Guide: How does the Amex Fine hotels & resorts program work?

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FINE HOTELS & RESORTS PROGRAM

The American Express Fine Hotels & 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 traditional 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 AMEX FHR

Currently, you can get access to the FHR program if you have the Amex Centurion Card. You can also get access to the FHR program if you have the personal or the business version of the 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

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Stunning view of the fountains from my room

I’ve use 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. Here’s a review of each benefit and how Amex FHR fared:

  • Room upgrade upon arrival (subject to availability) – We booked a city room and got upgraded to a Terrace Room with Fountain View, replete with stunning views of the Bellagio Fountains and the Las Vegas Strip
  • Daily breakfast for two people – The breakfast bill was charged to the room and the credit was applied on check-out
  • Guaranteed 4 PM late check-out – This benefit worked perfectly with my schedule. Late check out was a great benefit.
  • Noon check-in (subject to availability) – While I didn’t use this benefit at the Cosmopolitan, I’ve used the early check-in benefit at the Bellagio previously and it worked perfectly fine.
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi: The Wi-Fi at the hotel was spotty and slow, but that’s not Amex’s fault.
  • $100 Spa Credit: The Spa credit, just like the breakfast benefit, was applied on check-out.

Last month, 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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dee

Tho you are to get $100 room credit in Europe you only get 85 Euros!
A few times we have been to France the rate was almost 1:1 but hotels said
AMex only allows 85 Euros????

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