The viability of the travel subscription model took a step forward this week as headquarters in Paris Accor — Europe’s largest hotelier and owner of brands such as Sofitel and Fairmont — has launched a global scheme called ALL Plus aimed at travelers looking for budget hotels, as well as budget hotels. people flock to high-end hotels.
Typically, travel loyalty programs require members to stay overnight, fly miles, and spend money to move up the food chain. However, travel subscriptions operate on a “pay for privilege” model: Users pay a fee to receive certain benefits normally reserved for certain levels of loyalty programs.
One of the most famous examples so far is Intercontinental Ambassador. Members pay $200 annually for benefits such as room upgrades, meal credits, free weekend nights at InterContinental properties, and Platinum Elite status in IHG One Rewards while staying at locations other IHG hotels.
But will Accor’s new venture create an incentive for travelers who haven’t tried the French hotel company before? Company leaders don’t think the program is only for travelers living in Europe or South America (although Accor has more hotels in these areas than in the US).
“This is not a product-centric country. It’s a destination-focused product,” said Maxime Gareau, vice president of member development at Accor. “That makes sense for anyone traveling in the area where we have the most hotels with brands built into it.”
ALL Plus and its new categories
Accor sees its program as a loyalty accelerator that promotes Accor Live Limitless Loyalty Program. It splits the subscription service, ALL Plus, into two categories that will officially come into effect later this month.
ALL Plus Voyageur, the more premium service, offers members 20% off Accor’s 10 luxury and premium hotel brands, as well as 15% off its 9 mid-range and economy brands. company. ALL Plus Voyageur costs the member 199 euros (about $210).
The brands included in ALL Plus Voyaguer are:
- Luxurious: Sofitel, SO/ and Sofitel LEGEND.
- Reward: MGallery, 21c Museum Hotels, Mondrian, Pullman, Mövenpick, Grand Mercure and The Sebel.
- midrange: Novotel, Mercure, Adagio and Tribe.
- Economy: Ibis Styles, Ibis and Budget Ibis.
The company targets economy class travelers with its ALL Plus Ibis card, which offers 15% off at Accor’s Ibis line of economy hotel brands. This membership level costs 99 euros (about $105).
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It’s worth noting that only 19 of Accor’s 40+ brands joined ALL Plus at launch. Some of the company’s most popular brands – such as Fairmont, Raffles and The Hoxton – are not included.
While Accor has had region-specific subscription services for a while, this is the first time the company has offered it on a global scale. The new card will work at 4,000 hotels across 100 countries. Other benefits of the new ALL Plus card include priority booking at fully booked hotels and at least Silver status in the ALL loyalty program.
Unlike other subscription models or status matching programs, ALL Plus will provide members with qualifying nights — that’s why it’s called an average speed booster. wall. Members with a higher ALL loyalty level can use those nights to advance to a higher level. ALL Plus Voyageur members will receive 20 qualifying nights, while ALL Ibis Plus members will receive 10.
“We really wanted to develop this instead of a status match because it makes people happy,” says Gareau. “It is to help people who are already Silver, and it will help new people discover the show.”
It’s worth it?
Accor’s Silver tier itself won’t attract travelers insights and miles as its benefit is pretty standard entry-level fares: welcome drinks, late check-out, and premium check-in first.
However, guaranteed availability two days before check-in, even at fully booked hotels, is a Platinum benefit from ALL; it’s offered with both ALL Plus Voyageur and ALL Plus Ibis, so that’s a big perk for the new program.
As mentioned, the show leans more towards Accor brands that have a significant presence outside of the US. So you probably won’t take advantage of ALL Plus very often unless you spend a lot of time in Europe and South America.
But 21c Museum Hotels, Mondrian and Sofitel all have several locations in the United States, while Novotel and Pullman have a smaller presence here.
While some travelers may be more attracted to InterContinental Ambassadors than ALL Plus due to the higher status level with IHG One Rewards, a free weekend night, and IHG’s greater US presence than
However, ALL Plus still sells well for travelers, as it has more brands than the Ambassador program.
“We were pretty happy with the coverage we had, and it was quite a challenge,” says Gareau. “We only own 2% of our hotels, so we’ve convinced a lot of hotels and brands for a really great reason for both the hotel and the customer.”
ALL Plus may be of value to travelers planning longer trips to Europe, Latin America or South America. It’s also worth considering if you want to explore some of the brand’s offerings and get instant loyalty perks.
The subscription’s flat discount is a strong selling point, although all travelers can get between 2% and 10% off their stay, depending on the property, just by signing up for the program Accor’s loyal customers.
A four-night stay next month at the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo in Panama, one of TPG’s most anticipated hotels of 2023, will cost $1,180.80 for a room with a king bed overlooking the ocean. With 20% off ALL Plus Voyageur on Best Daily Rates, a member only pays $944.64. That $236.16 savings exceeded the cost of the membership.
It’s not a bad way to get a discount on King Charles III’s coronation in May using the ALL Plus Ibis card. The cost of staying at Ibis London City – Shoreditch is $266.61 per night for the May 4-7 weekend stay. However, an ALL Plus Ibis member will only pay $226.62 per night. night. That’s a savings of nearly $120 over three nights, so that’s more than the cost of an ALL Plus Ibis membership in one stay.
It’s also important to note that many Ibis hotels are pet-friendly, so ALL Plus Ibis is a good choice if you’re traveling with a four-legged companion.
bottom line
Membership is understandable if you are a regular Accor customer looking to upgrade ALL loyalty tiers. According to Gareau, if you’ve purchased both Voyageur and Ibis cards from ALL Plus, that’s 30 status nights to build loyalty. Combining both ALL Plus cards is enough to unlock Gold status, which includes room upgrades and early check-in or late check-out.
US travelers are unlikely to see much daily value from ALL Plus. However, you should consider if there is a trip coming up to a country where Accor dominates the hotel market or if there is an Accor hotel that you would love to visit. The cost savings on a stay can make buying ALL Plus well worth it.
However, keep an eye out for ALL Plus discounts. While Voyageur’s 20% discount on luxury and high-end hotels may seem like a lot, you’re already getting up to 10% off one price just by becoming a non-paying ALL member. Do the math, look for additional promotions and discounts, and see what ultimately works best for you.
