How does Accor treat you as an Elite guest?

Property: Mercure Milan Solari
Status: Accor+ Explorer Platinum
Room booked: Standard
Room upgraded/type: Nil ... or may have
Rate: Very high (Design week in Milan - everywhere was astronomical)
Early check in/late out: N/A
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Welcome drink: No
Welcome amenity: None
Recommend: No; run a mile

A shocker.

There are unavoidable 5 stairs into and out of the hotel.

On check-in, met by some slouching, couldn't-give-a-toss guy. No Plat recognition (in any form, at any time). Ignored my prior-e-mailed preferred room request (ie I was put right next to the lift) - may move me tomorrow.

Central aircon on heat until 26 April. Room very hot! (they graciously turned the heating off, but of course the whole building was a heat block). Doona only (fortunately I being my own sheet for just these occasions).

Mouldy shower. Single soap/shampoo product; no shower-mat. No glassware; paper cups.

I got moved the second night to what seems a 'better' room. Actually TWO shower products - soap and shampoo (same??); bathmat (swoon!), glassware and less mould in the shower.

Entry to hotel, with steps (the ramp only goes half way :rolleyes: ); the lift!

IMG_7013.JPEG IMG_6764.JPEG

First room

IMG_6765.JPEG


IMG_6766.JPEG IMG_6771.JPEGIMG_6772.JPEG IMG_6773.JPEG


IMG_6774.JPEG IMG_6775.JPEG

Second room, with luxury amenities!

IMG_7004.JPEG

IMG_7006.JPEG IMG_7009.JPEG

IMG_7008.JPEG
 
Last edited:
Property: Mercure Milan Solari
Status: Accor+ Explorer Platinum
Room booked: Standard
Room upgraded/type: Nil ... or may have
Rate: Very high (Design week in Milan - everywhere was astronomical)
Early check in/late out: N/A
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Welcome drink: No
Welcome amenity: None
Recommend: No; run a mile

A shocker.

There are unavoidable 5 stairs into and out of the hotel.

On check-in, met by some slouching, couldn't-give-a-toss guy. No Plat recognition (in any form, at any time). Ignored my prior-e-mailed preferred room request (ie I was put right next to the lift) - may move me tomorrow.

Central aircon on heat until 26 April. Room very hot! (they graciously turned the heating off, but of course the whole building was a heat block). Doona only (fortunately I being my own sheet for just these occasions).

Mouldy shower. Single soap/shampoo product; no shower-mat. No glassware; paper cups.

I got moved the second night to what seems a 'better' room. Actually TWO shower products - soap and shampoo (same??); bathmat (swoon!), glassware and less mould in the shower.

Entry to hotel, with steps (the ramp only goes half way :rolleyes: ); the lift!

View attachment 504396 View attachment 504383

First room

View attachment 504384


View attachment 504385 View attachment 504386View attachment 504387 View attachment 504388


View attachment 504389 View attachment 504390

Second room, with luxury amenities!

View attachment 504392

View attachment 504393 View attachment 504395

View attachment 504394
Ah I was hoping for a positive review. I have few nights in Milan next month and looking for a an ok hotel…
 
Property: Sebel Canberra Civic
Status: Accor+ Gold
Room booked: superior room 1 bedroom queen (lowest room category)
Room upgraded/type: Nil ... although did not recognize status or aware of status
Rate: corporate rate - $680 approx for 3 nights booked through TA (work travel)
Early check in/late out: N/A and not required.
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Welcome drink: Yes but also see comment below. Half bottle of wine.
Welcome amenity: None
Recommend: (see general comments below)

First time staying at Sebel. Last time was at mantra northbourne.

Positives - location excellent and loads of food options. Very central.

The room was clean and nice and house keeping was very good except the last day where cleaning was kept to a minimum and towels were replaced but I questioned how clean they were because one had stains on them. I did not use that one clearly. Carpet was also not vacuumed on last day.

Pain points - parking. It was very difficult to park in CBD and also it was expensive. Sebel had no parking on site but offered 3 car parks that I could use at reduced rate. FYI I had to ask for the voucher for reduced rate as check in staff was not helpful. I ended up parking overnight at Canberra centre for 1 night (only one entry and exit) for $16.

At check in, the person who checked me in did not recognize status even though my accor number and status was on my booking. When prompted about upgrade to next level availability, he said it was already but when I got in, it was not. I had to ask about welcome drinks and how to redeem. He said just take a bottle from your mini bar but later I found out that I'm meant to get a half bottle from front desk (via somebody more helpful) and the wine would've been charged as mini bar charges at $30. No welcome card.

Overall based on location and overall room I would probably stay again.

1000128440.jpg1000128443.jpg1000128766.jpg
 
Property: Mercure Penang Beach
Status: Accor Plus Platinum
Stay: Early March 2026 - 2 nights
Room booked: Deluxe
Room upgraded/type: Superior Suite
Rate: Accor+ Explorer saver rate - booked with points (RM473 for 2 Nights)
Early check in/late out: Early check-in denied, no request for late check out
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: Yes
Welcome drink: In-app vouchers
Welcome amenity: Biscuits/chocolates
Recommend: No - so many better options available on the island.

  • Property is on Tanjung Tokong beach - which is not one of the nicer beaches on the island.
  • Needed somewhere close to our 2 month rental property, plus had some points to burn
  • Emailed and requested early check-in - no response. Arrived at 2pm and room not ready. No communication of room type and limited acknowledgement by front of house staff.
  • Status was not recognised by check-in staff
  • Waited outside for 30 mins for room to be ready - only then communicated that we had been upgraded when I queried.
  • We were upgraded to a beach view Suite which was nice.
  • No executive lounge for status holders, and a small coughtail bar on property - which wasn't even open! (Perhaps Ramadan)
  • Average breakfast buffet included
  • Property was being renovated while we were there - could smell solvents/paint in the room.
  • Pool is downstairs overlooking the beach, that was nice - beach not so.
  • Gym was outside near the pool and had aircon off - you need to go in and turn aircon on for 30mins to make it bearable inside.
  • In an awkward part of Penang too - need to travel some distance to Georgetown or Gurney Drive.
  • We would not stay here again
No photos taken inside the room or on property - further indication that I didn't want any memory
 
Property: Mercure Milan Solari
Status: Accor+ Explorer Platinum
Room booked: Standard
Room upgraded/type: Nil ... or may have
Rate: Very high (Design week in Milan - everywhere was astronomical)
Early check in/late out: N/A
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Welcome drink: No
Welcome amenity: None
Recommend: No; run a mile

A shocker.

There are unavoidable 5 stairs into and out of the hotel.

On check-in, met by some slouching, couldn't-give-a-toss guy. No Plat recognition (in any form, at any time). Ignored my prior-e-mailed preferred room request (ie I was put right next to the lift) - may move me tomorrow.

Central aircon on heat until 26 April. Room very hot! (they graciously turned the heating off, but of course the whole building was a heat block). Doona only (fortunately I being my own sheet for just these occasions).

Mouldy shower. Single soap/shampoo product; no shower-mat. No glassware; paper cups.

I got moved the second night to what seems a 'better' room. Actually TWO shower products - soap and shampoo (same??); bathmat (swoon!), glassware and less mould in the shower.

Entry to hotel, with steps (the ramp only goes half way :rolleyes: ); the lift!

View attachment 504396 View attachment 504383

First room

View attachment 504384


View attachment 504385 View attachment 504386View attachment 504387 View attachment 504388


View attachment 504389 View attachment 504390

Second room, with luxury amenities!

View attachment 504392

View attachment 504393 View attachment 504395

View attachment 504394
This hotel needs to be introduced to the term "bleach" amongst many other things.
 
Ah I was hoping for a positive review. I have few nights in Milan next month and looking for a an ok hotel…
does it have to be Accor - the Hilton is nice. I also stayed at the Ibis Styles which was basic but fine
 
Property: Sebel Canberra Civic
Status: Accor+ Gold
Room booked: superior room 1 bedroom queen (lowest room category)
Room upgraded/type: Nil ... although did not recognize status or aware of status
Rate: corporate rate - $680 approx for 3 nights booked through TA (work travel)
Early check in/late out: N/A and not required.
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No
Welcome drink: Yes but also see comment below. Half bottle of wine.
Welcome amenity: None
Recommend: (see general comments below)

First time staying at Sebel. Last time was at mantra northbourne.

Positives - location excellent and loads of food options. Very central.

The room was clean and nice and house keeping was very good except the last day where cleaning was kept to a minimum and towels were replaced but I questioned how clean they were because one had stains on them. I did not use that one clearly. Carpet was also not vacuumed on last day.

Pain points - parking. It was very difficult to park in CBD and also it was expensive. Sebel had no parking on site but offered 3 car parks that I could use at reduced rate. FYI I had to ask for the voucher for reduced rate as check in staff was not helpful. I ended up parking overnight at Canberra centre for 1 night (only one entry and exit) for $16.

At check in, the person who checked me in did not recognize status even though my accor number and status was on my booking. When prompted about upgrade to next level availability, he said it was already but when I got in, it was not. I had to ask about welcome drinks and how to redeem. He said just take a bottle from your mini bar but later I found out that I'm meant to get a half bottle from front desk (via somebody more helpful) and the wine would've been charged as mini bar charges at $30. No welcome card.

Overall based on location and overall room I would probably stay again.

View attachment 504400View attachment 504401View attachment 504402
Yeah, I’ve stayed here a couple of times in the last six weeks or so. Rooms clean and comfortable. I like the kitchenettes and there is a laundrette in the basement. Plats get a big bottle of wine and the express menu in the restaurant for breakfast
 
Elevate your business spending to first-class rewards! Sign up today with code AFF10 and process over $10,000 in business expenses within your first 30 days to unlock 10,000 Bonus PayRewards Points.
Join 30,000+ savvy business owners who:

✅ Pay suppliers who don’t accept Amex
✅ Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
✅ Earn & transfer PayRewards Points to 10+ airline & hotel partners

Start earning today!
- Pay suppliers who don’t take Amex
- Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
- Earn & Transfer PayRewards Points to 8+ top airline & hotel partners

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Canberra is often a stopover for me heading north. If not towing I default to the Crowne Plaza which will be gone soon. I like the ease of access and locale, casino a bonus, albeit a quirky one.
If towing, which will be a few trips this year, it will be the Mercure Belconnen as they have a great car park
IMG_8004.jpeg

Likely to be there late next month after picking up my new trailer in Radelaide (and cashing in that Adelaide Casino Voucher for $50 I missed in Feb).
 
Property: Mercure Cenang Beach, Langkawi
Status: Accor Plus Platinum
Stay: late March 2026 - 3 nights
Room booked: Deluxe
Room upgraded/type: Signature Suite
Rate: Accor+ Explorer saver rate - booked with points (RM1200 for 3 Nights)
Early check in/late out: No need for early check-in denied, late check out (3pm)
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: Yes
Welcome drink: In-app vouchers
Welcome amenity: Biscuits, Local "treats" and Fruit
Recommend: Yes, for a night or 2 if in Cenang Beach area. I'd even recommend just going for the all you can eat Surf and Turf on a weekend if you are in the area. Approx. $30 for all you can eat and drink (beer and wine)

  • We had a great 3 night weekend stay at the Mercure Cenang Beach in late March 2026.
  • Our stay at the Mercure was the highlight of our short trip to Langkawi - the staff are what made our experience - so friendly and willing to assist.
  • Our room upgrade was to what they referred to as the "Presidential Suite" - perhaps not presidential but definitely huge! Extremely spacious with magnificent bathroom facilities, second toilet, huge board room table and a couple of balconies (no real view though). It even has its own private elevator
  • Food was a highlight - the daily buffet breakfast had an awesome breadth of selections and the mandatory egg station.
  • We enjoyed the buffet for dinner on Sunday and was not disappointed. A great selection of local food - savory and sweet. The Lamb Rendang was the highlight for me!
  • The highlight however was the poolside Surf and Turf buffet on Friday and Saturday night - simply divine - and cheap! Unfortunately we were unable to get a table for the Friday night, so made sure we booked for Saturday. We were not disappointed. An amazing selection of seafood for me and a magnificent selection of salads for my vegetarian wife. We'd been in Malaysia for 2 months, and this was the best salads she had experienced! With the seafood you select it raw from ice and then the chef cooks and delivers to your table.
  • If you want to sit by the pool all day you may need to ensure that you stake your claim on a sunlounge earlier in the day. There are only limited sun lounges, yet still enough. Each time I needed to use the pool there was either a bed available or a table nearby.
  • Gym is small yet well equipped.
  • As for location, smack bang behind the mall and a little walk to the beach.
  • I'm not a huge fan of the Cenang Beach region of Langkawi - a little touristy. The cheap booze and beach is good for a short getaway if you're on an extended break in Malaysia.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7759.jpeg
    IMG_7759.jpeg
    64.1 KB · Views: 5
  • IMG_7760.jpeg
    IMG_7760.jpeg
    57.4 KB · Views: 4
  • IMG_7761.jpeg
    IMG_7761.jpeg
    51.5 KB · Views: 5
  • IMG_7762.jpeg
    IMG_7762.jpeg
    60.5 KB · Views: 6
  • IMG_7763.jpeg
    IMG_7763.jpeg
    47.3 KB · Views: 5
  • IMG_7764.jpeg
    IMG_7764.jpeg
    44.5 KB · Views: 5
  • IMG_7765.jpeg
    IMG_7765.jpeg
    51.6 KB · Views: 6
  • IMG_7766.jpeg
    IMG_7766.jpeg
    50 KB · Views: 9
  • IMG_7829.jpeg
    IMG_7829.jpeg
    107.4 KB · Views: 8
  • IMG_7833.jpeg
    IMG_7833.jpeg
    82.7 KB · Views: 7

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top