Business Traveller (Middle East)
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU
Treating guests to thrilling experiences, not only in travel, but everyday life, is the crux of Accor’s re- imagined loyalty programme, ALL – Accor Live Limitless, promising benefits that go way beyond the hotel stay
Accor has launched its hotly anticipated lifestyle programme
It was a dreary January morning when the intriguing email popped-up in my inbox – “Make Every Day Work For You” it said. “ALL – Accor Live Limitless is here!” Making every single day work for me sounded like an offer I couldn’t refuse, in more ways than one, so I read on: “It’s been in the works for a while and now ALL is finally ready to show you what it’s made of. The philosophy of ALL? To redefine the traditional idea of rewards by giving you points, simply for living your life and having fun.”
This piqued my interest. For years I’ve signed up to loyalty schemes – for airlines, hotels and various retailers too – and most have disappointed.
To be fair, the retail loyalty schemes, which are far more advanced than those offered in the world of travel, have been very useful, offering tangible cash-back benefits, but the remainder have been virtually obsolete.
I’ve never quite known how to use my points and when I’ve tried, the benefits have been almost non-existent, rendering them ‘anti-loyalty’ schemes in my mind.
So, I decided to investigate what ALL – Accor Live Limitless was ‘all’ (excuse the pun) about, hopeful it had the potential to usher in a new era for loyalty programmes by reimagining how they work and what they offer.
MORE THAN A HOTEL GROUP
The wheels were set in motion in early 2019 when Accor announced its transformation from an operator of hotels to an ‘augmented hospitality group’. With some 34-plus diverse hospitality brands in its portfolio, from luxury to budget-friendly and all-inclusive resorts to authentic home stays, its intention was to become a lifestyle enabler, offering guests hospitality anytime, anywhere.
This triggered the decision to merge its distribution platform, Accorhotels.com, with its loyalty programme, LeClub AccorHotels, to create a single global gateway for customers, manifested in January’s launch of ALL – Accor Live Limitless.
EARN AND BURN
Recognising that guest expectations have changed, the programme goes beyond hotel stays, occasional experiences and rewards that require a lifetime of points to redeem and offers meaningful benefits that enrich their everyday lives.
Perhaps the best example is that ALL enables members to earn and use Rewards points every time they grab a drink or eat out at participating venues, which include restaurants and bars at its wide range of hotels whether they are staying there or not. Points can also be earned and ‘ burned’ when members shop online at its e-boutiques or use the services of travel and retail partners.
STATUS SYMBOLS
Of course, the more you earn, the more you can burn and the more attractive the benefits and ALL has introduced new Premium Statuses including Diamond and Invitationonly for its most loyal customers. VIP advantages include 24/7 concierge services, free breakfast on weekends, dining and spa rewards and an upgrade to the hotel’s best suite.
There’s also a Best Price Guarantee (BPG) promise that applies to direct bookings through ALL – if a guest finds a cheaper price elsewhere, Accor will beat it by 25 per cent.
There’s some instant gratification thrown into the equation too – ALL members can take advantage of discounts of up to 10 per cent on all booking plus the BPG every time they say and earn points and when they log onto the new cool ALL website, there are prizes up for grabs.
Accor has also set out to enhance guest interaction and the portal does just that.
Not only do you spin a virtual wheel to choose your hotel, brand or experience, but it invites you to turn on your microphone and camera to enjoy a more immersive online experience.
POWERFUL PARTNERSHIPS
Crucial to ALL and its commitment to offering members ‘money can’t buy’
experiences beyond hotel stays is the partnerships it has forged with global names in entertainment, dining and sports – the passion points that Accor research identified resonated most with its loyalty members.
Last year, Accor extended its relationship with the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, AEG, beyond the Accor Arena in Paris to include additional premium venues and offering more than 60,000 tickets and private suites for loyalty members in Latin America, Asia and Europe.
It also secured a multi-year partnership agreement with Paris Saint- Germain Football Club
(PSG), with ALL named Principal Partner and official jersey sponsor, and signed a deal with sports, events, media, fashion and immersive food experiences specialist, IMG, giving ALL members access to chef masterclasses, culinary encounters and from 2020, selected Taste Festivals around the world.
LOCAL BENEFITS
Closer to home, Accor Middle
East and Africa has partnered with Bulldozer Group, the UAE-based entertainment giant famed for its portfolio of original nightlife venues and restaurants, state-of-the-art productions and cutting-edge events.
The deal entitles ALL members to discounts at the majority of Bulldozer Group venues and restaurants, including BASE Dubai, an immersive open-air super club that regularly plays host to A-list celebrities and one-off performances. Backstage passes and meet-and-greets with artists are also thrown in.
In addition, Diamond members are entitled to a 15 per cent discount at all Bulldozer Group restaurants, except for Cipriani, with the choice of premium dining experiences including Shanghai Me, Scalini and Gaia.
The exclusive privileges don’t end there; during the recent Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which takes
place every November, Accor hosted an exclusive F1 party and other one-off hospitality events for ALL members on the terrace at Bulldozer’s soughtafter Cipriani Italian restaurant, which is located at the heart of the action - overlooking Yas Marina Circuit.
The Bulldozer Group partnership significantly boosts the range of diverse range of events available to ALL members in the Middle East and Africa, with recent highlights including the International Film Festival Marrakech in November where official partner, Sofitel Marrakech, staged the star-studded event’s opening gala party and the Mubadala Tennis World Championship in Abu Dhabi in December, which offered immersive experiences ranging from tennis star meet and greets to VIP lounge access.
Upcoming events of note, exclusive to ALL members and made possible by Accor partnerships, include the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris (18 May – 7 June); the Mawazine music festival in Rabat and Sale, Morocco in June; the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in July; and Taste Festivals in cities including Paris, London, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong and Toronto throughout the year.
And the pièce de résistance? That will be Accor’s involvement in Expo 2020 Dubai, billed as ‘ The World’s Greatest Show’, which kicks off on 20 October this year.
As Premium Sponsor of the mega event’s French Pavilion, Accor will offer exclusive hospitality experiences and private events to ALL members.
With the 4,700 sqm light-themed pavilion providing the perfect canvas for promotions, Accor will also build an installation showcasing what its new loyalty scheme has to offer.
BRAND STAND
As well as serving up a smorgasbord of entertainment, sporting and gastronomic events for ALL members to feast on, it’s worth noting that Accor’s family of hospitality brands is expanding at a rapid rate, offering travellers an increasingly diverse range of hotel stay experiences in major destinations across the Middle East and Africa.
Recent partnerships have enhanced the group’s lifestyle offering in keeping with its augmented hospitality approach and edgy and dynamic brands set to debut in the region over the next few years include 25Hours, Mama Shelter and sbe.
New properties to look out for in the Middle East and Africa in 2020 and 2021 include SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences, Delano Dubai Hotel & Residences, Raffles PALM360, SO/ Uptown Dubai, Sofitel Wafi and Fairmont Abu Dhabi Marina in the UAE; Raffles Bahrain and Mama Shelter Bahrain; and Fairmont La Marina Rabat and Fairmont Tagazhout Bay in Morocco, to name a few.
With so many experiences on the table, whether you are staying at an Accor property, dining at one or attending a global event made possible through its multiple partnerships, ALL really does seem to live up to its membership promise to live limitless, not only in travel, but in everyday life.