Uh oh, move over World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy. Another hotel group has bought an overpriced e-book about how to market to millennials without actually understanding millennials.
Today Accor announced the details of their new “lifestyle loyalty program,” Accor Live Limitless. And when I say “announced the details” I mean they revealed virtually nothing, but they did use all the words that they think we want to hear.
I mean, I’d rather not copy and paste an entire press release, but in this instance I almost think that’s best?
Accor announces today a disruptive and dramatic shift of its loyalty program into a fully integrated global platform integrating rewards, services, and experiences across our entire ecosystem to bring value everyday life whether you work, live or play.
This new lifestyle loyalty program will recognize, understand, cherish, communicate with and reward guests like never before giving access to “ALL of Accor”. It will open doors across a unique and iconic portfolio of over 30 hotel brands as well as an unrivalled collection of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and “money can’t buy” experiences.
This new lifestyle loyalty program will be delivered through a new app and website that will allow members to access the world of Accor from the palm of your hand.
So to simplify slightly, they’re launched a new app and website, and they’ll introduce an experiences marketplace, right?
Accor says that “the new guest promise of this new lifestyle loyalty program will address four strategic stakes.” These include:
- Introducing new premium status to reward our most loyal members.
- Enriched benefits according to our augmented hospitality strategy.
- A worldwide connected experience to earn and burn points across the broadest range of brands in the industry and a New digital app delivering value across work, live & play.
- Partnerships and experiences Far beyond the stay, partnerships anchors ALL in member’s day-to-day, on the move and everywhere. Following an extensive study, three main passion points resonate with our loyalty members: Entertainment, Dining and Culinary & Sports.
Wait, so they did an extensive study to find out that people like entertainment, food, and sports? My gosh, I really am in the wrong line of work…
Bottom line
Truth be told we know very little about Accor’s new loyalty program — we don’t know when it will launch, and we don’t know what the benefits will be. All we know is that it will replace Le Club AccorHotels, and that it will come with a new website and an experiences marketplace.
I hope Accor didn’t blow their whole new loyalty program budget on the millennial consultants, though…
What are your initial impressions of Accor Live Limitless?
Accor program has given me some fantastic savings on meals two for the price of one . free drink when checking in but they need to train the hotel staff about the program I am a gold member and have never been given an upgrade on room but was offered one nearly every time when I was a silver member. The new app is crap and I will not be joining Accor again and will not be staying in an Accor hotel again .
I cant wait for this amazing program to launch
I am sure it will put all the others to shame knowing the brilliant folks that created it ;)
I'm reminded of a quote from The Simpsons about ice-cream: 'why make 31 flavours when you can't even get vanilla right.'
Accor are notorious for over promising and under delivering. I was a long time Platinum who decided to stop staying at their hotels after numerous poor loyalty experiences. They have a great network of hotels but the loyalty experiences are inconsistent and I had to repeatedly chase up benefits and overall the program is...
I'm reminded of a quote from The Simpsons about ice-cream: 'why make 31 flavours when you can't even get vanilla right.'
Accor are notorious for over promising and under delivering. I was a long time Platinum who decided to stop staying at their hotels after numerous poor loyalty experiences. They have a great network of hotels but the loyalty experiences are inconsistent and I had to repeatedly chase up benefits and overall the program is a huge hassle. The fact is the aren't doing a good job with the basics of the current program so to introduce a more complex program is worrying.
I am off to hunt for another reasonable.. non disruptive chain.. I was already taking leave of some of Accor's properties, notably the lower section in Asia (all below Pullman) This news only makes the farewells more urgent
Their reward program is stingy.. their app still has hiccups.. and their 'style' seems to become more & more globalist..
They are good at one thing.. hiring millennial staff.. besides spotting good locations
Millennials aren’t stupid. Rebranding and flowery pablum don’t mean anything. Are the perks valuable, and can they be accessed? That’s all that matters.
I’ve always found Accor to be quite a reasonable middle of the road program. I’d much rather they spent money fixing their IT rather than on unnecessary rebranding.
DCS wrote: "I bet they ‘focus-grouped’ this one to death".
They did and I was in one of those groups. I cannot go into detail as an NDA covers some of the issues but the group did not find much comfort with the plans - first discussed with us last summer.
The things we didn't like seem to have made it to the final product - that includes the logo and the name for starters.
Time will tell.
Lucky, LOL - a 'perfect' analysis, hilarious!!! I'm a Gen X/Y, blessed with a 'ton' of hard earned $$$, travel often in J/F...screw 'Ecosystems & Millennials & the trendy BS word Disruptive'. All the 'Milennials' I know live with their parents & are always asking for $$$ & hand outs...
How lame is that..?
PS - this cheesy Accor marketing campaign actually wants me to ban them...but I'm in Frankfurt often for business,...
Lucky, LOL - a 'perfect' analysis, hilarious!!! I'm a Gen X/Y, blessed with a 'ton' of hard earned $$$, travel often in J/F...screw 'Ecosystems & Millennials & the trendy BS word Disruptive'. All the 'Milennials' I know live with their parents & are always asking for $$$ & hand outs...
How lame is that..?
PS - this cheesy Accor marketing campaign actually wants me to ban them...but I'm in Frankfurt often for business, really like their Sofitel Frankfurt Opera, great property. Easy walk to a couple of my fav Frankfurt restaurants.
What is this 'ecosystem' they refer to? Does it include a swamp to be drained or otherwise remodelled?
And 'disruptive' ? If you want to see (unintentional) disruptive, check out Avianca's new, and dare I say it, enhanced, web site!
Was it really a good idea for Accor to let the work experience kids loose on this one?
I agree with @Tom
+1 @Taryn, you are sooo right on!
@Taryn says:
February 21, 2019 at 9:06 am
Disruptive and dramatic, ecosystem, cherish? I just threw up a little in my mouth. But I’m not the target audience since I’m Gen X. I miss the Fairmont President’s Club…
I guess paying money for this is cheaper than doing something really useful like working USB ports and blackout curtains that actually don’t have light leaks.
What a bunch of nonsense but then, ever since they rolled my Fairmont President’s Club membership into their crappy and useless Le Club Accor, I haven’t given it a second glance.
Looking at all that painfully overwrought marketing nonsense I will continue ignoring the program entirely. Joon Part Deux, what is it with French millennial marketing?
Anytime someone issues a press release bragging about being "disruptive", that's a sign the changes are mainly cosmetic and useless.
On the other hand, it is a better name than "Bonvoy", I'll give them that much.
@thibderoc: As I mentioned on my post above it seems like the deal with Accor is for 50M€ per year. Emirates has been sponsoring PSG for 14 years.
ALL will be the main sponsor for Paris football club (PSG) next season (starting in august 2019).
Fun fact for avgeek : the current sponsor is Emirates, paying ~20/25 M€ per year.
The amount of the contract between PSG and Accor is still unknown
Accor just announced mlti-year 50 million Euros per year to sponsor PSG (Paris St Germain) soccer club replacing Emirates as sponsor.
@Alpha they sold off Motel 6. But they will leave the light on for ya.
I guess the "rename your hotel loyalty program something stupid" ball is in Hilton's court now.
If they add a credit card, or become a transfer partner with Amex, etc, I might be up for joining.
There's no profit in being surprised by this. In fact, we should all be embarrassed to admit any surprise at all. Accor is good on many things. One of my very favourite properties is one of theirs (Sofitel So Bangkok) but on the Loyalty "piece" they're um uh, well, they're simply clueless. This press release reads like a rookie marketing release by a rookie keener, fresh back from a Boot Camp. It needs editing by...
There's no profit in being surprised by this. In fact, we should all be embarrassed to admit any surprise at all. Accor is good on many things. One of my very favourite properties is one of theirs (Sofitel So Bangkok) but on the Loyalty "piece" they're um uh, well, they're simply clueless. This press release reads like a rookie marketing release by a rookie keener, fresh back from a Boot Camp. It needs editing by a grownup, then someone needs to hit delete. Nothing to see here, everyone carry on about your business. It'll be a long time before Accor "delights" us with a decent program. If ever.
The French and millennial marketing will create Joon 2.
What is your day job, Lucky?
@ Kendra Tulley -- You're looking at it!
Disruptive and dramatic, ecosystem, cherish? I just threw up a little in my mouth. But I'm not the target audience since I'm Gen X. I miss the Fairmont President's Club...
Do these guys still own Motel 6? That was always a pretty solid chain. Do more Motel 6 reviews.
After having been forced to join LeClub Accor Hotels because they merged Fairmont President's Club into their horrible own loyalty program and experiencing just how bad it truely is (compared to the Fairmont Program, which was one of not the best program), I do not expect anything to be good accompanied by the word Accor anymore. I just can't begin to describe how bad LeClub is.
I miss FPC so much.
First thought... Is this an insurance brand? Oh wait... It's just another hotel loyalty brand.
Based on the press release, I bet they 'focus-grouped' this one to death.
The devil as always will be in the details...
Accor Live Limitless? Hmm, I was betting on World of Accvoy.