Heading to Europe? Save on hotel stays with this discounted subscription service

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Ardent points and miles travelers usually favor typical loyalty programs over subscription models.

However, Paris-based Accor has an offer that’s pretty hard to pass up — even if you don’t usually check in to one of the company’s more than 40 hotel brands. The company’s recent global expansion of its ALL Plus program now comes with a 20% discount. It’s pretty easy to both make your money back and vault up the Accor Live Limitless loyalty program tier ladder.

The promotion, which runs from Thursday until May 2, brings the cost of the ALL Plus Ibis card down to 79 euros (about $87) from its original 99 euros (about $109) price tag. The more comprehensive ALL Plus Voyageur card is down to 159 euros (about $176) from its original 199 euros ($220).

While the subscription lasts 12 months after purchase, the loyalty benefits accrued from your ALL Plus purchase (qualifying nights come with each card) last through the end of 2024.

Head to Accor’s ALL Plus sign-up page to join the program, and use the code “ibis2023” or “Voyageur2023” at checkout, depending on the card you want (more details on the discounts here).

What is ALL Plus?

As a refresher, ALL Plus Ibis cardholders get a 15% discount on the lowest listed direct rate at Accor’s Ibis family of economy hotel brands. But ALL Plus Voyageur cardholders are privy to a 20% discount across 10 of Accor’s luxury and premium hotel brands, as well as a 15% discount at nine of the company’s midscale and economy brands.

Participating brands in ALL Plus Voyageur include:

  • Luxury: Sofitel, SO/ and Sofitel Legend.
  • Premium: MGallery, 21C Museum Hotels, Mondrian, Pullman, Movenpick, Grand Mercure and The Sebel.
  • Midscale: Novotel, Mercure, Adagio and Tribe.
  • Economy: Ibis Styles, Ibis, Ibis Budget, Greet and Adagio Access

I jokingly refer to Accor as the Kylie Minogue of the hotel orbit — major everywhere but the U.S.. Still, there are plenty of options for domestic American travelers to take advantage of the program, including by staying at Sofitel, 21C Museum Hotels and Mondrian properties. There is a smaller presence of MGallery and Novotel hotels here (though both have additional properties in Canada and Mexico).

It’s also a great option for travelers heading abroad this summer.

Sofitel Mexico City Reforma opened just before the pandemic and is a North American flagship. The Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo in Panama City opened in March and is a major step forward for Panama’s luxury hotel scene. SO/ Paris, which opened last summer, is already one of the trendiest hotels in France.

How to make ALL Plus go further

Naysayers might point to the fact that only 19 of Accor’s more than 40 brands are participating in ALL Plus. Some of the company’s most popular offerings — like Fairmont, Raffles and The Hoxton — aren’t participating. But there’s still a way to benefit from the broader Accor network.

Unlike other subscription models, such as IHG’s InterContinental Ambassador program, or status match programs, ALL Plus will give members qualifying nights. This is why Accor defines this as a loyalty accelerator. Any loyalty status achieved via ALL Plus applies to all Accor brands, including those not participating in the subscription plan.

ALL Plus Voyageur members will receive 20 qualifying nights, while ALL Plus Ibis members will receive 10.

This means ALL Plus cardholders at least get ALL Silver status out of the subscription plan. ALL Silver’s main benefits include priority check-in, a welcome drink and late checkout across the Accor network.

But you can buy both ALL Plus cards and unlock ALL Gold status thanks to the combined 30 qualifying nights that come from ALL Plus Voyageur and ALL Plus Ibis. ALL Gold status includes all the benefits of Silver plus a room upgrade and early check-in.

Members higher up the ALL loyalty tier can use those nights to bump up to a higher tier. (ALL Platinum requires 60 qualifying nights and comes with suite upgrades, access to hotel lounges and premium Wi-Fi.)

An Accor spokesperson told TPG that any status achieved through either ALL Plus card would last through the end of 2024. Keep in mind the ALL Plus-specific discounts only last for 12 months after you initially buy into the subscription plan.

Is it worth it?

The newly discounted rates for ALL Plus cards mean they pay for themselves more quickly and start saving you money.

Rooms at the SO/ Paris start at $804 a night for a three-night stay the last full weekend of June. With the ALL Plus Voyageur card, that comes to $643 a night and translates to $483 in savings across the stay — well above the $175 for the discounted card rate.

Closer to home, rooms at the Sofitel New York start at $410 a night the same long weekend. That comes to $328 a night with the ALL Plus Voyageur — $246 in savings across the entire stay.

I found stays using the ALL Plus Voyageur card at 21C Museum Hotels across the U.S. in locations like Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis and even Bentonville, Arkansas, paid for themselves in as little as two or three nights (depending on the weekend) this summer.

Even if you’re not staying at an Accor hotel every night, it’s a pretty easy way to get a taste of the company’s loyalty program and enjoy a few extras on your next trip.