quite limited hours on the weekend. Virgin Active sounds like a step up.

Are you sure it wasn't a Virgin Active? With that being said, I would still recommend to people choosing between the Sofitels to choose the Darling Harbour one. The lounge and facilities are way better. The only thing that I could see as a downside is the location. If you don't want to be near the harbour and prefer to be closer to the centreville then maybe the Wentworth is better. Again, it will be interesting to see the Wentworth after the rennovations, but as it stands now, I cannot recommend it given its current state unless you managed to snag a severely discounted rate.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Daver6]

Are you sure it wasn't a Virgin Active? With that being said, I would still recommend to people choosing between the Sofitels to choose the Darling Harbour one. The lounge and facilities are way better. The only thing that I could see as a downside is the location. If you don't want to be near the harbour and prefer to be closer to the centreville then maybe the Wentworth is better. Again, it will be interesting to see the Wentworth after the rennovations, but as it stands now, I cannot recommend it given its current state unless you managed to snag a severely discounted rate.

-RooFlyer88

Very sure. It was in the building across the road from the entrance.

Agree that DH is the better hotel all round and priced accordingly.

 

[austgap]

Property: Pullman Melbourne on the Park
Status: Accor Plus Platinum
Room booked: Superior Room, 1 King Bed
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Superior Suite
Rate: via Amex GBT - $260?/night
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast? Yes
Early check in/late out: Not needed
Welcome drink: Yes, 1x vouchers used for take away coffee
Welcome gift: Bottle of wine and popcorn

Good hotel, appreciated the suite upgrade. Only negative is the restaurant- it's painfully slow (95mins to order a starter and main for one person)