How does Accor treat you as an Elite guest?

[SnowGoose]

Property: Fairmont Doha
Status: Diamond
Room booked: Fairmont King city view
Room upgraded/type: Same room but with balcony... which was closed for maintenance
Rate: Flexi $340
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast: As diamond
Early check in/late out: Early check in not required. Offered 2pm check out, pushed for 3pm and granted
Welcome drink: In app, not used

A very average stay. The person at check in rushed through the whole process and it was only once i'd reached my room that i realised he hadn't mentioned breakfast details, or any of the other various 'lay of the land' formalities for that matter. Not that i would have heard him anyway, since there was a shameless shouting match going on right next to me between a disgruntled guest and who i can only assume was the duty manager. Perhaps he also hadn't had breakfast explained to him. The rooms are extravagant, however i found myself spending as much time figuring out all the bells and whistles as i did actually enjoying them. Same goes for the facilities. I got lost on several occasions, trying to find the indoor pool, and then on my way out finding the lifts again. Breakfast is as you'd imagine... extravagant, and probably the highlight.

During check in, i was presented with a waiver to sign for use of my balcony. Oh great, i thought, at least it's some indication of an upgrade. But then upon entering my room...



Not that anyone would wish to spend any time on a balcony at this time of year in Doha.

The next morning i woke to find my CC i'd used to guarantee the booking had been charged overnight, meaning i'd been charged twice over 2 different cards. When i approached the front desk to address the situation i was told they were aware of it and had already issued a refund, which would take up to 2 weeks to reflect. No explanation, no apologies.

Lucky it was only a 1 night stay. Next time i think i will try the Mondrian.

 

[jase05]

Property: Fairmont Doha
Status: Diamond
Room booked: Fairmont King city view
Room upgraded/type: Same room but with balcony... which was closed for maintenance
Rate: Flexi $340
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast: As diamond
Early check in/late out: Early check in not required. Offered 2pm check out, pushed for 3pm and granted
Welcome drink: In app, not used

A very average stay. The person at check in rushed through the whole process and it was only once i'd reached my room that i realised he hadn't mentioned breakfast details, or any of the other various 'lay of the land' formalities for that matter. Not that i would have heard him anyway, since there was a shameless shouting match going on right next to me between a disgruntled guest and who i can only assume was the duty manager. Perhaps he also hadn't had breakfast explained to him. The rooms are extravagant, however i found myself spending as much time figuring out all the bells and whistles as i did actually enjoying them. Same goes for the facilities. I got lost on several occasions, trying to find the indoor pool, and then on my way out finding the lifts again. Breakfast is as you'd imagine... extravagant, and probably the highlight.

During check in, i was presented with a waiver to sign for use of my balcony. Oh great, i thought, at least it's some indication of an upgrade. But then upon entering my room...

View attachment 463705

Not that anyone would wish to spend any time on a balcony at this time of year in Doha.

The next morning i woke to find my CC i'd used to guarantee the booking had been charged overnight, meaning i'd been charged twice over 2 different cards. When i approached the front desk to address the situation i was told they were aware of it and had already issued a refund, which would take up to 2 weeks to reflect. No explanation, no apologies.

Lucky it was only a 1 night stay. Next time i think i will try the Mondrian.

That’s sounds really poor. We have stayed there a couple of times and was told at check in the first time that Diamonds get automatic upgrades to a suite on the Gold level and both times this did happen as promised. The Gold lounge has has some great food and beverages. We spent most of our time at the Gold pool and there was only ever a couple o people using it whereas the normal pool got quite busy at times. Sounds like a real poor experience as you should get a dedicated concierge who will walk you around the property and show you everything whilst your bags are being taken up. Even though we had stayed previously she still insisted that some things may have changed and walked us through it all again. Even though our preference is the Raffles I still couldn’t really fault much at our Fairmont stays but disappointing to hear of your experience nonetheless

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Property: ibis Styles Frankfurt City
Status: Accor+Platinum
Room booked: Standard Room with One Double Bed
Room upgraded/type: Not Applicable
Rate: STAY LONGER AND SAVE RATE (61 EUR/night incl city tax)
Free internet: Yes (albeit very spotty)
Free Breakfast: No (we're in Europe)
Early check in/late out: No problems checking in at 2:30 PM the day of and was granted late check out of 2 PM on the day of checkout without any pushback.
Welcome drink: Paper voucher used in bar on last day for two drinks.

As some of you are probably aware this Kangaroo has recently received an offer to do a PostDoc in Germany, and so my partner and I flew over to Frankfurt ahead of the start to get everything setup (i.e. apartments, bank accounts, etc.)

Since we didn't have an apartment when arriving in Germany, we chose to stay at inexpensive Accor properties near Frankfurt Hbf as some of the properties were charging as little as 50 EUR/night which is a great deal for stays longer than a couple of days. For the first 5 days we chose to stay at the ibis Styles Frankfurt City as it was the cheapest option available at time of booking (literally a week before we were supposed to fly over).

For an ibis Styles, I must stay it's a very decent (albeit basic) hotel with plenty of room to store the 4 large checked bags we had plus our various carry on bags. The room had a desk & chair, which I should note many ibis properties don't:



The aforementioned desk with the various instant coffee and teas available:


The shower itself whilst basic wasn't the worst ibis shub I've encountered:




Not pictured here was the metallic shutters which could be activated through a lever on the side wall which shut out all light - an unexpected benefit.

Would I stay at this Accor property again? At this price? Absolutely! It's located very close to the Hbf (main train station) which makes it easy to get to the various places we need for an apartment search.

-RooFlyer88

 

[SnowGoose]

That’s sounds really poor. We have stayed there a couple of times and was told at check in the first time that Diamonds get automatic upgrades to a suite on the Gold level and both times this did happen as promised. The Gold lounge has has some great food and beverages. We spent most of our time at the Gold pool and there was only ever a couple o people using it whereas the normal pool got quite busy at times. Sounds like a real poor experience as you should get a dedicated concierge who will walk you around the property and show you everything whilst your bags are being taken up. Even though we had stayed previously she still insisted that some things may have changed and walked us through it all again. Even though our preference is the Raffles I still couldn’t really fault much at our Fairmont stays but disappointing to hear of your experience nonetheless

Damn, seems i caught them on a very bad day. I did check out the Gold pool and it was a nice space but just unbearably hot, even in the small amount of shade. I'm sure it would be enjoyable in the cooler months.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Property: Fairmont Doha
Status: Diamond
Room booked: Fairmont King city view
Room upgraded/type: Same room but with balcony... which was closed for maintenance
Rate: Flexi $340
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast: As diamond
Early check in/late out: Early check in not required. Offered 2pm check out, pushed for 3pm and granted
Welcome drink: In app, not used

A very average stay. The person at check in rushed through the whole process and it was only once i'd reached my room that i realised he hadn't mentioned breakfast details, or any of the other various 'lay of the land' formalities for that matter. Not that i would have heard him anyway, since there was a shameless shouting match going on right next to me between a disgruntled guest and who i can only assume was the duty manager. Perhaps he also hadn't had breakfast explained to him. The rooms are extravagant, however i found myself spending as much time figuring out all the bells and whistles as i did actually enjoying them. Same goes for the facilities. I got lost on several occasions, trying to find the indoor pool, and then on my way out finding the lifts again. Breakfast is as you'd imagine... extravagant, and probably the highlight.

During check in, i was presented with a waiver to sign for use of my balcony. Oh great, i thought, at least it's some indication of an upgrade. But then upon entering my room...

View attachment 463705

Not that anyone would wish to spend any time on a balcony at this time of year in Doha.

The next morning i woke to find my CC i'd used to guarantee the booking had been charged overnight, meaning i'd been charged twice over 2 different cards. When i approached the front desk to address the situation i was told they were aware of it and had already issued a refund, which would take up to 2 weeks to reflect. No explanation, no apologies.

Lucky it was only a 1 night stay. Next time i think i will try the Mondrian.

If this is the treatment a Diamond gets I’d hate to hear what Limitless members get. But overall that does seem like a suboptimal experience.

I think some might be curious to see what the lounge and room look like, particularly if one wants to “roll the dice” and stay here

-RooFlyer88

 

[DejaBrew]

Property: Ibis Sydney World Square
Status: Accor Plus Gold
Room booked: Superior Room (1 King Bed)
Rate: Accor Plus Stay Longer & Save Rate ($693 for 3 nights)
Room upgraded/type: No
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Early check in/late out: Yes, late checkout requested and offered till midday.
Welcome drink: Yes, via app.
Welcome amenity: Yes, 2 complimentary Sydney Brewery Dark Lagers in the mini fridge.
Parking: None on-site, however there is parking at nearby World Square at a cost of $55 for a 24 hour pass (limited to one entry/exit only).
Recommend: Yes, if you're after a basic and cheap(er) stay in the CBD.

Second time staying at this hotel. Far from my first choice, but the price was hard to argue given I needed to stay in the CBD for 3 nights and all other CBD-located Accor properties were almost twice the price for the same dates. Hotel is 2 blocks from the Bathurst Street entrance to Gadigal Metro Station and 1 block away from the Chinatown Light Rail stop. Staff were friendly, but there was no recognition of status or membership to ALL+ at the front desk. There was a note on the desk and some complimentary beers in the fridge, but I didn't actually notice the note until the day I was checking out and therefore didn't realise until that point that the beers were complimentary. Stayed in room 1603 (which I'm pretty sure is the exact same room I had for my previous stay).

Pros:

• Clean room with all the basics (i.e. typical Ibis)
• Decent Wi-Fi
• In-room microwave
• Proper shower

Cons:

• Walls are thin so it's not unusual to hear noise from adjoining rooms or the hallway
• A/C was locked and I couldn't work out the override. Was stuck at 23 degrees for the first couple of days, but on the day of checkout, decided to lock itself to 29 degrees
• Hotel only supplies bath towels, bath mat and face washers, but no hand towels
• Shower was tiny and leaked courtesy of the shower door not closing properly.

 

[Cloud9]

Average stay at Pullman Mascot/Sydney Airport yesterday. Accor plus platinum, no upgrade. Welcome gift was one bottle of water and an apple, pear and a Mandarin on a plate. The welcome drink if you want wine is the hideous legacy stuff. Evening canapes still downstairs in the restaurant, very poor quality in my opinion and wine was awful. Breakfast buffet is pretty ordinary too. I don't mind the rooms but this place could be so much better.

Thanks for the heads up - was looking for somewhere the night before the wife heads off on QF75. Think we'll just trek into the CBD.

 

[markis10]

Thanks for the heads up - was looking for somewhere the night before the wife heads off on QF75. Think we'll just trek into the CBD.

The mascot meritons are not a bad option, usually good value with a woolies nearby as well as the train station. I have used the old Hilton (Novotel) a few times which does the job for an international departure.

 

[sudoer]

Property: Sebel Canberra Civic
Status: Accor Plus Platinum
Room booked: Exec King
Rate: $150pn via corporate TA
Room upgrade: N/A
Free internet: Yes, about 40/40mbps and low latency - good enough for video calls etc
Free breakfast: Yes, voucher for breakfast at Clover - 'one item and one drink from the express menu' (breakfast menu on their website is broken)
Early check in / late out: Early check-in no issue at 1pm, late check-out not needed
Welcome drink: N/A
Welcome gift: 375ml bottle of De Bortoli cooking wine
Recommend: Yes

After a pretty poor last stay, the sharp rate has lured me back for a one night stay.

No issue with Platinum recognition with a TA booking this time. Got the usual bottle of plonk (now half the size though) and breakfast voucher for the new Japanese-Italian restaurant downstairs, Clover. This is a welcome change from the other coughpy cafe breakfast was served at, after OPL closed.

In case anyone is interested in what the Exec King looks like - see below. The work desk is quite good and has wireless charging too.



I have attached the latest hotel info guide - I didn't realise the property had an onsite laundry, seems to be very good value at just $3 per wash & dry.

I will edit post with breakfast tomorrow. Still think the quality of the room beats Novotel, Peppers, Mantra and Breakfree in Canberra, and the pricing is very good on non-sitting weeks.

 

[Holiday.with.Ken]

Property: Mondrian Seoul Itaewon, South Korea
Status: Platinum
Room booked: King Room
Room upgraded/type: Same room but high floor
Rate: HERA flexi rate with third night free. AU$310/night
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast: Yes at restaurant.
Early check in/late out: Not required
Welcome drink: In app, used for 2 x wine
Welcome gift: A plate of macaroons and welcome cards

Happy with our stay overall. July and August is peak travel period in South Korea and the home was popular with Koreans. Mondrian Seoul only really only have 1 type of room in room category., the rest of are either suites or with added amenity.

This hotel does not have an executive lounge but food and drinks are affordable in Seoul. A convenient store in the basement (open till 10pm) or across the road (24H?). Breakfast was excellent, huge selection of international and Asian/Korean dishes.

Rooftop bar was beautiful, but it was extremely hot in July/August if seated outdoor.

We used our US$100 credit for some coughtails and desserts.

 

[RooFlyer]

Two stays within a week

Property: Novotel Barcelona City
Status: Accor Plus Plat
Room booked: Superior Room with views
Rate: Flexible
Room upgraded/type: Yes, to a suite (genuine 2 room), both times
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Early check in/late out: Checked in an hour early no problem
Welcome drink: Yes.
Welcome amenity: First stay - nice bowl of berries and another of chocolates. Second - nothing (just finished cleaning my upgraded room)
Parking: Na
Recommend: Yes, if you want the area

This place is dated but overall not too bad. One major flaw - they still use magnetic stripe cards for elevators and rooms - and they frequently stopped working. Saw/heard it all the time at reception and in the elevators - people would get in and the floor couldn't be selected, but up you go - and have to go down again to get the card re-enabled. After it happened to me twice, I made sure the card wasn't anywhere near my phone, but it still happened again.

Another thing that annoyed me was that they refused to store my checked bag for 2 days while I left town. For a big hotel, and for a Plat this was disappointing and ended up costing me about 75 euro extra in taxi and railway station storage costs.

The rooms were OK - aircon was powerful, which it needed to be in the Barcelona heat. Minibar stocked with water, soft drinks and a beer.

A great advantage is that there is a Westfield shopping centre over the road - with a Carrefours and a zillion other shops and places to eat.

The Glorias metro station is 5 mins away and the airport is 30 mins by Uber or Taxi.

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

Property: Ibis Styles Ginza
Status: Accor Gold
Room booked: Standard Room with 1 Single Bed
Rate: Stay Longer and Save
Room upgraded/type: Yes, to a Double Bed.
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: N/A
Early check in/late out: Yes and Yes
Welcome drink: Yes. Water and a selection of beer/juice/teas.
Welcome amenity: N/A
Recommend: Yes

Stayed twice in late July and early August. It's my 'value' choice when staying in Tokyo. It has a good location with many transport options within 5 minutes walking distance. Small rooms, but that's the norm unless paying big bucks.

Stay 1 - Was upgraded from a single bed room to a double bed room and given early check in at 8am. The extra space was greatly appreciated.

Stay 2 - Status was not showing on the system, which took a bit of time to rectify. No bed upgrade this time. On the last day got a call and an email at 11am asking why I hadn't checked out yet even though I had been confirmed late check out till 2.30pm when I checked in.

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

Property: Ibis Styles Nagoya
Status: Accor Gold
Room booked: Standard Room with 1 Double Bed
Rate: Stay Longer and Save
Room upgraded/type: No. Given Standard Room with 2 Singles, but I didn't mind.
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: N/A
Early check in/late out: Not required.
Welcome drink: Yes, via App from the hotel restaurant - Market St
Welcome amenity: Chocolates
Recommend: Yes

A very enjoyable stay. Room is very modern and still looks like new. Comfy pillows are always appreciated! Location is a bit of a trek from Nagoya St, at least 10 mins by foot - which isn't that pleasant in the summer heat when lugging a big suitcase. However some nice restaurants in the vicinity and the Central Market too.

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

Property: Ibis Hong Kong Central & Sheung Wan
Status: Accor Gold
Room booked: Standard, 1 Queen Bed with City View
Rate: Stay Longer and Save
Room upgraded/type: Offered Harbour View, but declined. I had two separate bookings, and they wanted me to change rooms when the non-ALL direct booking kicked in.
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: N/A
Early check in/late out: Yes and N/A
Welcome drink: Yes, via App from the hotel restaurant.
Welcome amenity: No
Recommend: No - needs a renovation.

I hadn't stayed here since pre-COVID and it seems like they have done zero maintenance on this property. Mouldy bathrooms, flaky paint, dust all over the vents, just not very nice. A polar opposite to the Ibis Styles Nagoya which I had just come from.

And as an added bonus, when the air-conditioner temperature wasn't cold enough, condensation started appearing on the floor and the ceiling as it was so humid outside.

Otherwise, the Hotel location is pretty good, 5 mins walk to Sheung Wan station or the tram stop right in front of the hotel. Plenty of great restaurants in the area. Shame about the condition of the rooms.

 

[RooFlyer]

PuProperty: Pullman Hill Street, Singapore
Status: Accor Plus Plat
Room booked: king bed high floor
Rate: Flexible
Room upgraded/type: Yes, to a suite - single room type and with executive club access
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: EDIT yes
Early check in/late out: Not needed
Welcome drink: Yes.
Welcome amenity: A bowl of six small apples, and three vials of honey.
Parking: Na
Recommend: Yes.

A very nice and comfortable stay - just as you would expect for a Pullman in Singapore.














Exec lounge

 

[Daver6]

PuProperty: Pullman Hill Street, Singapore
Status: Accor Plus Plat
Room booked: king bed high floor
Rate: Flexible
Room upgraded/type: Yes, to a suite - single room type and with executive club access
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Early check in/late out: Not needed
Welcome drink: Yes.
Welcome amenity: A bowl of six small apples, and three vials of honey.
Parking: Na
Recommend: Yes.

A very nice and comfortable stay - just as you would expect for a Pullman in Singapore.

View attachment 464317

View attachment 464319

View attachment 464320


View attachment 464318



View attachment 464321

Exec lounge

View attachment 464331

What was the F&B offerings like in the lounge? And breakfast?

 

[RooFlyer]

What was the F&B offerings like in the lounge? And breakfast?

The lounge was pretty crowded so I couldn’t take specific photos. You know I’m not a great judge of wine I don’t know but they didn’t have a Riesling so I stuck to gin and tonics.

Tucker was several types of sushi, salads and also hot beef tacos. Also nuts, cakes, etc.

 

[dairyfloss]

PuProperty: Pullman Hill Street, Singapore
Status: Accor Plus Plat
Room booked: king bed high floor
Rate: Flexible
Room upgraded/type: Yes, to a suite - single room type and with executive club access
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Early check in/late out: Not needed
Welcome drink: Yes.
Welcome amenity: A bowl of six small apples, and three vials of honey.
Parking: Na
Recommend: Yes.

A very nice and comfortable stay - just as you would expect for a Pullman in Singapore.

View attachment 464317

View attachment 464319

View attachment 464320


View attachment 464318



View attachment 464321

Exec lounge

View attachment 464331

They didn’t provide free breakfast?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Property: Ibis Sydney World Square
Status: Accor Plus Gold
Room booked: Superior Room (1 King Bed)
Rate: Accor Plus Stay Longer & Save Rate ($693 for 3 nights)
Room upgraded/type: No
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Early check in/late out: Yes, late checkout requested and offered till midday.
Welcome drink: Yes, via app.
Welcome amenity: Yes, 2 complimentary Sydney Brewery Dark Lagers in the mini fridge.
Parking: None on-site, however there is parking at nearby World Square at a cost of $55 for a 24 hour pass (limited to one entry/exit only).
Recommend: Yes, if you're after a basic and cheap(er) stay in the CBD.

Thanks for the review of that ibis Sydney property. Believe it or not, this Kangaroo did not have the honour of visiting every Accor budget property in the CBD whilst living in Australia (I've been to the ibis Sydney Darling Harbour, ibis Sydney Barangaroo and the ibis Sydney Central). The property you stayed at certainly seems to be a cut above these ibis properties in terms of the interior. Then again, with an average nightly rate of $231 that is a bit too rich for my blood, my cut off was usually around $125/night.

I should point out that the Darling Harbour isn't a bad property to stay at if you want a nice view of the Harbour, it also tended to be fairly cheap, at least when I was there (I could often get nightly rates in the $100-$110 range).

I would be curious to see how a Platinum gets treated since I know ibis properties do tend to treat valued Accor+Platinums such as myself fairly well - all of the ones I visited in APAC aside from the budgets offered free breakfast, for instance.

 

[RooFlyer]

They didn’t provide free breakfast?

My mistake. Yes, they did.