The Club • Le Club Accorhotels is comprised of 13 hotel brands. The luxury brand is Sofitel Luxury Hotels; upscale brands include Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, The Sebel; midscale brands include Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, Adagio access and economy brands include ibis, ibis Styles and Thalassa Sea & Spa.
The program was launched in September 2008 as A|Club and has subsequently been renamed to the current moniker. The current multi-brand loyalty program replaced several individual hotel brand loyalty programs.
The program has over 10 million members worldwide with many residing in Europe. The hotel properties are spread in 92 countries worldwide, with approximately 31 percent in France, 31 percent in the rest of Europe, 23 percent in Asia-Pacific, eight percent in Latin America and Caribbean, six percent in Africa and the Middle East and one percent in North America. There are more than 2,700 hotels that participate in the Le Club program.
Le Club won a Best Earning Promotion Freddie Award in 2013 as well as the prestigious Program of the Year Award that same year in the Europe and Africa region. The promotion that won the Freddie was a Facebook game wherein members who matched Le Club Accorhotels properties to their location on a map earned 50 points per correct answer. When you answered all 10 questions correctly you were entered into a lottery to win up to a million points.
Earning Ability
Members earn points on eligible stays according to membership status. For every €10 spent at Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, The Sebel, Novotel, Suite Novotel and Mercure hotels, Classic members get 20 points, Silver members get 30 points, Gold get 35 points and Platinum get 40 points. For stays at ibis and ibis Styles hotels, Classic members get 10 points per €10 spent, Silver get 15 points, Gold get 17 points and Platinum get 20 points. For stays at Adagio aparthotels, Classic members get 10 points per €10 spent, Silver get 12 points, Gold get 15 points and Platinum get 17 points. For stays at Adagio access aparthotels, Classic members get five points per €10 spent, Silver get six points, Gold get seven points and Platinum get eight points.
Some hotels owned by Accor do not participate in the Le Club program including several Sofitel and Novotel properties in Australia, allibis hotels in China and all ibis budget hotels worldwide, among others.
As well as hotel stays, members can earn points with one car rental partner, one culinary partner, one vacation partner and through Facebook check-ins. The program does not offer a co-branded credit card.
Award Choices
Members can redeem points for hotel vouchers. For 2,000 points, you’ll get a voucher that is worth €40 or $60 off your next Accor hotel bill. You can use points to pay for all or part of your stay and the total amount payable, including taxes, must be greater or equal to the number of points being converted. Points are used in multiples of 2,000 points and you can use up to 1,000,000 points per reservation.
Vouchers for the same redemption amount are available to spend with Europcar, Club Med and Lenôtre. The paper vouchers are valid for a year once they are redeemed. Members can spend their points to access VIP Event Rewards including sporting events, shows, musicals, private visits to historic sites, concerts and more.
Members can convert their Le Club points into airline miles with 19 frequent flyer programs. Members can also convert their points into Club Med vouchers or vouchers for Lenôtre boutiques, the Elysées Pavillon in Paris or Lenôtre cooking lessons.
Members can choose to donate their points to Institut Pasteur to help fund a project in the fight against emerging diseases.
Partnerships
There are 19 airline programs with which members can convert their points into miles including airlines from all three global alliances: Air France/KLM, Delta Air Lines, Alitalia, China Southern, Iberia, British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, airberlin, Lufthansa, TAM, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Emirates, Jet Airways and Etihad. For most airline partners, the conversion rate is two Le Club points per one airline mile. The exceptions include China Southern Sky Pearl Club and Air China PhoenixMiles, which are two Accor points to 1.6 miles; Qantas, which is one point to one mile and Cathay Pacific, which is five points to four miles. You can opt to automatically have your points transfer to airline miles if you wish.
Members can earn 250 points with each Europcar rental, one point per one euro spent with culinary partner Lenôtre or the Elysées Pavillon in Paris and one point per euro spent for Club Med vacations.
Elite-Level Program
There are three elite-status levels: Silver, Gold and Platinum. Silver status is obtained when staying 10 nights or earning 2,500 points in a rolling
12-month period. Silver members get free Internet access at Accor group hotels worldwide, a welcome drink and late checkout upon request and availability. Silver members receive 50 percent elite bonus points at most properties, which is the equivalent of six percent back, compared to four percent for non-elite members.
Gold status is obtained when staying 30 nights or earning 10,000 points. Gold members get all of the benefits of Silver status, plus they can choose between a late checkout or early check-in, have guaranteed room availability up to three days before the stay and a room upgrade if available. Gold members receive 75 percent elite bonus points at most properties, which is the equivalent of seven percent back.
Platinum status, the highest status available, is obtained when staying 60 nights or earning 25,000 points. Platinum members, along with the benefits listed for Silver and Gold members, get guaranteed room avail- ability up to two days in advance of the stay and access to an executive lounge if one is available at the property in which the member is staying. Platinum members receive 100 percent elite bonus points at most properties, which is the equivalent of eight percent back of their money spent on hotel stays in a voucher.
There is no lifetime status offered.
Rules and Conditions
Retroactive credit for stays before joining the program is not allowed. Members must stay in a participating hotel every 12 months to keep their points from expiring. Only weekend stays including at least a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night are eligible to earn points or redeem a hotel voucher at ibis hotels in France. For currencies other than euros, the number of Le Club Accorhotels points earned is calculated based on the euro exchange rate on the checkout date. Award vouchers can be given to another person for their use. Pooling of points between members is not allowed. Members may earn points for up to two rooms as long as member stays in one of the rooms and pays for both rooms. The portion of the hotel stay paid with a hotel invoice does not earn points, but the remainder paid is eligible to earn points. Points can be redeposited for hotel stays not taken for cancellable and modifiable rates only. For hotel stays, you are not required to convert your points into hotel vouchers—you can also use points directly when making reservations online or via the reservation center. The Accor Advantage Plus card is a paid subscription card that offers discounts and Silver level membership.
Online Services
Prospective members can enroll online. Members can manage their account online and see all of their latest transactions including earning and spending points. Missing points can be claimed and vouchers can be redeemed online. Transferring points to airline miles is also available online. Members who get a Passport or FidMe app can store their Le Club card in the app for mobile access when checking in. Accorhotels.com also has a mobile site.
Service Support
Members can access an FAQ online that is divided by category. You can also email the program through the website, but be aware that it can take up to eight days for a response. Our inquiry via email was answered within a day. If you prefer a more personal touch and faster answers, you can call customer service centers located throughout the world.
[+] Plus Features
Le Club Accorhotels added new elite benefits in October of 2013 that included free Internet and late check- out upon request and when available for all elite members, early check-in upon request and when available for Gold and Platinum and lounge access for Platinum.
The program is easy to understand and does not include hotel categories. Members can redeem points for a hotel voucher and pay for all or part of their stay with points. Hotel vouchers can be used for a stay at any partici- pating Accorhotels property worldwide without blackout dates.
[-] Minus Features
Members who stay often at Accorhotels properties report that the program does not provide consistent benefits. The program has been known to offer free Platinum membership, which potentially dilutes the value of the highest elite tier. Points reportedly don’t always post automatically.
Le Club is missing some key partnerships, such as a point-earning credit card and retail partners. Having to stay at least one night every 12 months to keep your account active is harsher than most guest programs. While the program added new benefits last year, the program is still missing some of the standard elite perks offered by other hotel programs, such as complimentary breakfast.
Report Card from Readers
[tabs slidertype=”top tabs”] [tabcontainer] [tabtext] JYCz [/tabtext] [tabtext] PeterT1953 [/tabtext] [tabtext] macaron95 [/tabtext] [tabtext] IMH [/tabtext] [/tabcontainer]
[tabcontent] [tab]Rating: C
I travel almost exclusively within Europe, but sometimes to the wildest location imaginable.
Pros: 1. Good coverage across Europe, and you can earn/redeem points even with “economy” Ibis or Adagio hotels, so it really makes sense to consistently choose Accor. 1a. Could be better in Northern Europe (no hotels in Denmark, Norway, Finland or Estonia, almost exclusively ibis or ex-ibis in Sweden) 2. Really straightforward way of earning and redeeming, so much better than those “categories” and “tiers” employed by other chains. 3. Automatic conversion to airline miles works like a breeze and with almost every possible airline. Brilliant. And basically this is what matters the most—Accor does the basics right, so they deserve a C. But the details do need ironing out a lot before they can move up to B or A.
Cons: 1. Total lack of consistency. I am not even speaking about the extra benefits hotels should provide to tiered members, but hotels in general. The reason for staying at a chain hotel is first and foremost the foreknowledge of what you get (chosen over the excitement of something new and unique). All of the brands are terribly inconsistent with regard to almost everything, and the one I found most consistent is ibis Styles, which should be the one who isn’t. One needs a lot of research before booking not to get themselves a very unfavorable experience, and it still does happen. 2. Next to no lounges in Europe, so there is no point in chasing Platinum. And lounges DO make a huge difference at Marriotts and Sheratons. 3. Obviously, giving away free Platinums does not make one feel especially valued and wonder about the impact it will have on the programme and Accor’s/hotels’ willingness to recognize status. 4. Facebook Places is a great idea executed very badly. Lots of hotels do not have their “Places”, many properties do not even update or maintain their FB “Places”, checking in is cumbersome and you can still get denied points for no good reason. “Places” seems to be operated by a totally separate team who are terrible at customer service. 5. Points are quite often not credited, plus it seems that to maximize one’s points one should be very proactive in emailing Accorhotels. The system got, perhaps inadvertently, geared towards those with enough time and patience to track and squeeze every point out of Accor, not those who actually stay (and pay) the most.
JYCz [FlyerTalk][/tab]
[tab]Rating: B+
Based on the last few stays, a B+. Excellent hotels across the range at good prices (which for me is the key point) with status recognition at each hotel bar one (Mercure Plaza d’espagne Madrid) drink, upgrade and welcome gift.
PeterT1953 [FlyerTalk][/tab]
[tab]Rating: D
– Very strong inconsistency about products and benefits
– Very low enforcement of status benefits
– One detail that deserves an F grade is the fact that Accor is giving for free Platinum status to anyone by sending out a letter calling “most loyal customer” a person who never stayed with Accor. This is a real insult for members like me staying for years with Accor and spending lots of money to keep status and earn recognition (I have the highest level from Sofitel Privilege program even before all programs merged into Le Club Accorhotels).
– No recognition in hotels
– Regular customer service is better than dedicated Le Club customer service, what a joke! They should be ashamed of this, especially when compared to other brands like Starwood.
macaron95 [FlyerTalk][/tab]
[tab]Rating: D
I’d give a B- if every Sofitel was made to take part fully and consistently provide all benefits. They’re not and they don’t, so D.
IMH [FlyerTalk][/tab][/tabcontent] [/tabs]
[box]InsideFlyer Rated
Overall Score: 6.21
Earning Ability: 6.5
Award Choices: 5.5
Partnerships: 5.5
Elite Level: 6.0
Rules and Conditions: 7.0
Service Support: 6.5
Online Services: 6.5[/box]
Program Information:
Accor Customer Care
110 Avenue de France
75210 Paris Cedex 13 Paris
Phone
France: 805 50 40 30
North America: (877) 856-1464
