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Last year, I wrote that Accor (the company behind Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, etc.) was finally adding free breakfast as a status benefit for its top-tier elites. But this applied to stays in the Asia-Pacific only. I was getting my hopes up that Accor would, at long last, roll out free breakfast as a status benefit with the revamp of its Le Club loyalty scheme. I was wrong.
Accor sent out emails to its members earlier this week, which gave away a few details about the new top-tier status in its new Accor Live Limitless “ALL” scheme, which will launch next year. Called “Diamond”, Accor’s new top-tier status will have two new benefits: Diamond members can gift a “Gold card” and Diamond members will get a free breakfast benefit. BUT and this is a big catch, Diamond members will get free breakfast on weekends only.
Other chains are far more generous to their elites. Hilton, for example, offers free breakfast to both its mid-tier and top-tier elites, every single day! Qualifying for Diamond status in the new Accor Live Limitless scheme will require members to spend 10,600 EUR per membership year (roughly £9,500)! (It will no longer be possible to qualify by staying 60 nights a year).
You can find out more about the new Accor Live Limitless scheme here.
Bottom line
The benefits of Accor’s new Diamond status are disappointing – and weaker than those of the competition. Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott all offer free breakfast to their top-tier elites. I have had Accor Platinum for the last three years but have recently shifted to Hilton, which offers better status recognition in my view. The new Accor Live Limitless Diamond benefits won’t lure me back. What do you think?
How can they say limitless then limit it to weekends.
Accor lost the plot long ago.
I can understand not wanting to cannibalise the revenue from selling breakfast to business travellers, but this idea is just daft…
Accor Diamond is a level above the existing ‘top tier’ Platinum
To earn Platinum it is 60 nights or 14,000 Status Points (equivalent to €5,600 spend).
[€10 = 25 Status Points. I think that the €10 spend excludes VAT or service taxes etc]
I have Platinum by virtue of 63 Mercure nights but only earned ~ 11,000 Status Points
Based on the 26,000 Status Points required for the new Diamond level I would have to stay ~ 150 nights.
(Obviously because Diamond is based purely on spend then staying at more expensive Sofitels would require less nights).
I am definitely not attracted to this and will spread my stays over Accor, Hilton (Diamond) and Hyatt (Globalist).
As has been said many times by many others – fix the website, fix customer services, simplify the offers, don’t promote ambiguous / misleading / fraudulent offers (“double points on stays” which applies to one stay only; bonus stay points and App bonus points which don’t stack)
And fix the free breakfast issue to match the loyalty reward that other hotel brands give for >60+ nights per year.
And fix the posting of hotel stays (nights & Points) so that it happens promptly and accurately so that I don’t have to continually submit ‘past stay credit requests’.
And don’t send out offers that don’t apply – e.g. current “TAKE A CITY BREAK and be amazed!” – for a two night stay get up to 40% off, a welcome gift and breakfast included. Disappointingly (but not unsurprising) the offer is not available for my city Mercure !!