Fairmont to honor Hilton status benefits for stays at the reflagged El San Juan Hotel
Editor's note: This post has been updated with new details from Fairmont. It was originally published on Jan. 10, 2020.
Last week we reported that the 388-room El San Juan Hotel, formerly a Hilton Curio Collection property, had reflagged as a Fairmont.
Since then, Fairmont has reached out to TPG to offer some more details about the brand change and how it affects travelers with Hilton Honors points reservations. Here's what Jeff Doane, SVP, sales & marketing, North & Central America, had to say about Hilton Honors reservations:
Fairmont El San Juan Hotel is happy to honor all upcoming reservations, and all Hilton Honors members will be welcomed at the hotel with all the benefits of their current Hilton Honors status, as well as receive a bonus point offering if they choose to join ALL – Accor Live Limitless upon check-in. As the hotel is unable to facilitate the redemption of Hilton Honors points following the reflag, members with redemption reservations currently on the books will be extended an exceptional preferred rate if they would like to maintain their booking. Hilton contacted all Hilton Honors members with impacted reservations to help them understand their options, including relocation to another Hilton hotel or keeping their reservation at Fairmont El San Juan Hotel.
To make stays more attractive to new ALL – Accor Live Limitless members, the hotel is offering 3x points for stays through March 31 (reservations must be made by Feb. 29).
The brand change from Hilton to Fairmont at the El San Juan Hotel went into effect Jan. 2, 2020, when the hotel owner's franchise agreement with Hilton expired. The beach resort, on a two-mile stretch of Isla Verde Beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico, only recently reopened in December 2018 after a $65 million rehab that was necessary after suffering damage during Hurricane Maria the year before. The rebranding is interesting since before the El San Juan, the only other Fairmont property in the Caribbean was Barbados' Royal Pavilion.
The Caribbean Journal reported that Heather McCrory, CEO of North and Central America at Accor said the "Puerto Rico expansion was part of a period of 'tremendous growth' ahead in the region."
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