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Fairmont President’s Club and Le Club Accor Hotels have confirmed that their loyalty programs will be rolled into one on July 2, 2018. As you can see it with the current SPG Marriott merger, when handled well, program mergers can produce some new opportunities, but can also have some downsides.
How Will This Affect Status?
Fairmont and Accor have published a simple chart showing how your Fairmont status will be matched to Le Club Accor:
However, if you hold status with both programs, things become a little more complicated. The chart below shows how your status will match up:
Essentially, if your Accor status is higher than your Fairmont status, you will keep your Accor status through December 2018. If on the other hand, if your Fairmont status is higher, then you will move over to the higher status of the two. Whenever two programs possessing a different number of tiers match up, opportunities will arise, and it is no different here. The merger has created a couple of sweet spots for Le Club Accor Silver and Gold members:
If you hold Accor Silver, you are now better off going for Fairmont Premier (requiring 5 stays or 10 nights), and then you will be automatically merged to Accor Gold. Going directly with the Accor route you would need to stay another 20 nights after Silver to hit Gold.
The principle also applies if you hold Accor Gold and Fairmont Premier, where you will be matched to Accor Platinum. Going from Gold to Platinum with Le Club Accor you will need to stay 30 nights. However, when opting to pursue Fairmont Premier, you will only need 5 stays or 10 nights to be then matched to Accor Platinum.
In another sweet spot, if you hold Fairmont Premier or Platinum along with any level of Accor membership, you will be able to retain your new status until December 2019.
New Earning Structure
According to the Fairmont website, members will earn the following number of points per €10/$11.8 spent:
- Classic members earn 25 points per €10
- Silver members earn 31 points per €10
- Gold members earn 37 points per €10
- Platinum members earn 44 points per €10
The Downside
The main downside will be suffered by Fairmont Platinum Elites, who currently enjoy 2 suite upgrades and 2 room upgrades per year. This will now be replaced with a next category upgrade when available.
Also, the dining or Willow Steam spa health e-certificates will be lost to Fairmont Gold and Platinum members; which represents a loss of $50 or $100 depending on your status.
Our Take
Whenever two programs merge, there will always be upsides and downsides, and this case is no different. Although it is interesting that the biggest winners are Accor Silver and Gold members and the biggest losers are Fairmont Elites. Either way, you have from now until July 2018 to maximize your gain from the merger.
Source: The Points Guy
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Prophecy foretold this would happen! ? And that’s a good news for me as Accor Silver!
I had an excellent three nights stay at Fairmont Singapore a Cole of months ago. Suite upgrade was like an apartment. I still have a free night and a third night free, and room upgrade and dining certs to use.
There was a lot of value with that Chase Fairmont card. I wish I would have gotten it 2-3 times!
I think that the Elite members of Le Club Accor don’t receive a lot of privileges.
Even though little by little the situation is improving.
Hopefully the program will offer more benefits for members.
This also applies to the Swissôtel Circle program, as it is also merging. More details here: http://www.scmembersite.com/
I wonder if this means that the fast track status for those holding Air Canada Elite status is dead / being killed off. You used to be able to get mid tier Fairmont Premier Status with just 3 stays if you held AC 35K or higher.
I don’t think I’ve ever stayed at either of these hotels. Hilton and ihg have too good of a lock on me.
Accor and Hanting Hotel in China are merged too just a moment ago
Mergers can have a positive effect! Hope they find more ways to improve the program.
As an Accor member in Europe this has to be a good thing for me.
Thanks Award Wallet for keeping us updated on all of these program changes!
Thanks for the breakdown . Any idea where one can pick up cheap Fairmont stays as I have ACCOR GOLD already .
kind of sad to see Fairmont disappear
seems to suck for Fairmont members
As with most merger, its typically one sided. Accor appears to be the winner here and will expand their footprint.
love the Accor in Europe, not their M6 in the US!
Seems like a bad deal for Fairmont President’s Club members.
I wonder what will be with SPG in 2019…
I’m waiting to find out about SPG as well!
As Accor gold I’m happy!
Fairmont has beautiful hotels but too pricey for me. I haven o experience at all with Accor. It doesn’t sound like the benefits are going to sit well with some of their most valuable customers. It might mean an exodus to other programs.
Wow, were I a Fairmont elite I’d be none too happy.
More changes. I haven’t heard a lot about these hotels though. Maybe since I usually stay at lower priced hotels. Too bad about some of the changes for frequent guests. Though it does put SPG into my head again. Is their credit card still something we can apply for?
I wonder what we will see in the coming year. So many mergers and changes this last year. At least I know that any changes with airlines and hotels I will find out here (and often before the news or the company itself!)
Any predictions for the coming year with mergers or changes?
Yes, you can still get the SPG card — not going away anytime soon, thankfully. As for predictions — eh, I’ve given up on trying to do that. I just grab the popcorn and watch!
“biggest winners are Accor Silver and Gold members”
That’s amazing – I accumulated in last 2 years a lot of Accor points and now I can use them on Fairmont!
All rather confusing and complicated. In any event, Fairmont elites cannot possibly be happy at becoming Accor members, which have rarely delivered consistent elite benefits.
Yup, much the same way Kimpton members are seeing their program rolled into IHG; a massive downgrade in terms of treatment for Kimpton elites.
need more accor hotels in the States…
Honestly, I didn’t even know we have them………..
I just don’t see up side at all. For pure Accor silver/gold, nothing change for them. For Accor silver/gold + Fairmont Premier, I don’t think the benefit upgrading to gold/plat can overcome the loss of Fairmont Premier which can get one suite upgrade, one room upgrade, one third night free plus 2 X $25 Spa/dining.
I am a member of Fairmont’s President Club, however it has been several years since I have stayed at one of their Canadian Hotels. Do their points expire?
I am one of the biggest losers (Fairmont elite) … honestly I am not surprised Fairmont is becoming history, but it is sad nonetheless.
Personally not that happy to lose the benefits I enjoy but there’s no stopping progress I guess.
To me, thats great news!
Being Accor Gold is something at last 😀
I’ve never got close to having status with either of these chains, but thanks for this information
thanks for the info