How does Accor treat you as an Elite guest?

[sudoer]

There was a number of appliances that you would ordinarily not find in an Accor hotel like Hobbs, cutlery, laundry machine, etc. which was a nice addition (albeit maybe this is normal for Breakfree properties?)

This is standard for the BreakFrees I have stayed at - my understanding is they are all serviced apartments.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Apologies for posting some more but realized AFF limits the number of photos you can attach per post to 10 which obviously ain’t enough if one is trying to review three Accor properties.

Property: Novotel Sydney International Airport

Accor Status: Accor+Gold

Room booked: Superior Room, 1 King Size Bed

Room upgraded/type: Yes, Deluxe.

Rate: Member’s Stay Plus Benefit, Room Only

Free internet: Yes. A little slow by Sydney standards.

Welcome drink: Yes - 2 bottles of water.

Early check in/late out: N/A

VIP treatment: Received bag containing letter, bottled water, and box containing three protein bars (the latter of which was quite useful)

Access to executive lounge (if existing): N/A

General Comments:
I live in North Sydney and participated in today’s MS Gong charity bike ride from Sydney to Wollongong. I was scheduled to start my ride at 8 AM and the starting point was Tempe Recreation Park (just beside the international terminal). Hence, I decided to book the Novotel since it was close by. I’ve stayed here back in April (and even shared a review back then although I was a lowly Silver back then *sniff*). I thought I’d share this review since things have changed quite a bit since I last stayed there and maybe beneficial for those considering this hotel.



Check in was prompt, and I was given the upgrade and all the goodies without even asking for it. A+ in that regard. The Deluxe room itself felt a bit dated and had some annoying “features” I didn’t like such as Powerpoints being located at the floor level which if you’re connecting an iPad to charge whilst using it can be a pain. The lack of Nespresso (in favour of Nescafé) was also disappointing, especially for a Novotel and certainly for a more premium Deluxe room. One thing that was important to me given my early bike ride was the ability to set an alarm either via an alarm clock or on the TV. Neither option was available, which can be annoying if you need multiple stimuli to wake up.


The hotel has a bar and a restaurant. When I visited back in April only the restaurant was open with last orders being taken til 9:30 PM. This time around the restaurant was open (with last orders being taken til 9:30 PM) along with the bar that is open till 11 PM (and can also serve food). There was also the option of ordering food anytime although from an even more limited menu due to staffing shortages I was told. The menu options at the restaurant were stepped up a little bit (last time I was there hamburger was one of the main food options) and I decided to order the salmon for $39 (~$29 with Accor+ discount). It was tasty albeit the portion size was a bit small:



The hotel was also quite a bit busier than when I visited back in April, too. Tons of airline personnel checking in and checking out (I.e.QR, EY, etc.) which I suppose is desperately needed given the 2+ years of lack of activity in the international terminal due to COVID.

Overall, decent albeit somewhat dated hotel.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Muppet501st]

Property: Mercure Roma Centro Termini
Room booked: standard queen.
Room upgraded: no ( booked out )
Rate: not sure, used points.
Free internet: yep
Welcome drink: yes x2 vouchers, nothing else
Early check in/out: not required
VIP treatment: haha, nothing
No lounge.
No welcoming gift

Booked this property as it was close to the main train station, so easy to and from airport.
It turned out, that is was in easy walking distance to main tourist sites.
Room was sufficient and quite modern and quiet.
Only issue we had , was the aircon was only able to be controlled by the front desk. So when the room was too hot, call reception, too cold, call,,, by the 3rd day it was set right.
As we stayed 5 nights, as a Diamond member, we were entitled to free breakfast on the weekend, but we had tours booked on both Saturday and Sunday so never used it. But we did have the breakfast on the 2 weekdays at €15 each. This would’ve been probably the worst breakfast spread I’ve had anywhere, hot option bacon and sausages where cold on the first day, and then only sausages the next. Cereal options on table, but no milk anywhere. The only reason we did the breakfast was I had the 10x€10 dining credits to use up by the end of this year

 

[Muppet501st]

Mercure London Hyde Park
Room booked: Superior King room
Room upgraded: no, and was originally downgraded
Rate: Flexible bed and breakfast, $1060 aud for 2 nights.
Free internet: yep
Welcome drink: yes x2 vouchers, though free water and soft drinks in minibar
Early check in/out: not required
VIP treatment: haha, nothing
No lounge.

Booked this property as it was close to the Paddington train station, so easy to and from airport, plus we have stayed there previously.
We arrived 7pm ish and where checked in quickly and friendly. Given keys to room 701, which I think the property has 5 floors, now the 7th floor in underground.
The photo below is the room we were provided. Turned out it was the exact room we had 2 years ago, and would never book it again. It is a dungeon, and the smallest room on the 7th floor ( by the evacuation map on the door ) I called reception and questioned the room provided against the room I had booked and paid for. Was told the room was what I had booked and it wasn’t the smallest room and they would call me back shortly. Meanwhile I looked up on their website for the room types and my booking to see what I had actually booked.




now this was on their website, I know that not all rooms are the same, but you could see the room provided was a Standard Room.





And this is a what I should’ve got





And this was on my email booking confirmation


After 10 minutes of waiting for a call back, we headed back “up” to reception. I spoke to the manager saying we were waiting on a call back, anyway after showing him the room and what I had booked he took me up to room 401,



so we took this room. A couple of little bits that we didn’t follow up, this new room only had 1 of each complimentary drinks, but I just wanted to rest.
Now the next morning I spoke to the same manager about if we could use my diamond member spa and dining vouchers, which I was told for sure. So on our last night, we went to the restaurant on-site ( which was an Italian place , and after a few nights in Italy, we really didn’t feel like more Italian food but didn’t want to waste the dining credit )
Food was good, but when we went to charge it back to the room, they don’t do that anymore.
So apon checkout, brought this up with the same manager, who was surprised they didn’t allow charge back, showed him the receipt. He couldn’t reimburse the €40 dining vouchers I had left, but credited my Accor account with 7000points.

No welcome gifts as well, I forget how spoilt we are in Asia/pacific

 

[zig]

Property: Sofitel Melbourne on Collins
Accor Status: Gold Plus
Room booked: Club Room
Room upgraded: Club Room Bay View
Rate: can't recall
Free internet: yes, not used
Welcome drink: yes x 1 voucher, bottled water in room
Early check in/out: not required, but also not offered.
VIP treatment: 2 chocolates in a presentation box

On an earlier stay this year (when Silver ) I had received a welcome card and bottle of wine, so was disappointed to receive a couple of chocolates as a Gold member.
Club lounge experience was also disappointing on this occasion.

 

[emilbulls]

Property: Mercure Bali Legian
Accor Status: Platinum
Room booked: Superior King Bed
Room upgraded: Deluxe King Bed with Balcony
Rate: cheapest available
Free internet: yes, decent speed
Welcome drink: yes x 1 voucher for 2 people, included coughtails as well; 4 bottles of water in room
Early check in/out: requested late check out prior to arrival, was granted until 5pm (left already at. 2pm)
VIP treatment: fruit platter in room

Stayed there one night before we moved on. Booked this hotel as we arrived late in Bali.
Hotel is perfectly fine to stay for one night and the breakfast buffet is quite decent.
Pool area isn’t bad, but not as nice as on the hotels website.
Can’t imagine spending a whole week there, but will definitely book again if required for just one night

 

[jase05]

A few recent stays
Property: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: 2x Opera Wing Premium Queen Rooms
Room upgraded/type: Yes, both upgraded to Opera Wing Grand Premium King Rooms
Rate: Standard, $345/night
Free internet: Yes.
Early check in/late out: Offered but not required
Welcome drink: Yes - 4 vouchers, 4 spirits at bar
Welcome gift: Yes - Handwritten card and 2x bottles of wine
Overall opinion: Absolutely stunning hotel and our second visit. Would not stay anywhere else in Hanoi. Staff are absolutely amazing and are so friendly and helpful. Rooms are elegant and not too cluttered with ample size. Breakfast has a real good spread and wasn’t a zoo despite the hotel being close to full capacity due to a part of the hotel closed for renovation.Dinner at Le Beauileu was superb and a decent wine list although prices can be a bit pricey. Club lounge was well stocked and quite enjoyable. Had a great massage at the spa. For anyone that is a bit of a history buff like myself the free tour of the bomb shelter is just an added bonus despite doing it on a previous visit.

 

[jase05]

Property: Novotel Ha Long Bay
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: 2x Executive Room King’s
Room upgraded/type: Yes, both upgraded to Junior Suite
Rate: Standard, $85/night
Free internet: Yes.
Early check in/late out: Offered but not required
Welcome drink: Yes - 4 vouchers, anything at bar
Welcome gift: Yes - Handwritten card, cakes, fruit platter. 4x beers in fridge
Overall opinion: Booked the hotel because of the views over Ha Long Bay and it it didn’t disappoint. Room had two balconies that had stunning views. Room was large and comfortable with the only negative being the aircon wasn’t great and couldn’t get the temperature set right. Ha Long Bay unlike Hanoi hasnt recovered from Covid and was still a bit of a ghost town with only minimal tourists around and many shops still closed up. The hotel is on the side of town set up for tourists but the streets were deserted and only 8 rooms occupied in our hotel. Staff were absolutely fantastic though and as we had the place to ourselves they became our personnel staff pretty much and they were simply amazing. Breakfast was fantastic with plenty of options and pool and bar area were also excellent. Despite the lack of tourists you need to be aware that across the road is a carnival type area and a couple of outdoor bars on the beach that play very loud music and has laser shows until midnight every night.
Short taxi ride into the actual town which was busier and plenty of shopping options and full of restaurants. That is where all the locals reside so was understandably busier. Very good stay though and for $85 a night it was a steal IMHO.

 

[jase05]

Property: Novotel Da Nang Premier Han River
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: 2x Executive King Rooms with Terrace
Room upgraded/type: Yes, both upgraded to Corner Suite with terrace
Rate: Standard, $196/night
Free internet: Yes.
Early check in/late out: Offered but not required
Welcome drink: Yes - 4 vouchers, anything at bar or restaurants
Welcome gift: Yes - Handwritten card, cakes, fruit platter.
Overall opinion: Return visitors and once again not disappointed. Staff fantastic once again despite being what appeared to be understaffed. Both rooms upgraded to the excellent corner suite that has great views of the river and sea. Large and comfortable rooms with good beds. EL is currently closed for renovations so a current one is set up on the same floor as the main restaurant and is partitioned off with glass cantilever doors. One of the biggest breakfast buffets in Vietnam IMO with about a dozen different stations offering pretty much all you want and numerous chefs cooking up a treat. The Banh Mi bar really hit the spot. EL has high tea for 2hrs in the arvo with a selection of cakes and biscuits aswell as tea, coffee and soft drinks but no alcohol. Happy hour starts after that for 2hrs and includes free beer, wine and spirits aswell as a selection of plated dishes including hot and cold snacks.
Nice outdoor infinity pool and a very good spa area where we enjoyed numerous massages. Very good stay once again and will return again

 

[jase05]

Property: Novotel Saigon
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: 2x Deluxe King Rooms
Room upgraded/type: Yes, both upgraded to Executive rooms
Rate: Standard, $130/night
Free internet: Yes.
Early check in/late out: Offered but not required
Welcome drink: Not initially but 4x drinks vouchers per room later
Welcome gift: Nothing at first
Overall opinion: Chose here again after a previous great stay but right from check in I could feel the place wasn’t up to its normal standard. Severely understaffed and waited in the priority queue for a good 15 minutes whilst the two staff on the front desk checked in the large queue in the pleb line. No drinks vouchers given on check in and room only upgraded 1 tier which is less generous than I received as a Platinum last time. Room is fairly basic but comfortable and hotel is in a good location. Received a knock on the door shortly after and was asked if all good and if I enjoyed my welcome gift. When I commented on no drinks vouchers or gift he apologised profusely and said he would return shortly. We went to go for a walk and as we were leaving the hotel the GM came and apologised and mentioned that they were severely understaffed and that our gift must have been “missed” He handed us 8 drinks vouchers and said he would organise our gift.
We were a tad tired that evening so decided to eat at the restaurant, food was good even though it took a while to arrive and a bottle of wine was placed on our table by the waiter to which I said we hadn’t ordered any wine and he replied with “It is a gift courtesy of the GM”. Much appreciated and with the Accor Plus discount applied it was a cheap meal.
EL is a nice open space and had a small selection of hot food but a very decent selection of cakes and chocolates aswell as beverages. Was self service bar but if you wanted coughtails they would order them from down at the bar and bring them up. Very decent breakfast spread and once again staff great but clearly understaffed.
Pool is freezing which is a pity and unfortunately the roof top bar is closed for renovations which is a pity as it was a great spot. Despite the faults it was still a pretty good stay and a combination of understaffing and a large US Embassy function didn’t help.

 

[jase05]

Property: Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: 2x Jatu Deluxe
Room upgraded/type: Yes, both upgraded to Dowadueng Corner Deluxe
Rate: Standard, $138/night
Free internet: Yes.
Early check in/late out: Early check in requested and given after some manoeuvring
Welcome drink: Yes, 2 drink vouchers per room
Welcome gift: Fruit/Chocolates, beer in fridge
Overall opinion: Absolutely wonderful stay. This was a last minute booking due to a slight change of plans. We had considered various properties across multiple chains but the decor and style of the hotel leapt out at Mrs Jase so we went with it. We managed to get the last 2 rooms and wasn’t expecting an upgrade so were grateful to receive one even if it was only a 1 level upgrade.
We arrived quite early in the day and had intentions of dropping our luggage off and heading out but at check in were told to have a drink in the bar and our rooms would be ready in a hour. Staff throughout the hotel were absolutely unbelievable and a credit to the hotel. Rooms were brilliant and the decor throughout the hotel was stunning IMO. Breakfast was very good with plenty of options and on one night we ate in their steakhouse and wow it was good. Was given a private room in the restaurant and had 2 staff of our own for the whole evening. Food and wines were top notch. Excellent but small infinity pool with great views and an absolutely wonderful EL on the top floor. From 1630-1830 a small selection of cakes and canapés with free alcohol in a breathtaking setting. Watching the sun set on a rooftop bar topped of the day. One night we stayed up there until after midnight and I gave a couple of generous tips to the brilliant staff which resulted in a very generous free pour throughout the night. Without a shadow of a doubt we will return as it’s quite possibly the best service we have received in Thailand over dozens of trips.

 

[jase05]

Property: Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche
Status: Accor Plus Diamond
Room booked: Luxury Room Sea View
Room upgraded/type: Yes, hit the Jackpot and landed Imperial Suite
Rate: Standard rate $250/night for 4 nights
Free internet: Yes.
Early check in/late out: Not required
Welcome drink: Yes, 2 drink vouchers
Welcome gift: Bottle of wine and note
Overall opinion: Absolutely fantastic stay. By time we waited for a hour at AUH for our Covid test and then picked up our hire car it was well after midnight when we arrived at the hotel and a very pleasant surprise to be told as valued Diamonds we would be calling the Imperial Suite home for the next 4 days.
The suite was a very decent size consisting of a large lounge area, kitchen facilities and two large bathrooms to go with a decent size bedroom. Situated on one of the higher levels and on the corner with floor to roof windows affording decent sea views. Staff were absolutely fantastic and was very happy with the property. EL had only reopened the day before and consisted of quite a large space with excellent views and a good variety of food and beverages. Breakfast was on the ground floor and consisted of a massive buffet covering most things imaginable, barista coffee was very ordinary though. Nice pool area with a dining area and drinks and snacks delivered to the pool lounges. Used our welcome drinks vouchers on a couple of coughtails and then had quite a few more across various sessions aswell as some excellent food. Best of all and a nice surprise was receiving our hefty bar tab and seeing the Accor Plus discount applied which I thought only was done in APAC region. Parking is also free at all properties in the UAE but unfortunately on our final night the concierge left the lights on in the underground car park necessitating a call to Hertz. Thankfully concierge took care of it as there was a bit of a language barrier but the car was ready to go in about an hour. Whilst we waited we were given some tea and snacks on the house for the inconvenience. Abu Dhabi is our preferred stop over destination when we head to Europe so I’m sure we will be back again.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Property: Pullman Melbourne Albert Park
Accor Status: Gold
Room booked: Classic Room, 1 King or 2 Single Beds
Room upgraded: Deluxe Suite
Rate: Accor+ More Escapes
Free internet: Yes, good speed
Welcome drink: yes x 1 voucher; 1 bottles of water provided at check-in
Early check in/out: N/A
VIP treatment: N/A

Booked this room way back in May when Accor+ was having running a few promotions. The More+ Escapes was fully refundable, included breakfast and a complimentary bottle of wine on check-in. The hotel itself isn't a bad location if you want to go exploring the St. Kilda area of Melbourne which is what I planned on doing on this trip, although better options are available if you want to be in the CBD. Like many Accor properties in Australia, this hotel shares its space with a Mercure hotel (some floors are Mercure floors others are Pullman).

In terms of room quality it was acceptable, but to be frank I was a bit disappointed having stayed at the Pullman Sydney Airport a couple of months ago. Don't get me wrong the room had a bed, an okay desk and a Nespresso machine, but there was nothing that really popped out at me the way the Pullman Sydney airport did. Also aren't suite room supposed to have the bed in a separate room compared to the rest of the suite?

My room at the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park:


For reference, my room at the Pullman Sydney airport:


Included breakfast was buffet style which had quite the variety of hot and cold food options including pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, a variety of fresh fruits, cereal options and yogurt, cheese platter, etc. In addition, there were two Nespresso Pro machines dishing out various coffees (albeit some folks couldn't figure out how to operate the machine). In terms of breakfast quality I'd place it above average, not as nice as the JW Marriott Dubai or the breakfast buffet at NH Hotel outside of Frankfurt (both of which had seafood breakfast options as well) but still pretty good:


On Saturday night it was raining cats and dogs and so I decided to have dinner at the restaurant located on the ground floor, which is served until 9:30 PM. I had the chicken burger with fries and used my drink voucher on a Heineken. Food came out a bit slow (perhaps 40 minutes since when I ordered) but they did honour the Accor+ dining discount which turned that $26 burger into a $19.50 one:


There was a pool and gym at the hotel which seemed okay but wasn't able to use it given how early they close (both at 11 PM). I can understand closing the swimming pool at a given time (although I've been to other hotels where the pool is 24/7 such as the W Brisbane) but not the gym, as most hotels provide a 24 hour gym for flexibility.

Would I stay here again? Yes, provided it was at a good rate.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Muppet501st]

roperty: 21c Museum Hotel Nashville
Accor status: diamond +
Room booked: Deluxe King
Room upgraded: nope
Rate: see image
Free Internet: yep
Welcome Drink: nope, nor welcoming gift.
Early check im/ out : requested a 2pm check out but was only permitted 1pm

Arrived at hotel around 7pm Thursday night.
Enquired about an upgrade. Was informed that hotel was heavily booked and not available but would be contacted the following day. I’d checked that morning and every room type was available for the 4 day duration of our stay. I also checked once settled in our room and plenty of upgraded rooms available. Was not contacted the next day. Also the restaurant was not opened in the weekend for breakfast so asked what do diamond members get since we can’t use that benefit. Was provided 4x $18 vouchers to use there. We ended up using them for breakfast on the weekdays.
We were in and out of our room on the 2nd day so had the “do not disturb sign up “
On the third day, we had been out since 6am and returned around 10pm, and room had not been made up. Contacted reception and was told the GM would contact us the next day. No contact.
I can’t wait to visit Asia again for better value and status recognition.

 

[Sprucegoose]

roperty: 21c Museum Hotel Nashville
Accor status: diamond +
Room booked: Deluxe King
Room upgraded: nope
Rate: see image
Free Internet: yep
Welcome Drink: nope, nor welcoming gift.
Early check im/ out : requested a 2pm check out but was only permitted 1pm

Arrived at hotel around 7pm Thursday night.
Enquired about an upgrade. Was informed that hotel was heavily booked and not available but would be contacted the following day. I’d checked that morning and every room type was available for the 4 day duration of our stay. I also checked once settled in our room and plenty of upgraded rooms available. Was not contacted the next day. Also the restaurant was not opened in the weekend for breakfast so asked what do diamond members get since we can’t use that benefit. Was provided 4x $18 vouchers to use there. We ended up using them for breakfast on the weekdays.
We were in and out of our room on the 2nd day so had the “do not disturb sign up “
On the third day, we had been out since 6am and returned around 10pm, and room had not been made up. Contacted reception and was told the GM would contact us the next day. No contact.
I can’t wait to visit Asia again for better value and status recognition.

View attachment 308197View attachment 308198View attachment 308199View attachment 308200

Thats a pretty coughpy deal, especially when they did have inventory. I find US brands work more smoothly in the USA and Accor better in service-oriented countries.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Thats a pretty coughpy deal, especially when they did have inventory. I find US brands work more smoothly in the USA and Accor better in service-oriented countries.

This has been my experience as well. When booking in North America I'll usually stick to an IHG, Marriott or Hilton where the prices are significantly better than here in AU (along with redemptions for that matter), I get recognition for my status as a Platinum/Gold member and the locations and amenities are usually better as well.

In Asia-Pacific or Europe, that's really where Accor shines not just in terms of locations and pricing but also to some extent elite recognition.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Muppet501st]

This has been my experience as well. When booking in North America I'll usually stick to an IHG, Marriott or Hilton where the prices are significantly better than here in AU (along with redemptions for that matter), I get recognition for my status as a Platinum/Gold member and the locations and amenities are usually better as well.

In Asia-Pacific or Europe, that's really where Accor shines not just in terms of locations and pricing but also to some extent elite recognition.

-RooFlyer88

The other half has Hilton Diamond status, just had the 1 stay so far in Salem, early checkin and upgrade to larger corner room, and free buffet breakfast. Have 2 more Hilton stays.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

The other half has Hilton Diamond status, just had the 1 stay so far in Salem, early checkin and upgrade to larger corner room, and free buffet breakfast. Have 2 more Hilton stays.

I'm in a similar boat as you in the sense that I get Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold status through AmEx Platinum along with my Accor status earned the hard way. So all things being equal, I'll look and see which hotel has the best price, location and benefits overall. I've also bought and use points when I find redemptions that cost less than the cash rate. For instance, I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Express downtown Toronto, Canada for 20,000 IHG points (bought for $100 USD). That's a far cry from the rack rate of any decent hotel you'll find in downtown Toronto.

-RooFlyer88

 

[austgap]

No love over the past fortnight travelling for work, lucky I'm nearly at Platinum:

Property: Mantra Charles Hotel Launceston
Accor Status: Gold
Room booked: King Room
Room upgraded: N/A - hotel fully booked
Rate: ALL Gold D-3 Room only
Free internet: Yes
Welcome drink: yes x 1 voucher
Early check in/out: N/A
VIP treatment: 2x bottle water, 1x (hideous) bottle of Red, Cookies and chocolates

Actually a great Mantra - even though I swore off them pre-COVID. Staff treated my colleague whom is a Platinum like he was the king! Very good breakfast.

Property: Ibis Styles Hobart
Accor Status: Gold
Room booked: Standard room
Room upgraded: No idea - receptionist didn't say a single word during check-in
Rate: Opening Special
Free internet: Yes, quite slow
Welcome drink: yes x 1 voucher.
Early check in/out: N/A
VIP treatment: Nothing at all.

Nice new hotel, staff did seemed super overwhelmed. Breakfast was absolutely foul literally the worst I've seen in AU.

Property: Pullman Adelaide
Accor Status: Gold
Room booked: Deluxe Room
Room upgraded: N/A - full hotel.
Rate: Stay longer and save
Free internet: Yes, good speed
Welcome drink: yes x 1 voucher; 1 bottles of water and cookies in room
Early check in/out: N/A
VIP treatment: N/A

Sight to be behold with a few DYKWIM yelling at the front desk upon check-in as no upgrades being provided to platinum's or Diamonds. Otherwise all ok, did enjoy getting my welcome letter as a Silver.

 

[Sprucegoose]

The other half has Hilton Diamond status, just had the 1 stay so far in Salem, early checkin and upgrade to larger corner room, and free buffet breakfast. Have 2 more Hilton stays.

I'm beginning to think I am the only person that doesn't have Hilton Diamond status - yikes...

On Topic - My recent stays at the Wentworth (Sydney) and Brisbane Sofitels have been really enjoyable, and I am making these hotels my new 'go-to' in these cities. UG has been there (I made Plats), and their lounges are functional and very much appreciated due to some heavy work commitments. Most importantly, these hotels are older and well constructed - therefore quiet; they have the bedding right (for me) and good water pressure in the shower.

I'll try to keep a better record, like the very good correspondents on AFF!