How does Accor treat you as an Elite guest?

[aaronm]

Not a review but the Accor app is now asking me to enter my nationality in order to complete a booking (Australian hotel). Anyone else encounter this?

 

[RooFlyer]

Not a review but the Accor app is now asking me to enter my nationality in order to complete a booking (Australian hotel). Anyone else encounter this?

No, I made a reservation in Melbourne about five hours ago without that. I am however in Paris and a French VPN on.

 

[RooFlyer]

Property: Novotel Rouen Centre Cathedral, Normandy
Status: Explorer+ Platinum
Room booked: Standard
Room upgraded/type: Yes - Executive triple room (but no third bed)
Rate: A$230 per night
Early check in/late out: I e-mailed them day before, giving my ropm situation requests, and noted my 1pm arrival. Arrived 1pm 'room not qute ready' 30 mins later - that won't be ready, upgrading you to better room.. eventually got room at 2:30pm.
Free internet: Yes.
Welcome drink: Yes,
Welcome amenity: No
Recommend: Yes

A relatively new build, well located with the Seine in front (but separated by busy road); old town behind. U/G parking very limited - call 10 mins before to see if a space avail. Parking 13 euro/day.. And a very squeezy route in - small cars, fold your mirrors in!!

I thought the room lacked some furniture when I walked in, not realising it was a triple room.





Lethal walk-in shower with totally smooth plastic base. I put one of their hand towels down in it, for grip.



Included minibar



The hotel (front RH half)



The Seine



I was there 3 nights and got some laundry done, to get folded shirts ready for trip home. Prices pretty good I thought - until I noticed 14 euros for 'transport' !

Brekkie at a patisserie round the corner - pretty good views



No, I wasn't tempted by the hunks of Brie at the left ..





Tables were self-cleaning

 

[DejaBrew]

No, I wasn't tempted by the hunks of Brie at the left ..

Just the Camembert then?

 

[pangwen]

Property: Novotel Sydney Olympic Park
Status: Explorer+ Gold
Room booked: Superior King
Room upgraded/type: No
Rate: $280 total for two nights (used free night benefit)
Early check in/late out: Didn't ask, not offered
Free internet: Yes
Welcome drink: Yes
Welcome amenity: Yes, some water and chocolates
Recommend: Yes, if you need to be around the Olympic Park area. Otherwise no, it's a bit tricky to get anywhere via public transport (although it was quick getting here from the Airport via Westconnex)

 

[bussyboy]

Property: Novotel Sydney Olympic Park
Status: Explorer+ Gold
Room booked: Superior King
Room upgraded/type: No
Rate: $280 total for two nights (used free night benefit)
Early check in/late out: Didn't ask, not offered
Free internet: Yes
Welcome drink: Yes
Welcome amenity: Yes, some water and chocolates
Recommend: Yes, if you need to be around the Olympic Park area. Otherwise no, it's a bit tricky to get anywhere via public transport (although it was quick getting here from the Airport via Westconnex)

Very similar thoughts to my stay a couple of weeks back! Welcome was there a special event in Olympic Park, hence no upgrade available?

 

[pangwen]

Very similar thoughts to my stay a couple of weeks back! Welcome was there a special event in Olympic Park, hence no upgrade available?

Not a major event, but there's some kind of church conference going on at the Pullman, which may have spilled over to the Novotel.

 

[ksthommo]

Property: Pullman Jakarta Indonesia Thamrin CBD
Status: Accor Explorer Platinum
Room booked: Premium Superior Room, 1 Queen Size Bed, City View
Room upgraded/type: Junior Suite
Rate: All Accor+ Explorer 15% off Flexible Rate
Early check in/late out: Not Required
Welcome drink: Yes, redeemed for a g&t and mojito
Welcome gift: Plate of fruit, nothing flash
Comments: Upgrade was nice, no coffee pods, tea etc in the room.
Nice full size fridge. Exec lounge has dropped the standards since last time we paid a visit 2 years ago. Social hour choices menus are no longer.

 

[pangwen]

Property: Pullman Sydney Olympic Park
Status: Explorer+ Gold
Room booked: Executive King
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Executive Suite
Rate: $560 total for two nights (used free night benefit)
Early check in/late out: Late checkout of 1pm requested
Free internet: Yes
Welcome drink: Yes
Welcome amenity: Yes, some water and chocolates; also Exec lounge canapés delivered (see below)
Comment: Booked this stay to follow on from the earlier Novotel stay (see above) and so we could use both of the Stay Plus nights on a single trip. About a week before check in, the hotel notified us that the hotel restaurant and exec lounge would be unavailable during our stay. It appeared that a large conference (church-related, given how many of the gentlemen were carrying bibles) had booked out the hotel and its facilities.

Our breakfasts would be honoured at the Novotel across the road (with a small refund to account for the price different between Pullman and Novotel breakfasts). The Executive Lounge canapés would be delivered to us each night in lieu of being able to enjoy them in the lounge. We were also provided with an upgrade to a larger room for our stay. The room was fantastic - very spacious and clean. We were very happy with what the hotel offered us, and would happily come back again if we needed to be in this part of Sydney.

 

[prozac]

Property: Pullman Sydney Olympic Park
Status: Explorer+ Gold
Room booked: Executive King
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Executive Suite
Rate: $560 total for two nights (used free night benefit)
Early check in/late out: Late checkout of 1pm requested
Free internet: Yes
Welcome drink: Yes
Welcome amenity: Yes, some water and chocolates; also Exec lounge canapés delivered (see below)
Comment: Booked this stay to follow on from the earlier Novotel stay (see above) and so we could use both of the Stay Plus nights on a single trip. About a week before check in, the hotel notified us that the hotel restaurant and exec lounge would be unavailable during our stay. It appeared that a large conference (church-related, given how many of the gentlemen were carrying bibles) had booked out the hotel and its facilities.

Our breakfasts would be honoured at the Novotel across the road (with a small refund to account for the price different between Pullman and Novotel breakfasts). The Executive Lounge canapés would be delivered to us each night in lieu of being able to enjoy them in the lounge. We were also provided with an upgrade to a larger room for our stay. The room was fantastic - very spacious and clean. We were very happy with what the hotel offered us, and would happily come back again if we needed to be in this part of Sydney.

Reading your review my first thoughts were they weren't Christians but hitmen with guns concealed inside the bibles.

 

[pangwen]

Reading your review my first thoughts were they weren't Christians but hitmen with guns concealed inside the bibles.

I had originally written “… openly carrying bibles…” which would have reinforced those thoughts!!

 

[Flyfrequently]

Property: Pullman Sydney Olympic Park
Status: Explorer+ Gold
Room booked: Executive King
Room upgraded/type: Yes, Executive Suite
Rate: $560 total for two nights (used free night benefit)
Early check in/late out: Late checkout of 1pm requested
Free internet: Yes
Welcome drink: Yes
Welcome amenity: Yes, some water and chocolates; also Exec lounge canapés delivered (see below)
Comment: Booked this stay to follow on from the earlier Novotel stay (see above) and so we could use both of the Stay Plus nights on a single trip. About a week before check in, the hotel notified us that the hotel restaurant and exec lounge would be unavailable during our stay. It appeared that a large conference (church-related, given how many of the gentlemen were carrying bibles) had booked out the hotel and its facilities.

Our breakfasts would be honoured at the Novotel across the road (with a small refund to account for the price different between Pullman and Novotel breakfasts). The Executive Lounge canapés would be delivered to us each night in lieu of being able to enjoy them in the lounge. We were also provided with an upgrade to a larger room for our stay. The room was fantastic - very spacious and clean. We were very happy with what the hotel offered us, and would happily come back again if we needed to be in this part of Sydney.

Thanks for the review @pangwen
Staying there in a few weeks, may I ask how you got to the hotel from Domestic terminal?

 

[pangwen]

Thanks for the review @pangwen
Staying there in a few weeks, may I ask how you got to the hotel from Domestic terminal?

I took an uber from T3 - it took about 20 minutes and cost just under $70.

We arrived fairly late (about 9:30pm) so there wasn’t much traffic, but the ride was almost all on the westconnex so I can’t imagine it would be too different at other times of the day.

 

[QfHrGr]

Use Trip Planner to plan your journey usimg public transport for a fraction of the uber cost. The hotels (Pullman & Novotel are opposite each other same street) are about a 5 mins mostly flat walk from Olympic Park station from Lidcombe or bus stops from Strathfield.

 

[pangwen]

Use Trip Planner to plan your journey usimg public transport for a fraction of the uber cost. The hotels (Pullman & Novotel are opposite each other same street) are about a 5 mins mostly flat walk from Olympic Park station from Lidcombe or bus stops from Strathfield.

We did use the Olympic Park train station quite a lot during our stay. However, we found we frequently needed to do multi-transfers, eg going to the AFF dinner at Newtown last night was Olympic Park-Lidcombe-Strathfield-Newtown (the all-stations T2 train started from Homebush station rather than from further west at that point in the evening). This was a 45-50 minute journey with transfers. The trip home was a single transfer at Lidcombe but platform 0 is still a hike to get to from P4.

If we uber-ed it would be about 30 minutes either way.

For the airport, it’s a no brainer. At least 3 trains and over an hour of travel (transferring at Lidcombe and Central), vs 20 minutes in uber. If you have more than one person travelling, the costs to the airport are pretty similar (or cheaper on uber) - it cost us $50 to get back to the airport and would be about $45 if we took the train.

 

[QfHrGr]

We did use the Olympic Park train station quite a lot during our stay. However, we found we frequently needed to do multi-transfers, eg going to the AFF dinner at Newtown last night was Olympic Park-Lidcombe-Strathfield-Newtown (the all-stations T2 train started from Homebush station rather than from further west at that point in the evening). This was a 45-50 minute journey with transfers. The trip home was a single transfer at Lidcombe but platform 0 is still a hike to get to from P4.

If we uber-ed it would be about 30 minutes either way.

For the airport, it’s a no brainer. At least 3 trains and over an hour of travel (transferring at Lidcombe and Central), vs 20 minutes in uber. If you have more than one person travelling, the costs to the airport are pretty similar (or cheaper on uber) - it cost us $50 to get back to the airport and would be about $45 if we took the train.

True. I forget a lot of prople don't have a gold opal card. The time is a factor of course.

 

[RooFlyer]

Property: Mövenpick Hotel and Apartments Ghala Muscat
Status: Explorer+ Platinum
Room booked: Deluxe
Room upgraded/type: Yes - Executive room with lounge access
Rate: $320/night
Early check in/late out: Didn't need - but late checkout offered.
Free internet: Yes
Welcome drink: Yes
Welcome amenity: Yes, plate of Arabic sweep treats and types personal note
Recommend: I wouldn't stay again but others may be more tolerant.

This place had a lot of small irritations and two major irritations but only some of these could be attributed to, or would be unique to the hotel.

* Lights in the room controlled by flat sensor panels. When its dark you CANNOT tell where to put your finger to turn on a particular light - or any light!!

* Bathroom walk-in shower leaks water under the door and this slowly runs across the bathroom floor. Major slip hazard if you come back later not realising the water is there.

* No-where to hang towels in the bathroom, except small rails on back of loo and shower doors

* To reach the towels you have to reach up and across the bath - many people wouldn't be able to reach.



* Power (ie aircon) sensor operated but I think the aircon may be on 'low mode' when you are out.

* Staff not empowered to do anything. Everything replied to as yes, right away; or call you back in 5 minutes. 30 mins later go down and see what's up and they haven't been able to get manager on the phone (its Saturday). Never did reach the manager. That night, I asked for a taxi to be ordered for me the next morning at 6:00am. At 5:30am I was almost ready to go so I called down and asked for the taxi to be ordered for now. Went down. No, haven't done that and in the middle of dealing with another guest. And so on.
This type of thing is likely not confined to this hotel; probably a cultural thing throughout the country.

Out of their control, but annoying:
* It was hot - its Muscat. Main reason for me staying a day was to relax by the pool on my way back home. No. 'By order of the Ministry', the pool and pool terrace is closed between 11am and 4pm - because of the heat.

* As an aside, a rideshare app is Otaxis. OTaxis cannot be ordered from a hotel and if I ordered it, it could not even approach the hotel.

Positives. The room was huge (if you like big rooms) and the aircon efficient. Large dressing room





You can now take a picture of yourself in the bathroom mirror and eliminate yourself using iPhone clean-up . Note the extent of towel rails. EDIT: I tell a lie. I guess there was the peg that the bathrobe was hanging on.



The view by day



And by night. I guess night works make sense but not when its underneath your window.



The hotel knew nothing about it, apparently.

The lounge was pretty good - food and bev good, plenty of space. F&B from 6 to 8pm. This shows only a small portion, as guests about.



Breakfast spread was excellent. Again, just a tiny part.



When you could get to it, the pool was good - and warm! Lifeguard on duty and a guy behind the smoothie counter.