SNU voucher experiences / best redemptions

[sudoer]

Since hitting Platinum last week I have received a couple of ALL SNU vouchers expiring 31 Dec 2021. I believe they can be used to book for stays as far in advance as properties will take bookings so am looking to lock these in with some prospective 2022 bookings.

I've been doing some research but am also hoping the hive mind can help with either sharing SNU experiences:

How easy/difficult was the telephone booking process?
Was the upgrade worthwhile/would you bother again?
Did you get upgraded to better than the lowest suite category?

I'm also keen to hear of any potentially good redemption options you might have found but not tried yet - open to anywhere in Australia or even APAC.

I have one particular 1 or 2 night Melbourne trip in May which could be a good candidate for an advance SNU booking. As a bit of an exercise in determining whether SNUs are worth the hassle I did a comparison of rates to check whether it's worth pursuing. My comparison is with the Accor Plus base category rate, which is what I would almost always book when travelling for leisure. Sofitel looks like a good option, others not so much...

Property	Base AP rate	Base public rate	Suite AP rate	Suite public rate	Additional spend for SNU	Value Received	Notes
Sofitel on Collins	355	395	580	645	40	145	Highest base rate but best exec lounge
Pullman on the Park	342	379	553	529	37	174	Outside CBD
Pullman Albert Park	207	229	332	369	22	103	"Suite" looks more like a double queen room
Movenpick on Spencer	324	360	553	615	36	193	Tiny 41sqm base suite, no exec lounge
Hotel Lindrum	284	315	391	435	31	76	Tiny 42sqm base suite, no exec lounge
Como Melbourne	198	275	256	350	77	-19	No point using SNU, cheaper to book suite via AP rate

 

[jakeseven7]

The Como looks like a winner

 

[Captain Halliday]

I thought the SNUs were like status: valid for use in the year earning or the following calendar year.

I reached Platinum this year and despite what I assumed was a wayward email warning me of their expiry, the App shows them good for another year.



Have I completely missed something and need to book before 31 December 2021… for use at any time in 2022?

 

[sudoer]

It appears Accor extended 2021 expiry SNUs into 2022 for some members earlier this month, but I think I missed the cut off for this as I only qualified for Plat on the 21st.

"Suite Night Upgrades" from 2020 - FlyerTalk Forums

Accor | ALL (Accor Live Limitless) - "Suite Night Upgrades" from 2020 - nothing has changed for me no SNU has been extended for me; still expire at 31.12.2021 I wonder the logic behind this extension....

www.flyertalk.com

 

[jase05]

Have found it a very easy process in the times I’ve done it previously. Still had 2 to expire in a couple of days so going to use them at the Adelaide Sofitel tomorrow and Thursday night.
No blackout dates. Base deluxe room rate was $320/pn and suite worth about $940/pn at base rate. Spoke to lady on phone about possibility of spending more on something like a base suite and getting upgraded to one of the luxury suites and was told not possible. They can only upgrade from lowest room base rate to lowest suite. Will definitely ask again next time I want to book just in case that isn’t standard rules

 

[sudoer]

I settled on using my SNUs as below:

Sofitel on Collins


Kyoto Yura MGallery


It seems 'standard' Accor Plus rates are eligible for SNU. The rate charged for Sofitel was the best available rate shown to me on the ALL site, but the rate charged for the MGallery was one step up from cheapest available (cheapest was an Accor Japan promo)

One issue I ran into for the Kyoto property was blackout dates. I had initially requested a reservation on 2 April, which the ALL engine showed as being eligible for SNU but the reservations agent could not apply an upgrade to. The agent called the property and was told SNUs couldn't be applied on weekend 1st & 2nd April. This is fine, I understand this is peak high season in Kyoto for the cherry blossoms, but the BOD page on the Accor site hasn't been updated with any dates for 2022 yet.

That aside, I'm still happy with this outcome instead of letting the SNUs expire! Have booked a couple more single rooms at the Yura for the in-laws for less than $100 per head!

 

[sudoer]

Slight hiccup on my SNU plan for the Kyoto MGallery, received this email almost two weeks ago:

Warm greetings from KYOTO YURA HOTEL MGallery.
Please refer below important notice regarding to your reservation on xx_ April, 2022.

This E-mail is to inform you that our hotel will no longer be operated by Accor from March 1, 2022 onwards and will reopen under the new management of Banyan Tree Group. Along with the rebrand, our hotel operation will be temporarily closing the doors from 15th of February, 2022 until further notice.

■Name of the hotel
[OLD] KYOTO YURA HOTEL MGallery
↓
[NEW] DHAWA YURA KYOTO

■Rebranding Schedule
Final Check-Out Date: Tuesday, 15th February, 2022
Closed: From 15th February 2022
Soft open: Scheduled on the Spring 2022 **could be partly under construction until the formal open date.
Formal open: Scheduled on June 2022

We would like to hold your current reservation, however we apologize that we cannot announce the specific dates of our soft open. Therefore, we will contact you once our soft open dates will be decided. (Around the beginning of March.)

Please contact your booking source if you need cancellation due to the rebranding.

We regret to inform you will not be able to use the booking with points / Suite Night Upgrade / with current reservation. The used Points / SNU on the existing reservation will be credited back to your account.

Under the present condition between Accor and Banyan Tree, the member benefits of ALL may not be eligible, and also you may not be able to accumulate points nor use the points at hotel. However, as they are in the middle of discussing regarding the contract, once we have any new information, we will contact you if you wish to hold the current reservation.

I'm waiting this one out until there's more clarity on when Japan will resume tourist visas, mid April feels 50/50 at the moment (and that's probably being optimistic). The suite room type and the discounted amount payable remain unchanged in the booking showing in my ALL profile. No sign of the SNU being credited back either, but I don't have anything to use it on right now so I don't want to chase Accor just yet. I suspect they will make the argument that the SNU would have expired on 31 Dec so can't be credited back, so I'd prefer to have an alternative stay ready to book with it if I'm going to push for it to be reinstated.

Also interesting to read the last paragraph about Accor members not being eligible for benefits at Banyan Tree. I thought there were some elite benefits (inc Plat breakfast) but maybe they are just planning to throw this property on the exceptions list?

 

[sudoer]

Good to see Accor have added an SNU slider to the search function now! No need to call up anymore.

 

[bullerdude]

Ah good catch! I hadn’t realise the updated included making SNU’s book able online - defs a good improvement.

 

[sudoer]

Finally got around to playing with this new feature and have noticed a very big improvement: at some properties it's now possible to apply an SNU on a non-base room rate to book a non-base suite.

Doesn't work at every property but I've had the most success finding this option Sofitels and a couple of MGallery's also. A couple of examples below (the last one would definitely be worth the extra $70!)

Sofitel Melbourne



Sofitel Darling Habour



Sofitel Le Scribe Paris Opéra

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Apologies if this is the wrong forum to post this related question, but thought I'd ask: can one combine an Accor Stay Plus benefit with a Suite Night Upgrade?

-RooFlyer88

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

Just an update .. you can now search and 'execute' Suite Night Upgrades on the Accor site without needing to call. Finally!

You can also see all the properties where an SNU can be redeemed.

See here for more details: ALL - Accor Live Limitless - Suite Night Upgrade

 

[sudoer]

Pretty happy with this value from 2 x SNUs at Pullman Tokyo! The ability to use these online is a real game-changer.

 

[Kangol]

Apologies if this is the wrong forum to post this related question, but thought I'd ask: can one combine an Accor Stay Plus benefit with a Suite Night Upgrade?

-RooFlyer88

I was looking at this too, having recently reached ALL Platinum.
Might be certainly worth the $399.
Anyone had any experience either way on this?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

As a newly minted Accor+Platinum member I have access to two SNUs for stays through December 30, 2024 (i.e. SNUs expire on December 31, 2023 but can book stays upto a year after that). Really excited to use this benefit as I'll be staying at Accor hotels around the world including Europe and Asia-Pacific. I would be curious if anyone had insights into the best locations and strategy for redeeming these vouchers. It's my understanding that I can't simply book the cheapest room at most hotels offering suites (i.e. Mercure).

-RooFlyer88

 

[funnymummy]

I was looking at this too, having recently reached ALL Platinum.
Might be certainly worth the $399.
Anyone had any experience either way on this?

Hi - the reservation's page wouldn't allow me to book the free night with SNU

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Hi - the reservation's page wouldn't allow me to book the free night with SNU

One thing to keep in mind with SNUs is that a suite room must be available at the time of booking for your intended stay. In other words, it's simply not enough to book at a qualifying hotel that has suite rooms at the property. The property needs to literally have a suite type room available when you're staying.

 

[sudoer]

As a newly minted Accor+Platinum member I have access to two SNUs for stays through December 30, 2024 (i.e. SNUs expire on December 31, 2023 but can book stays upto a year after that). Really excited to use this benefit as I'll be staying at Accor hotels around the world including Europe and Asia-Pacific. I would be curious if anyone had insights into the best locations and strategy for redeeming these vouchers. It's my understanding that I can't simply book the cheapest room at most hotels offering suites (i.e. Mercure).

-RooFlyer88

SNUs can only be used at at Raffles, Faena, Delano, Sofitel Legend, Fairmont, SLS, SO/, Sofitel, MGallery, 21c, Mondrian, Pullman, Swissôtel, Mövenpick and Grand Mercure. Some properties can opt-out, you can view which participate here.

Fairmont can be a good option for redemptions as you'll end up in a room which gives lounge access (which Platinum won't) but ultimately it depends on your travel plans.

Use the ALL engine and search by city/country with the SNU slider enabled. You'll notice that different room categories will equate to different suites, as detailed here. SNUs can be stacked with Accor Plus rates.

Hi - the reservation's page wouldn't allow me to book the free night with SNU

Can you elborate on when/where you're trying to book and what sort of error you're experiencing? The SNU is not a free night, it's a free upgrade to a suite.

The property needs to literally have a suite type room available when you're staying.

Yes, it needs to have a suite available for the planned travel dates, but once booked the suite is reserved for you.

SNUs are subject to blackout dates which can be viewed here: Accueil

SNU terms are listed in the general T&C under clause 9.3 (p15)

 

[jase05]

As a newly minted Accor+Platinum member I have access to two SNUs for stays through December 30, 2024 (i.e. SNUs expire on December 31, 2023 but can book stays upto a year after that). Really excited to use this benefit as I'll be staying at Accor hotels around the world including Europe and Asia-Pacific. I would be curious if anyone had insights into the best locations and strategy for redeeming these vouchers. It's my understanding that I can't simply book the cheapest room at most hotels offering suites (i.e. Mercure).

-RooFlyer88

I’ve the tab on the search engine when looking and it will show you which rooms have SNU availability. If hotels have more than 1 type of suite it will show you what rooms you have to book to get the SNU

 

[funnymummy]

Hi - the reservation's page wouldn't allow me to book the free night with SNU

hi - i can locate and book a SNU no problem - however if you go back and click the other benefit - free night stay it will not allow you to book- advises you of the error in booking 1 night using both benefits