Fairmont And Le Club AccorHotels Merger Complete…. Kind Of

Fairmont And Le Club AccorHotels Merger Complete

Back in December we learned that Le Club AccorHotels would replace the Fairmont President’s Club effective July 2, 2018. I didn’t take this news particularly well, since the Fairmont President’s Club provided a lot of opportunities for arbitrage (similar to what’s happening between August and the end of the year with Marriott), whereas Le Club AccorHotels is largely a revenue based program. Want to redeem points for aspirational stays? Simple – spend more money. Well, it’s now July, and it seems the Fairmont and Le Club AccorHotels merger is complete, though not without some technical gremlins.

Fairmont And Le Club AccorHotels Merger – New Login

Now that the merger is complete, old Fairmont President’s Club login credentials will not work. The Fairmont homepage looks relatively unchanged, though the login link is now in the top corner of the screen, and you will need to update your information before logging in. To do this, you can use your email address associated with your FPC club, or use your loyalty number.

If everything works as it’s supposed to (and that’s a big if), you should easily be able to choose your new login info, which will direct you to the new loyalty landing page for Le Club AccorHotels. From your dashboard, you’ll be able to see your loyalty info, including reward points, status level, and any certificates from the Fairmont President’s Club.

Fairmont certificates are now called vouchers, and you should be able to see all that are available from the dashboard. If you had two qualifying stays before July 1, 2018, you should now be able to see your bonus certificates (emphasis on should).

Fairmont And Le Club AccorHotels Merger – Issues

Merging two loyalty programs is a big task, to say the least, and as such there are going to be some issues in the first few days after launching the combined program. Not surprising, the Fairmont and Le Club AccorHotels merger has not gone as smoothly as I would have liked, and I’ve already received multiple emails from members saying something isn’t right. Some examples include:

• Status downgrade (most reporting Platinum – Gold)
• Unused Fairmont certificates not showing
• Unable to setup new login information (myself included)
• Bonus certificates not showing

I reached out to one of my contacts at Fairmont and they assured me this should all be resolved in the coming days (or maybe weeks), and that everything that was promised (such as status matching and bonus certificates) will be honoured, it’s just that the merging of data wasn’t as seamless as expected.

My advice is to be patient, as hold times are really long right now when trying to call in. While everything with my account posted (almost) fine, Brad’s is a mess, and we aren’t currently able to setup his new login information without calling in. After waiting on hold for over 2 hours, I gave up, and decided to just wait.

For those with urgent needs, such as upcoming reservations, you’ll just have to call and wait, or alternatively, reach out to the hotel directly.

Fairmont And Le Club AccorHotels Merger Bottom Line

I’m not surprised with the technical glitches, though I am a bit disappointed with the hold times when trying to call in. While IT issues are to be expected with something like this, I think Accor could have done a better job at staffing their phones. After all, Accor isn’t known for having good customer service, and I feel this is just getting everyone started on the wrong foot.

Rest assured though, everything that was promised before the merger will be honoured, it just may take a bit longer than expected. Be patient unless you have upcoming reservations, as the phone wait times are brutal, and there’s probably not a lot the customer service rep can do if it’s simply an IT problem.

Did your Fairmont and Le Club AccorHotels accounts merge without issue? Let us know in the comment section below!