How does Accor treat you as an Elite guest?

[33kft]

Room upgraded: No room downgraded to standard room 1 king bed garden view. They called ahead of the booking to arrange change.

I'd love to know the logic here. Did they have to take all of their Superior and above stock out of service for some sort of maintenance or something like that, or were you somehow as a Platinum the lowest status member and got bumped?

Was there some sort of event on? Seems like a pretty average time of the year.

I can't imagine you'd intentionally aggrieve your elite guests, yes they adjusted the rate but that is literally and legally the minimum they could do.

It makes no sense to me?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Staying here wasn't a great experience mainly due to how they apply Accor Benefits.

The front of house staff are very professional and effective communicators - calling prior to our stay to confirm details and advising us of changes required to our room selection for our booking. The room rate was changed accordingly when we were downgraded from the room we booked. I certainly can't fault the professionalism of the staff.

In general we should expect the Accor benefits we have worked so hard for. It's not a case of entitlement, it's a case of loyalty. There were many times where yours truly had the option of booking a less expensive, and sometimes even better quality hotel than the Accor hotel on offer but booked Accor anyone because of my status. This inconsistency at hotels seems to be something I'm noticing a fair amount at Accor. For instance, I received all my benefits as an Accor Silver at the Novotel Sydney Airport. Meanwhile if I visit Ibis Styles Melbourne, I'm lucky if they leave a bonbon on the nightstand.

In your instance, as an Accor Platinum, you should expect guaranteed room availability at any Accor hotel booked at least 2 days prior to arrival. Supposing you did book your room more than 2 days prior, then the handling of the room downgrade is unacceptable. Although, I'm an English native speaker, I thought I'd amuse myself and look up the definition of a reservation, no doubt something you had with this hotel:

an act of reserving something: such as
a(1): the act or fact of a grantor's reserving some newly created thing out of the thing granted
(2): the right or interest so reserved
b: the setting of limiting conditions or withholding from complete expositionanswered without reservation
c: an arrangement to have something (such as a hotel room) held for one's use also : a promise, guarantee, or record of such engagement

I think example 2(c) is the most accurate definition of what's going on here. Now the hotel failed to honour this reservation, and instead put you in an inferior room (after all what else would you call downgrading a guest from a superior room?). Perhaps as you pointed out there was an issue with your room or maybe they had a wedding and needed to "bump" you from your room so the bride's guests could take that room. Regardless, from a customer service standpoint and given the fact you have Platinum status, they should have made some gesture of service recovery. Simply applying the room rate you would've paid when you made the booking is not enough. Perhaps bonus points, perhaps the best inferior room available or maybe a round of golf at the golf course... something... anything!

And the cherry on top was you have to fight with the hotel to get everything you are entitled to as a Platinum such as the drink vouchers.

-RooFlyer88

 

[sudoer]

I'd love to know the logic here. Did they have to take all of their Superior and above stock out of service for some sort of maintenance or something like that, or were you somehow as a Platinum the lowest status member and got bumped?

I'm interested in this too. Depending on how far in advance they were notified, I would guess either damage/maintenance or a wedding group with a large group/package booking took precedence, which IMO is fair given the hotel apparently gave plenty of notice and offered the relevant rate for the lower room category. Given the property only has 24 rooms it wouldn't take a large event to cause this sort of issue.

In your instance, as an Accor Platinum, you should expect guaranteed room availability at any Accor hotel booked at least 2 days prior to arrival. Supposing you did book your room more than 2 days prior, then the handling of the room downgrade is unacceptable.

@forevadelayed got a room, which is what the guarantee entitled them to. The guarantee does not entitle one to a specific type of room.

Help Center

help.accor.com

The availability guarantee applies per room and not per type of room.

Although, I'm an English native speaker, I thought I'd amuse myself and look up the definition of a reservation, no doubt something you had with this hotel

c: an arrangement to have something (such as a hotel room) held for one's use also : a promise, guarantee, or record of such engagement

I think example 2(c) is the most accurate definition of what's going on here. Now the hotel failed to honour this reservation, and instead put you in an inferior room

I don't think a dictionary definition has relevance here, the property/Accor T&C (along with the T&C of virtually every other hotel on earth) will permit a property to cancel/downgrade your stay as long as the customer is not left out-of-pocket. From what we know, the hotel contacted @forevadelayed well in advance, and undoubtedly would have also offered a no-penalty cancellation if they wanted to stay elsewhere. It doesn't seem like they have an issue with how this part of their stay was handled so the outrage feels a bit unwarranted?

Regardless, from a customer service standpoint and given the fact you have Platinum status, they should have made some gesture of service recovery. Simply applying the room rate you would've paid when you made the booking is not enough. Perhaps bonus points, perhaps the best inferior room available or maybe a round of golf at the golf course... something... anything!

Some chains (such as Marriott) do offer monetary compensation to top-tier elites if a reservation or selected bed type cannot be honoured, but ALL doesn't. I don't think it's fair to expect an entitlement of additional service recovery unless it is a published benefit.

 

[Anna]

Does anyone know where ALL hides the place that you can make a claim for missing points?

I stumbled across it the other day when I didn't have the invoice handy to download. Now that I have the invoice, I'm b****ed if I can find the correct link again

 

[eric2011]

Does anyone know where ALL hides the place that you can make a claim for missing points?

I stumbled across it the other day when I didn't have the invoice handy to download. Now that I have the invoice, I'm b****ed if I can find the correct link again

Go the very bottom of your "MY points history", click on missing points, follow the section you want then "cant find the answer to your question" and then do the "Contact us"

 

[Anna]

Go the very bottom of your "MY points history", click on missing points, follow the section you want then "cant find the answer to your question" and then do the "Contact us"

I've tried 2 different browsers but I am never getting offered an opportunity to click on 'can't find the answer to your question' or 'contact us'

I found one link to a webform but it just sent me back into the FAQ section where I have been going round in circles for ages.

I rang the hotel and although the woman I spoke to sounded like she knew what I was talking about and took down all the relevant details, she then said "I'll have to give this to the correct person to add your number to the invoice". So I have little confidence that will actually happen.

 

[SYD]

I've tried 2 different browsers but I am never getting offered an opportunity to click on 'can't find the answer to your question' or 'contact us'

I found one link to a webform but it just sent me back into the FAQ section where I have been going round in circles for ages.

I rang the hotel and although the woman I spoke to sounded like she knew what I was talking about and took down all the relevant details, she then said "I'll have to give this to the correct person to add your number to the invoice". So I have little confidence that will actually happen.

Does this link work?

Help Center

help.accor.com

 

[Anna]

Does this link work?

Help Center

help.accor.com

Yes. Thank you! That's what I found the other day, but wasn't able to find it today for some reason.

 

[forevadelayed]

I'm interested in this too. Depending on how far in advance they were notified, I would guess either damage/maintenance or a wedding group with a large group/package booking took precedence, which IMO is fair given the hotel apparently gave plenty of notice and offered the relevant rate for the lower room category. Given the property only has 24 rooms it wouldn't take a large event to cause this sort of issue.

This is pretty much the case: The booking was a "This room is only available to you as a platinum member". I booked about two weeks in advance and got a call the next day advising of the change.
Overall, I didn't mind about the room though I was bummed when I saw the awesome view the other rooms had.

However, coupled with the other issues I experienced I felt the hotel didn't care about the Accor All programme or interested in ensuring a good experience for members with status.
As it's a small hotel, it is probably booked up most of the time so isn't dependent on the programme for revenue.

You'll get your points and stays recorded (if you put in a claim retrospectively) but that is about it. If you are looking for the other perks, expect inconsistent delivery or polite refusals. The perks provide a lot of value for me over other places and my money goes further. But if they are not available I'll go elsewhere. Lesson learned!

This experience at Mercure is in contrast with the service I've received from other chains that have recently joined the Accor All group in OZ. My stays at Peppers and Mantra have included not just good service and experience but also people taking action on feedback. I will post these soon.

When I gave my feedback to Accor via a case I did get 500 points as compensation but not much feedback from hotel management on my email/review.

 

[jase05]

This experience at Mercure is in contrast with the service I've received from other chains that have recently joined the Accor

Mercure properties are usually very good with status recognition and the like. Sounds like you just got a poor hotel and some constructive feedback definitely required

 

[sudoer]

Mercure properties are usually very good with status recognition and the like.

Agree, I've had nothing but consistency from Mercure and other core Accor brands.

Peppers on the other hand...

 

[jase05]

Agree, I've had nothing but consistency from Mercure and other core Accor brands.

Peppers on the other hand...

I think a lot of it comes down to hotel management. I too find Peppers a bit lax on status but Peppers Silo Launceston and Peppers Cradle Mountain seem to buck that trend and have always given us amazing service and status recognition

 

[Captain Halliday]

Anyone with recent experience at Peppers Queenstown?

 

[Anna]

Property: Fairmont Singapore
Status: Silver
Room booked: Fairmont King
Room upgraded: No, but received room 2519, the second highest floor in the unrenovated North Tower. Great views (see below).

The 'unrenovated' North Tower comment makes me feel old because I can remember when the purple-accented furnishings were introduced and back then they were the renovated rooms I have been staying in that building when in Singapore most years since 1989 when it was the Westin Plaza.

Interesting that the king rooms have better shower options than the corner 2 balcony rooms. I recently stayed in a 2 balcony room but the downside was it came with a small bathroom and a shub. Not the spacious walk in shower arrangement. The upside was that the annoying bright blue light on the thermostat was hidden around the corner from the bed, so it didn't disturb me at night. But sheesh, that light is bright enough to be able to walk in the room at night without stumbling into anything.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

The upside was that the annoying bright blue light on the thermostat was hidden around the corner from the bed, so it didn't disturb me at night. But sheesh, that light is bright enough to be able to walk in the room at night without stumbling into anything.

YES, couldn't agree more! That light was incredibly irritating in the King room.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Property: Ibis Sydney Airport
Status: Accor+Silver
Room booked: Standard Room 1 Queen Bed
Room upgraded: Maybe? Not much to upgrade to, but was given top floor and decent view (see photo)
Rate: Accor Plus Mother's Day Offer, Room Only
Free internet: Yes, acceptable speed.
Welcome drink: Yes, 1 voucher received. Redeemed at the pub (open till midnight).
Early Check in/out: Forgot to ask but checked out at 11:30 AM
Other: 2 bottles of water.

Forgive me for reviewing a budget Accor hotel, but thought it may be useful for those who need to do an overnight stay near Sydney Airport. The hotel itself is about a 10 minute walk to the domestic terminal and about a 5 minute from Mascot station (for those of us looking to dodge the rip off that is the station access fee). I booked this room (despite me living in Sydney and having a late afternoon departure out of SYD) as I was travelling "domestically" to Honolulu, and wanted to take care of the niceties of such travel the day before and not have the stress of further travelling that day. It also didn't hurt that the rate was $83 as an Accor+ member.

As for the hotel experience itself, the check-in was a bit slow (waited about 10 minutes for someone to come to the desk to check me in). There was no bell to ring the front desk person. In any event, upon them arriving I was welcomed as an Accor+Silver guest, provided with 2 bottles of water and a drink voucher for use at the hotel's restaurant/bar. In my checking my phone for something I forgot to ask for a late check-out but that turned out to not be a big issue, as the no one came by my room when I checked out at 11:30 AM.

The room itself was fairly modern, certainly a step above the drab Ibis hotels I've stayed at in the past:


There was a decent selection of power ports in the room. Two on the night stand on each side of the bed. In addition, there were two additional power points near the window (which the towel is conveniently obstructing). Wifi speeds were okay (just okay). Not crawling but not super high speed either. Shower in bathroom had good supply of hot water and amenities are as you would expect at an Ibis.

The hotel has restaurant that closes at 9 PM but the bar is open till midnight (and you can order a decent selection of food items from a limited menu). I ultimately redeemed my free drink voucher on a xx_X Gold and ordered the $15 ham toastie special (reduced to $11.25 since I'm an Accor+ member, and remembered to show my card this time):



Would I stay here again as an Accor elite? Absolutely, provided the price is right (i.e. under $100/night). The hotel staff treated me properly as a Silver, I didn't have to fight for anything like a drink voucher.

-RooFlyer88

 

[aaronm]

Property: Pullman Sea Temple Port Douglas
Status: Accor Plus Gold
Room booked: One Bedroom Penthouse
Room upgraded/type: Yes - Two Bedroom Penthouse
Rate: Accor Plus Stay Longer and Save, room only
Free internet: Yes - moderate speed
Welcome drink: Yes - two vouchers.
Welcome gift: None, surprising given this was a five night stay.
Early check in/late out: Did not request
Overall opinion:

• Beautiful resort, fantastic pool, located a little out of the main Port Douglas area but this didn't bother us.
• Very spacious room but definitely in need of a refresh, lots of well-used fittings.
• Rooftop spa and BBQ area worth the extra expense, though it wasn't as private as I was expecting (unlocked gate would allow anyone to wander in if they wanted, we even found the spa running one day which suggests some other guests had done so)
• Kitchen could have been a little better equipped - for example there were no oven mitts provided.
• Restaurant (Aluco) the only disappointment, good food but terribly rude staff. Some basic customer service training would not go astray. We tried Koko at Peppers another night which had a much friendlier team and equally good meals.
• Overall would recommend, the pool is what really makes this resort but the rooms are generally pretty good as well.

 

[aaronm]

Property: Mantra Sun City Gold Coast
Status: Accor Plus Gold
Room booked: One Bedroom Ocean View Apartment
Room upgraded/type: No
Rate: Accor Plus Stay Longer and Save, room only
Free internet: Yes - slow
Welcome drink: Yes - two vouchers.
Welcome gift: A small selection of mini slices
Early check in/late out: 12pm check out offered
Overall opinion:

• Decent hotel overall, common areas nicely landscaped and all following the "sun city" theme.
• Room was huge but desperately in need of some maintenance, looking generally tired especially the bathroom.
• Was looking forward to using the pool but sadly the weather did not cooperate, some decent-sized waterslides if that piques your interest.
• No daily housekeeping, this was not communicated at check-in. Front desk were happy to provide extra amenities on request.
• A basic continental breakfast is available at Koastal Kitchen, single staff member was friendly but also very busy having to do everything herself.
• As this was a longer stay we appreciated the larger room but for one or two nights in future I'd still stick with the more hotel-style options of Mantra on View or the Novotel.

 

[jase05]

Pullman Adelaide finally reopening on June 1st

 

[ellen10]

Property: Pullman on the Park Melbourne
Status: Accor Plus Silver
Room booked: Premier superior room 5 night stay
Room upgraded/type: No but we were put on the 17th floor (only executive rooms are higher)
Rate: Qantas special hotel deals (but we received Accor points - as well as Qantas points
Free internet: Yes
Welcome drink: Yes - two vouchers. plus 2 signature gins.
Welcome gift: 2 bottles of water
Early check in/late out: not asked for (although we did check in 2 hours earlier)
Overall opinion:

• The hotel has been refurbished, the rooms are lovely, spacious great view over the MCG, bathroom very modern, walk in shower, bed large and very comfortable.
• Lovely toiletries (abundant supply) house keeping always maintained a perfectly cleaned room.
• Hotel very quiet, could not hear anyone else on our floor. Lifts quick to arrive, lovely greeting from reception and great service throughout our stay. Great downstairs bar and lounges.
• We ate at the restaurant one night, the food was delicious but the icing on the cake was our lovely waitperson Julia. She introduced herself and asked our names and continued to address us by our first names throughout the dinner. Alway very attentive and all round great service. She even remembered our names when we saw her in the bar 3 nights later.
• Breakfast was buffet style, with abundant choices, eggs to order and coffees, plenty of staff and very attentive.
• Outdoor heated pool, sauna (spa not working) and gym room.
• Location perfect short walk to CBD and tram stop right outside the door.
• We loved our stay at the Pullman and would definitely stay here again 5 star stay and experience.