How does Accor treat you as an Elite guest?

[Daver6]

If you want champagne in a lounge Sofitel City Centre pours champagne Colette

 

[csg001]

Looks like a nice bathtub and bath. Any pictures of the local town you went exploring from the hotel through the direct entrance?

The bathtub is a nice change from the typical western-style rectangle. It reminds me of a giant noodle bowl!

The ancient town is a fairly typical water town (canals) that you see in the Yangtze River delta region of China. Apparently the town has been there for decades, but has been majorly renovated in the last 10 years to cater for tourism. There are "canal-keepers" rowing up and down daily scooping up dead foliage.

Interesting fact: The KFC in one of the below photos used to have signage in the traditional manor/temple style when it first opened, but I guess consumerism won over and it is now replaced by a brightly lit modern sign.

 

[i0sam0i]

A question for those that have stayed at Fairmonts, specifically Tokyo - Im platinum and have 2x suite night upgrades. Looking at booking for 5-6nights over NYE and trying to figure out options for rooms as it will have to be 2 separate bookings to use the SNU.
SNU will be before the year end, so for the NYE booking I have options of Tokyo Tower View, Signature Skyline View or Gold Tokyo Tower view. Gold is the only room type that provides lounge access.
Question - Is it worth paying the premium for Gold and getting the lounge, especially with a 7yr daughter? Im thinking it would/could be a nice way to see in the new year?

 

[jase05]

A question for those that have stayed at Fairmonts, specifically Tokyo - Im platinum and have 2x suite night upgrades. Looking at booking for 5-6nights over NYE and trying to figure out options for rooms as it will have to be 2 separate bookings to use the SNU.
SNU will be before the year end, so for the NYE booking I have options of Tokyo Tower View, Signature Skyline View or Gold Tokyo Tower view. Gold is the only room type that provides lounge access.
Question - Is it worth paying the premium for Gold and getting the lounge, especially with a 7yr daughter? Im thinking it would/could be a nice way to see in the new year?

Only you can determine if the price is worth it.
Have only stayed at around a dozen Fairmonts and for the ones that have lounges they are a great space and often quiet as it’s a bit more exclusive. Some lounges have great views and the food is pretty good. Tokyo Fairmont looks real nice and whilst I don’t know what the price difference is I would say I’d pay it if I didn’t have lounge access

 

[kileskus]

Property: Swissôtel Tashkent
Status: Explorer+ gold
Room booked: Swiss advantage king (base)
Room upgraded/type: no
Rate: non-refundable advance booking, $270 for the night
Early check in/late out: neither needed
Free internet: yes
Free breakfast: no
Welcome drink: non-alcoholic only so of no interest to me
Welcome amenity: a lot of sweet bites
Recommend: yes




Stayed here for one night just to try it out.

Location central in sense it's close to the Amir Temur square, but is fairly far from the main mosque complex and the Chorsu bazaar which might be better atmosphere for some people at night, but Yandex Go can get you anywhere.

Check-in was slow but staff were friendly, gave all the information needed without prompting and proactively offered concierge service.



The welcome gift I received was far more susbtantial than I expected, especially for gold. I hadn't booked a rate with breakfast so these snacks served as my breakfast. Quite nicely presented, although very high on the sugar side. My only issue this stay was that they had a kettle and coffee pod machine but didn't provide the pods or any instant coffee sachets.



Gym is spacious and even has a bench press set, so when not busy can just take the bar off and use it for other lifts. A good range of machines and free weights (dumbbells and plates), and apples and chilled towels available.

I didn't check out the spa, although there is a comprehensive-looking spa menu. Private hammam experiences start at about $200.

Didn't check out the restaurant either. The bar was open 24/7, had most classic coughtails and spirits at western prices, and even a cigar menu. Drinks voucher was only useable for non-alcoholic drinks for gold, platinum gets beers and basic wines and diamond get spirits.


There's a reading lounge with a range of English-language books too.

There's an executive lounge too but I didn't have access.

Overall, for having all the western comforts it was a pretty good given the rate. Would recommend, especially if you have a few days in Tashkent and plan to take it slow.

 

[MSAstro]

Property: Fairmont Singapore
Status: Accor + Explorer, Gold
Room booked: Signature Suite, corner room
Room upgraded/type: apparently a “higher floor” was provided
Rate: Managed to use a stay plus night, plus they had a “stay 4, pay 3” offer, so paid for 2 nights and stayed 4
Early check-in/late checkout: Early check in not required. Late checkout - 1.30pm was the latest I could get.
Free internet: Yes
Free breakfast: No, Gold only (I’ll hit Platinum for the first time after this stay haha)
Welcome drink: Thanks to the recommendation from @goldenhorn made use of the “Any drink or coughtail up to SGD $35 at SKAI restaurant on floor 70.”
Welcome amenity: 3 rock hard pears, delivered to the room at 9.30 on the first evening just as we were about to go to sleep. Still weren’t edible when we left.

Our first time leaving Changi airport into Singapore itself for nigh on 20 years, so everything seemed new. I liked the whole complex of the Fairmont, Swissotel and Raffles City. Very handy being on top of City Hall MRT.

In regards to the welcome drink, the lady at the restaurant didn’t really want to sit us, arrived at 5.30 and she wanted to make sure we would be gone by 6pm as they would “start serving dinner”. All good, doesn’t take me half an hour to have a drink! But if you wanted us to stay and spend money on a second (or more) it wasn’t happening. Weird when they are like that, assume just because you are having a free drink you won’t buy more? Anyway. Also strange they don’t allow it in the bar, but you sit at the bar in the restaurant. Probably normally worth it for the views but with the haze, could hardly see anything. Still one of the best welcome drinks I’ve had.

Overall pretty happy with the stay. No lounge or breakfast, so just the room but able to get pillows, ice, etc very quickly. Would definitely be happy to go back, which is good as well be transiting Singapore next year to Europe and may stay a day either side.

 

[Daver6]

Property: The Porter House Hotel Sydney - MGallery Collection
Status: Explorer+ platinum
Room booked: superior room (base +1)
Room upgraded/type: yes luxury room (one category upgrade)
Rate: refundable 20% off app booking
Early check in/late out: neither needed or offered
Free internet: yes
Free breakfast: yes, buffet and no coffee tax (really good coffee)
Welcome drink: yes x2, selection of beers and house wines.
Welcome amenity: rubbish bottle of red wine and two chocolates
Recommend: no

Everything in Sydney was super expensive and this just came in on budget. Location is very convenient. Gym is next to pointless (even worse than Movenpick in HBA). Breakfast buffet was pretty small but serviceable.

Two main reasons I wouldn't stay here again. No proper desk so uncomfortable for doing work. Biggest gripe is room doesn't remain dark despite blockout blinds. You'll notice the shower has two small windows. There's also no door closing the general bathroom off from the bedroom. So once the sun is up, the room is light. After the first night I asked if all rooms were like this and was told yes. They did offer to blockout the shower windows. I guess I'm not the first to complain about it. They tapes up black plastic which did solve the problem....except for the edge of the curtains on the far end still leaking light.

Really stupid design with the windows in the shower. Clearly a problem for them. Those two reasons are enough for me to not stay again. Otherwise hotel was fine and bed comfy. Super convenient being right by Musuem and Town Hall train stations and Gadigal metro.

 

[markis10]

Two main reasons I wouldn't stay here again. No proper deck so uncomfortable for doing work.

Decks and probably more so desks for work are increasingly becoming a design feature that gets left out in modern hotel design.