When AccorHotels Group officially announced the acquisition of FRHI Hotels & Resorts and its three luxury hotel brands — Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel — back on Tuesday, July 12, 2016, no official word was given as to how the Le Club Accorhotels frequent guest loyalty program would eventually look…
Fairmont President’s Club To Merge With Le Club AccorHotels on July 2, 2018
…until now, as the Fairmont President’s Club program will officially be discontinued on Monday, July 2, 2018.
Membership in Fairmont President’s Club will be renewed as usual on Thursday, March 1, 2018, which is the date of annual renewal — meaning that your current status is subject to change based on your history of stays during 2017.
Any e-certificates you have earned will remain valid at participating hotel and resort properties until Wednesday, February 28, 2019.
Elite Level Status Information
Members of Fairmont President’s Club will be granted elite level status with Le Club AccorHotels on the following basis:
FAIRMONT PRESIDENT’S CLUB STATUS |
NEW LE CLUB ACCORHOTELS STATUS
|
| Platinum | Platinum |
| Premier | Silver |
| Club | Classic |
If you currently hold memberships in both frequent guest loyalty programs, your Le Club AccorHotels elite level status will be updated to the higher level of elite status of the two programs as follows:
FREQUENT GUEST LOYALTY PROGRAM STATUS |
NEW LE CLUB ACCORHOTELS STATUS LEVEL |
VALID UNTIL YOU ACHIEVE A HIGHER LEVEL OF STATUS — OR |
| Fairmont President’s Club Platinum + Le Club AccorHotels Platinum, Gold, Silver or Classic | Platinum | Through December 2019 |
| Fairmont President’s Club Premier + Le Club AccorHotels Platinum | Platinum | Through December 2019 |
| Fairmont President’s Club Premier + Le Club AccorHotels Gold | Platinum | Through December 2019 |
| Fairmont President’s Club Premier + Le Club AccorHotels Silver | Gold | Through December 2019 |
| Fairmont President’s Club Premier + Le Club AccorHotels Classic | Silver | Through December 2019 |
| Fairmont President’s Club Club + Le Club AccorHotels Platinum | Platinum | Through December 2018 |
| Fairmont President’s Club Club + Le Club AccorHotels Gold | Gold | Through December 2018 |
| Fairmont President’s Club Club + Le Club AccorHotels Silver | Silver | Through December 2018 |
| Fairmont President’s Club Club + Le Club AccorHotels Classic | Classic | Through December 2018 |
Status points determine your tier and your ability to upgrade to the next level. At most AccorHotels luxury properties — such as Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, MGallery, Pullman, Swissôtel — every €10.00 spent will earn you 25 status points, bringing you closer to the next elite status tier with each visit. Your status points reset to zero every year on January 1.
You can enter the Le Club AccorHotels elite status level you expect to receive in July 2018 and the hotel of your choice — along with the amount you might spend — by using this calculator.
- Silver = 2,000 status points or up to 10 room nights
- Gold = 7,000 status points or up to 30 room nights
- Platinum = 14,000 status points or up to 60 room nights
Benefits
Members of Fairmont President’s Club can expect to see additional benefits provided based on availability rather than guaranteed.
Benefits while staying at all participating Le Club AccorHotels hotel and resort properties — including Fairmont Hotels & Resorts — are as follows:
Benefits while staying at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts are as follows:
Earning Le Club Accorhotels Rewards Points
Rewards points are earned for every €10.00 spent at a luxury hotel or resort property — and Le Club Accorhotels Rewards points never expire as long as a minimum of one qualified stay occurs within a year. The number of rewards points you will earn for every €10.00 depends on your status in the program as members who have earned:
- Classic elite level status earn 25 Le Club Accorhotels Rewards points per €10.00
- Silver elite level status earn 31 Le Club Accorhotels Rewards points per €10.00
- Gold elite level status earn 37 Le Club Accorhotels Rewards points per €10.00
- Platinum elite level status earn 44 Le Club Accorhotels Rewards points per €10.00
Reaction
To say that the overwhelming majority of FlyerTalk members who posted in this discussion are not happy about the changes is an understatement.
Amongst the many FlyerTalk members who claim to be saying goodbye to Fairmont as a result of this news — citing the changes as “useless” in which “the benefits completely suck” — FlyerTalk member CanuckFlyHigh did the math and came up with the following information based on the equation pertaining to the benefit that 2,000 Le Club Accorhotels Rewards Points equals €40.00:
Platinum: Spend $454 EUROS to get a $40 EURO off your next stay. (44 points per $10 Euro = 2000 points per $454 euro)
Silver: Spend $541 EUROS to get $40 EURO off your next stay (37 points per $10 Euro = 2000 points per $541 Euro).
As a result, CanuckFlyHigh is “simply not pleased with this. Shame on Accor. I have been a Platinum member since 2007, but 2018 will be my last. On the surface a near 10% return doesn’t seem bad, but they have stripped all of the great things that Fairmont was. I was much happier earning no return on my spend and getting certificates for nights, suites, spa, etc. It really was the best loyalty program out there.”
The reactions are not as gloomy from FlyerTalk members who posted in this discussion and are already members of the Le Club Accorhotels frequent guest loyalty program but not of Fairmont President’s Club — but they are not exactly jumping up and down joyously, either.
Summary
The consensus amongst members of FlyerTalk is that although elite level status will be easier to earn with the significantly larger Le Club Accorhotels frequent guest loyalty program versus the more intimate Fairmont President’s Club, it will be either worth less — or worthless — primarily due to what many consider a loss in benefits and in the customer experience overall. That especially pertains to upgraded rooms and suites, which will be subject to availability versus guaranteed. The welcome amenity, ten percent discount on room rates at the time of booking a reservation and guaranteed room availability are nice, but they are better than nothing and do not exactly evoke excitement.
“If Accor does not make any changes to their program there will be lots and lots of plat members anyway”, posted FlyerTalk member totti. “Accor hands out platinum status like candy.”
“Please rest assured that we are fully committed to delivering the personalized service that you’ve come to know at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.” Despite that assertion posted by FlyerTalk member FairmontLiason — who is the official company representative of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts — to many people, this seems to be another example of a more rewarding frequent travel loyalty program being absorbed up by a less rewarding one.
Answers to other questions pertaining to this news are found here. Additionally, concerns and comments can be sent via e-mail message to fpcguestservices@fairmont.com — or call via telephone at 1-877-232-7070 in the United States or Canada; or +1-506-877-3093 if you are calling from anywhere else in the world.
The most significant bright side for members of the Le Club Accorhotels frequent guest loyalty program seems to be that they will now be able to earn and redeem points — as well as earn elite level status — by staying at Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel hotel and resort properties.
As to whether or not executive management at AccorHotels Group will listen and favorably react to the concerns of members of Fairmont President’s Club remains to be seen — despite their views of this news, which seem to be little more than superfluous marketing clips — but I personally would not hold my breath…
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
