This depends on whether the buyer purchases direct from Accor or through the resale market because of the significant discounts available by buying a vacation club membership directly from existing owners.

Prices through the Accor Vacation Club sales team are reportedly between $15,000 and $50,000 depending on the level of membership. Members buy points packages, which are allocated to the member and can be used as a kind of vacation currency to book accommodation or travel products. The more points purchased, the more it costs.

There are over a dozen membership levels in the Accor Vacation Club program, with the basic Bronze level membership at 2,300 points through to the Corporate level at 20,000 points.

Compare this to the costs on the vacation club resale market. Accor points packages from 3,000 to 4,000 points are being advertised for $5,000 to $10,000 – some even less. As a point of reference, Accor’s Group A resorts in High season would require 2,700 points for a week in a Studio unit and 4,000 for a one-bedroom holiday apartment. Mid or Value seasons would require even less points, or you could use your points during these non-peak seasons to book a larger two-bedroom unit.

An example of a Group A resort would be Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland or the Mercure Gold Coast Resort.

Annual Club Fees are also part of the equation. These are paid for the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of the resorts and the management of the Club. Annual fees for a Bronze level membership are about $600 and the fees increase based on the level of membership.

If you enjoy an annual holiday then yes, a vacation club membership is worth it. Club membership with Accor Vacation Club gives members a choice from resorts in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia as well as New Zealand and Bali.

In all, 24 resorts are available for Accor Club members to book, and members can also exchange the use of their points with exchange provider Interval International to choose accommodation from their selection of 3,200 resorts in 80 countries.

The program certainly has value – and the value is even more obvious when membership is purchased on the resale market.

Prices are higher when memberships are purchased through Accor because of marketing costs and sales commissions which are included in the prices quoted at the resorts. Those costs are not included in the resale prices because buyers are buying directly from an existing owner. The savings are worth thousands of dollars and resale buyers benefit from big savings.

Accor Vacation Club has over a dozen membership levels, so club prices through Accor can range from $15,000 to $50,000 depending on the number of points purchased. Points are sold and used as a type of holiday dollars to book accommodation, so the more points you have the more options you have.

For instance, a Bronze membership is 2,300 points but the cost through Accor can be $15,000. On the resale market, you can find point packages from 3,000 to 5,000 points from $5,000 to $12,000. Some are advertised at even lower prices.

To put this in perspective, Accor Group A resorts such as Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast would require 2,700 points for a week in a Studio apartment during High season. Even less during the non-peak seasons.

It is important to take a look at the costs prorated across the life of the membership, including the annual club fees. Those annual fees for a Bronze membership are about $600 a year. If the member keeps their membership for a 20 year period and bought a Bronze level at a $5,000 price point, then the cost would average out to about $850 a year for a week of accommodation in a high quality resort.

Ask yourself if a week of accommodation at Twin Waters is worth $850? Pretty obvious that the answer is yes.

Accor Vacation Club has 20 Club resorts across five states in Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia). In addition, another 23 Accor hotels in Australia are available to Premier Plus members as part of the Accor Hotel Select program.

No, Accor Vacation Club is not part of Marriott but is owned by AAPC Limited, otherwise known as Accor Asia Pacific, a public company based in Sydney.

This refers to the Accor Hotel loyalty program and not the Accor Vacation Club, which is the holiday club that comes under the Accor brand.

Accor hotel points are redeemed at a level of at least 2,000 points, which is worth 40 euros (about $48 US dollars or $63 Australian dollars). Because of the variety of hotels within the Accor chain, there is no set award chart like other hotel brands – so Accor converts points to currency so they can be used to offset or cover the cost of the hotel accommodation. The more points you have, the larger the currency equivalent to be used to pay for the hotel room.