I thought a lot of the same, at first.
But then I called the 1300 number on the back of the card
and the staff there were very friendly and helpful.

I guess this card isn't for everyone, but like anything, it pays to have a good read through the material at the start of the year and work out exactly how it all works.
I common theme in these posts I've picked up on, is that you well into your 12 months or in most cases at the end. Which gives you less time to book.

Its easy to sit here and have a windge and pick at what you feel are the cons on having this card. But where is it really going to get you?
I advise people to read EVERYTHING and if you don't understand something, call the 1300 number.

Simple.

Wow! wOW! I was just about to join after several phone calls from Accor... but after reading the above, it seems Accor have a comprehensive system for their so called "free night of accommodation" which lures people in, but doesnt deliver. Thanks for all the advice, I wont be joining after reading this.

I have been a member of Advantage Plus also for a number of years and can only agree with the others posting positive comments. Yes, the free night is subject to allocation as is the case with all "free" benefits - look at frequent flyer seats etc... People need to use common sense.

In all my dealings with Accor it is always stipulated that I must book this night in advance. I save my free night for either the Sofitel Sydney or the Novotel Manly.

I have been a member for 6 years and have never had a problem booking my free nights. Sure you have to be a little bit organized and book in advance, but I'm sure for most people this is not a problem. Staff are always very helpful and usually i have no need to speak to them as I do all my reservations on line.
I have used my free nights in Sydney and Melbourne Australia, Singapore, China and have another booked for Sydney in April. All have been at top quality hotels and being able to dine at discount rates has always been a bonus.
Keep up the good work.

I work for Accor Advantage Plus, as a 'loyalty consultant' so here's my perspective on some of the issues raised here. The membership is a loyalty club, in the same way that coffee shops stamp a card and give you every 6th cup free or whatever, they reward you for preferring their hotels over the competition.

Some hotel groups have a loyalty system that is free to join but only offer limited or restrictive benefits. Accor asks a fee for their membership and in doing so, almost guarantees themselves that each and every member will make use of it some way or other. If an Advantage Plus member goes to an Accor hotel restaurant, that restaurant isn't losing 50% of their revenue, they are gaining a customer that they probably wouldn't have had without Advantage Plus.

Some people seem to feel as though the free night is a ruse to get you to buy and that Accor tries to make it difficult to use. With the sheer number of members out there, of course booking a week or two in advance is going to meet with difficulty. The free night is included to make it easy to get value from the membership, but don't expect to book it for the holiday you're planning the following week.

All in all, the membership CAN be fantastic value, but it's not a magic bullet that will deposit money into your bank account every time you think about going on a holiday.

I have been a member with Advantage Plus for a couple of months, and have not had a problem. I think it is a GREAT membership.

You all seem to be complaining about the booking of a complimentary night, yet it was clearly stated to me when I joined that I should book this in advance. Think logically! Everyone wants a free night in a 5 star hotel on a Saturday night.
Also a hotel is a business and needs to make money. Therefore if every room was available as a free night in a 5 star hotel, the hotel would go out of business!

With the discounted accommodation and dining benefits, this membership is well worth what you pay for it! Seems all those people out there who are complaining aren't using the membership to its full extent. Use your brains and think about it, dont leave things until the last minute!

I totally agree. This is a rip-off and they need to improve their availability of rooms. Pathetic.

Like all membership cards, its what you make of it. Do your homework and read the fineprint and alls good.

I used accor hotels only in Vietnam last year for 19 nights with my daughter and booked online. Not only did i recoup the yealy membership twice over in the savings,but i used the card for about half our meals in Vietnam and saved probably another years membership on top. My daughter was free for breakfeast each morning and wasn't charged a lot of the times for her dinner either.

Was in Melbourne last weekend and had to stay at the Marriot of which i'm a member as well, and yet due to the accor food discounts, i ate at the sofitel one night.

I will be using my card in the next week or two to sort out a trip for 13 nights to Bali in August and will be trying to use my free night there. The card has more than paid for itself in the last 2 years. Just my 2 cents

Hi to all.. I currently work for accor avantage plus and i would like to inlight for you all, that the membership is not for everyone but you do get fantastic deals... Such as yes your free night and your sales consulant would have told you that your free is to be booked in adavanced as it is subject to an allacation. Also you get savings on accomodadtion 10-60% off room rates and then you save on 50% dinning. One other thing is that they are the largest hotel chain in the Asia paciffic and you have a great range of hotels to choose from.
When you first join this is what dose happen and this is how you can save yourself 100's of $$$...
1. Your free night in a 4 or 5 star is normaly around $280 -$400..
2.50% off dinning,2 people dine out 6 times in the next 12 mths and and you would have save yourself $300.
3.Then you go and stay somewhere for even just one weekend and get 10% -60% off you room rate and that also could be a saving of $100-$175.. so now that you have reed this you have to use your card in the best way that you can and dont forget to use it or you are a fool to youself save your self some money and have a great time with it.. Also if you nominate people to club and we sign up 5 of your friends you get a free membership for free and 5 free wine vouchers that are worth $30 each now thats the total of $439 for free... so come on get your membership free for next year...

Wow! after reading everyone's emails i'm thinking a light shone down on me with my Card. We've been using the Accor advantage for some time now and have had absolutely no issues.

We bought ours originally for our trip to NZ, the discounts allowed us to stay at the St Moritz in Queenstown at a much lower rate and with a wife and young child the meal discounts we received some times up to 50% was excellent. I could not fault it in NZ or Australia (Touch wood)

Now I admit that I also travel for work with in Australia and usually stay at an Accor hotel (I use the card to get cheaper meals when dining with customers).

I'm aware that you really need to tack your free night onto a longer stay but its not often i want one night (for pleasure stays) anyway, and staying in these hotels for work I know I have trouble sometimes getting overnight rooms even at the best of times because they are looking for multiple nights.

I'm sorry to hear everyones bad experiences :(