Accor+ Explorer is a membership that comes with two stays plus benefits. Before the revamp, there were many unwritten rules for Stay Plus, and different members had different experiences. However, now Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus has been standardised, and let’s find out how it works.
Which brands are eligible for Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus
Accor+ Explorer stay plus benefit can be used at all 28 brands under Accor. This benefit is only available in Asia-Pacific:
- Luxury:
- Raffles, Sofitel Legend, Fairmont, Sofitel, MGallery
- Premium:
- Art Series, Mondrian, Pullman, Swissôtel, Mövenpick, Grand Mercure, Peppers, The Sebel
- Midscale:
- Handwritten, Mantra, Novotel, Mercure, Tribe.
- Economy:
- BreakFree, ibis, ibis budget, ibis Styles.
- Lifestyle by Ennismore:
- 25hours, Hyde, Mama Shelter, Mondrian, SO/.
What is the Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus benefit
The Stay Plus benefit included with the Accor+ Explorer membership provides two free nights that can be redeemed when combined with paid nights.
How Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus works
Stay Plus is very easy to use. If you are an Accor+ Explorer member, you can use the option of “Use Stay Plus at participating hotels” when searching for available hotels on your dates.
Even if you don’t use this option, you can still use it on the hotel results screen. I prefer this option because I can see all available hotels for my dates, so I do not miss any other promotions running.
Another option is to use it on the hotel page too.
Now, once you have used the stay plus option, choose your preferred room and book your stay.
When completing your booking, you’ll see that you’re booking the room with “Stay Plus” and can then confirm with a card.
This is how Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus works:
- Stay Plus nights can only be used within the 12-month validity period of your Accor+ Explorer membership.
- A minimum two-night stay is required to receive one Stay Plus free night; however, blackout dates apply. [Check blackout dates here]
- All additional nights must be booked and paid in cash
- Only one Stay Plus night can be used per stay
- Consecutive nights at the same hotel are treated as a single stay
- Accor points cannot be used or burned for a paid night
- The Stay Plus benefit is applied to the most expensive night booked
- The benefit is calculated on the Standard Room rate
- If you book a higher room category, such as a suite, the Stay Plus value is capped at the Standard Room rate.
Exceptions (Minimum Three Night Stay Rule)
Usually, Accor+ Stay Plus requires a minimum of three-night stays at specific brands and in some countries:
- Brands:
- Art Series
- Peppers
- Quay West
- Grand Mercure
- The Sebel
- Mantra
- BreakFree
- Countries:
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- the Maldives
- Uluru in Australia
Where Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus is not available
There are a few hotels in the Asia-Pacific region where you can not use your stay plus benefit:
- Australia:
- Mount Lofty House, Adelaide Hills (No Accor+ Explorer benefit)
- Reef House Adults Retreat, Palm Cove (No Accor+ Explorer benefit)
- The Sebel Chatswood
- Maldives:
- Pullman Maldives All-Inclusive Resort
- Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort
- Singapore:
- Raffles Singapore (Only limited availability)
Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus: Benefit Review
Now, let’s see how much benefit we can get with Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus:
| Hotel | Accor+ Price ($) | Stay Plus Price ($) | Stay Plus Saving $ | Savings (%) |
| Sofitel Singapore Sentosa | 1029 | 502 | 527 | 51% |
| Pullman Ciawi Vimala Hills Resort Spa & Convention | 306 | 173 | 133 | 43% |
| Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort | 397 | 195 | 202 | 51% |
| The Como Melbourne | 714 | 384 | 330 | 46% |
| Pullman at Sydney Olympic Park | 559 | 275 | 284 | 51% |
| Fairmont Tokyo | 1440 | 697 | 743 | 52% |
| Mercure Tokyu Stay Osaka Namba | 297 | 150 | 147 | 49% |
| The Silveri Hotel Hong Kong – MGallery Collection | 394 | 167 | 227 | 58% |
| Grand Mercure Khao Lak Bangsak | 344 | 165 | 179 | 52% |
| Premier Village Phu Quoc Resort – Managed by Accor | 740 | 370 | 370 | 50% |
| Raffles Makati | 534 | 267 | 267 | 50% |
| Novotel Ulaanbaatar | 264 | 132 | 132 | 50% |
In practice, Stay Plus effectively provides one free night when combined with a paid stay, translating to an average discount of around 50% on a two-night booking.
Using the Stay Plus
Accor have several room rate types, and with most of them, Stay Plus can be stacked:
Stay Plus with Accor+ Explorer discounted rate
The stay plus can be stacked with the Accor+ Explorer rate. That means, first, you save 15% off the public rate, and then you save almost 50% on stays with the Stay Plus benefit.
Stay Plus with Red Hot Room rate
Red Hot Room is the discounted rate stay promotion exclusively for Accor+ Explorer members. And, you can also stack Stay Plus with a room available at the Red Hot Room rate.
Stay Plus with discount stay promotions
Yes, Stay Plus can be stacked with other discount stay promotions. However, these discounted stays come with non-cancellable stays.
Stay Plus with package rates
Surprise, Surprise!
Suppose a hotel is selling any deals or rooms with package rates. There is a possibility of using the Stay Plus benefit. However, the discount will be capped and will not be applied to the package rate, as it is applied to the standard room rate. But still, it is a good way to get such package rates at a discount wherever available.
Stay Plus for Lounge Access Rooms and Suites
The Stay Plus can also be used for booking lounge access and suite rooms. However, the discount will not be 50%. The discount is calculated only on the base room category, and it can even be lower than the actual discount you get on the lowest-category room. Also, you cannot combine Stay Plus with the Suite Night Upgrade available for Accor Platinum members.
Four Night Stay with Stay Plus
As per Accor+ policy, only one stay plus can be used when booking for a minimum of two nights. A consecutive stay at a hotel is considered a single stay. But if you have two consecutive stays of at least two nights at two different hotels, you can use both of your stays plus the benefit.
Can you use Accor Points for booking Stay Plus?
With the revamped Accor+ Explorer program, the ambudity and the use of Accor Points for stay plus have been discontinued. Now, a one-night stay should be a cash stay to take advantage of Stay Plus. However, you can make seperate booking before or after Stay Plus stays and then use points.
Changes to stays booked with Stay Plus nights
Stay Plus doesn’t have any different rules for changes to stays. It depends on the room rate you booked when using Stay Plus. So, if you booked an ancancellable rate, Stay Plus will be refunded; however, if you booked a non-cancellable rate, Stay Plus will not be refunded.
When to Use and Not Use Stay Plus
The use of Stay Plus is highly individual-specific. That said, there are a few general principles I follow when deciding whether to use a Stay Plus night.
- Property Price:
- If the hotel’s cash rate is high and the stay would be fully paid, using Stay Plus usually makes sense as it maximises the value of the benefit.
- Booking Two Night Stays:
- Stay Plus works best for short stays, typically two nights. For more extended stays, the relative value drops, and the stay-plus option also removes the option to use Accor points. However, you can make a separate booking before or after Stay Plus stays and then use points.
- Also, the discount can still be higher in absolute terms if you stay at Luxury Accor brands, making it worth using.
- Red Hot Room:
- Red Hot Room rates are already heavily discounted, so using Stay Plus often gives lower value. However, if a Stay Plus night is close to expiry, using it on a Red Hot Room booking can still make sense, especially since Accor points cannot be redeemed on these rates anyway.
- Accor Points Funded Stays:
- If you plan to use Accor points for a stay, do not use Stay Plus. The two benefits cannot be stacked, and points redemptions generally offer better value in those scenarios.
Accor+ Explorer Membership Pricing by Country
| Country | Pricing | Currency | Country Specific Link |
| Australia | 349 | AUD | (Link) |
| Fiji | 229 | USD | (Link) |
| Hong Kong | 1788 | HKD | (Link) |
| India | 19,499 | INR | (Link) |
| Indonesia | 3,599,000 | IDR | (Link) |
| South Korea | 229 | USD | (Link) |
| Malaysia | 949 | MYR | (Link) |
| New Zealand | 379 | NZD | (Link) |
| Philippines | 12,499 | PHP | (Link) |
| Singapore | 299 | SGD | (Link) |
| Thailand | 7299 | THB | (Link) |
| Vietnam | 5,899,000 | VND | (Link) |
For common questions related to Stay Plus, Accor provides official explanations here.
Bottomline
The Accor+ Explorer Stay Plus benefit can be highly valuable when used strategically. The membership includes two Stay Plus nights, and in most cases, using them on separate stays delivers better overall value.
