Accor diamond worth it?

[Roflco]

I’ve just hit plat from a 7 night stay in Fiji and am about 5000 status points away from Diamond. I mainly travel domestically with the family (eg lots of peppers and mantra apartments), with the occasional Sydney work trip thrown in.

Just wondering if any Diamonds can comment if they’ve noticed much of a difference from Plat? About the only benefit I can see is a soft landing from diamond to plat (as I probably won’t maintain diamond next year). Can’t really use the suit upgrades as they don’t tend to be useful for family bookings.

I could chase Diamond but it would work out to be about another $3500 which I won’t make via work before end of year. Good excuse for another family holiday though…

 

[jase05]

Definitely notice a difference in regards to better upgrades and treatment by staff. Over the next couple of years I think there will be some more perks added but I’m not sure it’s worth another $3500 but only you can decide that.
It works for us because we spend well above the Diamond requirements each year but I’m not sure I’d chase it just for the sake of it as I don’t think the difference is that big of a step currently. Hopefully that changes

 

[TripTrap]

As I certainly won't requalify for Diamond, the soft landing you mentioned for me really is the main benefit. It allows me to book through other channels and to not go out of my way to stay at an Accor place during my Diamond year.
The 100€ dining budget is worth exactly that. Nice to have.
Can't say much about quality of service and upgrades as I jumped straight from gold to diamond within a couple of weeks. I reckon it very much depends on the property.

 

[Muppet501st]

Definitely not worth it.
Been diamond for 3 years and honestly not noticed much difference.

 

[Roflco]

So I ended up booking a stay at the Novotel twin waters from 27th-31st of December. (Cheap rate and used $800 of Accor points)

It will probably get me over to diamond, but is there any risk of the points not posting in time before end of the year? Do Accor have a “review” period where they wait for points to come through before calculating status?

 

[Roflco]

And does anyone know if you get status credits when using Accor points? Is it just the cash value or does it also include the Accor point value?

 

[jase05]

So I ended up booking a stay at the Novotel twin waters from 27th-31st of December. (Cheap rate and used $800 of Accor points)

It will probably get me over to diamond, but is there any risk of the points not posting in time before end of the year? Do Accor have a “review” period where they wait for points to come through before calculating status?

As long as the stay is completed before the end of the year you are fine. When the points actually post doesn’t matter.

As to your second point only actual dollars spent (minus taxes) count towards status points

 

[oz_mark]

One thing with paying by points is that many hotels apply it to the pre-tax component, so the number of points you earn can go down a bit.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I am not an Accor Diamond, but rather an Accor Platinum. I would be curious to hear from the OP of what they are expecting in terms of benefits of being Diamond versus Platinum. Certainly if you look at the benefits chart, the differences between the two levels are fairly minimal: namely the addition of free breakfast on weekends globally, dining and spa credits, and suite upgrades.With that being said, there are likely "soft" benefits that aren't listed on the chart that might be better for Diamonds over Platinums. For instance, as a Platinum I usually get an upgraded room, although it's not always to the best room in the hotel. Similarly, when it comes to late check-outs it tends to be a hit or miss thing.

-RooFlyer88

 

[SeanExile]

I am in the same situation. I am 350 status points away from diamond (spending).
Ive done 108 nights with Accor across Europe, Asia and Oceania during 2023 so plenty of nights. Accor isn't my primary hotel partner, hence I was surprised to see how close I was to diamond status. Seeing the minuscule difference between Platinum and Diamond I wouldn't chase Diamond, but since were talking 350 points I guess vanity makes me want to achieve it.

Since I am not enrolled in Accor plus, just the normal Accor program, what would be the easiest way for me to earn 350 points?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I am in the same situation. I am 350 status points away from diamond (spending).
Ive done 108 nights with Accor across Europe, Asia and Oceania during 2023 so plenty of nights. Accor isn't my primary hotel partner, hence I was surprised to see how close I was to diamond status. Seeing the minuscule difference between Platinum and Diamond I wouldn't chase Diamond, but since were talking 350 points I guess vanity makes me want to achieve it.

Since I am not enrolled in Accor plus, just the normal Accor program, what would be the easiest way for me to earn 350 points?

Status points are based on the property you stay at and how much money you spend:


The properties that earn the most status points (at a rate of 25 status points per 10 Euros spent at a property) are properties that are not: ibis, mama shelter, mantra, peppers, art series, adagio original and long stay, adagio access nor JO&Joe and Greet. Put differently if you stay at something like a Pullman, Novotel, Sofitel, Fairmont, Swissotel, Mercure, or Grand Mercure you'll earn status points at a rate of 25 points per 10 Euros spent. In other words if you spend 140 Euros (or the equivalent thereof before taxes) at one of these hotels you'll earn exactly 350 points which by the way works out to approximately $240 AUD before taxes. If you stay at virtually any of these properties at a major Australian city without an Accor+ discount for a night, I should think that you'd hit that target.

I would argue that at this point it is worth spending the extra bit to earn diamond status given how close you are. Diamond gets you free breakfast at ALL hotels globally on weekends (in addition to the free breakfast at ALL hotels in Asia-Pacific everyday). Additionally you also get 100 Euros in bar and dining credits you can use when you stay at an Accor property. Lastly, from what I hear from others on the forum, Diamonds are treated very well indeed, particularly when it comes to the complimentary upgrade perk.

One other thing to consider using, if you haven't already are the suite night upgrades. These are certificates that you get when you earn Platinum status (and you continue to earn as you spend more above the Platinum requirement) that will let you book a suite stay for the price of a normal room at an Accor hotel. Whilst such a benefit is pedestrian for a pedestrian Mercure, I am told it can be quite impressive at Sofitels, which given your level of spending I suspect you have probably stayed at, at least once.

-RooFlyer88

 

[jase05]

I am in the same situation. I am 350 status points away from diamond (spending).
Ive done 108 nights with Accor across Europe, Asia and Oceania during 2023 so plenty of nights. Accor isn't my primary hotel partner, hence I was surprised to see how close I was to diamond status. Seeing the minuscule difference between Platinum and Diamond I wouldn't chase Diamond, but since were talking 350 points I guess vanity makes me want to achieve it.

Since I am not enrolled in Accor plus, just the normal Accor program, what would be the easiest way for me to earn 350 points?

Just stay 1 night at a decent property to get the points.
Personally I think it’s well worth attaining Diamond. Whilst the listed benefits are not much different I’ve found in the last year or so that the treatment by staff and upgrades is vastly superior to what I received as a Platinum over the years.
With Platinum status being thrown around like confetti also I think Diamonds will be looked after a lot better going forward and maybe even some new perks ( well that’s from the feedback I’ve had with Accor management and sales teams)

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Personally I think it’s well worth attaining Diamond. Whilst the listed benefits are not much different I’ve found in the last year or so that the treatment by staff and upgrades is vastly superior to what I received as a Platinum over the years.

Could you elaborate further on the upgrades received. Also I'd be curious to learn about how late checkouts are handled. As a Platinum I've found it tends to be very hit or miss (often a hit though).

With Platinum status being thrown around like confetti also I think Diamonds will be looked after a lot better going forward and maybe even some new perks ( well that’s from the feedback I’ve had with Accor management and sales teams)

I'd disagree with that sentiment. To my knowledge Accor nor any of their partners provide an option for earning Platinum status without first spending considerable time at an Accor property. Yes if you buy Accor+ you'll get 20 stay credits every year, but then again you gotta spend $400+/year for said status. In my case I earned said status by staying 60 nights every year, certainly not a low bar to cross with some opportunity costs (i.e. staying at Hiltons or Marriotts where I can earn lifetime status after spending a couple hundred days in at their properties).

-RooFlyer88

 

[jase05]

Could you elaborate further on the upgrades received. Also I'd be curious to learn about how late checkouts are handled. As a Platinum I've found it tends to be very hit or miss (often a hit though).

Late checkouts are almost always proactively offered at check in and range from 1pm up to 4pm. If not I will ask and have hardly ever been denied anywhere.
Upgrades run at about 90% id guess with 1 or 2 level upgrades as a minimum but quite often we get upgraded to a suite. Sofitel Adelaide always upgrades us to a suite even if booked in the cheapest room and even Red Hot room rates.
As a Diamond I have also occasionally received free car parking or other perks like a free drink with meals at the restaurant etc

 

[oz_mark]

Since I am not enrolled in Accor plus, just the normal Accor program, what would be the easiest way for me to earn 350 points?

Accor Plus or not, you've got to stay somewhere to get those status points.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Accor Plus or not, you've got to stay somewhere to get those status points.

I thought I'd ask but I think I know the answer here: is there any way to earn status points by other Accor activities. For instance, would dining at a restaurant at an Accor property count if they were staying there? What about as a stand-alone thing? Alternatively, could they book a stay using Accor points and earn status points that way. I would think that they should have ample of Accor points accumulated given the status points earned this year, thereby making such a stay cost very little money indeed.

 

[jase05]

I thought I'd ask but I think I know the answer here: is there any way to earn status points by other Accor activities. For instance, would dining at a restaurant at an Accor property count if they were staying there? What about as a stand-alone thing? Alternatively, could they book a stay using Accor points and earn status points that way. I would think that they should have ample of Accor points accumulated given the status points earned this year, thereby making such a stay cost very little money indeed.

Can only earn status points for stays and meeting planner.
If the poster wants Dismond they will need to stay at a property

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Can only earn status points for stays and meeting planner.
If the poster wants Dismond they will need to stay at a property

If they were to pay for the stay using Accor points would they still earn status points for it?

 

[jase05]

If they were to pay for the stay using Accor points would they still earn status points for it?

Only if they used points plus pay.
You actually have to spend money to get status points
Whatever they choose to do it’s going to cost them about $250 to get enough status points

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Only if they used points plus pay.

I'm unsure what that means. I suppose to give you a concrete example, suppose they booked the Sofitel Sydney for $500/night then proceeded to burn through say 12,000 Accor points + $20 AUD to stay at the property would they earn 30 status points (for the $20 AUD spent) or 692 status points (for the $460 original rate ex GST)?