Accor Hotels seems to me to be more about regional discount rates and local loyalty bonuses rather than global promotions offered by most major hotel loyalty promotions.

Le Club Accorhotels requires work to dive into all those promotions and the limited availability of hotels in the USA for this loyalty program places it on the backburner for me.

Free elite membership was passed around for the launch of Le Club Accorhotels. I was looking at my LeClub Accorhotels Platinum card and wondering if I will even sleep in a member hotel bed before the card expires.

Now if I had global travel planned, then the hotel rate discount offers would motivate me to check Accor Hotels website offers more frequently.

This post is for travelers getting beyond the USA borders. Some of these hotel prices might make you think again about going downscale from the category 6 and 7 hotels in US-based hotel loyalty programs that dot European cities and international beach resorts.

Or you might find upscaling to an Accor budget hotel room is within your financial means when that hostel, B&B or couchsurfing scene gets too social.

Current Accor Hotels regional promotions: Read More…

Accor Hotels, the French-based hotel group that has the largest proportion of branded hotel rooms in Europe, has sold the US based Motel 6 chain for US$1.9B to Blackstone, a U.S. private equity group that also owns Hilton and La Quinta hotel chains.

After all the high finance maneuvers Accor will be left with about 330M EUR to invest in emerging Asia-Pacific and Latin America markets where most new hotel development globally is happening.

Motel 6 and Studio 6, an extended stay brand, is the largest budget hotel chain in the U.S. and Canada with 1,102 hotels and 107,000 rooms.

These ownership changes might have a limited impact on the operations of the Motel 6 chain when the deal is completed around October 2012.

Blackstone is like the WalMart of the hotel industry.

Will Blackstone attempt a loyalty program marketing strategy to re-image Motel 6 for the American traveler?

In the back of my Loyalty Traveler mind I am wondering if the new owners will try and implement a hotel loyalty program for the Motel 6 brand now that this ubiquitous Cinderella of the American budget traveler is out of the step-sister role it played with Accor.

The budget chains of Accor Hotels are not participants in Le Club Accor loyalty program. Motel 6 comprises almost 25% of Accor’s global properties and there is no points earning system in place for Motel 6 stays. Only a couple of promotional opportunities allowing summer month redemption of Accor cash certificates (2,000 Accor points = US$60) for Motel 6 stays were offered in the past few years.

Blackstone may just bring Motel 6 to the hotel ball. And even if Motel 6 does not dress up too pretty, obviously Blackstone sees something of value behind those doors.

A Motel 6 loyalty program is just my speculation, but that would be interesting news for the budget traveler. I’ll be watching Motel 6 in 2013 for changes.

News Sources: Bloomberg Financial – Accor to Sell Motel 6 to Blackstone for $1.9 Billion (May 22, 2012)

Financial Times – Accor sells US budget chain to Blackstone(May 22, 2012)

Hotel News Now – Blackstone buys Motel 6, Studio 6 for $1.9b (May 22, 2012)

May 2012 promotions from Top Ten hotel loyalty programs:

Links to my Loyalty Traveler posts provide more detail and promotion analysis for each offer.

Most hotel loyalty promotions are two to four months in duration.

The easiest way to quickly see a list of all hotel loyalty promotions discussed on Loyalty Traveler is to check my Loyalty Traveler Facebook page. All Loyalty Traveler post links feed into Twitter and all my tweets feed into Loyalty Traveler Facebook.

Summer 2012 hotel loyalty promotions Read More…

British Airways Executive Club is offering 25% Avios bonus points on hotel point transfers between April 20 and June 20, 2012 from eight hotel partners:

• Le Club Accor
• Club Carlson*
• Hilton HHonors
• Hyatt Gold Passport*
• InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club
• Marriott Rewards*
• Shangri-La Golden Circle
• Starwood Preferred Guest*

* I placed an asterisk next to the four programs I think are the only hotel programs worth using for this bonus offer. Read More…

Accor Hotels officially changed its loyalty program name from A|Club to Le Club Accorhotels on March 28, 2012. Just as I figured out where the “|” symbol key is located on my keyboard, the loyalty program goes French.

To celebrate being French, Le Club Accorhotels announced its first global promotion for triple points for weekend stays (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) from April 13 through June 10. Stays must be booked by May 10 for this offer. Read More…

A|Club members and Accorhotels.com newsletter subscribers have the opportunity to book discount rates at hotels globally through several regional offers from March 20 to March 26, 2012. The promotional offers are regionalized and discounts from 30% to 50% off and 2-for-1 rates are offered. The discounts are based on BAR which is typically the best flexible cancellation rate. AAA and senior rates are typically 10% to 20% off BAR.

Accor Hotels Regional Discount Rate Offers link. Read More…

Accor A|Club has a global sale at more than 1,200 hotels for 3 night stays on bookings through April 9 for stays completed by April 15, 2012. These are prepaid, nonrefundable rates based on the Best Available Rate (BAR) which is the unrestricted flexible cancellation rate.

The 3rd night free rate is based on discounting each night’s BAR rate by 33.33%.

This sale is happening in four global regions and each region has its own specific booking terms and site. A|Club members had one week advance booking window beginning March 6 in some regions. In Europe, Middle East, Africa and Americas the general public can begin booking these rates on March 13. In Asia Pacific region the sale began February 22 and includes an additional discount for Accor Advantage Plus members:

Accor Advantage Plus members receive their 10% discount on the ‘“3 = 2” Special offer rate’.

These rates earn A|Club points.

Europe 3 = 2.

Asia Pacific 3 = 2.

South America – North America 3=2.

Africa – Middle East 3=2.

Here is a spreadsheet with the ten largest hotel loyalty programs worldwide and all their airline partners for earning miles and points-to-miles transfers.

Hilton HHonors is far and away the biggest program for airline partnerships. That can be a major factor for a frequent guest earning miles from hotel stays in a frequent flyer program where there might be few opportunities to earn miles other than flying.

• Hilton HHonors = 57 airline partners
• IHG Priority Club = 43 airline partners
• Marriott Rewards = 36 airline partners
• Hyatt Gold Passport = 35 airline partners
• Starwood Preferred Guest = 34 airline partners

There are 8 airlines that only partner with one of these ten programs.

[click on image to see full-size in new window]

I will follow up this post with comments and details on airline miles differences in earning rates between different programs.

This seemed like a useful table to create as I work on my series of hotel points-to-miles exchange rates across loyalty programs for a selection of major airlines.

Loyalty Traveler – Airline Tables for Hotel Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates

• American Airlines Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates for 9 Hotel Programs. (Feb 5, 2012)
• American Airlines Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates for Elites and Credit Card members. (Feb 6, 2012)
• Delta Skymiles hotel points-to-miles rates in 9 hotel programs. (Feb 7, 2012)
• United Mileage Plus hotel points-to-miles rates favor Marriott, Club Carlson, Wyndham. (Feb 8, 2012)
• Hotel Loyalty Program Airline Partners: 10 programs compared on one spreadsheet. (Feb 9, 2012)
• Why Change hotel points into airline miles? (Feb 9, 2012)
• Hotel points conversion into Southwest Rapid Rewards points favors Marriott, Choice and Hyatt. (Feb 10, 2012)

BoardingArea.com is awash in travel deals this morning.

Accor Hotels A|Club instant Platinum elite

Gary Leff reveals a link for instant Accor Hotels A|Club Platinum status. That elite status has limited usefulness for the USA since there are only a handful of Sofitels in a few major cities, but A|Club elite can be quite nice for international travel. I tried the offer and my account now reads platinum. Although, I guess I should have verified what status I already had with A|Club since I might have received an instant Platinum upgrade from a different offer earlier this year.

Here is an article I wrote in September 2011 giving some basics of A|Club hotel loyalty program.

Cyber Monday Travel Deals

I was thinking of writing a post for Omni Hotels Cyber-Monday deal, since that looked to be the best hotel rate discount offer I have seen this past weekend, but Deals We Like already has a popular post (according to USA Today statistics) listing several hotel discount offers available today. Readers interested in shopping for hotels today should check out “Cyber Monday Travel Deals” on Deals We Like.

Gaylord Resorts $109 rates in December

Gaylord Resorts has a $109 hotel rate deal not mentioned on Deals We Like. Gaylord Resorts have four large convention properties in Gaylord Palms Orlando, Gaylord Texan near Dallas, Gaylord Opryland Nashville and Gaylord National at National Harbor, Maryland (near DC).

I have stayed at two of these hotels and what I like about the properties is they are self-sufficient hotels with a Disneyland-like environment of attractive atrium interiors and waterfalls and play areas and pools. There are several restaurant choices and multiple bars. I have always thought these hotels make a great family destination since there is so much to do without leaving the hotel property. The food is a bit expensive though.

The availability of $109 rates are easy to find over multiple dates at the different properties.

There is also a DreamWorks Experience Family Package if you want to splurge.

Gaylord Resorts Cyber Monday Sale

Accor Hotels has a global sale for 50% off hotel stays booked by November 25 for stays from December 11, 2011 through February 12, 2012. The discount is 50% for A|Club members and 40% if you are not a member. You can join A|Club and get the 50% discount when you book.

These rates are prepaid at time of booking, no changes allowed and no refunds for cancellation.

The good news is Accor Hotels provides a pdf link with participating hotels ordered geographically.

Accor Hotels is the largest global hotel chain outside the USA and the most comprehensive hotel chain for France and Europe. Brazil and North Africa are two other areas where Accor offers more hotels than any other major hotel chain for earning loyalty points with your travel. China, Indonesia and Thailand are other countries where you will find Accor properties outpace most other hotel chains.

Here is a Loyalty Traveler post from September 2011 where I give an overview of A|Club loyalty program and Accor Hotel brand descriptions. Since then Accor A|Club has added Orbis Hotels, a small brand in Poland.

Accor Super Sale 50% off rates - Book by Nov 25, 2011.

A|Club loyalty program for French chain Accor Hotels has a couple of ongoing offers for free elite status and free points for Facebook Jackpot contest.

A|Club complimentary Gold elite could be yours with promotion code AMEXSING10 when you register as a new member of the A|Club program. Funny thing is this offer is the first time I recall a non-IHG promotion listed on PriorityClubInsider.com.

A|Club Jackpot Facebook game for free 500 points and chance to win 25,000 or 1,000,000 points

Promotion: October 6 – November 15, 2011

You can pick up some instant points after enrolling for Accor A|Club Gold elite through the Accor A|Club Jackpot Days sweepstakes on Facebook.

The first 25,000 players automatically win 500 points. At time of this post there are 18,195 Facebook page “likes” so I assume at least another 7,000 people can win an instant 500 points.

You can play the game once each week, based on the time and day you first play, through November 15, 2011. There are ten 25,000 point prizes at pre-set time slots during the game period and the first person to play after the 25K time slot wins the prize.

One million A|Club points worth 20,000 Euros in hotel stay credit will be awarded to one entrant from the game within three weeks after the game ends.

Accor A-Club Jackpot Days October 6 - November 15, 2011

Double points for any weekend stay with a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night from October 10 to December 18, 2011 booked on Jackpot Days page or any official Accor or Accor hotel brand online channel between October 6 and November 15.

Accor A-Club 2x points for weekend stays October 10-December 18, 2011

Related Loyalty Traveler posts: Le Club Accor Hotels Loyalty Program - Basics Sep 18, 2011