You’ve likely heard of Marriott Bonvoy Moments, Hilton Honors Experiences, or World of Hyatt Experiences, but there’s a new kid on the block that you might not have caught wind of yet… And that’s Accor Live Limitless (ALL) Experiences.
Many people traditionally think that you can only redeem points and miles for airfare and hotels. And they either don’t know, or they forget, that you can actually redeem your points for many unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
One such event that I got to attend recently was Accor Live Limitless’ SailGP season 3 finale race in San Fransisco. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and one I will never forget! It’s also an experience I would have never been able to partake in had it not been for points and miles, since the cash price would have been WAY beyond my budget.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at my experience at Accor’s SailGP event, and also dive into the ALL Experiences program. I’ll walk you through how ALL Experiences works, how it can offer great value, and also share info on how you can book your own SailGP VIP experience with ALL points.
What is SailGP?
SailGP is a new international yacht racing league, which features athletes who are former America’s Cup champions and Olympians.
SailGP boasts the most competitive fleet in sailing, with any team capable of winning an event. That’s because each team is racing identical F50 catamarans, which ensures only one thing will decide a SailGP champion — talent.
SailGP’s high-performance, fully-foiling, F50 cats are based on several of the AC50 cats that took part in the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda, but they have been updated and equalized to create as close racing as possible.
SailGP is unique, as it also has a world-first initiative that sees teams compete for a second championship, called the Impact League. The Impact League initiative tracks the actions that all of the SailGP teams make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and to help accelerate inclusivity in sailing.
Upcoming SailGP Season 4 Schedule // 2023-2024
2023
July 22-23 // Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix
September 9-10 // France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 23-24 // Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto
October 14-15 // Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía-Cádiz
2024
January 13-14 // UAE Sail Grand Prix
February 24-24 // KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
March 23-24 // ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland
May 4-5 // Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
June 1-2 // Canada Sail Grand Prix
June 22-23 // Mubadala New York City Sail Grand Prix
July 13-14 // SailGP Season 4 Grand Final | San Francisco
How to redeem Accor points for SailGP or other amazing experiences
I was lucky enough to score a once-in-a-lifetime, VIP weekend package to attend the 2023 SailGP final race in San Francisco via ALL Experiences. For 35,000 ALL points, the package included the following:
- 2 nights at the fabulous Fairmont San Francisco
- 2 VIP tickets to the weekend-long SailGP SF races, including access to the premium, shoreside Adrenaline Lounge
- Transportation to and from the Adrenaline Lounge
- VIP breakfast on the final’s day at the Fairmont San Francisco
My husband and I are big-time boaters and major racing fans, and being able to be right in the middle of the action for the final SailGP race of the season was a dream come true!
SailGP’s F50 cats are utterly spectacular to see in the flesh, and have been clocked in previous races reaching 92.6 km/h (50 knots/57.5 mph). It’s an incredible sight to experience for yourself!
We had a wonderful stay at the glamorous Fairmont San Francisco, and we loved the VIP treatment of being chauffeured to and from the the weekend’s events and activities.
The Adrenaline Lounge made us feel like celebrities, with complimentary champagne, craft cocktails, fine wine, and delicious, gourmet food. The other amazing thing about having access to the Adrenaline Lounge was that the SailGP athletes made special appearances at the lounge throughout the race weekend, so that you could chat with them and take photos. As San Francisco is the final race of the SailGP season, we were even lucky enough to have front-row seats for the trophy presentation, and we got to celebrate, toast champagne and party the evening away with the winners (Team Australia).
In my opinion, this type of points package is hands down worth it, and I would redeem ALL points for another SailGP event in a heartbeat! As Accor is a sponsor of the French SailGP team, I think they are so smart for putting together an amazing promotion like this to help ALL members have a truly unforgettable SailGP racing experience.
For the upcoming, inaugural SailGP Los Angeles race on July 23rd, Accor has package available for 5,000 points per ticket. Included in the promotion are the following:
- Access to the invite-only Adrenaline Lounge at Berth 46 with 360° views of Cabrillo Beach and San Petro Bay to watch the three races
- Shoreside hospitality with premium, sustainable & locally procured food and beverages
- Entertainment by an acclaimed local solo artist & international DJ
Given the fact that grandstand tickets to the LA race are $85 per person, the ALL Experiences package is a no brainer! As you’ll get access to the Adrenaline Lounge and be given the VIP treatment, I’d 100% redeem for ALL’s promotion versus paying cash for bleacher, grandstand seats myself!
About Accor Live Limitless (ALL)
Accor has 52 brands and has a presence in 100 countries. With over 5,100 hotel properties globally, Accor features some of the world’s most iconic hospitality brands under the ALL rewards umbrella, including Raffles, Fairmont, Orient Express, Banyan Tree, SLS, the luxury homestay provider OneFineStay, and many more.
Accor Live Limitless Experiences
ALL Experiences have a set redemption rate, unlike other loyalty programs that also have an auction format. The ALL Experiences offerings change frequently, but when we published this story options included: SailGP Los Angeles, tickets to the Billy Joel, P!nk, Guns and Roses, or Bruce Springsteen concerts in London, KISS performing in Sydney, and many more.
How to join ALL
Visit the Accor website and click on the icon in the upper right corner. Registration is fast, simple, and free.
You’ll be prompted to provide an email address to open an ALL account. Simply fill in your details and click “Sign Up,” and Accor will email your registration details to you.
How to earn ALL points
With such a large hotel portfolio and so many great properties, having Accor points can come in handy. Here are a few ways you can easily earn Accor points:
Hotel stays
Accor awards non-elite members 5-10 points per 10 Euros spent on their hotel spend. On the other hand, ALL elite members can earn up to 44 points per 10 Euros spent, depending on their tier status.
Accor points are worth a flat rate of about 2.2 cents each. That means you’ll earn as little as 1% return and as high as 8.8% return on an Accor hotel stay.
If this sounds confusing, don’t worry. Accor has a nifty, little tool to help you calculate the points that you’ll earn on your next stay according to your elite status tier, the hotel brand, and the room cost. You can this find calculator at the bottom of this page on Accor’s website.
Transfer points to ALL from Capital One or Citi
Earning ALL points when staying at Accor properties can take a little while for them to add up. So the easiest way to accrue ALL points is likely to transfer them from a credit card partner.
Accor does not offer a co-branded credit card in the US unfortunately. But, Accor does partner with both Capital One and Citi. Capital One miles and Citi ThankYou points transfer to Accor at a 2:1 ratio. You can quickly earn Capital One miles or Citi ThankYou points after hitting the sign-up bonus with the following Citi or Cap One travel rewards cards:
Travel Partners
You can credit the rewards you earn with Avis, Hertz and Europcar to ALL. For example, you’ll earn 3 ALL points per Euro spent with Hertz. Accor points are worth roughly 2.2 cents each toward Accor hotel stays, meaning you’ll effectively receive more than 6% back for your rental car.
Bottom line
If you want tickets to SailGP or another type of special event, check out what Accor Live Limitless Experiences has to offer. Depending on the specific event, ALL Experiences can be a great redemption value. What’s even better is that some packages include one or more nights at an Accor hotel, or offer a VIP experience that you can’t put a price tag on. If you’re lucky enough to find one — like the upcoming SailGP experience in Los Angeles — then don’t hesitate to redeem your ALL points. You can always get more points, but once-in-a-lifetime, VIP experiences don’t come around that often!
Are the food and alcohol free at the Adrenaline lounge?
YES! 🙂