Fairmont Hotel from $122++ and other deals: Finding cheap staycation rates with Accor Plus

Ever since I got my Accor Plus membership (for free, courtesy of the AMEX SIA Business Credit Card), I’ve been busy exploring the different benefits available. 

The 50% off dining and annual free hotel night obviously grab most of the headlines, but what I’ve discovered is that Accor Plus gives you access to some pretty sweet staycation rates too, even cheaper than what the general public has.

Accor Plus staycation rates

To find Accor Plus staycation rates, simply login to your ALL account and run a search as per normal. The results you see will factor in your special Accor Plus rate. 

How special? Take a look at the Fairmont Singapore below- it’s almost too good to be true. S$122++ (S$143 nett) for a night, for a rate that’s refundable up till the day of arrival! You could even get a Signature King Suite for S$152++ (S$179 nett) if you need a bit more space. 

Sure, there’s no breakfast included, but remember that Accor Plus members get up to 50% off dining, including breakfast. I wager you’d still end up ahead compared to the publicly available rates. 

Here’s the cheapest rate I could find at the various staycation-approved Accor hotels in Singapore, from now till January 2021. 

Let’s ignore the ibis budget hotels (they’re former Fragrance Hotels, and we all know Hotel 81 is where real men go) and focus on the Fairmont and two Sofitels- do you come off better or worse by booking the Accor Plus rates?

Fairmont Hotel

Fairmont Hotel Singapore
	Accor Plus	Upsized Staycation Offer
Price	S$122++	S$305++
Cancel Policy	Day of arrival	Day of arrival
Breakfast	No	Yes
Other inclusions	None	S$50 return stay voucher S$100 F&B credit 2nd room/night at 50% off

Fairmont Singapore is offering the rather unimaginatively named “Upsized Staycation Offer”. For S$305++ (S$359 nett), you get breakfast, S$100 in F&B credit, plus a S$50 return stay voucher. The Accor Plus rate costs S$122++ (S$144 nett), without any inclusions. 

Assuming you take the F&B credit at face value and ignore the return stay voucher, the price difference works out to be S$115. The Accor Plus rate does not include breakfast, so you’ll be ordering off the a la carte breakfast menu at Prego, and I think it’s safe to say you won’t spend S$230 or more (remember the 50% discount). 

It’s an easy win for the Accor Plus rate here. 

Sofitel City Centre

Sofitel City Centre
	Accor Plus	Hotel Experience Exclusive Package
Price	From S$234++	S$334++
Cancel Policy	Non-refundable	24 hours before arrival
Breakfast	No	Yes
Other inclusions	None	Club lounge access

Sofitel City Centre offers a “Hotel Experience Exclusive Package” for S$339++ (S$399 nett). This includes breakfast and club lounge access. 

Now, I could compare this to the no-inclusions Accor Plus rate of S$234++ (S$275 nett), but in this case it’s easier to do an apples-to-apples comparison. Accor Plus members enjoy 10% off staycation packages at the Sofitel City Centre, so it’s straight up savings here.

You even get a slightly more generous cancellation policy (day of arrival, versus 24 hours before). 

Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa

Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa
	Accor Plus	Retreat to Sanctuary
Price	From S$204++	From S$388++
Cancel Policy	Non-refundable	3 days before arrival
Breakfast	No	Yes
Other inclusions	None	Set dinner for 2 1 hour massage

Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa offers a “Retreat to Sanctuary” package for S$388++ (S$457 nett). This comes with breakfast, a set dinner for two, and a 1-hour massage. The Accor Plus rate starts from S$204++ (S$240 nett), with no inclusions.

So do you value a 1 hour massage, breakfast and a set dinner at S$217? Before you say yes, remember that both breakfast and dinner could be had for 50% off with Accor Plus, so the savings may not be as big as you think. On the other hand, hotel spa treatments are ridiculously overpriced, so if you really want a massage that badly, maybe there’s a case to be made.

How do I find the lowest rates?

Fortunately, Accor’s website doesn’t make you guess and check by taking stabs in the dark at random dates. On the results screen, click on “open rate calendar”.

This brings up five days of rates, and you can scroll until you find a price that’s agreeable to you. 

Conclusion

For those of you hunting for staycation deals, I guarantee you won’t find a cheaper rate for a 5-star hotel than S$122++ at the Fairmont. Paying a hair over S$200 for the Sofitel Sentosa is arguably a good deal too, although I did stay there last year and I was roundly unimpressed by the room and service. 

It’s just a pity that quite a few Accor Hotels are still doing SHNs and are not open for staycations (e.g Swissotel The Stamford, Swissotel Merchant Court, SO Sofitel etc.), but as 2020 draws to a close I suspect we may see a few more come online.