Virgin Australia inks points partnership with Le Club AccorHotels
Virgin Australia Velocity frequent flyers will soon be able to earn Velocity Points at 2,800 new hotels via the Le Club AccorHotels program.
The system will see travellers first earn Le Club points at Accor’s range of brands – including Sofitel, Novotel, M Gallery, Pullman, Adagio, Mercure, Grand Mercure, The Sebel and Ibis – and then convert those points into Velocity frequent flyer points from September 30.
Points that are already sitting in the accounts of Le Club AccorHotels members are also ripe to funnel into your Velocity account,, along with new points earned after that date at any hotel that participates in the Le Club loyalty program.
The conversion rate between Le Club points and Velocity Points is not yet known, although it’s expected to mirror Accor’s tie-up with Qantas – being 1 Le Club point = 1 Qantas Point – or with its other partner airlines which follow a less-generous 2:1 ratio.
Virgin Australia also becomes the only Australian airline to claim points partnerships with each of the ‘Big Four’ hotel groups following the Accor hook-up: the others being Hilton, IHG and Starwood, the latter of which doesn’t allow its loyalty members to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points.
“Loyalty counts and it is an integral feature of our obsessive approach to guest recognition,” said Simon McGrath, Chief Operating Officer of AccorHotels Pacific.
“As our hotel network continues to rapidly expand, so too do the benefits of being part of our award-winning loyalty program Le Club AccorHotels,” McGrath added, with members able to earn Le Club points, and thus Velocity Points, at Accor hotels in 92 countries.
Source: Australian Business Traveller, Chris Chamberlin , July 24th 2015
Originally published as: Virgin Australia inks points partnership with Le Club AccorHotels
