The American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts program offers an array of impressive benefits to add more comfort to your stay. We’ll review the benefits and how you can make the most of these benefits. You can count these benefits as a substitute for conventional elite status that you may have in a given program. We’ll discuss the benefits in more detail later in this post. I’ve enjoyed some amazing benefits thanks to multiple fine hotels and resorts stays that I’ve booked over the years. Here’s one example, the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok.
Cards that offer the Fine Hotels and Resorts Benefit
You’ll get access to this program if you have any version of the Platinum card or an Amex Centurion card. You do not need to enroll separately as the benefit is automatically active on your card. Also, you can use the benefit as many time you want, there’s no upper limit. You’ll get access to the fine hotels and program with one or more of the following cards:
- Amex Centurion Card
- American Express Platinum Card (Consumer version)
- Business Platinum Card
- Morgan Stanley Platinum Card
- Charles Schwab Platinum Card
HOW TO BOOK
Head over to this page in order to access the page for booking through the Amex FHR program.
BENEFITS
In my experience, I’ve found these benefits to be of immense value, especially when room rates are on par with rates offered directly by the hotel. As per the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts Program website, the following benefits are on offer:
- Room upgrade upon arrival (subject to availability)
- Daily breakfast for two people
- Guaranteed 4 PM late check-out
- Noon check-in (subject to availability)
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- $100 Credit – applicable toward a Spa or a Food & Beverage credit (depending on the property)
- 5x points per dollar spent when you book on Amextravel.com when you book with the Platinum card
- You can pay with points for your booking (but you shouldn’t, since it’s a horrible points redemption value)
MY EXPERIENCE
I’ve used the Amex FHR to gain great benefits during some of my hotel stays. I’ve been largely impressed with the coordination and execution of the benefits during the actual stay. I haven’t yet come across a situation where there’s a lack of clarity about which benefits are applicable to my hotel booking.
A few years back, I stayed at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Here’s the link to the full detailed review of the hotel. Having used the Amex FHR program to stay at the Bellagio in Las Vegas previously, I booked the Cosmopolitan this time around. I was equally impressed with the delivery of benefits.
Most Recent Booking
Last year, I booked the Ritz Carlton Langkawi, Malaysia via the Fine Hotels and Resorts program. You can read more details about how I got an extra $275 off on the booking in this post. As expected, the benefits were in line with our expectations.
- Room upgrade upon arrival (subject to availability) –We booked a standard room and were upgraded to a room with a view of the ocean.
- Daily breakfast for two people – Breakfast was complimentary for two people. However, kids eat free and our toddler’s breakfast was also on the house.
- Guaranteed 4 PM late check-out – We didn’t end up using this as we had an early afternoon flight.
- Noon check-in (subject to availability) – This benefit was very useful as we arrived at the hotel by 11 AM and were checked in before Noon.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi: The Wi-Fi was reliable and worked alright during our stay.
- $100 Experience Credit: We could use the credit for either dining or spa services. We primarily used it for in-room dining, which worked perfectly for our needs.
At the start of the year, I used my FHR benefit to stay at the Habtoor Palace in Dubai. I was upgraded to a Diplomat Suite!
THE PUNDIT’S MANTRA
If you’re looking to book a hotel through Amex’s FHR program, the should always compare rates before booking. There’s no point in getting a luxurious experience if you end up overpaying by a huge margin. Also, always make sure that you add your loyalty program number while making a reservation. This will ensure that you get the much valuable points and elite night credit for status qualification. What has your experience with Amex FHR been like? Let us know in the comments section.
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