tcook052

As one who enjoys this upscale hotel chain, I thought I'd throw it out for discussion as to whether having it's own forum is warranted. My answer to that question, as you have probably already guessed, is a unqualified Yes for a few reasons; there would likely be as much if not more traffic to a Fairmont forum than the Antarctic forum, there are a growing list of Fairmont's including both sides of the Atlantic, though I will admit that there aren't lots in Europe or UK, yet, and lastly because there are tie-ins or cross-promotions with some CC's such as Diners Club. There were some ill-advised elite changes to the Fairmont hotel program called President's Club a while back and it would've been easier to follow such developments if Fairmont had it's own forum.

So those are a few reasons I'd submit in favor of the creation of another hotel forum and I'll open the floor for discussion on the matter.

Spiff

Could you please provide some examples of Fairmont questions not directly related to airline programs popping up in other fora?

Thanks!

tcook052

The AC forum, for example, has had Fairmont questions pop-up, though with much less frequency post moderation, which shouldn't be too surprising given the chain grew from Canadian roots and still has a good chunk of it's properties in Canada.

I just feel that if there are enough traffic to some of the other fora to warrant keeping or creating them then there certainly should be enough for Fairmont to break away from it's current spot in Other Hotel Programs and get it's own forum. While it wouldn't get as much traffic as HH, SPG or MR but then again Fairmont and it's hotel rewards program are nowhere near the size of those mainstream hotel chains and hotel programs either. Anyway just my opinion.

Spiff

Well, a good indicator for me would be:

1) Lots of Fairmont questions in the Other Hotel Programs forum

2) Fairmont-related threads appearing in forums where they do not fit. Since they are probably re-directed to 1) above, that would be my litmus-test, if you will.

Other TalkBoard members may have a different viewpoint.

tcook052

As much for my own educated, I ordered the Other Hotel Programs forum tonight going back one year to see how many Fairmont topics there actually were and there have been quite a few, enough, it could be argued, that Fairmont comprises the majority of threads created on that forum. Given that kind of traffic, I would respectfully encourage the Talk Board to consider giving FPC it's own forum.

Spiff

Could you provide the links and numbers to show the ample, unmet need that exists for a Fairmont forum, please?

Cholula

tcook052, if I were the sole voting TB member, you'd probably have your Fairmont Hotel forum. And the Qatar and Iberia airline folks might have theirs.

I'm in the "You build it and they will come" camp when it comes to creating forums for established hotel chains and airlines. Ones where we know FT'ers stay or fly and who have made a reasonable request backed up by some research that others will also support this forum.

I don't look for a specific number of posters who need to request a forum before I'll support the request. Quite often, some of these new requests just make sense because the hotel or airline has been around for quite awhile, has an established clientele and it makes me wonder why we haven't pro actively established a forum already.

With FT's member base growing from 15K when I joined to nearly 150K five years later and now surpassing 8 million posts, the need for organization is critical going forward.

Lumping Fairmont Hotel or Qatar Airline threads into an "All Other" category might have made sense five years ago with a much lower member base and far fewer total posts.

But I'm looking at these requests for new forums with an eye to the future and just a glance over my shoulder at what we did in the past. And I see a definite need for classification and organization of posts as we move forward and as we maintain our preeminence in the Internet's rank of travel websites.

In dealing with TB on requests for new forums, you're dealing with nine separate individuals who rarely vote as a block. Some think the egg came first, some think it was the chicken.

And some are focused on keeping procedures as they were in the past while others are taking a lot more liberal view on the creation of forums.

For the most part, this diversity on TB is a good thing for FlyerTalk. But it does make it frustrating for members when they request a new forum and that request is not immediately adopted.

What's the short-term workaround to your request? Try to find like-minded FT'ers who'll post here in support. And perhaps change you signature to link to this forum request thread.

I apologize for the long-winded reply to your post. If I'd had more time, I could have written a shorter answer.

AJLondon

How many worldwide properties does Fairmont have?

Might be interesting to compare that number to the chains that do have their own forums already (i.e. Hilton, SPG, Marriott, Radisson, Hyatt, IC/PC, Best Western and Wyndham.)

Q Shoe Guy

BTW, it's not just Fairmont Hotels anymore it's Fairmont/Raffles/Swissotel/Delta Hotels

"About Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, Inc.

Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, Inc. is a global hotel company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The company owns and manages 120 hotels in 25 countries under four brands, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts and Delta Hotels as well as vacation ownership properties managed by Fairmont Heritage Place."

http://www.raffles.com/about_raffles/index.html

roadtripman

I agree, Fairmont needs its own forum. I am surprised it doesn't already, with the number of properties that exist in Canada alone.

AJLondon

Interesting info Q Shoe Guy. Thanks!

And as a quick comparison:

Starwood Preferred Guest Over 850 hotels, 95 countries
Marriott Rewards Over 2,300 hotels, 60 countries
Hilton HHonors Over 2,500 hotels, 60 countries
Hyatt Gold Passport Over 200 hotels, 40 countries
Priority Club Rewards Over 3,400 hotels, 90 countries

(Data sourced from: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/prefer...omparison.html )

roadtripman

Yes, no one is claiming that Fairmont has a worldwide presence like some of the major chains. But, is perhaps the largest upscale hotel brand (Starwood doesn't even come close to Fairmont's prices, which can be upwards of $500 per night - see the Chateau Lake Louise, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, the Chateau Frontenac).

AJLondon

Ahem, you might be shooting yourself in the foot here a tad! See: St Regis New York, Bora Bora, W Maldives, European SPGs (Imperial Vienna, Danieli Venice, Blue Palace, Cala di Volpe Costa Smeralda, St Regis Rome and so on ) etc etc etc. The list of Starwood hotels that would charge over $500 per night on average is just too long to repeat here!

Anyways, if you are focusing on the "upscale" aspect of Fairmont, then perhaps a more appropriate home might be in the, already existing, Luxury Hotels forum on FT....


(P.S.: I'm not against having a Fairmont forum, I'm just trying to figure out the rationale and justification, if any, for it.)

Q Shoe Guy

Not wanting to be a PITA, but what reason do any forums exist (because they have point programs ((exception of the Westjet forum))......and lumping it with the Luxury Hotels forum(most of those Hotels don't have points) would certainly ruffle some feathers there!

AJLondon

My response was based on roadtripman's justification for a separate forum based on the "upscale" nature of Fairmont. Points earning or not, in that case surely the right home might be inside (or as a sub-forum of) Luxury hotels.

FYI: Other loyalty programs like the Leader's Club (LHW) are quite easily discussed in the Luxury hotels forum too, without ruffling too many feathers.



Or do you not think of Fairmont as upscale enough to be there...